Language

Question 1

Aphasia

Answer 1

A disruption in the ability to process or produce language after brain damage
— especially in left hemi (new research shows a slight role in the right hemi as well)

Question 2

Broca’s Aphasia

Answer 2

Damage to Broca’s area can comprehend speech but have trouble with output (speech is dimished, effortful, hard to understand)
— typical lesion is anterior to the section of the motor strip responsible for facial control
___
Nonfluent, uncommon paraphasia, good comprehension, poor repetition, poor naming
___
Phonetics, phonemics, and syntax impaired, semantics intact

Question 3

Wernicke’s Aphasia

Answer 3

Damage to Wernicke’s area disrupts speech comprehension but allows fluent-sounding speech output
—- Wernicke described it as an inability to link a sound image to meaning
—- Paraphasia
—- Typical lesions involves the superior temporal lobe near Heschl’s gyrus
___
Fluent, common paraphasia, poor comprehension, poor repetition and naming
___
Phonetics and syntax intact, phonemics and semantics impaired

Question 4

Paraphasias

Answer 4

Errors in producing words caused by Wernicke’s aphasia
3 types:
— Semantic Paraphasia
— Phonemic Paraphasia
— Neologisms

Question 5

Semantic Paraphasia

Answer 5

Substitutes a word with similar meaning to the intended word
— e.g. replacing “shoe” with “sock”

Question 6

Phonemic Paraphasia

Answer 6

Substitutes a word with a similar-sounding one
— e.g. sock becomes rock, stock, slock

Question 7

Neologisms

Answer 7

Made-up words that follow rules for combining sounds in language but do not have real meaning
— e.g. wilud

Question 8

Conduction Aphasia

Answer 8

An inability to repeat what was just heard, although language comprehension and speech production are intact
—- created by damage to the white matter tract connecting Broca and Wernicke’s areas (and surrounding tissue) (the arcuate fasciculus)
—- considered a “disconnection” syndrome
___
Fluent speech, common paraphasia, good comprehension, poor repetition and naming

Question 9

Broca and Wernicke’s area locations

Answer 9

⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣠⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣤⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⢀⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⢾⣿⣿⢻⢍⣛⣿⣿⣿⠿⣿⣿⣿⣇⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠈⠻⠿⣷⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣶⣿⣿⣿⣿⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠻⠿⢿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠙⠛⠛⠛⠋⠀⠀⠀
— left view of the brain
Broca ————————————Wernicke

Question 10

Global Aphasia

Answer 10

The inability to comprehend or produce language
—- associated with extensive left-hemisphere damage
—- damage includes Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas and the area between them
___
Nonfluent, variable paraphasia, poor comprehension, poor repetition, poor naming

Question 11

3 Psycholinguistic Perspectives

Answer 11

1. Phonology
2. Syntax
3. Semantics
   Patterns of language disruption have been studied to understand the mental structure of language

Question 12

Phonology

Answer 12

The sounds that compose a language and the rules that govern that combination
Two ways of representing sounds of speech:
— Phonemes (the smallest unit of sound that has meaning)
— The phonetic representation of a speech sound describes how it is produced on particular occasions or contexts
___
Broca’s aphasia patients have issues producing both
Wernicke’s aphasia patients struggle to produce the right phoneme, but can produce the correct phonetic representation

Question 13

Syntax

Answer 13

The rules of grammar + how words are put together into sentences
___
Aphasias with anterior lesions often have compromised ability to comprehend and produce the grammatical aspects of language

Question 14

Semantics

Answer 14

The meaning of language/ words/ phrases, the ability to extract meaning from language and use words to produce meaning
___
Impaired in patients with aphasia in posterior regions (inability to comprehend the meaning of language, affects written as well)
Patients with anterior aphasia appear to be able to process semantics, but may experience minor problems in comprehension when syntax plays a large role.

Question 15

Left Inferior Frontal Cortex (IFC) role:

Answer 15

Semantic processing— anterior (rostral)
Phonological processing— posterior (caudal)

Question 16

How spoken language is processed:

Answer 16

1. Spoken language is processed by posterior regions
2. Dorsal pathways transform ling. info into sequential and articulatory information
3. Ventral pathways transform ling. info into meaning
   ___
   Different regions interact to enable language processing
   — 4 main pathways

Question 17

How are sign languages organized in the brain?

Answer 17

Similar to other languages, regardless of the modality of communication
AKA “Visual spoken language”

Question 18

Basic structure of ASL

Answer 18

Each noun is represented by a particular hand shape made in a particular way at a particular location in space in regard to the body
ASL syntax: communicated based on the position of hands in space instead of word order
— A sign designating a verb is made from the location of the noun acting as the subject to the location of the noun acting as the object

Question 19

Neural organization of ASL

Answer 19

Similar to spoken languages
Left hemi is still needed
deficits still depend on whether a lesion is anterior or posterior
Processing of signs appears to involve the right hemi more than spoken language
____
Activation in superior temporal gyrus suggests that auditory regions are actually dedicated to processing basic units of a complex pattern in sequence (understanding meaning from components of language vs. hearing)