DOCSLIB.ORG

Semantic Processing of Spoken Words in Alzheimer's Disease: An

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Semantic Processing of Spoken Words in Alzheimer's Disease: An Semantic Processing of Spoken Words in Alzheimer’s Disease: An Electrophysiological Study Antti Revonsuo, Raija Portin, Kirsi Juottonen, and Juha O. Rinne University of Turku, Finland Downloaded from http://mitprc.silverchair.com/jocn/article-pdf/10/3/408/1758334/089892998562726.pdf by guest on 18 May 2021 Abstract ■ Patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have severe studies is whether word-elicited ERPs other than N400 remain difªculties in tasks requiring the use of semantic knowledge. normal in AD. In the present study our aim was to ªnd out The semantic deªcits associated with AD have been extensively whether the ERP waveforms N1, P2, N400, and Late Positive studied by using behavioral methods. Many of these studies Component (LPC) to semantically congruous and incongruous indicate that AD patients have a general deªcit in voluntary spoken words are abnormal in AD and whether such abnor- access to semantic representations but that the structure of the malities speciªcally reºect deªciencies in semantic activation representations themselves might be preserved. However, sev- in AD. Auditory ERPs from 20 scalp sites to semantically con- eral studies also provide evidence that to some extent semantic gruous and incongruous ªnal words in spoken sentences were representations in AD may in fact be degraded. Recently, a few recorded from 17 healthy elderly adults and 9 AD patients. The studies have utilized event-related brain potentials (ERPs) that early ERP waveforms N1 and P2 were relatively normal for the are sensitive to semantic factors in order to investigate the AD patients, but the N400 and LPC effects (amplitude differ- electrophysiological correlates of the semantic impairment in ence between congruous and incongruous conditions) were AD. Interest has focused on the N400 component, which is signiªcantly reduced. We interpret the present results as show- known to reºect the on-line semantic processing of linguistic ing that semantic-conceptual activation and other high-level and pictorial stimuli. The results from studies of N400 changes integration processes are defective in AD. However, a word in AD remain somewhat controversial: Some studies report congruity effect earlier than N400 (phonological mismatch normal or enlarged N400 components in AD, whereas others negativity), reºecting lexical selection processes, is at least to report diminished ones. One issue not reported in previous some extent preserved in AD. ■ a variety of behavioral tasks such as naming, generating INTRODUCTION deªnitions, real/unreal object decision, and forced- One of the principal cognitive deªcits associated with choice questions about the appearance and functional AD is the impaired performance of AD patients in a attributes of objects and animals. AD patients were se- variety of semantic tasks. The patients have difªculties in verely impaired on both verbal and visual tasks and word ªnding (poverty of content words in spontaneous disproportionately impaired on items concerned with speech, decreased ability to generate instances of a given animate objects. The authors interpret their ªndings as category, and difªculties in object naming and naming to indicative of disruption at the structural level of visual deªnition), deªcient knowledge of concept meaning representation where the visual features and spatial re- (loss or disrupted organization of attribute knowledge), lations of objects are represented and at the phonologi- and anomalies in the effects of semantic context (e.g., cal output level where object names are stored for abnormal semantic priming in lexical decision)(Chert- speech production. However, because the patients per- kow & Bub, 1990; Chertkow, Bub, & Seidenberg, 1989; formed relatively well in some tasks not requiring effort- Chertkow et al., 1994; for a review, see Nebes, 1989). It ful processing, the authors conclude that semantic is unclear whether these impairments are due to a genu- networks are partly preserved in AD and that the pa- ine disruption of semantic memory or whether they tients can access semantic knowledge to some degree in merely indicate a difªculty in effortful, voluntary access an indirect way. Laatu, Portin, Revonsuo, Tuisku, and to semantic representations (Bayles, Tomoeda, Kaszniak, Rinne (1997) investigated whether AD patients are able & Trosset, 1991; Chan et al., 1993; Hodges, Salmon, & to get voluntary access to semantic representations if the Butters, 1992; Nebes, 1994). Recent studies show that AD retrieval demands of a task are gradually eased without patients probably have a combined access and storage essentially changing the nature of the information to be deªcit. Daum, Riesch, Sartori, and Birbaumer (1996) used retrieved. In some tasks the deªcits persisted even in © 1998 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 10:3, pp. 408–420 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/089892998562726 by guest on 28 September 2021 passive recognition and forced-choice tasks. The authors’ congruous or incongruous with the phrase. Visual in- conclusion was that AD patients have a generalized ac- spection of the ERPs to target words showed that the cess deªcit but some indications of a storage deªcit as N400 effect (amplitude difference between ERPs to con- well. gruous and incongruous words) was smaller for the AD These observations concerning the existence of se- patients