Neuroscience of Language Development Flashcards
What is neuroscience?
the branch of science involving the study of the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system
what is neuroanatomy?
the structures of the body and the relationship of these structures to one another in the nervous system
what is neurophysiology?
the functions of the structures of the nervous system
What is the Central Nervous System (CNS)?
consists of the brain and spinal cord
What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
the cranial and spinal nerves which carries sensory information inward to and outward from the brain and spinal cord
What does the spinal cord do?
carries sensory information from the body to the brain and motor commands from the brain to the rest of the body through neuropathways
What are the two protective systems of the CNS?
- Bone: the skull protects the brain and the vertebral column covers the spinal cord
- Meninges: Layered membranes that completely cover the CNS
What does contralateral mean?
the right side of the brain processes information from and for the left side of the body and vice verse
Describe the peripheral nervous system
- system of nerves connected to the brain stem and spinal cord
- carries sensory information to the CNS and motor command away from the CNS
- Controls nearly all voluntary and involuntary activity of the human body
- Consists of 2 sets of nerves: cranial nerves and spinal nerves
Where do they cranial nerves run between?
the facial and neck regions
What is particularly important for speech, language, and hearing; transmits information for five senses; and carries motor impulses from the brain to the face and neck muscles including those for the tongue and jaw
cranial nerves
Where are the spinal nerves and what do they do?
they run between the spinal cord and all peripheral areas of the human body. they mediate reflexes, sensory activity, and volitional motor activity
What is the largest region of the brain?
cerebrum
What is a longitudinal fissure?
the crevice or fissure that separates the 2 hemispheres
What is the corpus callosum?
band of fibers that connects the 2 hemispheres and the conduit for communication between the hemispheres
What is the largest lobe in the brain?
the frontal lobe
What are the 2 key functions of the frontal lobe?
- activating and controlling fine and complex motor functions
- controlling human “executive functions”
What is executive functioning?
qualities that govern the organized, goal-directed, and controlled execution of critical human behaviors. It allows individuals to monitor and control purposeful behaviors, to override impulses, and to control information processing
What is the Theory of Mind?
the intuitive understanding of one’s own and other people’s minds or mental states- including thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, knowledge, intentions, desires, and emotions- and of how those mental states influence behavior
Where is the Theory of Mind controlled?
the frontal lobe
Where is Executive Functioning controlled?
the frontal lobe
At what age does limitations in theory of mind impact?
at all ages from children to adults, including educators
What areas of the frontal lobe impacts language?
the prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, premotor cortex
Where is the prefrontal cortex located?
the most anterior portion of the frontal lobe
What is the function of the prefrontal cortex?
synthesizes vast stores of information for complex human behaviors, and regulates deep feelings
What is the function of the primary motor cortex?
controls the initiation of voluntary movements of extremities and for speech
What is the function of the premotor cortex?
provides control of musculatures and programming patterns and sequences of movements
What is Broca’s Area?
region of the brain that is responsible for spoken communication, and the find coordination of speech output
Where is Broca’s Area located?
in the motor cortex of the left frontal lobe
What does the occipital lobe specialize in?
visual representation and processing
What is the function of the primary visual cortex?
receives and processes visual information received from the eyes integrating information about depth, space, shape, movement, and color
What do the parietal lobes specialize in?
perceiving and integrating sensory and perceptual information, comprehending oral and written language, and performing mathematical calculations
Where is the parietal lobe located?
posterior to the frontal lobe on the left and right side (above the ear)
What is the primary sensory cortex and where is it located?
it receives and processes sensory input from throughout the body; pain, temperature, touch, pressure, and movement. It is positioned behind the motor cortex of the frontal lobe
What is the function of the left parietal lobe?
- tied to language ability, particularly reading and naming abilities
- controls math abilities
- has role in controlling working memory (ability to store information while executing a task like phone numbers, taking notes)
What is working memory important for?
higher level tasks including acquiring and accessing vocabulary
What is the function of the temporal lobe?
important sites for human language that contain the functions for processing auditory information and language comprehension
What is Heschls Gyrus and where is it located?
located in the left temporal lobe region that analyses auditory input and recognizes speech sounds. it processes speech, particularly its temporal aspects.
