Effects of Linguistic Distance on Second Language Brain Activations in Bilinguals: An Exploratory Coordinate-Based Meta-Analysis

In this quantitative meta-analysis, we used the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) approach to address the effects of linguistic distance between first (L1) and second (L2) languages on language-related brain activations. In particular, we investigated how L2-related networks may change in response to linguistic distance from L1. Thus, we examined L2 brain activations in two groups of participants with English as L2 and either (i) a European language (European group, n = 13 studies) or (ii) Chinese (Chinese group, n = 18 studies) as L1. We further explored the modulatory effect of age of appropriation (AoA) and proficiency of L2. We found that, irrespective of L1-L2 distance—and to an extent—irrespective of L2 proficiency, L2 recruits brain areas supporting higher-order cognitive functions (e.g., cognitive control), although with group-specific differences (e.g., the insula region in the European group and the frontal cortex in the Chinese group). The Chinese group also selectively activated the parietal lobe, but this did not occur in the subgroup with high L2 proficiency. These preliminary results highlight the relevance of linguistic distance and call for future research to generalize findings to other language pairs and shed further light on the interaction between linguistic distance, AoA, and proficiency of L2.

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The representation of reward magnitude in the human ventral striatum and the medial orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortex – An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis with implications for a fundamental understanding of the human brain and substance abuse disorders

Pharmacopsychiatry ◽

10.1055/s-0031-1292500 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 44 (06) ◽

Author(s):

L Kaps ◽

O Gruber ◽

F Falkai ◽

EK Diekhof

Keyword(s):

Substance Abuse ◽

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Human Brain ◽

Ventral Striatum ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Likelihood Estimation ◽

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Activation Likelihood Estimation ◽

Fundamental Understanding ◽

Substance Abuse Disorders

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Cerebral glucose metabolism and Cerebral blood flow in Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism: An activation likelihood estimation Meta-analysis

Endocrine Abstracts ◽

10.1530/endoabs.63.p172 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Kyoungjune Pak ◽

Bo hyun Kim ◽

Mijin Kim ◽

Keunyoung Kim

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Cerebral Blood Flow ◽

Glucose Metabolism ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Likelihood Estimation ◽

Cerebral Glucose Metabolism ◽

Activation Likelihood Estimation

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Neural Underpinnings of Numerical and Spatial Cognition: An fMRI Meta-Analysis of Brain Regions Associated with Symbolic Number, Arithmetic, and Mental Rotation

10.31234/osf.io/dyqrx ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Zachary Hawes ◽

H Moriah Sokolowski ◽

Chuka Bosah Ononye ◽

Daniel Ansari

Keyword(s):

Mental Rotation ◽

Parietal Lobe ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Likelihood Estimation ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Angular Gyrus ◽

Number Representation ◽

Neural Underpinnings ◽

The Right ◽

Symbolic Number

Where and under what conditions do spatial and numerical skills converge and diverge in the brain? To address this question, we conducted a meta-analysis of brain regions associated with basic symbolic number processing, arithmetic, and mental rotation. We used Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) to construct quantitative meta-analytic maps synthesizing results from 86 neuroimaging papers (~ 30 studies/cognitive process). All three cognitive processes were found to activate bilateral parietal regions in and around the intraparietal sulcus (IPS); a finding consistent with shared processing accounts. Numerical and arithmetic processing were associated with overlap in the left angular gyrus, whereas mental rotation and arithmetic both showed activity in the middle frontal gyri. These patterns suggest regions of cortex potentially more specialized for symbolic number representation and domain-general mental manipulation, respectively. Additionally, arithmetic was associated with unique activity throughout the fronto-parietal network and mental rotation was associated with unique activity in the right superior parietal lobe. Overall, these results provide new insights into the intersection of numerical and spatial thought in the human brain.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Neural correlates of negative emotionality in borderline personality disorder: an activation-likelihood-estimation meta-analysis.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.717954824.793462480 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Michele Berk

Keyword(s):

Borderline Personality Disorder ◽

Personality Disorder ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Likelihood Estimation ◽

Neural Correlates ◽

Borderline Personality ◽

Negative Emotionality ◽

Activation Likelihood Estimation

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Grey matter abnormalities in Tourette syndrome: an activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis

BMC Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s12888-021-03187-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fang Wen ◽

Junjuan Yan ◽

Liping Yu ◽

Fang Wang ◽

Jingran Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tourette Syndrome ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Likelihood Estimation ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Activation Likelihood Estimation ◽

Lentiform Nucleus ◽

Postcentral Gyrus

Abstract Background Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by the continual presence of primary motor and vocal tics. Grey matter abnormalities have been identified in numerous studies of TS, but conflicting results have been reported. This study was an unbiased statistical meta-analysis of published neuroimaging studies of TS structures. Methods A voxel quantitative meta-analysis technique called activation likelihood estimation (ALE) was used. The meta-analysis included six neuroimaging studies involving 247 TS patients and 236 healthy controls. A statistical threshold of p < 0.05 was established based on the false discovery rate and a cluster extent threshold of 50 voxels. Results We found that grey matter volumes were significantly increased in the bilateral thalamus, right hypothalamus, right precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, right lentiform nucleus, and left insula of TS patients compared to those of healthy controls. In contrast, grey matter volumes were significantly decreased in the bilateral postcentral gyrus, bilateral anterior cingulate, bilateral insula, left posterior cingulate and left postcentral gyrus of TS patients compared to those of healthy controls. Conclusions Our present meta-analysis primarily revealed significant increases in grey matter volumes in the thalamus and lentiform nucleus, and decreased grey matter volumes in the anterior cingulate gyrus, of TS patients compared to those in healthy controls. Most of these identified regions are associated with cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these changes in grey matter volumes in TS patients.

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