Resolving visual and conceptual interference among object concepts requires medial temporal lobe cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle M. Douglas ◽  
Louisa Lok Yee Man ◽  
Rachel N. Newsome ◽  
Haley Park ◽  
Hira M. Aslam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Brain Lesion ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Visual Interference ◽  
Multiple Stimulus ◽  
Feature Overlap ◽  
Visually Based ◽  
High Degree

Semantic features, such as prototypical visual form or function, are often shared across multiple object concepts. How, then, are we able to resolve interference between object concepts that look alike but perform different functions (e.g., hairdryer and gun) or that do similar things but look rather dissimilar (e.g., hairdryer and comb)? We examined this issue in the current neuropsychological single-case study by asking whether perirhinal cortex (PRC) critically enables resolution of interference among object concepts at the level of their conceptually- and visually-based semantic features. We tested three patients with differing lesion profiles using a novel discrimination task involving stimuli for which visual and conceptual similarity were not linked across object concepts. We found that D.A., an individual with a brain lesion that includes PRC, was impaired at discriminating among object concepts when there was a high degree conceptual and visual semantic feature overlap among choices. We replicated this result in a second testing session. Conversely, patients with selective hippocampal or ventromedial prefrontal cortical lesions were unimpaired on this task. Importantly, D.A.’s performance was intact when (i) conceptual and visual interference among object concepts was minimized, and (ii) when the discriminations involved simple stimuli that did not require assessment of multiple stimulus dimensions. These results reveal a novel semantic deficit in a patient with PRC damage, suggesting that this structure represents object concepts in a manner that can be flexibly reshaped to emphasize task relevant semantic features.

scholarly journals High feature overlap reveals the importance of anterior and medial temporal lobe structures for learning by means of fast mapping

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Kathrin Zaiser ◽  
Regine Bader ◽  
Patric Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Perirhinal Cortex ◽  
Semantic Integration ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fast Mapping ◽  
Learning Procedure ◽  
Feature Overlap ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Novel Associations

AbstractContrary to traditional theories of declarative memory, it has recently been shown that novel, arbitrary associations can be rapidly and directly integrated into cortical memory networks by means of a learning procedure called fast mapping (FM), possibly bypassing time-consuming hippocampal-neocortical consolidation processes. In the typical FM paradigm, a picture of a previously unknown item is presented next to a picture of a previously known item and participants answer a question referring to an unfamiliar label. It is assumed that they thereby incidentally create associations between the unknown item and the label. However, contradictory findings have been reported and factors moderating rapid cortical integration through FM yet need to be identified. In the context of previous behavioral results showing rapid semantic integration through FM especially if the unknown and the known item shared many features, we propose that due to its computational mechanisms during the processing of complex and particularly highly similar objects, the perirhinal cortex might be especially qualified to support the rapid incorporation of these associations into cortical memory networks within the FM paradigm. We therefore expected that a high degree of feature overlap between the unknown and the known item would trigger strong engagement of the perirhinal cortex at encoding, which in turn might enhance rapid cortical integration of the novel picture-label associations. Within an fMRI experiment, we observed stronger activation for subsequent hits than misses during encoding in the perirhinal cortex and an associated anterior temporal network if the items shared many features than if they shared few features, indicating that the perirhinal cortex indeed contributes to the acquisition of novel associations by means of FM if feature overlap is high.

ASPECTS OF LEXICAL COLLOCATION OF HIGH-DEGREE WORDS ‘SILNIY’, ‘KREPKIY’, ‘ZHELEZNIY’

2020 ◽  
pp. 263-280
Author(s):  
M. V. Voronets ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Russian Language ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Word Use ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Russian Language

This study examines the lexical compatibility of high-degree words in the Russian language, specifically ‘silniy’ (strong), ‘krepkiy’ (hard), ‘zhelezniy’ (strong as iron), which have similar meanings. By comparing the dictionary meanings of a word and analyzing their compatibility, researches can specify its semantic features and explain the collocation limitations. The results can be used to develop the proper recommendations on the word use and exercises for the learners of Russian as a second language.

scholarly journals The Role of White Matter Disconnection in the Symptoms Relating to the Anarchic Hand Syndrome: A Single Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 632
Author(s):  
Valentina Pacella ◽  
Giuseppe Kenneth Ricciardi ◽  
Silvia Bonadiman ◽  
Elisabetta Verzini ◽  
Federica Faraoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Brain Lesion ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Disconnection Syndrome ◽  
Neuroimaging Data ◽  
Neuropsychological Investigation ◽  
Anterior Posterior