What is Wernicke’s Area and where is it located?
positioned in the superior portion off the left temporal lobe near the intersection of the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. It converges information from all areas of the brain for language comprehension and production
Where is the brain stem located?
directly on top of the spinal cord
What are the three main functions of the brain stem?
- transmit sensory information to the brain and motor information from the brain
- serve as a major relay station for the cranial nerves for the head and face and for controlling the visual and auditory senses
- Associated with metabolism and arousal
What are the three major reflex systems the brain stem controls?
- cardiac center- controlling the heart
- vasomotor center- controlling blood vessels
- respiratory system- controlling breathing
What is the cerebellum responsible for?
regulating involuntary motor and muscular activity, coordinating motor movements, maintaining muscle tone, monitoring movement rand and strength, and maintaining posture and equilibrium
What is semantics?
the knowledge of words
Where is most semantic knowledge processed?
in the left hemisphere regions particularly regions of the temporal lobe and frontal lobe
What kind of semantic information is processed in the right hemisphere?
information that requires holistic interpretation of meaning rather than a one-to-one word meaning (figurative language, metaphors, similes, and personification)
What is syntax?
the ability to process the rules of syntax
What part of the brain controls grammatical processing?
the left-hemisphere, notably the Wernicke’s area
What does Broca’s area control?
formulating grammatically ordered speech output
What is phonology?
processing speech sounds
where do phonetic analysis of speech sounds occur?
in the auditory cortices of the left temporal lobe
Where do phonological processing and speech production happen?
Broca’s area
What are pragmatics?
the understanding of social rules of language
What are sensitive periods?
developmental time period that is optimal for growth neurophysiological or neuroanatomical
When is the sensitive period for language development?
from birth to six years of age
What is experience expectant plasticity?
the immature brain’s typical developmental growth based on experiences exposed to in naturalistic environment (language development, social skills)
What is experience dependent plasticity?
the capability of the brain, even at advanced ages, to grow and adapt to new experiences, disease, or injury to the brain (learning to drive, learning to become a SLP, learning post stroke)
What is a theory?
descriptive statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena
What is the scientific method?
the process of generating and testing theories
What is Basic Research (Theoretical Research)?
increase or refine existing knowledge; wanting more general information
What is Applied Research?
research done to address specific problems and test different approaches and practices that would appropriately address the problems
What do language theories address?
specific skills, language development, and language development in the context of a specific disability
What are the steps of the scientific method?
observation, research, hypothesis, experiment, conclusion, share results
What are empiricist theories (learning theory)?
humans gain all knowledge through experience (nurture- inspired theories); infants arrive as a blank slate and children only acquire language through reinforcements, but it doesn’t explain how children learn to produce words they never heard before or unique sentences
What is the behaviorist theory?
language is learned through conditioning and shaping
What is operant conditioning?
changing of behavior by the use of reinforcement which is given after the desired response
What are nature inspired theories (navitist theory)?
much knowledge is innate and genetically transmitted rather than learned by experience; children are born with the ability to learn language
What are interactionist theories?
language develops through the interaction between nature-related and nurture-related factors; biological and social factors must interact for children to learn language; children’s desires to communicate motivates them to learn and use language
How does theory impact language development?
language theories may have direct application on prevention of language impairments, intervention/remediation of language impairments, and enrichment of language abilities
What is evidence-based practice?
an approach in which current, high-quality research evidence is integrated with practitioner expertise and client preferences and values into the process of making clinical decisions
What 3 components is the goal ASHA states of evidence-based practice?
- research based (has to have been tested)
- Expert-based judgement (use professional judgement to know when a strategy is not working
- Perspective of Client (it’s never about you, always about what the patient wants)
How can speech-language pathologists make clinical practice evidence based?
recognize the needs, abilities, values, preferences, and interest of individuals and families to whom factors along with best current research evidence and their clinical expertise in making clinical decisions