than for age-matched controls. The N400 was mantic access and storage deªcits in AD are exclusively delayed and smaller for the elderly controls compared based on behavioral measures of semantic function, with the young. However, no statistical analyses of the which do not allow observation of cognitive processes effects were presented. In the study of Schwartz, Kutas, while they occur, but only as they are inferred from Butters, Paulsen, and Salmon (1996), the experimenter overt behavior. However, ERPs provide us with a fresh uttered the name of a category, which was followed after Downloaded from http://mitprc.silverchair.com/jocn/article-pdf/10/3/408/1758334/089892998562726.pdf by guest on 18 May 2021 methodological approach for the measurement of the about 1 sec by a visually presented target word that was on-line semantic processing of linguistic stimuli in brain- the written name of an object. Reaction times and ERPs injured patients. Especially the N400 component of the were recorded. AD patients showed large behavioral ERPs is modulated by semantic factors (Kutas & Hillyard, priming effects (faster responses to related than to un- 1980; for a review, see Hagoort & Kutas, 1994). The N400 related target words). The amplitude of the N400 effect is a negative-going wave between 300 and 600 msec (difference between ERPs to related and unrelated target poststimulus, and its scalp distribution is broad. N400 words) was, however, much smaller in the AD group and amplitude to a stimulus word is modulated by the se- peaked later than in the young and elderly control mantic expectancy (“cloze probability”) and congruity of groups. All groups showed similar patterns of ERP re- the word with the preceding semantic context. The sponses to prime words at different levels of category words most expected elicit a minimal N400, whereas the (superordinate, basic, or subordinate). According to the ones semantically incongruous and least expected elicit authors, this result indicates that the structure of seman- the largest N400 amplitudes. A standard interpretation of tic representations in AD patients is preserved at least to the N400 effect has been that it is sensitive to attention- some extent. demanding semantic integration processes, not automat- The N400 is elicited by semantically incongruous and ic aspects of lexical access (Brown & Hagoort, 1993). unexpected ªnal words in written (Kutas & Hillyard, Recent studies show that N400-like waveforms are elic- 1980) and spoken (McCallum, Farmer, & Pocock, 1984) ited from pictorial as well as linguistic stimuli (Ganis, sentences. In a recent study involving AD patients (Ham- Kutas, & Sereno, 1996; Holcomb & McPherson, 1994; berger, Friedman, Ritter, & Rosen, 1995), the ªnal words Nigam, Hoffman, & Simons, 1992; Pratarelli, 1994). These of the sentence belonged to one of four stimulus types, ªndings suggest that the N400 might largely reºect some which varied as a function of semantic relatedness to a kind of semantic search in a common modality-inde- highly expected word. The sentences and ªnal words pendent conceptual-semantic network. The issue be- were presented visually to six AD patients and to old and tween these two interpretations of N400 remains young control subjects. The N400 amplitude varied as a unresolved (Osterhout & Holcomb, 1995); assigning cog- function of semantic relatedness in young controls and nitive functions to ERPs is, in general, theoretically prob- AD patients. The elderly control subjects showed no lematic (Rugg & Coles, 1995). such orderly variation but instead showed an equally ERPs can be used to investigate the semantic process- large N400 to all kinds of unexpected ªnal words. In a ing of words in patients with linguistic or semantic simultaneous behavioral task the AD patients had difªcul- deªcits (Hagoort, Brown, & Swaab, 1996; Revonsuo & ties in distinguishing between two of the four stimulus Laine, 1996). ERPs can provide us with information about types: the best completion and its semantic associations. language processing in real time and with great temporal Thus the patients’ ERPs actually
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Influence of Action Video Gaming Experience on the Perception of Emotional Faces and Emotional Word Meaning
    Hindawi Neural Plasticity Volume 2021, Article ID 8841156, 12 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8841156 Research Article The Influence of Action Video Gaming Experience on the Perception of Emotional Faces and Emotional Word Meaning Yuening Yan ,1,2 Yi Li ,1,2 Xinyu Lou,1,2 Senqi Li,1,2 Yutong Yao,3 Diankun Gong ,1,2 Weiyi Ma ,4 and Guojian Yan 1,2 1The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China 2Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China 3Faculty of Natural Science, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK 4School of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Diankun Gong; [email protected], Weiyi Ma; [email protected], and Guojian Yan; [email protected] Received 31 August 2020; Revised 30 December 2020; Accepted 6 May 2021; Published 22 May 2021 Academic Editor: Jianzhong Su Copyright © 2021 Yuening Yan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Action video gaming (AVG) experience has been found related to sensorimotor and attentional development. However, the influence of AVG experience on the development of emotional perception skills is still unclear. Using behavioral and ERP measures, this study examined the relationship between AVG experience and the ability to decode emotional faces and emotional word meanings.
