The Linguistic Cerebellum


Book Description

The Linguistic Cerebellum provides a comprehensive analysis of this unique part of the brain that has the most number of neurons, each operating in distinct networks to perform diverse functions. This book outlines how those distinct networks operate in relation to non-motor language skills. Coverage includes cerebellar anatomy and function in relation to speech perception, speech planning, verbal fluency, grammar processing, and reading and writing, along with a discussion of language disorders. - Discusses the neurobiology of cerebellar language functions, encompassing both normal language function and language disorders - Includes speech perception, processing, and planning - Contains cerebellar function in reading and writing - Explores how language networks give insight to function elsewhere in the brain




The Handbook of Psycholinguistic and Cognitive Processes


Book Description

This handbook includes an overview of those areas of cognition and language processing that are relevant to the field of communication disorders, and provides examples of theoretical approaches to problems and issues in communication disorders. The first section includes a collection of chapters that outline some of the basic considerations and areas of cognition and language that underlie communication processing; a second section explains and exemplifies some of the influential theories of psycholinguistic/cognitive processing; and the third section illustrates theoretical applications to clinical populations. There is coverage of theories that have been either seminal or controversial in the research of communication disorders. Given the increasing multi-cultural workload of many practitioners working with clinical populations, chapters relating to bilingual populations are also included. The volume book provides a single interdisciplinary source where researchers and students can access information on psycholinguistic and cognitive processing theories relevant to clinical populations. A range of theories, models, and perspectives are provided. The range of topics and issues illustrate the relevance of a dynamic interaction between theoretical and applied work, and retains the complexity of psycholinguistic and cognitive theory for readers (both researchers and graduate students) whose primary interest is the field of communication disorders.




The Handbook of the Neuropsychology of Language


Book Description

This handbook provides a comprehensive review of new developments in the study of the relationship between the brain and language, from the perspectives of both basic research and clinical neuroscience. Includes contributions from an international team of leading figures in brain-language research Features a novel emphasis on state-of-the-art methodologies and their application to the central questions in the brain-language relationship Incorporates research on all parts of language, from syntax and semantics to spoken and written language Covers a wide range of issues, including basic level and high level linguistic functions, individual differences, and neurologically intact and different clinical populations




Handbook of the Neuroscience of Language


Book Description

In the last ten years the neuroscience of language has matured as a field. Ten years ago, neuroimaging was just being explored for neurolinguistic questions, whereas today it constitutes a routine component. At the same time there have been significant developments in linguistic and psychological theory that speak to the neuroscience of language. This book consolidates those advances into a single reference. The Handbook of the Neuroscience of Language provides a comprehensive overview of this field. Divided into five sections, section one discusses methods and techniques including clinical assessment approaches, methods of mapping the human brain, and a theoretical framework for interpreting the multiple levels of neural organization that contribute to language comprehension. Section two discusses the impact imaging techniques (PET, fMRI, ERPs, electrical stimulation of language cortex, TMS) have made to language research. Section three discusses experimental approaches to the field, including disorders at different language levels in reading as well as writing and number processing. Additionally, chapters here present computational models, discuss the role of mirror systems for language, and cover brain lateralization with respect to language. Part four focuses on language in special populations, in various disease processes, and in developmental disorders. The book ends with a listing of resources in the neuroscience of language and a glossary of items and concepts to help the novice become acquainted with the field. Editors Stemmer & Whitaker prepared this book to reflect recent developments in neurolinguistics, moving the book squarely into the cognitive neuroscience of language and capturing the developments in the field over the past 7 years. - History section focuses on topics that play a current role in neurolinguistics research, aphasia syndromes, and lesion analysis - Includes section on neuroimaging to reflect the dramatic changes in methodology over the past decade - Experimental and clinical section reflects recent developments in the field




Time Distortions in Mind


Book Description

Time Distortions in Mind brings together current research on temporal processing in clinical populations to elucidate the interdependence between perturbations in timing and disturbances in the mind and brain. For the student, the scientist, and the stepping-stone for further research.




