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Brain Sciences
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Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior
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Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurolinguistics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2022) | Viewed by 17892

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Diego Iacono

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Guest Editor
1. Departments of Neurology, Pathology (Neuropathology), Neuroscience, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University (USU), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
2. Departments of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, MidAtlantic Neonatology Associates (MANA), Biomedical Research Institute of New Jersey (BRInj), Atlantic Health System (AHS), Morristown, NJ 07927, USA
Interests: neurodegenerative diseases; movement disorders; TBI; neuroinflammation; neuroimmunlogy; neuropharmachology; idea density; semantics; grammar complexity; language development; neurolingustics; genetics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human beings are the only living species “equipped” with language capacities. Here, language is defined in its widest meaning as the unique human capacity to produce and comprehend a remarkable gamma of sounds and written signs, which have the impressive and mostly innate capacity to elaborate and transmit thoughts, emotions, reasoning, abstractions, information, imagination, as well as verbal and non-verbal messages. This capability is essentially based on a series of semi-arbitrarily “invented” constructs and regulations, which are agreed upon and accepted by two or more human beings in such a way that they can understand each other.

Language can be analyzed using different approaches (cognitive sciences, neurology, psycholinguistics, anthropology, etc.), and specific aspects of it (semantics, syntax, spoken language, written language, vocabulary, etc.) represent the focus of the investigations and intellectual efforts of researchers.

However, as for every highly complex system, due to our limited capacity to assemble all pieces of the puzzle (the “language puzzle” in this case), we need to decompose it into its components in order to try to understand it. This human super-skill, or “the skill of humans”, includes, among others, an extraordinarily multilayered combination of genetic, epigenetic, developmental, neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, anthropological, evolutionary, creative and communicative aspects, which would be impossible to comprehend as a whole at once.

This Special Issue is a humble and limited but exciting attempt to provide some new knowledge, systematic and provocative at the same time, of this surprising field of research. We are all aware that a single Issue, although valuable, would not be able to fully describe the huge amount of current available data about every aspect of human language. The existing vast accumulation of data on human language would not allow that. A long series of dedicated journal Issues would be a more appropriate means. However, not everything desirable is feasible. Regardless, I have the privilege to invite some of the most preeminent experts in this fascinating field of research and offer an open platform to describe new experimental data or express views, opinions, critiques, and our understanding about human language as it is currently conceived.

This Special Issue will bring together the most recent and provocative studies aimed at unraveling cognitive, emotional, behavioral, neurological, anatomical, computational, cultural, as well as genetic, epigenetic, and cellular aspects that form and regulate the human language during development, adulthood, and aging. We also highly welcome research articles about language in the context of pathological conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, rare genetic disorders, autism, as well as personality and mental disorders, which could open new unexpected windows into the structural and neural basis of language structures and its finalities.

