The Brain Basis of Language Processing: From Structure to Function

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 1357-1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela D. Friederici
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Marker Studies ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

Language processing is a trait of human species. The knowledge about its neurobiological basis has been increased considerably over the past decades. Different brain regions in the left and right hemisphere have been identified to support particular language functions. Networks involving the temporal cortex and the inferior frontal cortex with a clear left lateralization were shown to support syntactic processes, whereas less lateralized temporo-frontal networks subserve semantic processes. These networks have been substantiated both by functional as well as by structural connectivity data. Electrophysiological measures indicate that within these networks syntactic processes of local structure building precede the assignment of grammatical and semantic relations in a sentence. Suprasegmental prosodic information overtly available in the acoustic language input is processed predominantly in a temporo-frontal network in the right hemisphere associated with a clear electrophysiological marker. Studies with patients suffering from lesions in the corpus callosum reveal that the posterior portion of this structure plays a crucial role in the interaction of syntactic and prosodic information during language processing.

The Structural Language Network

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela D. Friederici ◽  
Noam Chomsky
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Fiber Tracts ◽  
White Matter Fiber Tracts ◽  
The Right

An adequate description of the neural basis of language processing must consider the entire network both with respect to its structural white matter connections and the functional connectivities between the different brain regions as the information has to be sent between different language-related regions distributed across the temporal and frontal cortex. This chapter discusses the white matter fiber bundles that connect the language-relevant regions. The chapter is broken into three sections. In the first, we look at the white matter fiber tracts connecting the language-relevant regions in the frontal and temporal cortices; in the second, the ventral and dorsal pathways in the right hemisphere that connect temporal and frontal regions; and finally in the third, the two syntax-relevant and (at least) one semantic-relevant neuroanatomically-defined networks that sentence processing is based on. From this discussion, it becomes clear that online language processing requires information transfer via the long-range white matter fiber pathways that connect the language-relevant brain regions within each hemisphere and between hemispheres.

Bihemispheric Language: How the Two Hemispheres Collaborate in the Processing of Language

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman D. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Linguistic Processing ◽  
Figures Of Speech ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Level Of Understanding ◽  
The Right

Speech production in most people is strongly lateralized to the left hemisphere (LH), but language understanding is generally a bilateral activity. At every level of linguistic processing that has been investigated experimentally, the right hemisphere (RH) has been found to make characteristic contributions, from the processing of the affective aspects of intonation, through the appreciation of word connotations, the decoding of the meaning of metaphors and figures of speech, to the understanding of the overall coherency of verbal humour, paragraphs and short stories. If both hemispheres are indeed engaged in linguistic decoding and both processes are required to achieve a normal level of understanding, a central question concerns how the separate language functions on the left and right are integrated. This chapter reviews relevant studies on the hemispheric contributions to language processing and the role of interhemispheric communications in cognition.

scholarly journals Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging to examine brain structural plasticity and language experience

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gigi Luk ◽  
Christos Pliatsikas
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
The Brain

Recent advances in neuroimaging methods have led to a renewed interest in the brain correlates of language processing. Most intriguing is how experiences of language use relates to variation in brain structure and how brain structure predicts language acquisition. These two lines of inquiry have important implications on considering language use as an experience-dependent mechanism that induces brain plasticity. This paper focuses on the structural connectivity of the brain, as delivered by white matter, i.e. the collections of the axons of the brain neurons that provide connectivity between brain regions. Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS), a method commonly used in the field, will be presented in detail. Readers will be introduced to procedures for the extraction of indices of variation in WM structure such as fractional anisotropy. Furthermore, the role of individual differences in WM and changes in WM pertaining to bilingual experience and language processing will be used as examples to illustrate the applicability of this method.

scholarly journals Individual alpha power predicts language comprehension

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Wang ◽  
Yifei He ◽  
Burkhard Maess ◽  
Jinxing Yue ◽  
Luyao Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right

Alpha power attenuation during cognitive task performing has been suggested to reflect a process of release of inhibition, increase of excitability, and thereby benefit the improvement of performance. Here, we hypothesized that changes in individual alpha power during the execution of a complex language comprehension task may correlate with the individual performance in that task. We tested this using magnetoencephalography (MEG) recorded during comprehension of German sentences of different syntactic complexity. Results showed that neither the frequency nor the power of the spontaneous oscillatory activity at rest were associated with the individual performance. However, during the execution of a sentences processing task, the individual alpha power attenuation did correlate with individual language comprehension performance. Source reconstruction localized effects in temporal-parietal regions of both hemispheres. While the effect of increased task difficulty is localized in the right hemisphere, the difference in power attenuation between tasks of different complexity exhibiting a correlation with performance was localized in left temporal-parietal brain regions known to be associated with language processing. From our results, we conclude that in-task attenuation of individual alpha power is related to the essential mechanisms of the underlying cognitive processes, rather than merely to general phenomena like attention or vigilance.

scholarly journals The Functional Reorganization of Language Network Modules in Glioma Patients: New Insights From Resting State fMRI Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Jin ◽  
Chuzhong Li ◽  
Yazhuo Zhang ◽  
Taoyang Yuan ◽  
Jianyou Ying ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Preoperative Evaluation ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Resting State Fmri ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Language Network