The anarchic hand syndrome refers to an inability to control the movements of one’s own hand, which acts as if it has a will of its own. The symptoms may differ depending on whether the brain lesion is anterior, posterior, callosal or subcortical, but the relative classifications are not conclusive. This study investigates the role of white matter disconnections in a patient whose symptoms are inconsistent with the mapping of the lesion site. A repeated neuropsychological investigation was associated with a review of the literature on the topic to identify the frequency of various different symptoms relating to this syndrome. Furthermore, an analysis of the neuroimaging regarding structural connectivity allowed us to investigate the grey matter lesions and white matter disconnections. The results indicated that some of the patient’s symptoms were associated with structures that, although not directly damaged, were dysfunctional due to a disconnection in their networks. This suggests that the anarchic hand may be considered as a disconnection syndrome involving the integration of multiple antero-posterior, insular and interhemispheric networks. In order to comprehend this rare syndrome better, the clinical and neuroimaging data need to be integrated with the clinical reports available in the literature on this topic.

scholarly journals The Role of White Matter Disconnection in the Symptoms Relating to the Anarchic Hand Syndrome: A Single Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Pacella ◽  
Giuseppe Kenneth Ricciardi ◽  
Silvia Bonadiman ◽  
Elisabetta Verzini ◽  
Federica Faraoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Brain Lesion ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Disconnection Syndrome ◽  
Neuroimaging Data ◽  
Neuropsychological Investigation ◽  
Anterior Posterior

The anarchic hand syndrome refers to an inability to control the movements of one’s own hand which acts as if it had a will of its own. The symptoms may differ depending on whether the brain lesion is anterior, posterior, callosal or subcortical, but the relative classifications are not conclusive. This study investigates the role of white matter disconnections in a patient whose symptoms are inconsistent with the mapping of the lesion site. A repeated neuropsychological investigation was associated with a review of the literature on the topic to identify the frequency of various different symptoms relating to this syndrome. Furthermore, an analysis of the neuroimaging regarding structural connectivity allowed us to investigate the grey matter lesions and white matter disconnections. The results indicated that some of the patient’s symptoms were associated with structures that, although not directly damaged, were dysfunctional due to a disconnection in their networks. This suggests that the anarchic hand may be considered as a disconnection syndrome involving the integration of multiple antero-posterior, insular and interhemispheric networks. In order to comprehend this rare syndrome better, the clinical and neuroimaging data need to be integrated with the clinical reports available in the literature on the topic.

scholarly journals The Use of Virtual Environments for Survey Spatial Ability Evaluation in Topographical Disorientation

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Morganti ◽  
Maria Luisa Rusconi ◽  
Anna Paladino ◽  
Giuliano Geminiani ◽  
Antonella Carassa
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Spatial Ability ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Topographical Disorientation ◽  
Spatial Test ◽  
Selective Impairment

Due to their interactivity and to the sense of presence they afford, virtual environments constitute an interesting opportunity to study spatial cognition. In accordance with this perspective, we aimed to introduce a spatial test in virtual simulation in order to investigate the survey spatial ability in patients with topographical disorientation. To do this, we used the “planning in advance task” in a virtual environment that constitutes an effective procedure to experimentally evaluate survey maps. With this procedure we present the single case of a woman, with a right medial temporal lobe lesion, who shows a selective impairment in the acquisition of new spatial relationships. The patient’s performance in “planning in advance task” was compared with that of a control group made up of 40 female subjects matched for age and education. Results show how the patient revealed a significantly lower spatial performance when compared to the control group, demonstrating an inability to solve survey-type spatial tasks in complex virtual environments.

Familiarity and recollection vs representational models of medial temporal lobe structures: A single-case study

2017 ◽  
Vol 104 ◽  
pp. 76-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie Lacot ◽  
Stéphane Vautier ◽  
Stefan Kőhler ◽  
Jérémie Pariente ◽  
Chris B. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Lobe ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Familiarity And Recollection ◽  
Representational Models

The Perceptual-Mnemonic/Feature Conjunction Model of Perirhinal Cortex Function

2005 ◽  
Vol 58 (3-4b) ◽  
pp. 269-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Bussey ◽  
Lisa M. Saksida ◽  
Elisabeth A. Murray
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Visual Discrimination ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Perirhinal Cortex ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Visual Stream ◽  
Feature Conjunction ◽  
High Degree

The perirhinal cortex was once thought to be “silent cortex”, virtually ignored by researchers interested in the neurobiology of learning and memory. Following studies of brain damage associated with cases of amnesia, perirhinal cortex is now widely regarded as part of a “medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system”. This system is thought to be more or less functionally homogeneous, having a special role in declarative memory, and making little or no contribution to other functions such as perception. In the present article, we summarize an alternative view. First, we propose that components of the putative MTL system such as the hippocampus and perirhinal cortex have distinct and dissociable functions. Second, we provide evidence that the perirhinal cortex has a role in visual discrimination. In addition, we propose a specific role for perirhinal cortex in visual discrimination: the contribution of complex conjunctive representations to the solution of visual discrimination problems with a high degree of “feature ambiguity”. These proposals constitute a new view of perirhinal cortex function, one that does not assume strict modularity of function in the occipito-temporal visual stream, but replaces this idea with the notion of a hierarchical representational continuum.

