Language Functions and Brain Organization

Contributors
Preface
I. Language as a Mental Organ or a Mental Complex
Introduction
Language as a Set of Neuropsychological Skills
References
1. Language Functions: Syntax and Semantics
Introduction
Semantic Deficits in Aphasia
Syntactic Deficits in Aphasia
Conclusion
References
2. Hemisphere Processing of Phonological Information
Introduction
Dichotic Listening with Brain-Damaged Populations
Electrophysiological Correlates of Speech Perception
Summary
References
3. Pragmatic Aspects of Communication in Brain-Damaged Patients
Introduction
Vehicles of Communication
Pragmatic Structures
Other Linguistic Forms
Conclusion
References
4. The Right Hemisphere's Contribution to Language: A Review of the Evidence from Brain-Damaged Subjects
Introduction
Lesion Studies
Commissurotomy
Regional Cerebral Blood Flow
Neurosurgical Studies
Sodium Amytal (Wada Test) 109
Conclusion
References
II. What Should Be the Brain Base for Language?
Introduction
References
5. Bumps on the Brain: Right-Left Asymmetry as a Key to Functional Lateralization
Introduction
Nature of Hemisphere Specialization
Unresolved Issues
Limitations of Neurocognitive Methods
Neuroanatomical Asymmetry
Problems in Relating Planum Asymmetry and Functional Lateralization
Asymmetries in Vivo and Functional Lateralization
Planum Asymmetry and Speech Lateralization
Implications of a Neuroanatomical Substrate of Cerebral Dominance
References
6. Motor and Perceptual Functions of the Left Hemisphere and Their Interaction
Introduction
Auditory Perceptual Functions of the Left Hemisphere
Evidence for Lateralized Manual Motor Control
Evidence for Lateralized Oral Movement Control
Traditional Localization of Oral Motor Control
Perceptual Studies
Production Studies
Neurophysiological Studies Suggesting an Overlap in Perception and Production
Behavioral Studies
Theories Regarding the Motor-Perceptual Link
Summary and Conclusion
References
7. Thalamic Mechanisms in Language and Memory
Introduction
Anatomical Review
Alterations in Language and Memory After Thalamic Lesions: Evidence from Spontaneously Occurring Lesions
Language Changes Associated with Stereotaxic Thalamic Lesions
The Role of the Left Thalamus in Language: Evidence from Electrical Stimulation
The Role of Thalamic Motor Functions in Speech
Summary
Other Subcortical Areas
References
8. The Placement of Experience in the Brain
Introduction
Logical Problems of Localizing Experience
The Nature of Place
Methodological Problems of Localization
The Nature of Qualia
References
III. On the Requirements of a Developmental Theory of Lateralization
Confusing Maturation with Development
Neurophysiological Changes
Psychological Changes
Changes in Cerebral Asymmetries with Age
Conclusions
References
9. Cerebral Asymmetries for Speech in Infancy
Introduction
Evidence for Speech Lateralization in Infancy
What Is Lateralized in Infancy?
Implications for a Developmental Model of Lateralization
References
10. Hemispheric Specialization and Integration in Child Development
Introduction
The Input-Output Problem and the Two-Compartment Black Box
Development as a Nonlinear Sequence
The Study of the Developing Brain: The Soviet Electrophysiological Approach
Conclusions
References
11. Relationships Among Brain Organization, Maturation Rate, and the Development of Verbal and Nonverbal Ability
Introduction
Sex-Related Biological Factors and Intellectual Ability
Growth, the X Chromosome, and Cerebral Organization
Conclusion
References
12. Language and Brain Dysfunction in Dementia
Introduction
Cortical and Subcortical Dementias
Language Form and Semantics
Conclusion: Language and Neuropsychological Behavior
References
IV. Is Brain Lateralization a Single Construct?
Introduction
References
13. Cerebral Specialization in Deaf Individuals
Introduction
Cerebral Specialization in Deaf Individuals: Overview
Speculations on the Cerebral Lateralization of Sign Language
Clinical Evidence Concerning the Cerebral Lateralization of Sign Language
Experimental Evidence Concerning Cerebral Specialization in Deaf Individuals: Tachistoscopic Studies
General Discussion
References
14. Bilingualism and Brain Lateralization
Introduction
Clinical Evidence
Experimental Evidence
Language-Specific Factors
Language-Acquisitional Factors
Age of Second Language Acquisition
Discussion
References
15. Individual Differences in Hemispheric Representation of Language
Introduction
Differences in Brain Morphology
Early Experiences and Psycholinguistic Strategy
The Problem of Task Demands
Evidence for the Importance of Hemisphericity
Handedness and Language Lateralization
Sex Differences and Neurolinguistic Organization
Getting a Measure of Intrasubject Variance
Coping with Individual Differences in Neurolinguistic Organization
References
Index