Neural Language Processing in Adolescent First-Language Learners: Longitudinal Case Studies in American Sign Language
Neural Language Processing in Adolescent First-Language Learners: Longitudinal Case Studies in American Sign Language
复制标题
DOI：
10.1093/cercor/bhu273
复制
发表时间：
2016-03-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Mayberry, Rachel I.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ramirez, Naja Ferjan;Leonard, Matthew K.;Mayberry, Rachel I.
神经语言学中的一个关键问题是，语言的神经处理系统在多大程度上需要早期生活中的语言经验才能充分发展。我们进行了纵向解剖限制脑磁图（aMEG）分析的词汇语义处理的2个耳聋青少年谁没有持续的语言输入，直到14岁，当他们成为完全沉浸在美国手语。经过2到3年的语言学习，青少年对手语的神经反应是高度非典型的，主要局限于右背额顶叶区域，并且通常对语义启动的单词反应更强烈（Ferjan Ramirez N，伦纳德MK，托雷斯C，Hatrak M，Halgren E，Mayberry RI. 2014.青少年第一语言学习者的神经语言加工。大脑皮层24（10）：2772-2783）。在这里，我们表明，经过额外的15个月的语言经验，青少年的神经反应仍然是非典型的极性。虽然他们对不太熟悉的符号词的反应仍然表现出非典型的本地化模式，但对高度熟悉的符号词的反应的本地化变得更加集中在左外裂语言网络中。我们的研究结果表明，语言体验的时间会影响神经语言处理的组织;然而，即使在青春期，人类大脑中的语言表征也会随着经验的发展而不断发展。
One key question in neurolinguistics is the extent to which the neural processing system for language requires linguistic experience during early life to develop fully. We conducted a longitudinal anatomically constrained magnetoencephalography (aMEG) analysis of lexico-semantic processing in 2 deaf adolescents who had no sustained language input until 14 years of age, when they became fully immersed in American Sign Language. After 2 to 3 years of language, the adolescents' neural responses to signed words were highly atypical, localizing mainly to right dorsal frontoparietal regions and often responding more strongly to semantically primed words (Ferjan Ramirez N, Leonard MK, Torres C, Hatrak M, Halgren E, Mayberry RI. 2014. Neural language processing in adolescent first-language learners. Cereb Cortex. 24 (10): 2772-2783). Here, we show that after an additional 15 months of language experience, the adolescents' neural responses remained atypical in terms of polarity. While their responses to less familiar signed words still showed atypical localization patterns, the localization of responses to highly familiar signed words became more concentrated in the left perisylvian language network. Our findings suggest that the timing of language experience affects the organization of neural language processing; however, even in adolescence, language representation in the human brain continues to evolve with experience.