Dr. Diego Iacono
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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18 pages, 2195 KiB  
Article
Dissociating Language and Thought in Human Reasoning
by John P. Coetzee, Micah A. Johnson, Youngzie Lee, Allan D. Wu, Marco Iacoboni and Martin M. Monti
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(1), 67; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci13010067 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2671
Abstract
What is the relationship between language and complex thought? In the context of deductive reasoning there are two main views. Under the first, which we label here the language-centric view, language is central to the syntax-like combinatorial operations of complex reasoning. Under the [...] Read more.
What is the relationship between language and complex thought? In the context of deductive reasoning there are two main views. Under the first, which we label here the language-centric view, language is central to the syntax-like combinatorial operations of complex reasoning. Under the second, which we label here the language-independent view, these operations are dissociable from the mechanisms of natural language. We applied continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), a form of noninvasive neuromodulation, to healthy adult participants to transiently inhibit a subregion of Broca’s area (left BA44) associated in prior work with parsing the syntactic relations of natural language. We similarly inhibited a subregion of dorsomedial frontal cortex (left medial BA8) which has been associated with core features of logical reasoning. There was a significant interaction between task and stimulation site. Post hoc tests revealed that performance on a linguistic reasoning task, but not deductive reasoning task, was significantly impaired after inhibition of left BA44, and performance on a deductive reasoning task, but not linguistic reasoning task, was decreased after inhibition of left medial BA8 (however not significantly). Subsequent linear contrasts supported this pattern. These novel results suggest that deductive reasoning may be dissociable from linguistic processes in the adult human brain, consistent with the language-independent view. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior)
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10 pages, 614 KiB  
Article
Language Development in Preschool Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Boys
by Daniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo, Federica Moriconi, Ludovica Mastrilli, Federica Lino, Claudia Brogna, Giorgia Coratti, Michela Altobelli, Valentina Massaroni, Giulia Norcia, Elisabetta Ferraroli, Simona Lucibello, Marika Pane and Eugenio Mercuri
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(9), 1252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci12091252 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1800
Abstract
Background: the present study aims to assess language in preschool-aged Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) boys with normal cognitive quotients, and to establish whether language difficulties are related to attentional aspects or to the involvement of brain dystrophin isoforms. Methods: 20 children aged between [...] Read more.
Background: the present study aims to assess language in preschool-aged Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) boys with normal cognitive quotients, and to establish whether language difficulties are related to attentional aspects or to the involvement of brain dystrophin isoforms. Methods: 20 children aged between 48 and 72 months were assessed with language and attention assessments for preschool children. Nine had a mutation upstream of exon 44, five between 44 and 51, four between 51 and 63, and two after exon 63. A control group comprising 20 age-matched boys with a speech language disorder and normal IQ were also used. Results: lexical and syntactic comprehension and denomination were normal in 90% of the boys with Duchenne, while the articulation and repetition of long words, and sentence repetition frequently showed abnormal results (80%). Abnormal results were also found in tests assessing selective and sustained auditory attention. Language difficulties were less frequent in patients with mutations not involving isoforms Dp140 and Dp71. The profile in Duchenne boys was different form the one observed in SLI with no cognitive impairment. Conclusion: The results of our observational cross-sectional study suggest that early language abilities are frequently abnormal in preschool Duchenne boys and should be assessed regardless of their global neurodevelopmental quotient. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior)
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13 pages, 900 KiB  
Article
Neuroanatomical Correlates of Semantic Features of Narrative Speech in Semantic and Logopenic Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia
by Davide Quaranta, Sonia Di Tella, Camillo Marra, Simona Gaudino, Federica L’Abbate and Maria Caterina Silveri
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(7), 910; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci12070910 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1760
Abstract
The semantic variant of a primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) is characterized by progressive disruption of semantic knowledge. This study aimed to compare the semantic features of words produced during a narrative speech in svPPA and the logopenic variant of PPA (lvPPA) and to [...] Read more.
The semantic variant of a primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) is characterized by progressive disruption of semantic knowledge. This study aimed to compare the semantic features of words produced during a narrative speech in svPPA and the logopenic variant of PPA (lvPPA) and to explore their neuroanatomical correlates. Six patients with svPPA and sixteen with lvPPA underwent narrative speech tasks. For all the content words, a semantic depth index (SDI) was determined based on the taxonomic structure of a large lexical database. Study participants underwent an MRI examination. Cortical thickness measures were extracted according to the Desikan atlas. Correlations were computed between SDI and the thickness of cortical regions. Mean SDI was lower for svPPA than for lvPPA. Correlation analyses showed a positive association between the SDI and the cortical thickness of the bilateral temporal pole, parahippocampal and entorhinal cortices, and left middle and superior temporal cortices. Disruption of semantic knowledge observed in svPPA leads to the production of generic terms in narrative speech, and the SDI may be useful for quantifying the level of semantic impairment. The measure was associated with the cortical thickness of brain regions associated with semantic memory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior)
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20 pages, 3923 KiB  
Article
Processing Aspectual Agreement in a Language with Limited Morphological Inflection by Second Language Learners: An ERP Study of Mandarin Chinese
by Yuxin Hao, Xun Duan and Qiuyue Yan
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(5), 524; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci12050524 - 21 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1905 | Correction
Abstract
Previous studies on the neural cognitive mechanisms of aspectual processing in second language (L2) learners have focused on Indo-European languages with rich inflectional morphology. These languages have aspects which are equipped with inflected verb forms combined with auxiliary or modal verbs. Meanwhile, little [...] Read more.