    [Show full text]
  • Developing a N400 Brain Computer Interface Based on Semantic Expectancy
    Developing a N400 Brain Computer Interface based on semantic expectancy Francesco Chiossi 1, 2 1 Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, via Venezia 8, 35131 Padua, Italy 2 Neurotechnology Group, Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. MAR 4-3, Marchstr 23, 10587 Berlin, Germany [email protected] Abstract. In this study, we present a new application to the study of the N400 related event component applied to the Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) field. The N400 is classically defined in literature as an index of semantic integration mechanisms and it is sensitive to the difficulty with which the reader integrates the input within the semantic context, based on their expectations. By varying the level of violation of expectations in the semantic context and presenting sentences lacking the final word (cloze probability test) we want to train a classifier so that it can always complete the sentences in accordance with the expectations of the participant. The online classification is based on the av- erage peak differences in three different conditions (target, semantically related and unrelated), where the amplitude of the N400 should correlate with the pro- gressive and greater violation of semantic expectation. The findings can con- tribute significantly to this area of research that is still left with several unan- swered questions as this research is one of the first to exploit the N400 in an online experiment. Keywords: brain-computer interfacing, electroencephalography, N400, human- computer interaction, reading, expectancy, language, communication, seman- tics. 1 Introduction A brain-computer interface (BCI) provides a direct connection between the brain and an external device, translating brain signals into commands for electronic devices [1].
    [Show full text]
  • The N400 As an Index of Racial Stereotype Accessibility
    Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Advance Access published March 22, 2013 doi:10.1093/scan/nst018 SCAN (2013) 1 of 9 The N400 as an index of racial stereotype accessibility Eric Hehman,1 Hannah I. Volpert,2 and Robert F. Simons3 1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA, 2Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA, and 3Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA The current research examined the viability of the N400, an event-related potential (ERP) related to the detection of semantic incongruity, as an index of both stereotype accessibility and interracial prejudice. Participants EEG was recorded while they completed a sequential priming task, in which negative or positive, stereotypically black (African American) or white (Caucasian American) traits followed the presentation of either a black or white face acting as a prime. ERP examination focused on the N400, but additionally examined N100 and P200 reactivity. Replicating and extending previous N400 stereotype research, results indicated that the N400 can indeed function as an index of stereotype accessibility in an interracial domain, as greater N400 reactivity was elicited by trials in which the face prime was incongruent with the target trait than when primes and traits matched. Furthermore, N400 activity was moderated by participants self-reported explicit bias. More explicitly biased participants demonstrated greater N400 reactivity to stereotypically white traits following black faces than black traits following black faces. P200 activity was additionally associated with participants implicit biases, as more implicitly biased participants similarly demonstrated greater P200 reactivity to stereotypically white traits following black faces Downloaded from than black traits following black faces.
    [Show full text]
  • N400 to Semantically Anomalous Pictures and Words
    N400 to Semantically Anomalous Pictures and Words Arti Nigam, James E. Hoffian, and Robert F. Simons University of Delaware Abstract Downloaded from http://mitprc.silverchair.com/jocn/article-pdf/4/1/15/1754910/jocn.1992.4.1.15.pdf by guest on 18 May 2021 The N400 component of the human event-related brain in one condition by a line drawing representing the same potential appears to be related to violations of semantic expec- concept (eg, the word “socks” was replaced by a picture of tancy during language comprehension.The present experiment socks). The N400 recorded in the Pictures Condition was found investigated whether the N400 is related specifically to activity to be identical to the N400 generated by words in terms of in a language system or is an index of a conceptual system that amplitude, scalp distribution, and latency. These results suggest is accessed by both pictures and words. Sentences were visually that the N400 is an index of activity in a conceptual memory presented one word at a time with the last word being replaced that is accessed by both pictures and words. INTRODUCTION 1985a) rather than in a sentence context. The principal finding is that pairs of unrelated words or words that do In a seminal study, Kutas and Hillyard (1980) discovered not fit into the category established by the other words a component of the human event-related brain potential in the series elicit N400s. This is presumably due to (ERP) that appeared to be uniquely associated with lan- priming by semantically related words and words be- guage processing.
