Observation of unaveraged giant MEG activity from language areas during speech tasks in patients harboring brain lesions very close to essential language areas: expression of brain plasticity in language processing networks?

We describe a series of 12 patients who suffered from lesions adjacent to the classic Broca and Wernicke areas and were examined by magnetoencephalography (MEG) for presurgical language localization while performing a protocol of different language tasks. In these patients very large MEG activity of up to 5pT was observed, which was located not only in the adjacent language processing brain areas but also in more distant areas, which are part of the language processing neuronal network. The high amplitude and the focal spatial extent of this activity allowed MEG source localization from the unaveraged data. In nine patients sources of this high amplitude activity were even found in the homologous language areas on the contralateral, the nondominant side of the brain. The physiological interrelationship of these large MEG changes needs to be investigated in more detail in further studies especially in the context of possible mechanisms for brain plasticity to overcome inhibitory activity of the impaired language area.     

‘You have a swelling’: The language of cancer diagnosis and implications for cancer management in Kenya

ObjectiveTo examine the ramifications of language as a vehicle of communication in the Kenyan healthcare system.Methods(1) A review of literature search on language access and health care in Kenya, using Scopus, Web of Science, Ebscohost, ProQuest and Google Scholar electronic databases. (2) Two illustrative case studies from a Nairobi based qualitative research project on family cancer caregivers’ experiences.ResultsEvidence from the case studies shows that language barriers may hinder understanding of cancer diagnoses and consequently, the nature of interventions sought by family members as informal caregivers of cancer patients.ConclusionFindings demonstrate the significance of language in understanding cancer diagnosis as a basis for treatment seeking behaviour and specifically in light of the critical role played by informal caregivers in under resourced health care contexts.Practice implications(1) The assumption that English and Swahili are adequate in communication in Kenyan health care contexts ought to be reviewed. (2) Further research and assessment of language needs as a basis for training of language interpreters in the Kenyan health care system is a necessity.     

Salivary testosterone concentrations in left-handers: an association with cerebral language lateralization?

The level of testosterone exposure in early brain development may influence the direction or degree of cerebral language lateralization. Possible links between individual differences in testosterone levels and patterns of speech representation were investigated in 180 healthy young adults (97 left handed, 83 right handed) using the Fused Dichotic Words Test (T. Halwes, 1991). Among left-handed participants, significantly higher testosterone concentrations were observed in individuals with a left-ear advantage on dichotic listening than in individuals with a right-ear advantage. Among right-handed participants, the pattern of group differences in testosterone tended to be reversed, resulting in a statistically significant interaction. Results extend prior findings by S. D. Moffat and E. Hampson (1996a) and raise the possibility that higher testosterone is associated with patterns of brain organization in which speech and praxic functions are lateralized to the same hemisphere.     

Decreased EEG coherence between prefrontal electrodes: a correlate of high language proficiency?

To investigate the influence of proficiency level on the cortical organization of foreign language processing, two groups of German speaking students, differing only in their proficiency in English as a second language, were subjected to EEG coherence analysis during foreign and native language processing (news reports, alpha1 frequency band). In the group with minor experience with English, coherence increase was observed with all electrode combinations, with left hemisphere (LH) predominance. In the high proficiency group, coherence increase was limited to temporal electrodes over LH. In the latter group only, coherence between prefrontal electrodes was significantly lower during the language tasks than during the baseline task (silence, noisy screen). Both results were obtained with foreign as well as native language processing. We suggest that reduced EEG coherence in highly proficient foreign language speakers reflects a more efficient operating strategy not only for their second, but also for their native language.     

What's in a name?

A case study is presented to illustrate how a new names reporting and partner notification law in New York may affect the privacy of HIV-positive people. This law is supposed to make partner notification and early treatment a priority, although there are no penalties associated with a person refusing to give the names of their sex or needle- sharing partners. Details of the law are discussed. AIDS activists and public health workers have many reservations about the effects the program will have on voluntary testing and the privacy of HIV-positive patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued a draft version of guidelines that they recommend for HIV/AIDS surveillance. The guidelines are briefly discussed.     

The chinese version of the dyadic adjustment scale: Does language make a difference?

The Chinese version of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (C-DAS) was administered to 1,501 married adults, along with other instruments that assessed their psychosocial adjustment. Factor analysis showed that four factors were abstracted from the C-DAS (Dyadic Consensus, Dyadic Cohesion, Dyadic Satisfaction, and Affectional Expression); the factors extracted could be reproduced reliably in two random subsamples, as well as in the male and female samples. Although some areas of refinement are suggested, the present data generally support the universality of the concept of dyadic adjustment as indexed by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Contrary to the data reported previously, the present factor structures based on the male and female samples were highly similar and stable.     