scholarly journals Formal Syntax, Diachronic Minimalism, and Etymology: The History of French, Chez

2001 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Longobardi
Keyword(s):  
Language Change ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Universal Grammar ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Diachronic Syntax ◽  
External Pressures ◽  
History Of ◽  
Parameter Resetting ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Diachronic Changes

Current theories place very mild constraints on possible diachronic changes, something at odds with the trivial observation that actual, “language change” represents a tiny fraction of the variation made a priori available by Universal Grammar. Much recent work in diachronic syntax has actually been guided by the aim of describing changes (e.g., parameter resetting), rather than by concerns of genuine explanation. Here I suggest a radically different viewpoint (the Inertial, Theory of diachronic syntax), namely, that syntactic change not provably due to interference should not occur at all as a primitive-that is, unless forced by changes in the phonology, the semantics, or the lexicon, perhaps ultimately by interface or grammar-external pressures, in line with the minimalist enterprise in synchronic linguistics. I concentrate on a single case, the etymology of Modern French chez, showing howthe proposed approach attains a high degree of explanatory adequacy.

scholarly journals Imaging recent to very remote object-in-place memories in the medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Atucha ◽  
Celia Fuerst ◽  
Magdalena Sauvage
Keyword(s):  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Remote Memory ◽  
General Mechanism ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Place Task ◽  
Cortical Regions ◽  
Over Time

Studies on patient H.M inspired many experiments on the role of the hippocampus and the neocortex in retrieving recent and remote memories. Cortical regions become increasingly engaged for memory retrieval over time, while conflicting results emerge regarding the engagement of the hippocampus, suggested to be ongoing by some or restricted to the retrieval of recent memories by others. In the study of Lux et al, 2016 we tested that this discrepancy might stem from failing to dissociate CA1 from CA3s contribution to memory retrieval over time as CA3 is known to support computations more sensitive to time than CA1. We also reported that parahippocampal cortical areas with tied anatomical connections with the hippocampus were increasingly engaged over time (Lux et al., elife , 2016). This study used a fear conditioning paradigm as emotionally arousing experiences are better remembered than memories devoid of fear content. Here we address whether the differential contribution of brain regions is a general mechanism also subserving memory retrieval devoid of fear content. We succeeded in developing an object-in-place task to investigate remote memory retrieval up to 6 months and the contribution of CA1, CA3, parahippocampal and prefrontal cortical areas to the retrieval of recent versus very remote memories using a high resolution molecular imaging technique based on the detection of the IEG RNA Arc. Preliminary results show that the disengagement of CA3 and persistent engagement of CA1 seem to be a general mechanism in supporting retrieval of remote memory for events.

scholarly journals Functional specialization of the medial temporal lobes in human recognition memory: dissociating effects of hippocampal vs parahippocampal damage

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios P. D. Argyropoulos ◽  
Carola Dell’Acqua ◽  
Emily Butler ◽  
Clare Loane ◽  
Adriana Roca-Fernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Medial Temporal Lobe ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Perirhinal Cortex ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Hippocampal Damage ◽  
Material Type ◽  
Brain Behavior

AbstractA central debate in the systems neuroscience of memory concerns whether different medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures support different processes or material-types in recognition memory. We tested a rare patient (Patient MH) with a perirhinal lesion that appeared to spare the hippocampus, using two recognition memory paradigms, each run separately with faces, scenes and words. Replicating reports of a previous case, Patient MH showed impaired familiarity and preserved recollection, relative to controls, with no evidence for any effect of material-type. Moreover, when compared with other amnesic patients, who had hippocampal lesions that appeared to spare the perirhinal cortex, Patient MH showed greater impairment on familiarity and less on recollection, forming a double dissociation. However, when replacing this traditional, binary categorization of patients with a parametric analysis that related memory performance to continuous measures of brain damage across all patients, we found a different pattern: while hippocampal damage predicted recollection, it was parahippocampal instead of perirhinal (or entorhinal) cortex volume that predicted familiarity. Furthermore, there was no evidence that these brain-behavior relationships were moderated by material-type, nor by laterality of damage. Thus, while our data provide the most compelling support yet for dual-process models of recognition memory, in which recollection and familiarity depend on different MTL structures, they suggest that familiarity depends more strongly upon the parahippocampal rather than perirhinal cortex. More generally, our study reinforces the need to go beyond single-case and group studies, and instead examine continuous brain-behavior relationships across larger patient groups.

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