A critical period for right hemisphere recruitment in American Sign Language processing.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the RH angular gyrus is active during ASL processing only in native signers (hearing, ASL-English bilinguals) but not in those who acquired ASL after puberty ( hearing, native English speakers).
Abstract: Signed languages such as American Sign Language (ASL) are natural languages that are formally similar to spoken languages, and thus present an opportunity to examine the effects of language structure and modality on the neural organization for language. Native learners of spoken languages show predominantly left-lateralized patterns of neural activation for language processing, whereas native learners of ASL show extensive right hemisphere (RH) and LH activation. We demonstrate that the RH angular gyrus is active during ASL processing only in native signers (hearing, ASL-English bilinguals) but not in those who acquired ASL after puberty (hearing, native English speakers). This is the first demonstration of a 'sensitive' or 'critical' period for language in an RH structure. This has implications for language acquisition and for understanding age-related changes in neuroplasticity more generally.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: An overview of studies in cognitive neuroscience that examine the neural underpinnings of links between language and action is given, concluding that there is strong evidence on the interaction between speech and gestures in the brain.
359 citations
Cites background from "A critical period for right hemisph..."
..., 2002, 2004) as well as of the right hemisphere in signers (Neville et al., 1998; Newman et al., 2002)....
[...]
...…of spoken and signed language, differences have been found as well, particularly with respect to the stronger involvement of parietal cortex (Emmorey et al., 2004, 2005; MacSweeney et al., 2002, 2004) as well as of the right hemisphere in signers (Neville et al., 1998; Newman et al., 2002)....
[...]
TL;DR: Findings provide direct evidence that action and language processing share a high-level neural integration system.
Abstract: Although generally studied in isolation, language and action often co-occur in everyday life. Here we investigated one particular form of simultaneous language and action, namely speech and gestures that speakers use in everyday communication. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we identified the neural networks involved in the integration of semantic information from speech and gestures. Verbal and/or gestural content could be integrated easily or less easily with the content of the preceding part of speech. Premotor areas involved in action observation (Brodmann area [BA] 6) were found to be specifically modulated by action information ‘‘mismatching’’ to a language context. Importantly, an increase in integration load of both verbal and gestural information into prior speech context activated Broca’s area and adjacent cortex (BA 45/47). A classical language area, Broca’s area, is not only recruited for language-internal processing but also when action observation is integrated with speech. These findings provide direct evidence that action and language processing share a high-level neural integration system.
331 citations
Cites background from "A critical period for right hemisph..."
...Keywords: Broca’s area, fMRI, gestures, inferior frontal cortex, semantic processing...
[...]
...A few fMRI studies investigated sentence comprehension in deaf signers (Neville et al. 1998; MacSweeney et al. 2002; Newman et al. 2002; MacSweeney et al. 2004; MacSweeney et al. 2006)....
[...]
TL;DR: A beneficial effect of earlier implantation on expressive language growth was found and growth curve analysis showed that growth was more rapid in children implanted as infants than those implanted as toddlers.
Abstract: This study examined the growth of expressive language skills in children who received cochlear implants (CIs) in infancy. Repeated language measures were gathered from 29 children who received CIs between 10 and 40 months of age. Both cross-sectional and growth curve analyses were used to assess the relationship between expressive language outcomes and CI experience. A beneficial effect of earlier implantation on expressive language growth was found. Growth curve analysis showed that growth was more rapid in children implanted as infants than those implanted as toddlers. Age at initial stimulation accounted for 14.6% of the variance of the individual differences in expressive language growth rates.
269 citations
Cites background from "A critical period for right hemisph..."
...... period in development is defined as ‘‘the time during development when a specific manipulation or experience changes the developmental trajectory of a system’’ (Bruer, 2001, p. 10) and is supported by classic studies of visual deprivation in kittens (Hubel & Wiesel, 1963, 1965; Wiesel & Hubel, 1963, 1965) and more recent studies of second language acquisition (Newport, 1990) and late onset sign language learning (Neville et al., 1998; ......
[...]
Book•
01 Feb 2003TL;DR: The Neuroscience of Language, published in 2003, puts forth a systematic model of language to bridge the gap between linguistics and neuroscience in the form of a computational, connectionist neural network.
