scholarly journals Triangulation of the neurocomputational architecture underpinning reading aloud

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (28) ◽  
pp. E3719-E3728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Hoffman ◽  
Matthew A. Lambon Ralph ◽  
Anna M. Woollams
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Reading Aloud ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Cognitive Models ◽  
Causal Modeling ◽  
Neural Pathways

The goal of cognitive neuroscience is to integrate cognitive models with knowledge about underlying neural machinery. This significant challenge was explored in relation to word reading, where sophisticated computational-cognitive models exist but have made limited contact with neural data. Using distortion-corrected functional MRI and dynamic causal modeling, we investigated the interactions between brain regions dedicated to orthographic, semantic, and phonological processing while participants read words aloud. We found that the lateral anterior temporal lobe exhibited increased activation when participants read words with irregular spellings. This area is implicated in semantic processing but has not previously been considered part of the reading network. We also found meaningful individual differences in the activation of this region: Activity was predicted by an independent measure of the degree to which participants use semantic knowledge to read. These characteristics are predicted by the connectionist Triangle Model of reading and indicate a key role for semantic knowledge in reading aloud. Premotor regions associated with phonological processing displayed the reverse characteristics. Changes in the functional connectivity of the reading network during irregular word reading also were consistent with semantic recruitment. These data support the view that reading aloud is underpinned by the joint operation of two neural pathways. They reveal that (i) the ATL is an important element of the ventral semantic pathway and (ii) the division of labor between the two routes varies according to both the properties of the words being read and individual differences in the degree to which participants rely on each route.

scholarly journals Early Phonological Neural Specialization Predicts Later Growth in Word Reading Skills

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna L. Yamasaki ◽  
Karla Kay McGregor ◽  
James R. Booth
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Reading Growth ◽  
Best Fitting ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Performance Results

According to the Interactive Specialization Theory, cognitive skill development is facilitated by a process of neural specialization. In line with this theory, the current study investigated whether neural specialization for phonological and semantic processing at 5-to-6 years old was predictive of growth in word reading skills from 5-to-8 years old. Specifically, four regression models were estimated in which reading growth was predicted from: (1) an intercept-only model, (2) measures of semantic and phonological neural specialization, (3) performance on semantic and phonological behavioral tasks, or (4) a combination of neural specialization and behavioral performance. Results from the preregistered analyses revealed little evidence in favor of the hypothesis that early semantic and phonological skills predict growth in reading. However, results from the exploratory analyses, which included a larger sample, focused exclusively on the phonological predictors, and investigated relative growth in reading, demonstrated strong evidence that variability in phonological processing is predictive of growth in word reading skills. Specifically, the best fitting model included both measures of phonological neural specialization within the posterior superior temporal gyrus and performance on a phonological behavioral task. This work provides important preliminary evidence in favor of the Interactive Specialization Theory and, more specifically, for the role of phonological neural specialization in the development of early word reading skills.

scholarly journals Two types of phonological reading impairment in stroke aphasia

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Vivian Dickens ◽  
Andrew T DeMarco ◽  
Candace M van der Stelt ◽  
Sarah F Snider ◽  
Elizabeth H Lacey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Reading Aloud ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Reading Accuracy ◽  
Reading Impairment ◽  
Sensory Motor ◽  
Structural Connections ◽  
Lesion Symptom Mapping

Abstract Alexia is common in the context of aphasia. It is widely agreed that damage to phonological and semantic systems not specific to reading causes co-morbid alexia and aphasia. Studies of alexia to date have only examined phonology and semantics as singular processes or axes of impairment, typically in the context of stereotyped alexia syndromes. However, phonology, in particular, is known to rely on subprocesses, including sensory-phonological processing, motor-phonological processing, and sensory-motor integration. Moreover, many people with stroke aphasia demonstrate mild or mixed patterns of reading impairment that do not fit neatly with one syndrome. This cross-sectional study tested whether the hallmark symptom of phonological reading impairment, the lexicality effect, emerges from damage to a specific subprocess of phonology in stroke patients not selected for alexia syndromes. Participants were 30 subjects with left-hemispheric stroke and 37 age- and education-matched controls. A logistic mixed-effects model tested whether post-stroke impairments in sensory phonology, motor phonology, or sensory-motor integration modulated the effect of item lexicality on patient accuracy in reading aloud. Support vector regression voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping localized brain regions necessary for reading and non-orthographic phonological processing. Additionally, a novel support vector regression structural connectome-symptom mapping method identified the contribution of both lesioned and spared but disconnected, brain regions to reading accuracy and non-orthographic phonological processing. Specifically, we derived whole-brain structural connectomes using constrained spherical deconvolution-based probabilistic tractography and identified lesioned connections based on comparisons between patients and controls. Logistic mixed-effects regression revealed that only greater motor-phonological impairment related to lower accuracy reading aloud pseudowords versus words. Impaired sensory-motor integration was related to lower overall accuracy in reading aloud. No relationship was identified between sensory-phonological impairment and reading accuracy. Voxel-based and structural connectome lesion-symptom mapping revealed that lesioned and disconnected left ventral precentral gyrus related to both greater motor-phonological impairment and lower sublexical reading accuracy. In contrast, lesioned and disconnected left temporoparietal cortex is related to both impaired sensory-motor integration and reduced overall reading accuracy. These results clarify that at least two dissociable phonological processes contribute to the pattern of reading impairment in aphasia. First, impaired sensory-motor integration, caused by lesions disrupting the left temporoparietal cortex and its structural connections, non-selectively reduces accuracy in reading aloud. Second, impaired motor-phonological processing, caused at least partially by lesions disrupting left ventral premotor cortex and structural connections, selectively reduces sublexical reading accuracy. These results motivate a revised cognitive model of reading aloud that incorporates a sensory-motor phonological circuit.

