Neural Basis of Sign Language from Lesion Mapping

描述（由申请人提供）：手语提供了一种理解感觉运动对语言神经组织影响的手段。本提案的目标是揭示手语的神经基础，使用现代病变缺陷映射。这不仅将回答一些基本问题的神经基础的手语和相关的过程，并解决问题的感觉运动力量，形状的语言组织一般，但也将提供急需的信息手语失语症的临床解剖相关。我们提出三个具体目标。目标1：通过定量病变-症状映射方法确定手语失语症的总体病变模式是否与口语失语症相似。目标二：使用定量病变-症状映射方法，映射与手语产生、手语理解和相关功能的更细粒度测量相关的病变模式。目的3：采用损伤法探讨体征命名能力和工作记忆的神经基础。公共卫生相关性：NIDCD的使命的一个重要方面是进行研究，以提高对语言和交流障碍的理解和治疗，特别是在耳聋和手语方面。相对较少的研究有针对性的故障的手语作为大脑病变的结果，直到我们以前的研究，这里提出的程序使用现代病变症状的方法提供了重要的新工具，为理解和治疗语言障碍的聋人签名。这将对广泛的公共卫生领域产生影响，并直接使临床医生、教育工作者和照顾患有脑部病变和/或语言障碍的聋人手语者的个人受益。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Sign language provides a means to understand the sensory-motor influences on the neural organization of language. The goals of the present proposal are to uncover the neural basis of sign language using modern lesion-deficit mapping. This will not only answer some fundamental questions about the neural basis of sign language and related processes and address questions about the sensory-motor forces that shape language organization generally, but will also provide much needed information on the clinical-anatomic correlates of sign language aphasia. We propose three specific aims. Aim 1: To determine whether the overall lesion pattern associated with sign language aphasia is similar to that found for spoken language using quantitative lesion-symptom mapping methods. Aim 2: To map the lesion pattern associated with more fine-grained measures of sign language production, sign language comprehension, and related function using quantitative lesion-symptom mapping methods. Aim 3: To assess the neural basis of naming ability and working memory for signs using the lesion method. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: An important aspect of the mission of NIDCD is research that leads to increased understanding and treatment of language and communication disorders, particularly with respect to deafness and sign language. Relatively little research has targeted the breakdown of sign language as a result of brain lesions until our previous studies; the program proposed here using modern lesion-symptom approaches provides important new tools for the understanding and treatment of language disorders in deaf signers. This will have implications across a wide range of public health domains and directly benefits clinicians, educators, and individuals caring for deaf signers with brain lesions and/or language disorders.