Abstract: How is language organized in the human brain? The Neuroscience of Language, published in 2003, puts forth a systematic model of language to bridge the gap between linguistics and neuroscience. Neuronal models of word and serial order processing are presented in the form of a computational, connectionist neural network. The linguistic emphasis is on words and elementary syntactic rules. Introductory chapters focus on neuronal structure and function, cognitive brain processes, the basics of classical aphasia research and modern neuroimaging of language, neural network approaches to language, and the basics of syntactic theories. The essence of the work is contained in chapters on neural algorithms and networks, basic syntax, serial order mechanisms, and neuronal grammar. Throughout, excursuses illustrate the functioning of brain models of language, some of which are accessible as animations on the book's accompanying web site. It will appeal to graduate students and researchers in neuroscience, psychology, linguistics, and computational modeling.
269 citations
Cites background from "A critical period for right hemisph..."
...Some colleagues report massive differences in the cortical organization of spoken and signed language, for example in the pattern of cortical laterality (Bavelier, Corina, & Neville, 1998; Neville et al., 1998; Newman et al., 2002)....
[...]
TL;DR: 'Absolute pitch', the rare ability to label pitches without external reference, appears to require acquisition early in life, and involves specialized brain mechanisms, now partially identified.
238 citations
Cites background from "A critical period for right hemisph..."
...This has led to conjecture that, like grammar and phonology in spoken [35] and signed languages [ 36 ], AP must be acquired during a ‘critical period’ or maturational stage before the development of other cognitive skills that might undo it. Indeed, the existence and high incidence of late-acquiring AP possessors among developmentally delayed populations such as Williams Syndrome [37] and autism [38] supports the maturational stage idea....
[...]
References
More filters
Book•
15 Jan 1967
TL;DR: The coming of language occurs at about the same age in every healthy child throughout the world as mentioned in this paper, strongly supporting the concept that genetically determined processes of maturation, rather than env...
Abstract: The coming of language occurs at about the same age in every healthy child throughout the world, strongly supporting the concept that genetically determined processes of maturation, rather than env...
5,178 citations
TL;DR: The results support the conclusion that a critical period for language acquisition extends its effects to second language acquisition.
2,490 citations
TL;DR: The coming of language occurs at about the same age in every healthy child throughout the world, strongly supporting the concept that genetically determined processes of maturation, rather than environs-based processes, are responsible for this development.
Abstract: The coming of language occurs at about the same age in every healthy child throughout the world, strongly supporting the concept that genetically determined processes of maturation, rather than env...
2,102 citations
"A critical period for right hemisph..." refers background in this paper
...It is widely accepted that there is a 'critical period' for first language (L1) acquisition: children who are not exposed to any language before the age of puberty (or even sooner) are unable to fully acquire and use the syntactic principles of languag...
[...]
TL;DR: The most effective method for image processing involves thresholding by shape as characterized by the correlation coefficient of the data with respect to a reference waveform followed by formation of a cross‐correlation image.
Abstract: Image processing strategies for functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) data sets acquired using a gradient-recalled echo-planar imaging sequence are considered. The analysis is carried out using the mathematics of vector spaces. Data sets consisting of N sequential images of the same slice of brain tissue are analyzed in the time-domain and also, after Fourier transformation, in the frequency domain. A technique for thresholding is introduced that uses the shape of the response in a pixel compared with the shape of a reference waveform as the decision criterion. A method is presented to eliminate drifts in data that arise from subject movement. The methods are applied to experimental FMRI data from the motor—cortex and compared with more conventional image—subtraction methods. Several finger motion paradigms are considered in the context of the various image processing strategies. The most effective method for image processing involves thresholding by shape as characterized by the correlation coefficient of the data with respect to a reference waveform followed by formation of a cross-correlation image. Emphasis is placed not only on image formation, but also on the use of signal processing techniques to characterize the temporal response of the brain to the paradigm.
1,792 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1979
TL;DR: The two faces of sign and sign language have been studied in this paper, where the authors compare Chinese and American signs and feature analysis of handshapes and the rate of speaking and signing.
Abstract: Introduction PART I: The Two Faces of Sign 1. Iconicity in Signs and Signing 2. Properties of Symbols in a Silent Language 3. Historical Change: From Iconic to Arbitrary PART II: The Structure of the Sign 4. Remembering without Words: Manual Memory 5. Slips of the Hands 6. A Comparison of Chinese and American Signs 7. A Feature Analysis of Handshapes 8. The Rate of Speaking and Signing PART III: Grammatical Processes 9. On the Creation of New Lexical Items by Compounding 10. Linguistic Expression of Category Levels 11. Aspectual Modulations on Adjectival Predicates 12. The Structured Use of Space and Movement: Morphological Processes PART IV: The Heightened Use of Language 13. Wit and Plays on Signs 14. Poetry and Song in a Language without Sound Appendix A: Notation Appendix B: Conventions Employed in Illustrations Notes References Index
1,598 citations