    [Show full text]
  • ERP Peaks Review 1 LINKING BRAINWAVES to the BRAIN
    ERP Peaks Review 1 LINKING BRAINWAVES TO THE BRAIN: AN ERP PRIMER Alexandra P. Fonaryova Key, Guy O. Dove, and Mandy J. Maguire Psychological and Brain Sciences University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Short title: ERPs Peak Review. Key Words: ERP, peak, latency, brain activity source, electrophysiology. Please address all correspondence to: Alexandra P. Fonaryova Key, Ph.D. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences 317 Life Sciences, University of Louisville Louisville, KY 40292-0001. [email protected] ERP Peaks Review 2 Linking Brainwaves To The Brain: An ERP Primer Alexandra Fonaryova Key, Guy O. Dove, and Mandy J. Maguire Abstract This paper reviews literature on the characteristics and possible interpretations of the event- related potential (ERP) peaks commonly identified in research. The description of each peak includes typical latencies, cortical distributions, and possible brain sources of observed activity as well as the evoking paradigms and underlying psychological processes. The review is intended to serve as a tutorial for general readers interested in neuropsychological research and a references source for researchers using ERP techniques. ERP Peaks Review 3 Linking Brainwaves To The Brain: An ERP Primer Alexandra P. Fonaryova Key, Guy O. Dove, and Mandy J. Maguire Over the latter portion of the past century recordings of brain electrical activity such as the continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) and the stimulus-relevant event-related potentials (ERPs) became frequent tools of choice for investigating the brain’s role in the cognitive processing in different populations. These electrophysiological recording techniques are generally non-invasive, relatively inexpensive, and do not require participants to provide a motor or verbal response.
    [Show full text]
  • Event-Related Brain Potentials Distinguish Processing Stages Involved in Face Perception and Recognition
    Clinical Neurophysiology 111 (2000) 694±705 www.elsevier.com/locate/clinph Event-related brain potentials distinguish processing stages involved in face perception and recognition Martin Eimer* Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK Accepted 15 October 1999 Abstract Objectives: An event-related brain potential (ERP) study investigated how different processing stages involved in face identi®cation are re¯ected by ERP modulations, and how stimulus repetitions and attentional set in¯uence such effects. Methods: ERPs were recorded in response to photographs of familiar faces, unfamiliar faces, and houses. In Part I, participants had to detect infrequently presented targets (hands), in Part II, attention was either directed towards or away from the pictorial stimuli. Results: The face-speci®c N170 component elicited maximally at lateral temporal electrodes was not affected by face familiarity. When compared with unfamiliar faces, familiar faces elicited an enhanced negativity between 300 and 500 ms (`N400f') which was followed by an enhanced positivity beyond 500 ms post-stimulus (`P600f'). In contrast to the `classical' N400, these effects were parietocentrally distrib- uted. They were attenuated, but still reliable, for repeated presentations of familiar faces. When attention was directed to another demanding task, no `N400f' was elicited, but the `P600f' effect remained to be present. Conclusions: While the N170 re¯ects the pre-categorical structural encoding of faces, the `N400f' and `P600f' are likely to indicate subsequent processes involved in face recognition. Impaired structural encoding can result in the disruption of face identi®cation. This is illustrated by a neuropsychological case study, demonstrating the absence of the N170 and later ERP indicators of face recognition in a prosopagnosic patient.