BackgroundPrior investigations of language functions have focused on the response profiles of particular brain regions. However, the specialized and static view of language processing does not explain numerous observations of functional recovery following brain surgery. To investigate the dynamic alterations of functional connectivity (FC) within language network (LN) in glioma patients, we explored a new flexible model based on the neuroscientific hypothesis of core-periphery organization in LN.MethodsGroup-level LN mapping was determined from 109 glioma patients and forty-two healthy controls (HCs) using independent component analysis (ICA). FC and mean network connectivity (mNC: l/rFCw, FCb, and FCg) were compared between patients and HCs. Correlations between mNC and tumor volume (TV) were calculated.ResultsWe identified ten separate LN modules from ICA. Compared to HCs, glioma patients showed a significant reduction in language network functional connectivity (LNFC), with a distinct pattern modulated by tumor position. Left hemisphere gliomas had a broader impact on FC than right hemisphere gliomas, with more reduced edges away from tumor sites (p=0.011). mNC analysis revealed a significant reduction in all indicators of FC except for lFCw in right hemisphere gliomas. These alterations were associated with TV in a double correlative relationship depending on the tumor position across hemispheres.ConclusionOur findings emphasize the importance of considering the modulatory effects of core-periphery mechanisms from a network perspective. Preoperative evaluation of changes in LN caused by gliomas could provide the surgeon a reference to optimize resection while maintaining functional balance.

scholarly journals A Review on Treatment-Related Brain Changes in Aphasia

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 402-433
Author(s):  
Klara Schevenels ◽  
Cathy J. Price ◽  
Inge Zink ◽  
Bert De Smedt ◽  
Maaike Vandermosten
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Language Recovery ◽  
Brain Changes ◽  
The Right

Numerous studies have investigated brain changes associated with interventions targeting a range of language problems in patients with aphasia. We strive to integrate the results of these studies to examine (1) whether the focus of the intervention (i.e., phonology, semantics, orthography, syntax, or rhythmic-melodic) determines in which brain regions changes occur; and (2a) whether the most consistent changes occur within the language network or outside, and (2b) whether these are related to individual differences in language outcomes. The results of 32 studies with 204 unique patients were considered. Concerning (1), the location of treatment-related changes does not clearly depend on the type of language processing targeted. However, there is some support that rhythmic-melodic training has more impact on the right hemisphere than linguistic training. Concerning (2), we observed that language recovery is not only associated with changes in traditional language-related structures in the left hemisphere and homolog regions in the right hemisphere, but also with more medial and subcortical changes (e.g., precuneus and basal ganglia). Although it is difficult to draw strong conclusions, because there is a lack of systematic large-scale studies on this topic, this review highlights the need for an integrated approach to investigate how language interventions impact on the brain. Future studies need to focus on larger samples preserving subject-specific information (e.g., lesion effects) to cope with the inherent heterogeneity of stroke-induced aphasia. In addition, recovery-related changes in whole-brain connectivity patterns need more investigation to provide a comprehensive neural account of treatment-related brain plasticity and language recovery.

scholarly journals Volumetric MRI Analysis of Brain Structures in Patients with History of First and Repeated Suicide Attempts: A Cross Sectional Study

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 488
Author(s):  
Milda Sarkinaite ◽  
Rymante Gleizniene ◽  
Virginija Adomaitiene ◽  
Kristina Dambrauskiene ◽  
Nijole Raskauskiene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Attempt ◽  
Left Hemisphere ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Suicide Attempters ◽  
The Right

Structural brain changes are found in suicide attempters and in patients with mental disorders. It remains unclear whether the suicidal behaviors are related to atrophy of brain regions and how the morphology of specific brain areas is changing with each suicide attempt. The sample consisted of 56 patients hospitalized after first suicide attempt (first SA) (n = 29), more than one suicide attempt (SA > 1) (n = 27) and 54 healthy controls (HC). Brain volume was measured using FreeSurfer 6.0 automatic segmentation technique. In comparison to HC, patients with first SA had significantly lower cortical thickness of the superior and rostral middle frontal areas, the inferior, middle and superior temporal areas of the left hemisphere and superior frontal area of the right hemisphere. In comparison to HC, patients after SA > 1 had a significantly lower cortical thickness in ten areas of frontal cortex of the left hemisphere and seven areas of the right hemisphere. The comparison of hippocampus volume showed a significantly lower mean volume of left and right parts in patients with SA > 1, but not in patients with first SA. The atrophy of frontal, temporal cortex and hippocampus parts was significantly higher in repeated suicide attempters than in patients with first suicide attempt.

scholarly journals Neuroplasticity of language in left-hemisphere stroke: evidence linking subsecond electrophysiology and structural connections

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitória Piai ◽  
Lars Meyer ◽  
Nina F. Dronkers ◽  
Robert T. Knight
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Left Temporal Lobe ◽  
Beta Power ◽  
Oscillatory Power ◽  
Alpha Beta ◽  
The Right

