scholarly journals Effects of Deafness and Sign Language Experience on the Human Brain: Voxel-based and Surface-based Morphometry

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen McCullough ◽  
Karen Emmorey
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Signed Language ◽  
Native Signers ◽  
Surface Based Morphometry

We investigated, using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), how deafness and sign language experience affect the anatomical structures of the human brain by comparing gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) structures across congenitally deaf native signers, hearing native signers, and hearing sign-naïve controls (n = 90). We also compared the same groups on cortical thickness, surface area, and local gyrification using surface-based morphometry (SBM). Both VBM and SBM results revealed deafness-related changes in visual cortices and right frontal lobe. The GM in the auditory cortices did not appear to be affected by deafness; however, there was a significant WM reduction in left Heschl's gyrus for deaf signers only. The SBM comparisons revealed changes associated with lifelong signing experience: expansions in the surface area within left anterior temporal and left occipital lobes, and a reduction in cortical thickness in the right occipital lobe for deaf and hearing signers. Structural changes within these brain regions may be related to adaptations in the neural networks involved in processing signed language (i.e., visual perception of face and body movements). Hearing native signers also had unique neuroanatomical changes (e.g., reduced gyrification in premotor areas), perhaps due to lifelong experience with both a spoken and a signed language.

Dynamic cerebral reorganization in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia: a MRI-derived cortical thickness study

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 2201-2214 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Guo ◽  
L. Palaniyappan ◽  
P. F. Liddle ◽  
J. Feng
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Tissue Loss ◽  
Cerebral Reorganization ◽  
Thickness Variations ◽  
Surface Based Morphometry ◽  
Cortical Maturation ◽  
Tissue Reduction

BackgroundA structural neuroanatomical change indicating a reduction in brain tissue is a notable feature of schizophrenia. Several pathophysiological processes such as aberrant cortical maturation, progressive tissue loss and compensatory tissue increase could contribute to the structural changes seen in schizophrenia.MethodWe studied cortical thickness using surface-based morphometry in 98 clinically stable patients with schizophrenia and 83 controls. Using a pattern classification approach, we studied whether the features that discriminate patients from controls vary across the different stages of the illness. Using a covariance analysis, we also investigated if concurrentincreasesaccompanydecreasesin cortical thickness.ResultsVery high levels of accuracy (96.3%), specificity (98.8%) and sensitivity (88%) were noted when classifying patients with <2 years of illness from controls. Within the patient group, reduced thickness was consistently accompanied by increased thickness in distributed brain regions. A pattern of cortical amelioration or normalization (i.e. reduced deviation from controls) was noted with increasing illness duration. While temporo-limbic and fronto-parietal regions showed reduced thickness, the occipital cortex showed increased thickness, especially in those with a long-standing illness.ConclusionA compensatory remodelling process might contribute to the cortical thickness variations in different stages of schizophrenia. Subtle cerebral reorganization reflecting the inherent plasticity of brain may occur concomitantly with processes contributing to tissue reduction in adult patients with schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Cortical thickness and surface area correlates with cognitive dysfunction among first-episode psychosis patients

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 2145-2155 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Haring ◽  
A. Müürsepp ◽  
R. Mõttus ◽  
P. Ilves ◽  
K. Koch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structure Function ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Brain Mri ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
First Episode Psychosis ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Neurocognitive Performance ◽  
Episode Psychosis

BackgroundIn studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), some have reported specific brain structure–function relationships among first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients, but findings are inconsistent. We aimed to localize the brain regions where cortical thickness (CTh) and surface area (cortical area; CA) relate to neurocognition, by performing an MRI on participants and measuring their neurocognitive performance using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), in order to investigate any significant differences between FEP patients and control subjects (CS).MethodExploration of potential correlations between specific cognitive functions and brain structure was performed using CANTAB computer-based neurocognitive testing and a vertex-by-vertex whole-brain MRI analysis of 63 FEP patients and 30 CS.ResultsSignificant correlations were found between cortical parameters in the frontal, temporal, cingular and occipital brain regions and performance in set-shifting, working memory manipulation, strategy usage and sustained attention tests. These correlations were significantly dissimilar between FEP patients and CS.ConclusionsSignificant correlations between CTh and CA with neurocognitive performance were localized in brain areas known to be involved in cognition. The results also suggested a disrupted structure–function relationship in FEP patients compared with CS.

