Neural Systems Underlying Sign Language Production

手语产生背后的神经系统

• 批准号: 6877280
• 负责人: KAREN EMMOREY
• 金额: $ 17.88万
• 依托单位: SALK INSTITUTE FOR BIOLOGICAL STUDIES
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-01-01 至 2005-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6877280
• 关键词: adult human (21+); behavioral /social science research tag; clinical research; corpus callosums; deafness; human subject; language development; magnetic resonance imaging; motion perception; motor cortex; neural information processing; neuroanatomy; neuroregulation; paralinguistic behavior; parietal lobe /cortex; positron emission tomography; psycholinguistics; sign language; space perception; speech; temporal lobe /cortex; visual perception

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Very little is known about the neural correlates of language production in congenitally deaf individuals who use sign language as their primary and preferred means of communication. The major goals of this project are (a) to identify the neural systems underlying the production of linguistic structures that are unique to sign language (i.e., classifier constructions that express location and motion via the iconic use of signing space), (b) to identify the neural systems that support sign communication versus gestural communication (i.e., pantomime), (c) to identify the neural systems that support phonological processing in a soundless language, and (d) to identify macroscopic variations in neuroanatomy associated with deafness or with lifelong signing. To investigate whether deafness and/or use of a signed language affect the neural systems underlying sign language production, a series of [15O] H20 PET experiments will be conducted with deaf and hearing native ASL signers. MR and PET imaging will be accomplished in collaboration with Dr Thomas Grabowski and colleagues at the University of Iowa. The experiments will test several specific predictions. We predict that the production of spatial classifier constructions engages parietal cortices that sub serve a spatial-motoric transformation from a visual to a body-centered manual representation. We predict that signing and pantomime will both engage fronto-parietal regions, but these regions will be non-identical and signing will additionally engage temporal lobe structures. We make the surprising prediction that the phonological encoding of sign language engages the same neural systems as spoken language (specifically, Broca's area and left superior temporal cortex). Finally, we predict that auditory deprivation from birth affects the size and morphology of the insula, but not Broca's area, and that life-long signing affects the size of the anterior sector of the corpus callosum and of the hand knob region within primary motor cortex. These anatomical predictions will be investigated using MRI data from deaf and hearing native signers and from hearing nonsigners. In addition to contributing to a better understanding of the neural basis of sign language (and therefore of language in general), the findings will be help improve diagnosis and develop rehabilitation strategies for deaf patients with communicative disorders.

描述(由申请人提供)：对于使用手语作为主要和首选交流手段的先天失聪患者的语言产生的神经关联，我们知之甚少。这个项目的主要目标是(A)识别产生手语特有的语言结构的神经系统(即通过标志性地使用手势空间来表达位置和运动的量词结构)，(B)识别支持手势交流与手势交流(即哑剧)的神经系统，(C)识别支持无声语言中语音处理的神经系统，以及(D)识别神经解剖学中与耳聋或终身手势相关的宏观变化。为了调查耳聋和/或手语的使用是否会影响手语产生的神经系统，将对聋人和听力正常的ASL手语者进行一系列[150]H20正电子发射计算机断层扫描实验。磁共振和PET成像将与爱荷华大学的托马斯·格拉博夫斯基博士和同事合作完成。这些实验将测试几个具体的预测。我们预测，空间量词结构的产生涉及顶叶皮质，顶叶皮质亚服务于从视觉到以身体为中心的手动表征的空间-运动转换。我们预测，手势和哑剧都会涉及额顶区，但这些区域将是不同的，手势将另外涉及颞叶结构。我们做出了令人惊讶的预测，手语的语音编码与口语涉及相同的神经系统(具体地说，是布罗卡区和左上颞叶皮质)。最后，我们预测，出生时的听觉剥夺会影响脑岛的大小和形态，但不会影响Broca区，而终生手征会影响胼胝体前部和初级运动皮质内手部旋钮区域的大小。这些解剖学预测将使用来自聋人和听力原住民以及听力不好的人的MRI数据进行调查。除了有助于更好地理解手语的神经基础(因此也有助于更广泛地理解语言)，这些发现还将有助于改善对患有交流障碍的聋人患者的诊断和制定康复策略。