    [Show full text]
  • Frequency and Predictability Effects on Event-Related Potentials During Reading
    Research Report Frequency and predictability effects on event-related potentials during reading Michael Dambacher a,⁎, Reinhold Kliegl a, Markus Hofmann b, Arthur M. Jacobs b aHelmholtz Center for the Study of Mind and Brain Dynamics, Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, P.O. Box 60 15 53, 14451 Potsdam, Germany bDepartment of Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany ABSTRACT Effects of frequency, predictability, and position of words on event-related potentials were assessed during word-by-word sentence reading in 48 subjects in an early and in a late time window corresponding to P200 and N400. Repeated measures multiple regression analyses revealed a P200 effect in the high-frequency range; also the P200 was larger on words at the Keywords: beginning and end of sentences than on words in the middle of sentences (i.e., a quadratic Event-related potentials effect of word position). Predictability strongly affected the N400 component; the effect was Word frequency stronger for low than for high-frequency words. The P200 frequency effect indicates that Word predictability high-frequency words are lexically accessed very fast, independent of context information. Reading Effects on the N400 suggest that predictability strongly moderates the late access especially Lexical access of low-frequency words. Thus, contextual facilitation on the N400 appears to reflect both Repeated measures multiple lexical and post-lexical stages of word recognition, questioning a strict classification into regression analysis lexical and post-lexical processes. Abbreviations: rmMRA, repeated measures multiple regression analysis rmANOVA, repeated measures analysis of variance 1. Introduction (N400) event-related potentials (ERPs) which were measured on open-class words in a sentence-reading experiment.
    [Show full text]
  • EEG Theta and Gamma Responses to Semantic Violations in Online Sentence Processing
    Brain and Language 96 (2006) 90–105 www.elsevier.com/locate/b&l EEG theta and gamma responses to semantic violations in online sentence processing Lea A. Hald a,c, Marcel C.M. Bastiaansen a,b,¤, Peter Hagoort a,b a Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310, 6500 AH Nijmegen, The Netherlands b F. C. Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radbout Universiteit Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands c Center for Research in Language, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., Dept. 0526, La Jolla, CA 92093-0526, USA Accepted 18 June 2005 Available online 3 August 2005 Abstract We explore the nature of the oscillatory dynamics in the EEG of subjects reading sentences that contain a semantic violation. More speciWcally, we examine whether increases in theta (t3–7 Hz) and gamma (around 40 Hz) band power occur in response to sen- tences that were either semantically correct or contained a semantically incongruent word (semantic violation). ERP results indicated a classical N400 eVect. A wavelet-based time-frequency analysis revealed a theta band power increase during an interval of 300– 800 ms after critical word onset, at temporal electrodes bilaterally for both sentence conditions, and over midfrontal areas for the semantic violations only. In the gamma frequency band, a predominantly frontal power increase was observed during the processing of correct sentences. This eVect was absent following semantic violations. These results provide a characterization of the oscillatory brain dynamics, and notably of both theta and gamma oscillations, that occur during language comprehension. 2005 Elsevier Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • Eliciting and Recording Event Related Potentials (Erps) in Behaviourally Unresponsive Populations: a Retrospective Commentary on Critical Factors
    brain sciences Article Eliciting and Recording Event Related Potentials (ERPs) in Behaviourally Unresponsive Populations: A Retrospective Commentary on Critical Factors Alexander Rokos 1 , Richard Mah 2 , Rober Boshra 3, Amabilis Harrison 4, Tsee Leng Choy 5, Stefanie Blain-Moraes 6,*,† and John F. Connolly 7,† 1 Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; [email protected] 2 Department of Linguistics and Languages, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4M2, Canada; [email protected] 3 School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; [email protected] 4 Imaging Research Centre, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada; [email protected] 5 McMaster Integrative Neuroscience Discovery & Study (MiNDS), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada; [email protected] 6 School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y5, Canada 7 Centre for Advanced Research in Experimental and Applied Linguistics, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] † Denotes equal contribution to the work. Citation: Rokos, A.; Mah, R.; Boshra, R.; Harrison, A.; Choy, T.L.; Abstract: A consistent limitation when designing event-related potential paradigms and interpreting Blain-Moraes, S.; Connolly, J.F. Eliciting and Recording Event Related results is a lack of consideration of the multivariate factors that affect their elicitation and detection Potentials (ERPs) in Behaviourally in behaviorally unresponsive individuals. This paper provides a retrospective commentary on three Unresponsive Populations: A factors that influence the presence and morphology of long-latency event-related potentials—the P3b Retrospective Commentary on and N400.