Perceiving fingerspelling via point-light displays: The stimulus and the perceiver both matter

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorna C Quandt ◽  
Athena Willis ◽  
Carly Leannah
Keyword(s):  
American Sign Language ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
World Knowledge ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Total N ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Signed Languages ◽  
Real Place ◽  
Signed Language ◽  
Point Light

Signed language users communicate in a wide array of sub-optimal environments, such as in dim lighting or from a distance. While fingerspelling is a common and essential part of signed languages, the perception of fingerspelling in varying visual environments is not well understood. Signed languages such as American Sign Language (ASL) rely on visuospatial information that combines hand and bodily movements, facial expressions, and fingerspelling. Linguistic information in ASL is conveyed with movement and spatial patterning, which lends itself well to using dynamic Point Light Display (PLD) stimuli to represent sign language movements. We created PLD videos of fingerspelled location names. The location names were either Real (e.g., KUWAIT) or Pseudo-names (e.g., CLARTAND), and the PLDs showed either a High or a Low number of markers. In an online study, Deaf and Hearing ASL users (total N = 283) watched 27 PLD stimulus videos that varied by Realness and Number of Markers. We calculated accuracy and confidence scores in response to each video. We predicted that when signers see ASL fingerspelled letter strings in a suboptimal visual environment, language experience in ASL will be positively correlated with accuracy and self-rated confidence scores. We also predicted that Real location names would be understood better than Pseudo names. Our findings show that participants were more accurate and confident in response to Real place names than Pseudo names and for stimuli with High rather than Low markers. We also discovered a significant interaction between Age and Realness, which shows that as people age, they can better use outside world knowledge to inform their fingerspelling success. Finally, we examined the accuracy and confidence in fingerspelling perception in sub-groups of people who had learned ASL before the age of four. Studying the relationship between language experience with PLD fingerspelling perception allows us to explore how hearing status, ASL fluency levels, and age of language acquisition affect the core abilities of understanding fingerspelling.

scholarly journals Beyond the average brain: individual differences in social brain development are associated with friendship quality

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrik I Becht ◽  
Lara M Wierenga ◽  
Kathryn L Mills ◽  
Rosa Meuwese ◽  
Anna van Duijvenvoorde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Friendship Quality ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Structural Development ◽  
Quality Development ◽  
Social Brain ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction

Abstract We tested whether adolescents differ from each other in the structural development of the social brain and whether individual differences in social brain development predicted variability in friendship quality development. Adolescents (N = 299, Mage T1 = 13.98 years) were followed across three biannual waves. We analysed self-reported friendship quality with the best friend at T1 and T3, and bilateral measures of surface area and cortical thickness of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and precuneus across all waves. At the group level, growth curve models confirmed non-linear decreases of surface area and cortical thickness in social brain regions. We identified substantial individual differences in levels and change rates of social brain regions, especially for surface area of the mPFC, pSTS and TPJ. Change rates of cortical thickness varied less between persons. Higher levels of mPFC surface area and cortical thickness predicted stronger increases in friendship quality over time. Moreover, faster cortical thinning of mPFC surface area predicted a stronger increase in friendship quality. Higher levels of TPJ cortical thickness predicted lower friendship quality. Together, our results indicate heterogeneity in social brain development and how this variability uniquely predicts friendship quality development.

scholarly journals The contribution of cortical thickness and surface area to gray matter asymmetries in the healthy human brain

