NEURAL SYTEMS AND RETRIEVAL OF ASL SIGNS FOR CONCRETE ENTITIES/ACTIONS/SPATIAL

对患有脑损伤的聋人ASL手语者的研究表明，神经 聋人手语者的语言组织类似于 在大脑半球水平上倾听个体的声音。不知道的是什么 损伤研究是指在多大程度上存在细微差异 左翼内部语言相关系统的神经组织 聋人的大脑半球。拟议中的实验旨在 识别和描述视觉-手势通道的这些方面 手语可能改变词汇提取的神经基础和 制作。这些实验是对项目1和3中提出的实验的补充， 这样就可以在神经系统之间进行直接比较 参与检索英语口语单词和检索手册ASL 有征兆。我们将在一系列[150]H2O PET中检验四个主要假设 在60名正常聋生ASL手语者中进行的实验：(1) 检索表示属于DISTINCT的具体实体的ASL标志 概念类别取决于解剖学上可分离的区域 这大致反映了说英语的人的情况。(2) 参与词汇提取中介作用的神经系统分布 具体实体的符号的形式可以部分更改 符号本身是基于概念的(例如，在标志性ASL与非标志性ASL中 符号，但不是当符号类别之间的差异是语言上的- 基于，如在手指拼写与本地符号)。(3)标志的检索 对于具有不同感觉-运动属性的动作，部分依赖于 分离的神经系统，以及ASL的运动象似性 用手/臂动作的迹象可能会改变这种神经分布。 (4)语言情态可能会部分改变与语言有关的神经系统 检索某些涉及空间的词汇表达 关系；具体地说，检索ASL量词表达式 通过从物理空间到的直接映射来指示空间关系 签名空间将取决于部分与 涉及英语和ASL介词的提取，表示 同样的空间关系。除了增进我们对 手语的神经生物学(以及语言本身)， 结果将是改善诊断和 聋人康复策略的发展。

Studies with deaf ASL signers with brain lesions suggest that the neural organization for language in deaf signers is similar to that found in hearing individuals at the gross hemispheric level. What is not known from the lesion studies is the extent to which there are subtle differences in the neural organization of language related systems within the left hemisphere of deaf individuals. The proposed experiments are designed to identify and characterize those aspects of the visual-gestural modality of sign language that may alter the neural basis of lexical retrieval and production. The experiments complement those proposed in Projects 1 and 3, such that direct comparisons can be made between the neural systems involved in retrieving spoken English words and in retrieving manual ASL signs. We will test four principal hypotheses in a series of [150]H2O PET experiments conducted in 60 normal deaf native ASL signers: (1) The retrieval of ASL signs denoting concrete entities belonging to distinct conceptual categories depends upon anatomically separable regions which roughly mirror those found in hearing English speakers. (2) The distribution of neural systems involved in mediation of lexical retrieval of signs for concrete entities can be partially altered when the form of a sign itself is conceptually-based (e.g., as in iconic vs. non-iconic ASL signs, but not when the difference between sign classes is linguistically- based, as in finger spelled vs. native signs). (3) The retrieval of signs for actions with distinct sensory-motor attributes depends upon partially segregated neural systems, and the motorically-based iconicity of ASL signs for actions with the hand/arm may alter this neural distribution. (4) Language modality may partially alter the neural systems involved in the retrieval of certain lexical expressions that refer to spatial relations; specifically, the retrieval of ASL classifier expressions which indicate spatial relations via a direct mapping from physical space to signing space will depend upon neural systems partially segregated from those involved in the retrieval of English and ASL prepositions denoting the same spatial relations. In addition to enhancing our understanding of the neurobiology of sign language (and thus of language itself), the results will be essential for improvements in diagnosis and for the development of rehabilitation strategies in deaf patients.