AbstractOur understanding of neuroplasticity following stroke is predominantly based on neuroimaging measures that cannot address the subsecond neurodynamics of impaired language processing. We combined behavioral and electrophysiological measures and structural-connectivity estimates to characterize neuroplasticity underlying successful compensation of language abilities after left-hemispheric stroke. We recorded the electroencephalogram from patients with stroke lesions to the left temporal lobe and matched controls during context-driven word retrieval. Participants heard lead-in sentences that either constrained the final word (“He locked the door with the”) or not (“She walked in here with the”). The last word was shown as a picture to be named. We conducted individual-participant analyses and focused on oscillatory power as a subsecond indicator of a brain region's functional neurophysiological computations. All participants named pictures faster following constrained than unconstrained sentences, except for two patients, who had extensive damage to the left temporal lobe. Left-lateralized alpha-beta oscillatory power decreased in controls pre-picture presentation for constrained relative to unconstrained contexts. In patients, the alpha-beta power decreases were observed with the same time course as in controls but were lateralized to the intact right hemisphere. The right lateralization depended on the probability of white-matter connections between the bilateral temporal lobes. The two patients who performed poorly behaviorally showed no alpha-beta power decreases. Our findings suggest that incorporating direct measures of neural activity into investigations of neuroplasticity can provide important neural markers to help predict language recovery, assess the progress of neurorehabilitation, and delineate targets for therapeutic neuromodulation.

scholarly journals Disruptions of the Human Connectome Associated With Hemispatial Neglect

Neurology ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. e107-e114
Author(s):  
Sadhvi Saxena ◽  
Zafer Keser ◽  
Chris Rorden ◽  
Leonardo Bonilha ◽  
Julius Fridriksson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Horizontal Line ◽  
Hemispatial Neglect ◽  
White Matter Tracts ◽  
The Right ◽  
Contralesional Side

Background and ObjectivesHemispatial neglect is a heterogeneous and complex disorder that can be classified by frame of reference for “left” vs “right,” including viewer-centered neglect (VCN, affecting the contralesional side of the view), stimulus-centered neglect (SCN, affecting the contralesional side of the stimulus, irrespective of its location with respect to the viewer), or both. We investigated the effect of acute stroke lesions on the connectivity of neural networks that underlie VCN or SCN.MethodsA total of 174 patients within 48 hours of acute right hemispheric infarct underwent a detailed hemispatial neglect assessment that included oral reading, scene copy, line cancellation, gap detection, horizontal line bisection tests, and MRI. Each patient's connectivity map was generated. We performed a linear association analysis between network connectivity strength and continuous measures of neglect to identify lesion-induced disconnections associated with the presence or severity of VCN and SCN. Results were corrected for multiple comparisons.ResultsAbout 42% of the participants with right hemisphere stroke had at least one type of neglect. The presence of any type of neglect was associated with lesions to tracts connecting the right inferior parietal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and right thalamus to other right-hemispheric structures. VCN only was strongly associated with tracts connecting the right putamen to other brain regions and tracts connecting right frontal regions with other brain regions. The presence of both types of neglect was most strongly associated with tracts connecting the right inferior and superior parietal cortex to other brain regions and those connecting left or right mesial temporal cortex to other brain regions.DiscussionOur study provides new evidence for the specific white matter tracts where disruption can cause hemispatial neglect in a relatively large number of participants and homogeneous time after onset. We obtained MRI and behavioral testing acutely, before the opportunity for rehabilitation or substantial recovery.Classification of EvidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that damage to specific white matter tracts identified on MRI are associated with the presence of neglect following right hemispheric stroke.

scholarly journals What Do Language Disorders Reveal about Brain–Language Relationships? From Classic Models to Network Approaches

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 741-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina F. Dronkers ◽  
Maria V. Ivanova ◽  
Juliana V. Baldo
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Language Disorders ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Language Functions ◽  
Subcortical Regions ◽  
Communication Impairments ◽  
The Brain

AbstractStudies of language disorders have shaped our understanding of brain–language relationships over the last two centuries. This article provides a review of this research and how our thinking has changed over the years regarding how the brain processes language. In the 19th century, a series of famous case studies linked distinct speech and language functions to specific portions of the left hemisphere of the brain, regions that later came to be known as Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. One hundred years later, the emergence of new brain imaging tools allowed for the visualization of brain injuriesin vivothat ushered in a new era of brain-behavior research and greatly expanded our understanding of the neural processes of language. Toward the end of the 20th century, sophisticated neuroimaging approaches allowed for the visualization of both structural and functional brain activity associated with language processing in both healthy individuals and in those with language disturbance. More recently, language is thought to be mediated by a much broader expanse of neural networks that covers a large number of cortical and subcortical regions and their interconnecting fiber pathways. Injury to both grey and white matter has been seen to affect the complexities of language in unique ways that have altered how we think about brain–language relationships. The findings that support this paradigm shift are described here along with the methodologies that helped to discover them, with some final thoughts on future directions, techniques, and treatment interventions for those with communication impairments. (JINS, 2017,23, 741–754)

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