Broca's area and its striatal and thalamic connections: a diffusion-MRI tractography study

Ford, Anastasia; Triplett, William; Sudhyadhom, Atchar; Gullett, Joseph M.; McGregor, Keith M.; FitzGerald, David B.; Mareci, Thomas H.; White, Keith D.; Crosson, Bruce

doi:10.3389/fnana.2013.00008

Cited by 93 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(102 reference statements)

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“…This wide-ranging functionality, along with the distributed effect of bilingualism over thalamic morphology reported here, makes it likely that the functional consequences (and sources) of a globally expanded thalamus are manifold. From a theoretical standpoint, coordinated thalamic and basal ganglia activity have been explicitly taken into consideration by some models of language production (e.g., the Response-Release Semantic Feedback Model, in line with their profile of anatomical connectivity (Ford et al 2013). The fact that we observed concurrent bilingualism effects in all these structures might be due to a greater need for speech output monitoring in bilinguals (Parker Jones et al 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingualism at the core of the brain. Structural differences between bilinguals and monolinguals revealed by subcortical shape analysis

et al. 2016

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Naturally acquiring a language shapes the human brain through a long-lasting learning and practice process. This is supported by previous studies showing that managing more than one language from early childhood has an impact on brain structure and function.However, to what extent bilingual individuals present neuroanatomical peculiarities at the subcortical level with respect to monolinguals is yet not well understood, despite the key role of subcortical gray matter for a number of language functions, including monitoring of speech production and language control -two processes especially solicited by bilinguals. Here we addressed this issue by performing a subcortical surfacebased analysis in a sample of monolinguals and simultaneous bilinguals (N=88) that only differed in their language experience from birth. This analysis allowed us to study with great anatomical precision the potential differences in morphology of key subcortical structures, namely, the caudate, accumbens, putamen, globus pallidus and thalamus.Vertexwise analyses revealed significantly expanded subcortical structures for bilinguals compared to monolinguals, localized in bilateral putamen and thalamus, as well as in the left globus pallidus and right caudate nucleus. A topographical interpretation of our results suggests that a more complex phonological system in bilinguals may lead to a greater development of a subcortical brain network involved in monitoring articulatory processes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilingualism at the core of the brain. Structural differences between bilinguals and monolinguals revealed by subcortical shape analysis

et al. 2016

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“…For example Ford et al [32] demonstrated that the machinery for basal ganglia participation in language function exists by demonstrating connections between the basal ganglia and Broca's area and as previously hypothesized by Ullman [33]. However, simple connectivity does not explain the role of the basal ganglia in discourse processing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Narrative Discourse Cohesion in Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease

Ellis

Crosson

Rothi

et al. 2015

JPD

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Abstract.Background: Models of basal ganglia (BG) function suggest that expressive language deficits will likely and consistently present in BG disease. Disparities currently exist between the predictions of models of BG function in expressive language and data from studies of BG disease. Traditional expressive language assessment methodologies that emphasize measures of language form (word and sentence productivity) while not carefully considering how language is used, may only partially account for these disparities. Objective: To use measures of cohesion to examine the use of cohesive markers in narrative discourse. Methods: Twelve individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) were compared to 12 matched neurologically intact controls on measures of discourse performance. Three discourse samples (typical day, memorable vacation and family) were analyzed for measures of narrative productivity, number of cohesive ties and cohesive adequacy. Mixed model analyses were completed for group comparisons. Results: Group differences were not observed on measures of language form as measured by narrative productivity, communication units, and number of cohesive ties produced. In contrast, group differences were observed in cohesive adequacy as individuals with PD produced a higher percentage of incomplete and erroneous cohesive ties relative the control subjects across narratives. Conclusions: These results support the conclusion that the BG in PD may have an executive role in expressive language use that can be disrupted without impacting language form.

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“…Moreover, tDCS may have helped to "prime" cortical excitability (i.e., improve functional connectivity and efficiency) in the functional pathways associated with Broca's area, including corticostriatal pathways [8,35,31] and connections between Broca's area and the SMA [10].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Broca's area has recently been associated with corticostriatal pathways, including a pathway that originates in posterior Broca's area, converges on the anterior putamen of the BG, and seems to subserve the procedural memory system and represent the neural substrate for grammatical function [8]. Moreover, posterior Broca's area possesses functional connections with the SMA, a region highly implicated in planning and sequencing motor behaviors [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to broca’s area: persisting effects on non-verbal motor behaviors

Hupfeld¹,

Ketcham²,

Schneider³

2017

Neurol Disord Therap

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Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been investigated as a novel therapy for addressing motor, cognitive, and language deficits. While anodal tDCS to the primary motor cortex results in improved motor behaviors, few studies have examined if tDCS to other areas involved in motor output produces similar benefits. Although Broca's area is associated with speech production and grammar acquisition, it also contributes to motor planning and output in non-speech tasks. This study involved applying anodal tDCS to Broca's area and observing effects on non-verbal motor output. Twenty young adults completed two testing sessions separated by one week. Participants received either 30 minutes of 1.0 mA of anodal tDCS to Broca's area or sham stimulation. During stimulation (or sham), participants completed two tasks: (1) a limits of stability dynamic balance task and (2) a simple (SRT)/choice reaction time(CRT) tasks. Subjects who received tDCS to first performed significantly better on SRT and dynamic balance accuracy and showed a trend for dynamic balance speed when tested one week later compared to those who received sham stimulation first. These findings indicate that Broca's area is involved in the production of non-verbal motor behaviors and may have implications novel combined speech and movement therapy interventions.

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Broca's area and its striatal and thalamic connections: a diffusion-MRI tractography study

Cited by 93 publications

References 65 publications

Bilingualism at the core of the brain. Structural differences between bilinguals and monolinguals revealed by subcortical shape analysis

Bilingualism at the core of the brain. Structural differences between bilinguals and monolinguals revealed by subcortical shape analysis

Narrative Discourse Cohesion in Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to broca’s area: persisting effects on non-verbal motor behaviors

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