Event Abstract Back to Event Right Temporal Regions Help to Rapidly Create New Semantic Representations about the Functions of Novel Objects in Children Charline Urbain1, 2*, Mathieu Bourguignon2, Marc Op De Beeck2, Rémy Schmitz1, Sophie Galer1, 2, Vincent Wens2, Brice Marty2, Xavier De Tiège2, Patrick Van Bogaert2 and Philippe Peigneux1 1 Université Libre de Bruxelles, UR2NF - Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Unit, Belgium 2 Université Libre de Bruxelles, LCFC - Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau, Hôpital Érasme, Belgium Learning the functional properties of objects is a core mechanism in the development of conceptual, cognitive and linguistic knowledge in children. The cerebral process underlying these learning mechanisms remains unclear in adults and unexplored in children. Here, we investigated the neurophysiological patterns underpinning the learning of semantic properties about novel objects functions in eleven 10-years old healthy children. Event-related fields (ERFs) were recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG) during a picture-definition task. Two MEG sessions were administered, separated by a behavioral verbal learning session during which children learned short definitions about the “magical” function of 50 unknown non-objects. Additionally, 50 familiar real objects and 50 other unknown non-objects for which no functions were taught were presented at both MEG sessions. Behavioral results showed that children learned at least 75% of the 50 proposed definitions in less than one hour, emphasizing children's powerful ability to rapidly map new functional meanings to novel objects. ERFs were analyzed first in sensor then in source space. Results in sensor space disclosed a learning-dependent modulation of ERFs for learned non-objects developing 500-800 msec post-stimulus onset. Analyses in the source space windowed over this late temporal component of interest disclosed underlying activity in right parietal, bilateral orbito-frontal and right temporal regions. Altogether, our results suggest that learning-related evolution in late ERF components over those regions may support the challenging task of rapidly creating new semantic representations about the functionalities and usage of novel objects in children. Acknowledgements CU was supported by a special grant of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Vigneron Foundation) and the ULB-ARC project "Pathophysiology of Memory Consolidation Processes". RS, XDT and SG are supported by FRS-FNRS. MB is supported by FRIA (FRS-FNRS). The authors thank Claudine Morsa for the drawing of the stimuli used in this study, Willy Bruyr for help in the digitalization of each object and Antoine Désir for help in building and matching non-words. Keywords: Learning, Semantic representations, Magnetoencephalography, Children, declarative memory Conference: Belgian Brain Council, Liège, Belgium, 27 Oct - 27 Oct, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Other basic/clinical neurosciences topic Citation: Urbain C, Bourguignon M, Op De Beeck M, Schmitz R, Galer S, Wens V, Marty B, De Tiège X, Van Bogaert P and Peigneux P (2012). Right Temporal Regions Help to Rapidly Create New Semantic Representations about the Functions of Novel Objects in Children. Conference Abstract: Belgian Brain Council. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.210.00013 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 10 Sep 2012; Published Online: 12 Sep 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Charline Urbain, Université Libre de Bruxelles, UR2NF - Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Unit, Bruxelles, Belgium, curbain@ulb.ac.be Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Charline Urbain Mathieu Bourguignon Marc Op De Beeck Rémy Schmitz Sophie Galer Vincent Wens Brice Marty Xavier De Tiège Patrick Van Bogaert Philippe Peigneux Google Charline Urbain Mathieu Bourguignon Marc Op De Beeck Rémy Schmitz Sophie Galer Vincent Wens Brice Marty Xavier De Tiège Patrick Van Bogaert Philippe Peigneux Google Scholar Charline Urbain Mathieu Bourguignon Marc Op De Beeck Rémy Schmitz Sophie Galer Vincent Wens Brice Marty Xavier De Tiège Patrick Van Bogaert Philippe Peigneux PubMed Charline Urbain Mathieu Bourguignon Marc Op De Beeck Rémy Schmitz Sophie Galer Vincent Wens Brice Marty Xavier De Tiège Patrick Van Bogaert Philippe Peigneux Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.