The Frequency–Grammar Interface


Book Description

Speakers and learners, based on memory and experience, implicitly know that certain language elements naturally pair together. However, they also understand, through abstract and frequency-independent categories, why some combinations are possible and others are not. The frequency-grammar interface (FGI) bridges these two types of information in human cognition. Due to this interface, the sediment of statistical calculations over the order, distribution, and associations of items (the regularities) and the computation over the abstract principles that allow these items to join together (the rules) are brought together in a speaker’s competence, feeding into one another and eventually becoming superposed. In this volume, it is argued that a specific subset of both first and second language grammar (termed ‘combinatorial grammar’) is both innate and learned. While not derived from language usage, combinatorial grammar is continuously recalibrated by usage throughout a speaker’s life. In the domain of combinatorial grammar, both generative and usage-based theories are correct, each shedding light on just one component of the two that are necessary for any language to function: rules and regularities.




Developmental Perspectives in Written Language and Literacy


Book Description

Research on the development on written language and literacy is inherently multidisciplinary. In this book, leading researchers studying brain, cognition and behavior, come together in revealing how children develop written language and literacy, why they may experience difficulties, and which interventions may help those who struggle. Each chapter provides an overview of a specific area of expertise, focusing on typical and atypical development, providing steps for future research, and discussing practical implications of the work. The book covers areas of bilingualism, dyslexia, reading comprehension, learning to read, atypical populations, intervention, and new media. Thus, the book presents a comprehensive overview of the current state of affairs in this field of research. The various book chapters have been written by researchers who all have collaborated at some point in their careers with Ludo Verhoeven, whose research sets the example for the importance of crossing disciplinary borders to research to take the next, important steps. The combination of the research in this book sets the stage for future research that connects various fields, and hopes to inspire anyone interested in the development of written language and literacy.




Discovering the Brain


Book Description

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."




The Handbook of Clinical Linguistics


Book Description

The new edition of the leading reference work on Clinical Linguistics, fully updated with new research and developments in the field The Handbook of Clinical Linguistics, Second Edition provides a timely and authoritative survey of this interdisciplinary field, exploring the application of linguistic theory and method to the study of speech and language disorders. Containing 42 in-depth chapters by an international panel of established and rising scholars, this classic volume addresses a wide range of pathologies while offering valuable insights into key theory and research, multilingual and cross-linguistics factors, analysis and assessment methods, and more. Now in its second edition, The Handbook of Clinical Linguistics features nine entirely new chapters on clinical corpus linguistics, multimodal analysis, cognition and language, the linguistics of sign languages, clinical phonotactics, typical and nontypical phonological development, clinical phonology and phonological assessment, and two chapters on instrumental analysis of voice and speech production. Revised and expanded chapters incorporate new research in clinical linguistics and place greater emphasis on specific speech disorders, connections to literacy, and multilingualism. This invaluable reference works: Reflects the latest developments in new research and data, as well as changing perspectives about the priorities and future of the field Features new and revised chapters throughout, many with new authors or authorial teams Offers well-rounded coverage of the major areas of the speech sciences in the study of communication disorders Discusses how mainstream theories and descriptions of language are influenced by clinical research Building on the success of the first edition, The Handbook of Clinical Linguistics, Second Edition, is an indispensable resource for researchers and advanced students across all areas of speech-language sciences, including speech disorders, speech pathology, speech therapy, communication disorders, cognitive linguistics, and neurolinguistics.




Music, Language, and the Brain


Book Description

In the first comprehensive study of the relationship between music and language from the standpoint of cognitive neuroscience, Aniruddh D. Patel challenges the widespread belief that music and language are processed independently. Since Plato's time, the relationship between music and language has attracted interest and debate from a wide range of thinkers. Recently, scientific research on this topic has been growing rapidly, as scholars from diverse disciplines, including linguistics, cognitive science, music cognition, and neuroscience are drawn to the music-language interface as one way to explore the extent to which different mental abilities are processed by separate brain mechanisms. Accordingly, the relevant data and theories have been spread across a range of disciplines. This volume provides the first synthesis, arguing that music and language share deep and critical connections, and that comparative research provides a powerful way to study the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying these uniquely human abilities. Winner of the 2008 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award.