Problem 4: Language and the brain

Question 1

Broca’s aphasia /expressive aphasia

Answer 1

speech production problems & agrammatism

Question 2

wernicke’s aphasia / receptive

Answer 2

coherent speech with no informational value

Question 3

hand gesture impairment

Answer 3

referential = speech content (Wernicke’s)
Interactive = speech replacement (brocas)

Question 4

conduction aphasia

Answer 4

cant repeat what is hear

Question 5

pure word deafness

Answer 5

impaired comprehension in auditory modality

Question 6

Alexia

Answer 6

inability to read

Question 7

geschwind’s model of language processing

Answer 7

Start: stimulus specific area –> angular gyrus –> wernicke’s area –> accuate fasciculus –> broca –> motor cortex

Question 8

holistic processing

Answer 8

activation of 1 representation (RH)

Question 9

relational processing

Answer 9

activation of 2 representations or more (LH)

Question 10

Malik Moraleda et al: universal language families

Answer 10

goal: investigate universality of language with respect to speech comprehension
Method: fMRI to see: topography, LH lateralization, naturalistic cognition, functional selectivity –> 2 localised tasks, 1 or 2 non-linguistic tasks, 2 naturalistic cognition paradigms
Results: universal structure (fronto-temporo-parietal), within region correlations stronger than between = one language network, LH dominance > RH

Question 11

Sollmann et al (RH language structures)

Answer 11

Goal: show RH is involved in language
Method: object naming task during rTMS measuring naming errors
Results: not fully LH lateralised, some activity in RH found

Question 12

Gurunandan et al. (differential specialization & plasticity)

Answer 12

Goal: influence of proficiency on lateralisation or reading & speech comprehension, and verbal production
Exp 1: cross sectional, picture naming task & fMRI
Exp 2: longitudinal, picture naming task fMRI
+ language comprehension & production task
Results: comprehension is more variable, production is LH lateralised, lateralisation comprehension is plastic well into adulthood, plasticity was greatest for reading, then comprehension then production

Question 13

Saygin et al (action comprehension in aphasia)

Answer 13

goal: examine comprehension in aphasics
Method: aphasics: linguistic vs pantomime & semantic, affordance or unrelated distractor, vs control group –> choose object that fits sentence/pantomime
Results: aphasics performed worse than control, support embodied cognition (motor areas were involved)