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 6011-6022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Koelkebeck ◽  
Jun Miyata ◽  
Manabu Kubota ◽  
Waldemar Kohl ◽  
Shuraku Son ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Healthy Human

scholarly journals Electroconvulsive Therapy Induces Cortical Morphological Alterations in Major Depressive Disorder Revealed with Surface-Based Morphometry Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (07) ◽  
pp. 1950005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinping Xu ◽  
Jiaojian Wang ◽  
Tongjian Bai ◽  
Xiaodong Zhang ◽  
Tian Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Surface Area ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Efficacy ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Surface Based Morphometry

Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD), the mechanism underlying the therapeutic efficacy and side effects of ECT remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated alterations in the cortical morphological measurements including cortical thickness (CT), surface area (SA), and local gyrification index (LGI) in 23 MDD patients before and after ECT. Furthermore, multivariate pattern analysis using linear support vector machine (SVM) was applied to investigate whether the changed morphological measurements can be effective indicators for therapeutic efficacy of ECT. Surface-based morphometry (SBM) analysis found significantly increased vertex-wise and regional cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) in widespread regions, mainly located in the left insula (INS) and left fusiform gyrus, as well as hypergyrification in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) in MDD patients after ECT. Partial correlational analyses identified associations between the morphological properties and depressive symptom scores and impaired memory scores. Moreover, SVM result showed that the changed morphological measurements were effective to classify the MDD patients before and after ECT. Our findings suggested that ECT may enhance cortical neuroplasticity to facilitate neurogenesis to remit depressive symptoms and to impair delayed memory. These findings indicated that the cortical morphometry is a good index for therapeutic efficacy of ECT.

Neural Correlates of British Sign Language Comprehension: Spatial Processing Demands of Topographic Language

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1064-1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mairéad MacSweeney ◽  
Bencie Woll ◽  
Ruth Campbell ◽  
Gemma A. Calvert ◽  
Philip K. McGuire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
The Body ◽  
British Sign Language ◽  
Processing Demands ◽  
English Translations ◽  
Native Signers ◽  
British Sign

In all signed languages used by deaf people, signs are executed in “sign space” in front of the body. Some signed sentences use this space to map detailed “real-world” spatial relationships directly. Such sentences can be considered to exploit sign space “topographically.” Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we explored the extent to which increasing the topographic processing demands of signed sentences was reflected in the differential recruitment of brain regions in deaf and hearing native signers of the British Sign Language. When BSL signers performed a sentence anomaly judgement task, the occipito-temporal junction was activated bilaterally to a greater extent for topographic than nontopo-graphic processing. The differential role of movement in the processing of the two sentence types may account for this finding. In addition, enhanced activation was observed in the left inferior and superior parietal lobules during processing of topographic BSL sentences. We argue that the left parietal lobe is specifically involved in processing the precise configuration and location of hands in space to represent objects, agents, and actions. Importantly, no differences in these regions were observed when hearing people heard and saw English translations of these sentences. Despite the high degree of similarity in the neural systems underlying signed and spoken languages, exploring the linguistic features which are unique to each of these broadens our understanding of the systems involved in language comprehension.

Can experience with co-speech gesture influence the prosody of a sign language? Sign language prosodic cues in bimodal bilinguals

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIANE BRENTARI ◽  
MARIE A. NADOLSKE ◽  
GEORGE WOLFORD
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
American Sign Language ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Prosodic Structure ◽  
American Sign ◽  
Language Experience ◽  
Prosodic Cues ◽  
Hearing Status ◽  
Native Signers

In this paper the prosodic structure of American Sign Language (ASL) narratives is analyzed in deaf native signers (L1-D), hearing native signers (L1-H), and highly proficient hearing second language signers (L2-H). The results of this study show that the prosodic patterns used by these groups are associated both with their ASL language experience (L1 or L2) and with their hearing status (deaf or hearing), suggesting that experience using co-speech gesture (i.e. gesturing while speaking) may have some effect on the prosodic cues used by hearing signers, similar to the effects of the prosodic structure of an L1 on an L2.

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