Principles of Neuroscience Lecture 15 Language

Question 0

Which regions in the brain are important for language?

Answer 0

Broca’ area
Wernicke’s area

Other areas are also important but not very discrete

Question 1

Describe the milestone ages for language acquisition

Answer 1

4 months: babble
1 year: one word
2 years: telegraphic sentences
2-3 years: rapid improvement: sentences used

Question 2

Where is Broca’s area located?

Answer 2

In the left frontal lobe

Question 3

What is the function of Broca’s area?

Answer 3

Production of language

Question 4

What do lesions in Broca’s area cause?

Answer 4

Expressive aphasia: inability to speak due to lack of muscle coordination etc

Question 5

Where is Wernicke’s area located?

Answer 5

Left temporal lobe, right near the primary auditory cortex

Question 6

What is the function of Wernicke’s area?

Answer 6

Understanding of speech

Question 7

What do lesions in Wernicke’s area cause?

Answer 7

Receptive aphasia

Question 8

What is conduction aphasia?

Answer 8

This is possibly to do with lesions or damage to the path that connects Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas

Question 9

Compare fluency of speech in Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 9

Broca’s: interrupted, not fluent

Wernicke’s: fluent

Question 10

Compare grammar in Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 10

Broca’s: disordered grammar

Wernicke’s: grammar ok

Question 11

Compare syntax in Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 11

Broca’s: syntax is disordered

Wernicke’s: ok syntax

Question 12

Compare comprehension in Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 12

Broca’s: comprehension intact

Wernicke’s: no comprehension

Question 13

Compare repetition in Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 13

Broca’s: repetition

Wernicke’s: no repetition

Question 14

Compare words in Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 14

Broca’s: words disordered

Wernicke’s: inappropriate words

Question 15

What is the pathology of Alexia?

What are the symptoms?

Answer 15

Word blindness
Able to write down words that have been dictated
Unable to read the words back or recognise them

Question 16

Describe the localisation of language areas in the brain across individuals

Answer 16

Differs between individuals

Question 17

Describe hemispheric asymmetry

Answer 17

Left hemisphere: narrower angle of Sylvia's fissure
Speech
Syntactical and lexical language
Right eye field
Right body sensation
Writing

Right: steeper angle of Sylvia's fissure
Rudimentary speech
Spatial abilities
Emotional colouring of language
Left eye field
Left side of body sensation

Question 18

What process are localised in the left hemisphere?

Answer 18

.

Question 19

What process are localised in the right hemisphere?

Answer 19

.

Question 20

In what ways is human language unique? Compare humans with apes

Answer 20

We are the only species that has such complex and generative language

Question 21

What is the idea of universal grammar?

What did the phylogenetic mapping of languages show?

Answer 21

This is the idea that most human languages are in fact quite similar

The phylogenetic mapping of languages shows that n fact there in unlimited variation between the languages

Question 22

How does the migration out of Africa theory relate to language?

Answer 22

There is a correlation between the distance away from Africa and the number of phonetic sounds in a language

Africa has the most
Further away, much fewer sounds

Question 23

Describe why the Hobbit man of Florensis is important for language

Answer 23

The hobbit man was tiny,ap and specifically he had a very small brain.

However, he was around not that long ago evolutionarily.

What would his speech have been like? Would the smaller brain have had an impact?

Question 24

What brain mechanisms underlie language?

Are there any important genes?

Answer 24

FOXP2 gene - gene for a transcription factor

This gene was thought to be responsible for complex language, because mutations in the gene were linked to speech disorders in a family tree.

However, this transcription factor controls the expression of many genes: movement, perception etc.

Question 25

Is FOXP2 found in apes and monkeys?

Answer 25

Yes, however it has a few differences in amino acids

People asked the question whether if we put our version of the gene into monkeys, would they evolve complex language? Probably not

Question 26

What is interesting about the language of the Pirahã people ?

Answer 26

Their language lacks words for many seemingly vital concepts (colour, numbers, past tense etc)

This shows that languages only evolve words that we need

Language is just another way our brain represents the outside world