Dataset Information

Integrating when and what information in the left parietal lobe allows language rule generalization.

ABSTRACT: A crucial aspect when learning a language is discovering the rules that govern how words are combined in order to convey meanings. Because rules are characterized by sequential co-occurrences between elements (e.g., "These cupcakes are unbelievable"), tracking the statistical relationships between these elements is fundamental. However, purely bottom-up statistical learning alone cannot fully account for the ability to create abstract rule representations that can be generalized, a paramount requirement of linguistic rules. Here, we provide evidence that, after the statistical relations between words have been extracted, the engagement of goal-directed attention is key to enable rule generalization. Incidental learning performance during a rule-learning task on an artificial language revealed a progressive shift from statistical learning to goal-directed attention. In addition, and consistent with the recruitment of attention, functional MRI (fMRI) analyses of late learning stages showed left parietal activity within a broad bilateral dorsal frontoparietal network. Critically, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on participants' peak of activation within the left parietal cortex impaired their ability to generalize learned rules to a structurally analogous new language. No stimulation or rTMS on a nonrelevant brain region did not have the same interfering effect on generalization. Performance on an additional attentional task showed that this rTMS on the parietal site hindered participants' ability to integrate "what" (stimulus identity) and "when" (stimulus timing) information about an expected target. The present findings suggest that learning rules from speech is a two-stage process: following statistical learning, goal-directed attention-involving left parietal regions-integrates "what" and "when" stimulus information to facilitate rapid rule generalization.

SUBMITTER: Orpella J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7660506 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Integrating when and what information in the left parietal lobe allows language rule generalization.

Orpella Joan J Ripollés Pablo P Ruzzoli Manuela M Amengual Julià L JL Callejas Alicia A Martinez-Alvarez Anna A Soto-Faraco Salvador S de Diego-Balaguer Ruth R

PLoS biology 20201102 11

A crucial aspect when learning a language is discovering the rules that govern how words are combined in order to convey meanings. Because rules are characterized by sequential co-occurrences between elements (e.g., "These cupcakes are unbelievable"), tracking the statistical relationships between these elements is fundamental. However, purely bottom-up statistical learning alone cannot fully account for the ability to create abstract rule representations that can be generalized, a paramount req ...[more]

PMID: 33137084

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Project description:Retrieval of semantic representations is a central process during overt speech production. There is an increasing consensus that an amodal semantic 'hub' must exist that draws together modality-specific representations of concepts. Based on the distribution of atrophy and the behavioral deficit of patients with the semantic variant of fronto-temporal lobar degeneration, it has been proposed that this hub is localized within both anterior temporal lobes (ATL), and is functionally connected with verbal 'output' systems via the left ATL. An alternative view, dating from Geschwind's proposal in 1965, is that the angular gyrus (AG) is central to object-based semantic representations. In this fMRI study we examined the connectivity of the left ATL and parietal lobe (PL) with whole brain networks known to be activated during overt picture description. We decomposed each of these two brain volumes into 15 regions of interest (ROIs), using independent component analysis. A dual regression analysis was used to establish the connectivity of each ROI with whole brain-networks. An ROI within the left anterior superior temporal sulcus (antSTS) was functionally connected to other parts of the left ATL, including anterior ventromedial left temporal cortex (partially attenuated by signal loss due to susceptibility artifact), a large left dorsolateral prefrontal region (including 'classic' Broca's area), extensive bilateral sensory-motor cortices, and the length of both superior temporal gyri. The time-course of this functionally connected network was associated with picture description but not with non-semantic baseline tasks. This system has the distribution expected for the production of overt speech with appropriate semantic content, and the auditory monitoring of the overt speech output. In contrast, the only left PL ROI that showed connectivity with brain systems most strongly activated by the picture-description task, was in the superior parietal lobe (supPL). This region showed connectivity with predominantly posterior cortical regions required for the visual processing of the pictorial stimuli, with additional connectivity to the dorsal left AG and a small component of the left inferior frontal gyrus. None of the other PL ROIs that included part of the left AG were activated by Speech alone. The best interpretation of these results is that the left antSTS connects the proposed semantic hub (specifically localized to ventral anterior temporal cortex based on clinical neuropsychological studies) to posterior frontal regions and sensory-motor cortices responsible for the overt production of speech.

Dataset Information

Integrating when and what information in the left parietal lobe allows language rule generalization.

Publications

Integrating when and what information in the left parietal lobe allows language rule generalization.

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