Left prefrontal cortex activation during sentence comprehension covaries with grammatical knowledge in children

Knoll, Lisa; Obleser, Jonas; Schipke, Christine S.; Friederici, Angela D.; Bräuer, Jens

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.05.014

Cited by 40 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Our results indicate that 6yo children were capable of interpreting transitive object-initial sentences quite well using case marking cues, and their behavioral performance (subject-initial: 99.6%, object-initial: 71.7%) was consistent with findings by Knoll et al (2012) who found similar accuracy rates (subject-initial: M=94.1%; object-initial: M=70.6%; age range: 4.8–6.8 years). Overall the group of 3yo children performed on average less accurately than the 6yo children, but their performance was above chance level for subject-initial (76.8%) and for object-initial (62.5%) sentences.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…While previous studies mainly focused on the functional localization of brain regions involved in syntactic processing or the structural changes accompanying behavioral changes (Brauer and Friederici, 2007, Knoll et al, 2012, Nunez et al, 2011), our study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to show differences in the functional interplay of the language network in young children processing syntactic structures. Both 6yo and 3yo children showed a main effect of WORDORDER in the left pSTG.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Nunez et al (2011) found a correlation between syntactic proficiency and activation in the left BA 44 for the processing of complex syntax in children aged between seven and fifteen, with those who performed better in a standardized language task showing more prominent activation. Knoll et al (2012) observed that activation of the left BA 44 was dependent on the grammatical capabilities of the children, and only the more proficient group of children showed adult-like activation for object-initial compared to subject-initial sentences. Wu et al (2016) also reported a positive correlation between syntactic capability and brain activation in the left BA 44 and left pSTG/pSTS for processing non-canonical object-initial sentences in five-year-old children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Functional organization of the language network in three- and six-year-old children

et al. 2017

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The organization of the language network undergoes continuous changes during development as children learn to understand sentences. In the present study, functional magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral measures were utilized to investigate functional activation and functional connectivity (FC) in three-year-old (3yo) and six-year-old (6yo) children during sentence comprehension. Transitive German sentences varying the word order (subject-initial and object-initial) with case marking were presented auditorily. We selected children who were capable of processing the subject-initial sentences above chance level accuracy from each age group to ensure that we were tapping real comprehension. Both age groups showed a main effect of word order in the left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG), with greater activation for object-initial compared to subject-initial sentences. However, age differences were observed in the FC between left pSTG and the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). The 6yo group showed stronger FC between the left pSTG and Brodmann area (BA) 44 of the left IFG compared to the 3yo group. For the 3yo group, in turn, the FC between left pSTG and left BA 45 was stronger than with left BA 44. Our study demonstrates that while task-related activation was comparable, the small behavioral differences between age groups were reflected in the underlying functional organization revealing the ongoing development of the neural language network.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Functional organization of the language network in three- and six-year-old children

et al. 2017

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“…It is generally accepted that such developmental differences are related to linguistic experiences, as well as to neural maturational processes (Garcia-Sierra, Rivera-Gaxiola, Percaccio, Conboy, Romo, Klarman, Ortiz & Kuhl, 2011; Werker & Hensch, 2015); however, the precise nature of these dynamics is still not well understood. The present study examines the degree to which neural specialization for language, characterized by increasingly focal left-lateralized activation as monolinguals (e.g., Knoll, Obleser, Schipke, Friederici & Brauer, 2012), functions similarly in early Spanish–English bilinguals, and across both of their languages when receiving early and systematic dual-language exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingual exposure enhances left IFG specialization for language in children

Arredondo

Seifert

et al. 2018

Bilingualism

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Language acquisition is characterized by progressive use of inflectional morphology marking verb tense and agreement. Linguistic milestones are also linked to left-brain lateralization for language specialization. We used neuroimaging (fNIRS) to investigate how bilingual exposure influences children's cortical organization for processing morpho-syntax. In Study 1, monolinguals and bilinguals (n = 39) completed a grammaticality judgment task that included English sentences with violations in earlier-acquired (verb agreement) and later-acquired (verb tense/agreement) structures. Groups showed similar performance and greater activation in left inferior frontal region (IFG) for later- than earlier-acquired conditions. Bilinguals showed stronger and more restricted left IFG activation. In Study 2, bilinguals completed a comparable Spanish task revealing patterns of left IFG activation similar to English. Taken together, the findings suggest that bilinguals with linguistic competence at parity with monolingual counterparts have a higher degree of cortical specialization for language, likely a result of enriched linguistic experiences.

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“…The developmental perspective addresses how the neurobiological system supporting language learning develops towards a mature human adult form12345678. The evolutionary view clarifies which aspects of the neurobiology of human communication can be related to those present in our primate evolutionary relatives91011, which also determines the aspects that can be realistically modelled at the neuronal level in primate neurobiological models.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary origins of non-adjacent sequence processing in primate brain potentials

Milne

Mueller

Männel

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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There is considerable interest in understanding the ontogeny and phylogeny of the human language system, yet, neurobiological work at the interface of both fields is absent. Syntactic processes in language build on sensory processing and sequencing capabilities on the side of the receiver. While we better understand language-related ontogenetic changes in the human brain, it remains a mystery how neurobiological processes at specific human development stages compare with those in phylogenetically closely related species. To address this knowledge gap, we measured EEG event-related potentials (ERPs) in two macaque monkeys using a paradigm developed to evaluate human infant and adult brain potentials associated with the processing of non-adjacent ordering relationships in sequences of syllable triplets. Frequent standard triplet sequences were interspersed with infrequent voice pitch or non-adjacent rule deviants. Monkey ERPs show early pitch and rule deviant mismatch responses that are strikingly similar to those previously reported in human infants. This stands in contrast to adults’ later ERP responses for rule deviants. The results reveal how non-adjacent sequence ordering relationships are processed in the primate brain and provide evidence for evolutionarily conserved neurophysiological effects, some of which are remarkably like those seen at an early human developmental stage.

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Left prefrontal cortex activation during sentence comprehension covaries with grammatical knowledge in children

Cited by 40 publications

References 55 publications

Functional organization of the language network in three- and six-year-old children

Functional organization of the language network in three- and six-year-old children

Bilingual exposure enhances left IFG specialization for language in children

Evolutionary origins of non-adjacent sequence processing in primate brain potentials

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