Previous studies on the neural cognitive mechanisms of aspectual processing in second language (L2) learners have focused on Indo-European languages with rich inflectional morphology. These languages have aspects which are equipped with inflected verb forms combined with auxiliary or modal verbs. Meanwhile, little attention has been paid to Mandarin Chinese, which has limited morphological inflection, and its aspect is equipped with aspectual particles (e.g., le, zhe, guo). The present study explores the neurocognitive mechanism of Mandarin Chinese aspect processing among two groups of late Mandarin Chinese proficient learners with Thai (with Mandarin Chinese-like aspect markers) and Indonesian (lack of Mandarin Chinese-like aspect markers) as their first language (L1). We measured event-related potentials (ERPs) time locked to the aspect marker le in two different conditions (the aspect violation sentences and the correct sentences). A triphasic ELAN-LAN-P600 effect was produced by the Mandarin Chinese native speakers. However, there was no ELAN and LAN in Indonesian native speakers and Thai native speakers, except a 300–500 ms negativity widely distributed in the right hemisphere and P600-like effect. This suggests that both groups of Mandarin Chinese learners cannot reach the same level as Mandarin Chinese native speakers to process Mandarin Chinese aspect information, probably due to the complex feature of Mandarin Chinese aspect maker, the participants’ L2 proficiency and age of L2 acquisition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior)
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20 pages, 1049 KiB  
Article
Family-Based Whole-Exome Analysis of Specific Language Impairment (SLI) Identifies Rare Variants in BUD13, a Component of the Retention and Splicing (RES) Complex
by Erin M. Andres, Kathleen Kelsey Earnest, Cuncong Zhong, Mabel L. Rice and Muhammad Hashim Raza
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(1), 47; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci12010047 - 30 Dec 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2733
Abstract
Specific language impairment (SLI) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) that displays high heritability estimates. Genetic studies have identified several loci, but the molecular basis of SLI remains unclear. With the aim to better understand the genetic architecture of SLI, we performed whole-exome [...] Read more.
Specific language impairment (SLI) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) that displays high heritability estimates. Genetic studies have identified several loci, but the molecular basis of SLI remains unclear. With the aim to better understand the genetic architecture of SLI, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) in a single family (ID: 489; n = 11). We identified co-segregating rare variants in three new genes: BUD13, APLP2, and NDRG2. To determine the significance of these genes in SLI, we Sanger sequenced all coding regions of each gene in unrelated individuals with SLI (n = 175). We observed 13 additional rare variants in 18 unrelated individuals. Variants in BUD13 reached genome-wide significance (p-value < 0.01) upon comparison with similar variants in the 1000 Genomes Project, providing gene level evidence that BUD13 is involved in SLI. Additionally, five BUD13 variants showed cohesive variant level evidence of likely pathogenicity. Bud13 is a component of the retention and splicing (RES) complex. Additional supportive evidence from studies of an animal model (loss-of-function mutations in BUD13 caused a profound neural phenotype) and individuals with an NDD phenotype (carrying a CNV spanning BUD13), indicates BUD13 could be a target for investigation of the neural basis of language. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior)
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34 pages, 3820 KiB  
Article
Predictions about the Cognitive Consequences of Language Switching on Executive Functioning Inspired by the Adaptive Control Hypothesis Fail More Often than Not
by Kenneth R. Paap, Lauren Mason and Regina Anders-Jefferson
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(9), 1217; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci11091217 - 15 Sep 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3149
Abstract
The adaptive control hypothesis developed by Green and Abutalebi is the most influential theory of bilingual language control. The focus of this article is on the predictions that other researchers have derived based on the three different modes of interactional context described by [...] Read more.
The adaptive control hypothesis developed by Green and Abutalebi is the most influential theory of bilingual language control. The focus of this article is on the predictions that other researchers have derived based on the three different modes of interactional context described by the hypothesis. Foremost, that dual-language contexts should enhance domain-general executive functions more than single-language contexts. Several recent and ambitious behavioral tests of these predictions are reviewed. Although there was some evidence that dual-language contexts are associated with smaller switch costs, the evidence is inconsistent and there were no similar advantages for inhibitory control. The hypothesis also predicts neuroanatomical adaptations to the three types of interactional context. A careful evaluation of the relevant fMRI and ERP studies that take into account whether behavioral differences align with neuroscience differences and resolves valence ambiguities led to the conclusion that the neuroscience evidence for the hypothesis is, at best, inconsistent. The study also includes new analyses of two large-sample studies that enable the identification of relatively pure cases of single-language bilinguals, dual-language bilinguals, and dense-code switchers. Across nine different measures of executive functioning, the predicted advantage of the dual-language context never materialized. The hypotheses derived from the adaptive control hypothesis do not accurately predict behavioral performance on tests of executive functioning and do not advance our understanding as to what dimensions of bilingualism may lead to enhancements in specific components of executive functioning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior)
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1 pages, 156 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Hao et al. Processing Aspectual Agreement in a Language with Limited Morphological Inflection by Second Language Learners: An ERP Study of Mandarin Chinese. Brain Sci. 2022, 12, 524
by Yuxin Hao, Xun Duan and Qiuyue Yan
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(8), 1135; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci13081135 - 28 Jul 2023
Viewed by 493
Abstract
In the published publication [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior)
10 pages, 6989 KiB  
Case Report
Poor Spontaneous Recovery of Aphemia Accompanied by Damage to the Anterior Segment of the Left Arcuate Fasciculus: A Case Report
by Qiwei Yu and Wenjun Qian
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(9), 1253; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/brainsci12091253 - 16 Sep 2022
Viewed by 2032
Abstract
Aphemia is a rare and special type of speech disorder, and the mechanisms underlying the occurrence and recovery remain unclear. Here, we present a clinical case of poor spontaneous recovery of aphemia, with the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus server damaged [...] Read more.
Aphemia is a rare and special type of speech disorder, and the mechanisms underlying the occurrence and recovery remain unclear. Here, we present a clinical case of poor spontaneous recovery of aphemia, with the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus server damaged and the posterior segment intact, as detected by diffusion tensor imaging. Aphemia could be caused by the disruption of the cortical and subcortical language circuits. In particular, our data support the view that damage to the anterior segment of the left arcuate fasciculus may result in poor spontaneous recovery from speech production deficits and that an intact posterior segment seems to be crucial for supporting residual language comprehension ability in patients with post-stroke aphasia. Collectively, these data imply the importance of the left arcuate fasciculus during recovery from the language disorder in the subacute stage of stroke. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language and Brain: From Genes to Behavior)
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