Auditory Cortex Morphology Predicts Language Learning Potential in Children and Teenagers - PubMed (original) (raw)
Auditory Cortex Morphology Predicts Language Learning Potential in Children and Teenagers
Sabrina Turker et al. Front Neurosci. 2019.
Abstract
In two recent studies, we identified neuroanatomical and neurofunctional markers of musical aptitude, attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and dyslexia in the auditory cortex (AC) of children. In a subsequent study with adults, we found evidence for neuroanatomical correlates of speech imitation ability in right Heschl's gyrus (HG), a structure comprising primary and parts of secondary AC. In the present study, we aimed to verify this previously suggested link between structural variation of right HG and language aptitude in a younger population of children and teenagers (N = 42; age range: 10-16 years), while behaviorally exploring the relationship between language aptitude, working memory, arithmetic skills and musicality. Behaviorally, scores on the language aptitude battery strongly correlated with working memory and speech imitation ability. Furthermore, we found that self- and parent-reported language aptitude and school grades were closely associated with language aptitude scores. Neuroanatomical analyses revealed a significant relationship between the occurrence of multiple HGs and high gray matter (GM) volumes in right AC and high language aptitude regardless of age, gender or musical ability. Additionally, low language aptitude was associated with the occurrence of single gyri in right AC. In accordance with previous research, we suggest that right HG might be associated with language aptitude, with a stronger gyrification and higher GM volumes being beneficial for successful auditory processing and the integration of speech-related cues.
Keywords: Heschl’s gyrus; arithmetic fluency; auditory cortex morphology; foreign language learning; language aptitude; working memory.
Figures
FIGURE 1
The four different types of HGs: single gyrus (single), common stem duplication (CSD), complete posterior duplication (CPD) and multiple gyri (multiple) from left to right. HG, Heschl’s gyrus; PT, planum temporale; aSTG, anterior superior temporal gyrus.
FIGURE 2
Comparison of children with low (left) and high (right) language aptitude regarding performance in digit span forward, digit span backward and non-word span, as well as Hindi speech imitation. ∗∗p < 0.001, *p < 0.05.
FIGURE 3
Examples of individual auditory cortices of the high (first row) and low language aptitude groups (second row) with type of HG indicated for each hemisphere. Left hemisphere: blue; right hemisphere: red.
FIGURE 4
Language aptitude scores (LLAMA; range: 0–100) for different HG types in (A) right and (B) left AC. From left to right: single gyrus (single), common-stem duplication (CSD), complete posterior duplication (CPD) and multiple gyri (multiple).
FIGURE 5
Averaged HG surfaces of high-aptitude group (left panel; N = 21) and low-aptitude group (right panel; N = 21). Left hemisphere: blue; right hemisphere: red.
FIGURE 6
Results of the linear regression showing the relationship between LLAMA mean scores and gray matter volumes (mm3) in right (A) and left (B) AC for all tested individuals. 21.4% of variance in language aptitude are explained by right hemispheric HG gray matter volume.
References
- Ameringer V., Leisser D., Green L., Turker S. (2018). “Introduction: towards an interdisciplinary understanding of language aptitude,” in Exploring Language Aptitude: Views from Psychology, the Language Sciences, and Cognitive Neuroscience, ed. Reiterer S. M. (Heidelberg: Springer; ), 1–19.
- Baddeley A. (2017). Modularity, working memory and language acquisition. Second Lang. Res. 33 299–311. 10.1177/0267658317709852 -DOI
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