Can Cantonese rhymes be used in the assessment of hemispheric dominance for language?

English vowels had been proposed in previous studies to be used as a simple tool for the brain mapping of language. A proper fMRI study of Cantonese rhymes, each of which being a required and fundamental unit of a Cantonese syllable, remains to be carried out. Using an auditory task with Cantonese rhymes which carry no semantic meaning, we observed a minimal amount of positive BOLD signal at the caudate nucleus when Cantonese rhymes were contrasted with their corresponding filtered sounds. Typical language activating regions of the prefrontal cortex, the medial prefrontal cortex and the lateral temporal cortex on both left and right sides were not activated by Cantonese rhymes. Based on the absence of brain activation at the typical language areas in the contrast of Cantonese rhymes relative to filtered sounds, the auditory task with Cantonese rhymes may not be a robust tool for the individual clinical assessment of hemispheric dominance for language.     

“Deep” language disorders in nonfluent progressive Aphasia: an evaluation of the “summation” account of semantic errors across language production tasks

This study focuses on the pattern of impairments seen in a new case KT, diagnosed with nonfluent progressive aphasia (NFPA), a degenerative disorder of language production. A systematic examination of KT's performance on a wide range of language production tasks (i.e., repetition, reading, spelling, spoken and written naming) determined that both written naming and repetition were better preserved than reading, spelling-to-dictation, and spoken naming. Closer examination of error performance in both reading aloud and written production revealed evidence of “deep dyslexia” and “deep dysgraphia” that has not been documented in previous cases of NFPA, and as such the present case represents the first detailed case study of this pattern of impairment in the context of progressive aphasia. An evaluation and discussion of such deep language impairment disorders in the context of other cases of NFPA has been undertaken with reference to the summation hypothesis proposed by , ). It is suggested that as a principle that holds across all language production tasks, this account can encompass patterns of deep disorders thus far reported in NFPA, although other theoretical hypotheses cannot be excluded.     

Are phonological representations in bilinguals language specific? An ERP study on interlingual homophones

Event-related potentials (ERPs) served to investigate whether phonological representations from both the first (L1) and second (L2) language of bilinguals are activated during silent reading of L2 words. French-English late bilinguals and control monolingual English speakers read interlingual homophones (e.g., "knee" in English, which has substantial phonological overlap with the French word "nid," meaning "nest") and matched control words. Results showed a reduction in N400 amplitude in response to interlingual homophones in comparison to control words for bilinguals, but not for English monolinguals. The reduced N400 response to homophones in bilinguals suggests facilitation of word recognition. These results suggest parallel activation of both L1 and L2 phonological representations when reading silently in the L2. These findings point to a language nonspecific model for bilinguals at the phonological level of representation.     

Can a school based programme in a natural environment reduce BMI in overweight adolescents?

Current levels of obesity amongst adolescents may be largely attributed to changes in environmental exposures that place vulnerable youth at risk, yet few studies have incorporated environmental approaches to normalising Body Mass Index (BMI). Our hypothesis is that a live-in school based programme in a natural environment can reduce the BMI of overweight children. The pilot study therefore explores the effects of such a programme on the BMI of adolescents in rural Victoria, Australia. Year 9 students (15 year olds, N = 1021) at a rural school with a physically demanding, 10-month, live-in outdoor programme had their BMIs measured at the beginning and end of the programme. Their observed BMI at the end of the programme was compared to expected BMI (based on adjustment of their initial BMI to account for normal growth using international standards). Participation in the programme reduced the BMI of boys who were in the normal to obese range (χ(2) = 8.57, p = 0.014), but not in girls. For the overweight and obese boys BMI decreased by up to 2.5 kg/m(2). These results suggests that school based environmental interventions may be effective in reducing obesity in adolescents, supporting our hypothesis. Our study is limited by its opportunistic observational nature, but it nevertheless suggests that such a live-in school programme in a natural environment may provide a valuable addition to the list of interventions available to combat the obesity epidemic. Although the programme reduced BMI in boys, the equivocal data for girls means that even an intensive programme such as this struggles to achieve a significant change in BMI across all obese adolescents. Our study nevertheless supports the need for further investigation of the possible contribution of school based programmes in natural environments to interventions to fight the obesity epidemic--because there is no magic bullet.