    [Show full text]
  • Neural Oscillations of Visual, Auditory, and Lexical Integration
    University of Connecticut OpenCommons@UConn Master's Theses University of Connecticut Graduate School 5-10-2020 Waves of Binding: Neural Oscillations of Visual, Auditory, and Lexical Integration Hannah Morrow [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/gs_theses Recommended Citation Morrow, Hannah, "Waves of Binding: Neural Oscillations of Visual, Auditory, and Lexical Integration" (2020). Master's Theses. 1488. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/gs_theses/1488 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Connecticut Graduate School at OpenCommons@UConn. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of OpenCommons@UConn. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Waves of Binding: Neural Oscillations of Visual, Auditory, and Lexical Integration Hannah Michiko Morrow B.S., The University of Kansas, 2016 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science At the University of Connecticut 2020 ii Copyright by Hannah Michiko Morrow 2020 iii APPROVAL PAGE Masters of Science Thesis Waves of Binding: Neural Oscillations of Visual, Auditory, and Lexical Integration Presented by Hannah Michiko Morrow, B.S. Major Advisor________________________________________________ Eiling Yee Associate Advisor_____________________________________________ Emily Myers Associate Advisor_____________________________________________ Jon Sprouse Associate Advisor_____________________________________________ Roeland Hancock University of Connecticut 2020 iv Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to those who made this research possible. First, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Eiling Yee, for providing constant insight, support, and encouragement, and teaching me to think critically about all aspects of an experiment. I appreciate her positivity when I can’t find my own, and her commitment to helping me realize my full potential as a researcher.
    [Show full text]
  • Music, Language, and the N400: ERP Interference Patterns Across Cognitive Domains Nicole Calma-Roddin1,3 ✉ & John E
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Music, Language, and The N400: ERP Interference Patterns Across Cognitive Domains Nicole Calma-Roddin1,3 ✉ & John E. Drury2 Studies of the relationship of language and music have suggested these two systems may share processing resources involved in the computation/maintenance of abstract hierarchical structure (syntax). One type of evidence comes from ERP interference studies involving concurrent language/ music processing showing interaction efects when both processing streams are simultaneously perturbed by violations (e.g., syntactically incorrect words paired with incongruent completion of a chord progression). Here, we employ this interference methodology to target the mechanisms supporting long term memory (LTM) access/retrieval in language and music. We used melody stimuli from previous work showing out-of-key or unexpected notes may elicit a musical analogue of language N400 efects, but only for familiar melodies, and not for unfamiliar ones. Target notes in these melodies were time-locked to visually presented target words in sentence contexts manipulating lexical/ conceptual semantic congruity. Our study succeeded in eliciting expected N400 responses from each cognitive domain independently. Among several new fndings we argue to be of interest, these data demonstrate that: (i) language N400 efects are delayed in onset by concurrent music processing only when melodies are familiar, and (ii) double violations with familiar melodies (but not with unfamiliar ones) yield a sub-additive N400 response. In addition: (iii) early negativities (RAN efects), which previous work has connected to musical syntax, along with the music N400, were together delayed in onset for familiar melodies relative to the timing of these efects reported in the previous music-only study using these same stimuli, and (iv) double violation cases involving unfamiliar/novel melodies also delayed the RAN efect onset.
    [Show full text]
  • Influencing the N400
    Radboud University Nijmegen Bachelor’s thesis in artificial intelligence INFLUENCING THE N400 A STUDY ON FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE N400 ERP COMPONENT DURING SENTENCE COMPREHENSION Author: Supervisors: Erik Eppenhof Prof. Dr. A.F.J. Dijkstra Student number: Dr. S.L. Frank s4150007 August 29, 2014 Abstract E↵ects of sentence position, word position, length, frequency, surprisal, LSA, concrete- ness, valence and arousal of nouns on the amplitude of the N400 ERP component were assessed during word-by-word rapid serial visual presentation of 205 sentences in 24 sub- jects. Linear mixed e↵ects regression analyses revealed significant main e↵ects for word position, length, surprisal, LSA, concreteness and valence. Interactions between length and frequency and between word position and surprisal revealed to have significantly in- fluence on the size of the amplitude of the N400 component. The main e↵ect of valence showed that nouns characterized as unhappy evokes smaller N400 amplitudes than nouns that are characterized as happy. The main e↵ect of concreteness demonstrated that nouns with an increased concreteness produce bigger N400s than abstract words. The main ef- fect of LSA showed that nouns that have a strong semantic relation with the preceding context evokes a drop in the amplitude of the N400. This last finding lead to the thought that word recognition takes place in a relatively late stage of the language processing stream. 1 Contents 1 Introduction 3 1.1 EventRelatedPotentials ............................ 3 1.2 N400Component ................................ 3 1.3 TheN400inmoredetail ............................ 4 1.4 FactorsthatinfluencetheN400 . 6 1.4.1 Word position . 6 1.4.2 Frequency . 6 1.4.3 Concreteness .
    [Show full text]