Although a relatively large number of studies on acquired language impairments have tested the ca... more Although a relatively large number of studies on acquired language impairments have tested the case of derivational morphology, none of these have specifically investigated whether there are differences in how prefixed and suffixed derived words are impaired. Based on linguistic and psycholinguistic considerations on prefixed and suffixed derived words, differences in how these two types of derivations are processed, and consequently impaired, are predicted. In the present study, we investigated the errors produced in reading aloud simple, prefixed, and suffixed words by three German individuals with agrammatic aphasia (NN, LG, SA). We found that, while NN and LG produced similar numbers of errors with prefixed and suffixed words, SA showed a selective impairment for prefixed words. Furthermore, NN and SA produced more errors specifically involving the affix with prefixed words than with suffixed words. We discuss our findings in terms of relative position of stem and affix in prefixed and suffixed words, as well as in terms of specific properties of prefixes and suffixes.
The reliance of number processing on sensorimotor mechanisms involved in hand action has been ext... more The reliance of number processing on sensorimotor mechanisms involved in hand action has been extensively documented by behavioural studies. Nonetheless, where and how the computations of number and hand action interact in the brain has received limited attention. In this study we investigated the brain networks underlying symbolic number comparison and the hand action of reaching and grasping, capitalizing on functional imaging studies meta-analyzed with the seed-based d mapping with permutation of subject images meta-analytic method (SDM-PSI). The main objective was to test whether and to what extent symbolic number processing recruits the same sensorimotor network involved in the hand action of reaching and grasping. We included 42 studies (756 participants) adopting symbolic number comparison tasks and 58 studies (867 participants) investigating hand reaching and hand grasping. The conjunction analysis of brain networks common to number processing, reaching, and grasping revealed spatial convergence over frontoparietal areas. Specifically, four clusters were identified, in and around the left and right intraparietal sulci, in the left precentral gyrus, and in the supplementary motor area. The degree of overlap was extensive, since the reach/grasp network mostly included the number areas. A qualitative analysis of functional characterization capitalizing on the Neurosynth database depicted a strong multifunctionality of the regions of overlap between numbers and hand action: these brain areas were also associated to a variety of functions within the domains of memory and imagery, visuospatial attention, and language. Overall, these results characterize the neuroanatomical substrate of the interaction between reaching, grasping, and symbolic number comparison.
Neuropsychological investigations on lexical morphology using reading aloud as a main task have b... more Neuropsychological investigations on lexical morphology using reading aloud as a main task have been conducted in cases of deep dyslexia/phonological (DD), a result of
Ogni parlante riconosce che gatto, gatte e gattile sono parole diverse tra loro, ma parimenti ass... more Ogni parlante riconosce che gatto, gatte e gattile sono parole diverse tra loro, ma parimenti associate al concetto di ‘gatto’. Il cervello morfologico è il cervello che riconosce la forma delle parole analizzando le componenti in cui queste si articolano. Come sono rappresentate e memorizzate le parole nel lessico mentale e nel cervello? Con quali meccanismi una parola viene attivata allo scopo di essere prodotta e come viene analizzata per essere compresa? Come variano tali meccanismi a seconda del tipo di parola? Il libro risponde a queste domande facendo ricorso ai metodi delle neuroscienze con l’ausilio della psicolinguistica e della linguistica teorica. Il volume è pubblicato nella serie “Il cervello linguistico”, ideata e diretta da Mirko Grimaldi. Con un approccio divulgativo, ma senza rinunciare al rigore scientifico si propone di fare il punto critico degli studi su cervello e linguaggio, offrendo, per la prima volta in Italia, un quadro completo dei risultati raggiunti negli ultimi trent'anni
Although a relatively large number of studies on acquired language impairments have tested the ca... more Although a relatively large number of studies on acquired language impairments have tested the case of derivational morphology, none of these have specifically investigated whether there are differences in how prefixed and suffixed derived words are impaired. Based on linguistic and psycholinguistic considerations on prefixed and suffixed derived words, differences in how these two types of derivations are processed, and consequently impaired, are predicted. In the present study, we investigated the errors produced in reading aloud simple, prefixed, and suffixed words by three German individuals with agrammatic aphasia (NN, LG, SA). We found that, while NN and LG produced similar numbers of errors with prefixed and suffixed words, SA showed a selective impairment for prefixed words. Furthermore, NN and SA produced more errors specifically involving the affix with prefixed words than with suffixed words. We discuss our findings in terms of relative position of stem and affix in prefixed and suffixed words, as well as in terms of specific properties of prefixes and suffixes.
The reliance of number processing on sensorimotor mechanisms involved in hand action has been ext... more The reliance of number processing on sensorimotor mechanisms involved in hand action has been extensively documented by behavioural studies. Nonetheless, where and how the computations of number and hand action interact in the brain has received limited attention. In this study we investigated the brain networks underlying symbolic number comparison and the hand action of reaching and grasping, capitalizing on functional imaging studies meta-analyzed with the seed-based d mapping with permutation of subject images meta-analytic method (SDM-PSI). The main objective was to test whether and to what extent symbolic number processing recruits the same sensorimotor network involved in the hand action of reaching and grasping. We included 42 studies (756 participants) adopting symbolic number comparison tasks and 58 studies (867 participants) investigating hand reaching and hand grasping. The conjunction analysis of brain networks common to number processing, reaching, and grasping revealed spatial convergence over frontoparietal areas. Specifically, four clusters were identified, in and around the left and right intraparietal sulci, in the left precentral gyrus, and in the supplementary motor area. The degree of overlap was extensive, since the reach/grasp network mostly included the number areas. A qualitative analysis of functional characterization capitalizing on the Neurosynth database depicted a strong multifunctionality of the regions of overlap between numbers and hand action: these brain areas were also associated to a variety of functions within the domains of memory and imagery, visuospatial attention, and language. Overall, these results characterize the neuroanatomical substrate of the interaction between reaching, grasping, and symbolic number comparison.
Neuropsychological investigations on lexical morphology using reading aloud as a main task have b... more Neuropsychological investigations on lexical morphology using reading aloud as a main task have been conducted in cases of deep dyslexia/phonological (DD), a result of
Ogni parlante riconosce che gatto, gatte e gattile sono parole diverse tra loro, ma parimenti ass... more Ogni parlante riconosce che gatto, gatte e gattile sono parole diverse tra loro, ma parimenti associate al concetto di ‘gatto’. Il cervello morfologico è il cervello che riconosce la forma delle parole analizzando le componenti in cui queste si articolano. Come sono rappresentate e memorizzate le parole nel lessico mentale e nel cervello? Con quali meccanismi una parola viene attivata allo scopo di essere prodotta e come viene analizzata per essere compresa? Come variano tali meccanismi a seconda del tipo di parola? Il libro risponde a queste domande facendo ricorso ai metodi delle neuroscienze con l’ausilio della psicolinguistica e della linguistica teorica. Il volume è pubblicato nella serie “Il cervello linguistico”, ideata e diretta da Mirko Grimaldi. Con un approccio divulgativo, ma senza rinunciare al rigore scientifico si propone di fare il punto critico degli studi su cervello e linguaggio, offrendo, per la prima volta in Italia, un quadro completo dei risultati raggiunti negli ultimi trent'anni
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