What is the relationship between the human faculty for language and the many other, nonlinguistic cognitive abilities we possess? For the past decade, our research team has explored this important question by focusing on a place (quite literally) where linguistic and nonlinguistic processes seem to """"""""meet"""""""": Broca's area. Long described of as the seat of some linguistic specialization, Broca's area may have more in common with the rest of prefrontal cortex than is typically thought. Motivated by an extensive literature on the regulatory functions of prefrontal cortex, we have developed a framework for considering the role of Broca's area - a part of prefrontal cortex - in language processing. We argue that Broca's area functions to bias competitive interactions among representations of many types (including semantic, phonological, and syntactic). As such, the relationship between Broca's area and linguistic function cannot be captured by studying a single domain (such as syntax) but rather requires the broad, interdisciplinary approach represented in our research program and exemplified by the divergent expertise of our research team. In the coming years of this research program, we hope to continue our multi-method investigations of linguistic and nonlinguistic functions of prefrontal cortex. The major aims of the research plans outlined in the current proposal are as follows: (1) to continue our investigations of the role of LIFG in language processing; (2) to better characterize the role of LIFG in working memory; (3) to evaluate the relation between working memory, language, and cognitive control and the nature of their dependence on LIFG; and, (4) to develop new tools for inferring causal structure-function relations. This research program has relevance to disorders of mental health (specifically, attentional disorders) and to disorders of language, by virtue of the fact that it highlights the important links between these two seemingly disparate functions. ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
9R01DC009209-06A1
Application #
7318184
Study Section
Cognition and Perception Study Section (CP)
Program Officer
Cooper, Judith
Project Start
2002-12-02
Project End
2012-11-30
Budget Start
2007-12-01
Budget End
2008-11-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$531,680
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pennsylvania
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
042250712
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104
Medaglia, John D; Satterthwaite, Theodore D; Kelkar, Apoorva et al. (2018) Brain state expression and transitions are related to complex executive cognition in normative neurodevelopment. Neuroimage 166:293-306
Lefort-Besnard, Jérémy; Bassett, Danielle S; Smallwood, Jonathan et al. (2018) Different shades of default mode disturbance in schizophrenia: Subnodal covariance estimation in structure and function. Hum Brain Mapp 39:644-661
Braun, Urs; Schaefer, Axel; Betzel, Richard F et al. (2018) From Maps to Multi-dimensional Network Mechanisms of Mental Disorders. Neuron 97:14-31
Baum, Graham L; Roalf, David R; Cook, Philip A et al. (2018) The impact of in-scanner head motion on structural connectivity derived from diffusion MRI. Neuroimage 173:275-286
Muldoon, Sarah F; Costantini, Julia; Webber, W R S et al. (2018) Locally stable brain states predict suppression of epileptic activity by enhanced cognitive effort. Neuroimage Clin 18:599-607
Xia, Cedric Huchuan; Ma, Zongming; Ciric, Rastko et al. (2018) Linked dimensions of psychopathology and connectivity in functional brain networks. Nat Commun 9:3003
Gerraty, Raphael T; Davidow, Juliet Y; Foerde, Karin et al. (2018) Dynamic flexibility in striatal-cortical circuits supports reinforcement learning. J Neurosci :
Kenett, Yoed N; Medaglia, John D; Beaty, Roger E et al. (2018) Driving the brain towards creativity and intelligence: A network control theory analysis. Neuropsychologia 118:79-90
Sizemore, Ann E; Giusti, Chad; Kahn, Ari et al. (2018) Cliques and cavities in the human connectome. J Comput Neurosci 44:115-145
Garcia, Javier O; Ashourvan, Arian; Muldoon, Sarah F et al. (2018) Applications of community detection techniques to brain graphs: Algorithmic considerations and implications for neural function. Proc IEEE Inst Electr Electron Eng 106:846-867

Showing the most recent 10 out of 93 publications