Developing Language Abilities by a Non-verbal Training : A fMRI Study

Laurent Lefebvre,Danielle Balériaux,Francis Lowenthal,Philippe Paquier

doi:10.1038/npre.2008.1904.1

Laurent Lefebvre, Danielle Balériaux + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/npre.2008.1904.1

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Abstract

AbstractThe language ability is a critical aspect of experimental design in functional imaging studies. Today, it is commonly accepted that the brain structures underlying the language are more distributed than the traditional Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. Currently, some other areas as the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the cerebellum or subcortical structures, notably, are recognised. However, a lesser studied question is to define if it is possible to observe a reorganisation of the activation observed during language tasks when the subjects have been trained to develop non-verbal abilities. Particularly, Bates and Ellman (1996) claim that probabilistic regularities are the basis of the language acquisition processing.

Highlights

On the basis of these previous results, we formulate the hypothesis that an intensive nonverbal training based on the detection of probabilistic regularities in a situation with few simple but specific rules, could lead to a functional reorganisation of language-related activations, which could be detected by fMRI
An experimental group (EG) has been submitted to an experimental training, based on the perception of environmental regularities presented by Concrete Representation of a Formal System (CRFS), while the control group (CG) had no activities during the experimental phase
The goal of this research was to observe if a specific training, based on the manipulation of a concrete tool allowing to present regularities, develops specific activations on the language parts of the brain

Summary

Objectives

On the basis of these previous results, we formulate the hypothesis that an intensive nonverbal training based on the detection of probabilistic regularities in a situation with few simple but specific rules (i.e. hereafter called microworld), could lead to a functional reorganisation of language-related activations, which could be detected by fMRI. Dominey and his collaborators (Hoen et al, 2003) have already shown the specific learning should transfer between non-linguistic and linguistic domains via a common neural basis. The goal of this paper is to define if it is possible to observe a same type of switching for cerebral activations underlying the language, comparing activations observed by training subjects at a post-test versus control subjects without any training

Methods

Imaging Findings

Discussion and conclusions

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