scholarly journals NEURAL CORRELATES OF WORD AND NONWORD READING PROCESSES IN TYPICAL AGING: A FNIRS STUDY

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Lunardi ◽  
Katerina Lukasova ◽  
Maria Carthery- Goulart
Keyword(s):  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Compensatory Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Nonword Reading ◽  
Healthy Elderly

Backgroud: Phonological and lexical-semantic processes in the elderly population still needed be investigate specially to understand how neural plasticity and compensatory mechanisms influence these processes. Objective: The functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been increasingly used in language studies to observe cortical activity. Methods: In the current study, we characterize the performance of this population in naming and reading tasks and explore their neural correlates. 32 healthy elderly adults (age 69.1±5.9) performed word/nonword reading aloud and oral naming tasks, with concomitant fNIRS recording. We compared task condition vs rest blocks in anterior and posterior temporal (ATC, PTC), dorsolateral prefrontal (dlPFC), inferior frontal (IFC) and inferior parietal (IPC) cortices, bilaterally. Results: We found lexicality and regularity effects modulating word reading fluency (p <.001). No difference was observed in naming and nonword fluency. We observed cortical activity only in dlPFC for nonword, in ATC and PTC for irregular words, in dlPFC and PTC for regular words and in dlPFC and IPC for naming (p<.05). No lateralization was observed in any condition. We verified a positive correlation between reading fluency and dlPFC activity (p <.02). Conclusion: Our findings supporting the dual-route models and indicate compensatory neural mechanisms in aging.

scholarly journals The challenge of learning a new language in adulthood: Evidence from a multi-methodological neuroscientific approach

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246421
Author(s):  
Sarah Steber ◽  
Sonja Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Learning Success ◽  
Recognition Experiment

Being proficient in several foreign languages is an essential part of every-day life. In contrast to childhood, learning a new language can be highly challenging for adults. The present study aims at investigating neural mechanisms supporting very initial foreign language learning in adulthood. For this reason, subjects underwent an implicit semantic associative training in which they had to learn new pseudoword-picture pairings. Learning success was measured via a recognition experiment presenting learned versus new pseudoword-picture pairings. Neural correlates were assessed by an innovative multi-methodological approach simultaneously applying electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Results indicate memory-related processes based on familiarity and mechanisms of cognitive control to be present during initial vocabulary learning. Findings underline the fascinating plasticity of the adult brain during foreign language learning, even after a short semantic training of only 18 minutes as well as the importance of comparing evidence from different neuroscientific methods and behavioral data.

The neural correlates of inhibitory control in 10-month-old infants: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Fiske ◽  
Carina de Klerk ◽  
Katie Y. K. Lui ◽  
Liam H Collins-Jones ◽  
Alexandra Hendry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Inhibition Performance ◽  
The Right

Inhibitory control, a core executive function, emerges in infancy and develops rapidly across childhood. Methodological limitations have meant that studies investigating the neural correlates underlying inhibitory control in infancy are rare. Employing functional near-infrared spectroscopy alongside a novel touchscreen task that measures response inhibition, this study aimed to uncover the neural underpinnings of inhibitory control in 10-month-old infants (N = 135). We found that when inhibition is required, the right prefrontal and parietal cortices were more activated than when there is no inhibitory demand. Further, activation in right prefrontal areas was associated with individual differences in response inhibition performance. This demonstrates that inhibitory control in infants as young as 10 months of age is supported by similar brain areas as in older children and adults. With this study we have lowered the age-boundary for localising the neural substrates of response inhibition to the first year of life.

Young and Middle Aged Adults Differ in Neural Correlate of Sustained Attention: A fNIRS Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shweta Shenoy ◽  
Prachi Khandekar ◽  
Abhinav Sathe
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Sustained Attention ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Middle Aged Adults

: Sustained attention (SA) is a construct of cognition that tends to decline with age. There is a lack of literature regarding the neural correlates of SA in middle age, a link between young and old age. This study evaluated the differences in SA ability and its neural correlates using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) between young and middle-aged adults. 38 young and 25 middle-aged adults were evaluated for the changes in neural correlates (oxy and deoxyhemoglobin concentration in the prefrontal cortex) during a SA task known as cognition. The results showed that young adults performed significantly better than middle-aged adults on the SA task with no gender difference in their performance. There was a significant difference in the prefrontal activation pattern between young and middle-aged adults. We found right prefrontal dominance in young adults and left the prefrontal authority in middle-aged adults. This study concludes that the ability to maintain SA diminishes with age, advancing from young to middle age. Hemodynamic findings confirmed significant differences in neural resources in the prefrontal cortical areas between young and middle age. Findings document the neurobiological basis of age-related decline in the middle-aged population to understand changes in the brain's functioning during SA-related cognitive tasks.

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