scholarly journals Early Phonological Neural Specialization Predicts Later Growth in Word Reading Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna L. Yamasaki ◽  
Karla K. McGregor ◽  
James R. Booth
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Reading Growth ◽  
Best Fitting ◽  
Decisive Evidence ◽  
Performance Results

According to the Interactive Specialization Theory, cognitive skill development is facilitated by a process of neural specialization. In line with this theory, the current study investigated whether neural specialization for phonological and semantic processing at 5-to-6 years old was predictive of growth in word reading skills 2 years later. Specifically, four regression models were estimated in which reading growth was predicted from: (1) an intercept-only model; (2) measures of semantic and phonological neural specialization; (3) performance on semantic and phonological behavioral tasks; or (4) a combination of neural specialization and behavioral performance. Results from the preregistered analyses revealed little evidence in favor of the hypothesis that early semantic and phonological skills are predictive of growth in reading. However, results from the exploratory analyses, which included a larger sample, added age at Time 1 as a covariate, and investigated relative growth in reading, demonstrated decisive evidence that variability in phonological processing is predictive of reading growth. The best fitting model included both measures of specialization within the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) and behavioral performance. This work provides important evidence in favor of the Interactive Specialization Theory and, more specifically, for the role of phonological neural specialization in the development of early word reading skills.

Cognition, Metacognition, and Achievement of College Students with Learning Disabilities

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Trainin ◽  
H. Lee Swanson
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Students With Ld

This study examined the way successful college students with LD compensated for their deficits in phonological processing. Successful was defined as average or above-average grades in college coursework. The study compared the cognitive and metacognitive performance of students with and without LD (N=40). Although achievement levels for both groups were comparable, students with LD scored significantly lower than students without LD in word reading, processing speed, semantic processing, and short-term memory. Differences were also found between groups in self-regulation and number of hours of studying. Results showed that students with LD compensated for their processing deficits by relying on verbal abilities, learning strategies, and help seeking.

scholarly journals Large-scale Functional Integration, Rather than Functional Dissociation along Dorsal and Ventral Streams, Underlies Visual Perception and Action

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 847-861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipanjan Ray ◽  
Nilambari Hajare ◽  
Dipanjan Roy ◽  
Arpan Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Functional Integration ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Dorsal Stream ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Causal Modeling ◽  
Neural Pathways ◽  
Healthy Human

Visual dual-stream theory posits that two distinct neural pathways of specific functional significance originate from primary visual areas and reach the inferior temporal (ventral) and posterior parietal areas (dorsal). However, there are several unresolved questions concerning the fundamental aspects of this theory. For example, is the functional dissociation between ventral and dorsal stream driven by features in input stimuli or is it driven by categorical differences between visuoperceptual and visuomotor functions? Is the dual stream rigid or flexible? What is the nature of the interactions between the two streams? We addressed these questions using fMRI recordings on healthy human volunteers and employing stimuli and tasks that can tease out the divergence between visuoperceptual and visuomotor variants of dual-stream theory. fMRI scans were repeated after seven practice sessions that were conducted in a non-MRI environment to investigate the effects of neuroplasticity. Brain activation analysis supports an input-based functional dissociation and existence of context-dependent neuroplasticity in dual-stream areas. Intriguingly, premotor cortex activation was observed in the position perception task and distributed deactivated regions were observed in all perception tasks, thus warranting a network-level analysis. Dynamic causal modeling analysis incorporating activated and deactivated brain areas during perception tasks indicates that the brain dynamics during visual perception and actions could be interpreted within the framework of predictive coding. Effectively, the network-level findings point toward the existence of more intricate context-driven functional networks selective of “what” and “where” information rather than segregated streams of processing along ventral and dorsal brain regions.

scholarly journals Similarity Judgments Predict N400 Amplitude Differences between Taxonomic Category Members and Thematic Associates

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garrett Honke ◽  
Kenneth J. Kurtz ◽  
Sarah Laszlo
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Similarity Judgment ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Taxonomic Category ◽  
Relational Similarity ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Similarity Judgments ◽  
Psychological Similarity

Human similarity judgments do not reliably conform to the predictions of leading theories of psychological similarity. Evidence from the triad similarity judgment task shows that people often identify thematic associates like DOG and BONE as more similar than taxonomic category members like DOG and CAT, even though thematic associates lack the type of featural or relational similarity that is foundational to theories of psychological similarity. This specific failure to predict human behavior has been addressed as a consequence of education and other individual differences, an artifact of the triad similarity judgment paradigm, or a shortcoming in psychological accounts of similarity. We investigated the judged similarity of semantically-related concepts (taxonomic category members and thematic associates) as it relates to other task-independent measures of semantic knowledge and access. Participants were assessed on reading and language ability, then event-related potentials (ERPs) were collected during a passive, sequential word reading task that presented pseudowords and taxonomically-related, thematically-related, and unrelated word sequences, and, finally, similarity judgments were collected with the classic two-alternative forced-choice triad task. The results uncovered a correspondence between ERP amplitude and triad-based similarity judgments---similarity judgment behavior reliably predicts ERP amplitude during passive word reading, absent of any instruction to consider similarity. It was also found that individual differences in reading and language ability independently predicted ERP amplitude. This evidence suggests that similarity judgments are driven by reliable patterns of thought that are not solely rooted in the interpretation of task goals or reading and language ability.

scholarly journals Behavioral Effects of Chronic Gray and White Matter Stroke Lesions in a Functionally Defined Connectome for Naming

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 613-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shihui Xing ◽  
Ayan Mandal ◽  
Elizabeth H. Lacey ◽  
Laura M. Skipper-Kallal ◽  
Jinsheng Zeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Dorsal Stream ◽  
Naming Task ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Lesion Size ◽  
The Impact

Background. In functional magnetic resonance imaging studies, picture naming engages widely distributed brain regions in the parietal, frontal, and temporal cortices. However, it remains unknown whether those activated areas, along with white matter pathways between them, are actually crucial for naming. Objective. We aimed to identify nodes and pathways implicated in naming in healthy older adults and test the impact of lesions to the connectome on naming ability. Methods. We first identified 24 cortical nodes activated by a naming task and reconstructed anatomical connections between these nodes using probabilistic tractography in healthy adults. We then used structural scans and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps in 45 patients with left hemisphere stroke to assess the relationships of node and pathway integrity to naming, phonology, and nonverbal semantic ability. Results. We found that mean FA values in 13 left hemisphere white matter tracts within the dorsal and ventral streams and 1 interhemispheric tract significantly related to naming scores after controlling for lesion size and demographic factors. In contrast, lesion loads in the cortical nodes were not related to naming performance after controlling for the same variables. Among the identified tracts, the integrity of 4 left hemisphere ventral stream tracts related to nonverbal semantic processing and 1 left hemisphere dorsal stream tract related to phonological processing. Conclusions. Our findings reveal white matter structures vital for naming and its subprocesses. These findings demonstrate the value of multimodal methods that integrate functional imaging, structural connectivity, and lesion data to understand relationships between brain networks and behavior.

scholarly journals Neural bases of phonological and semantic processing in early childhood

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avantika Mathur ◽  
Douglas Schultz ◽  
Yingying Wang
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Reading Ability ◽  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Early Period ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Neural Bases

AbstractDuring the early period of reading development, children gain phonological (letter-to-sound mapping) and semantic knowledge (storage and retrieval of word meaning). Their reading ability changes rapidly, accompanied by their learning-induced brain plasticity as they learn to read. This study aims to identify the specialization of phonological and semantic processing in early childhood using a combination of univariate and multivariate pattern analysis. Nineteen typically developing children between the age of five to seven performed visual word-level phonological (rhyming) and semantic (related meaning) judgment tasks during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. Our multivariate analysis showed that young children with good reading ability have already recruited the left hemispheric regions in the brain for phonological processing, including the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), superior and middle temporal gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. Additionally, our multivariate results suggested that the sub-regions of the left IFG were specialized for different tasks. Our results suggest the left lateralization of fronto-temporal regions for phonological processing and bilateral activations of parietal regions for semantic processing during early childhood. Our findings indicate that the neural bases of reading have already begun to be shaped in early childhood for typically developing children, which can be used as a control baseline for comparison of children at-risk for reading difficulties.

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