neuropsychology of language_vasileios karavasilis

8/13/2019 Neuropsychology of Language_Vasileios Karavasilis

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Vasileios Karavasilis, MSc

Neuropsychologist-Psychotherapist

The Neuropsychology ofLanguage: A Brief Introduction


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What is language?Definition:

A system of communication consisting of sounds,words and grammar.

BUT:

A strict definition cannot bethat straightforward.


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What is language?We can describe language in terms of:

Raw sounds (Phonetics)

How sounds are used (Phonology)Words and word formation

(Morphology)

Word order (Syntax)

Meaning (Semantics)

Language use (Pragmatics)


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Is language an instinct?Empiricist approach:

Language is the product of some general learning

mechanism present after birth.

Nativist approach:

Language is due to an innate ability of the humanspecies, a part of our biology.


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Is language an instinct?


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Is language an instinct? Areas of the left hemisphere involved in language show

asymmetries in comparison to the right hemisphere evenbefore birth.

The ability to recognize the individual sounds in anylanguage is present in humans at birth.


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Language and the BrainLanguage involves both sensory and motor areas of

the brain:

Parts of the brain that have to do with hearing(auditory) are involved in the ability to understandlanguage as a meaningful way of communication.

Other parts of the brain controlling movement(motor) contribute to our ability to produce specificcombinations of sounds that compose words which

have a meaning to any native speaker.


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Language and the Brain The left hemisphere is generally dominant for language

even in left-handed individuals.

These language areas play a critical role in our ability to

speak and to understand language.


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Disorders of Language Paul Broca(1824-80) and Carl Wernicke(1848-1905),

were the first to describe patients that had specificdisorders of language which are called aphasias.


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Disorders of LanguageDefinition:

An aphasia is an acquired disorder of language.

Aphasia is not about articulation.

Aphasia is a disorder of the function of language in

the brain.


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Disorders of LanguageBrocas aphasia: a motor or expressive disordercaused by damage to Areas 44 and 45 of the frontalpart of the brain (frontal lobe) in the lefthemisphere.


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Disorders of LanguageWernickes aphasia: a sensory or receptivedisorder caused by damage to a part of Area 22 ofthe temporal lobe in the left hemisphere.


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The right hemisphere The right hemisphere plays also a critical role in

language.

It is involved in prosody, the so-called musicalcharacteristics of a language.

Prosody is also one of the ways we conveymeaning and communicate with others.


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The right hemisphere Lesions in the right hemisphere in the area

corresponding to Brocas area in the left hemispherecause individuals to speak in flat tones.


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The right hemisphere Lesions in the right hemisphere in the area

corresponding to Wernickesarea in the left hemisphereinhibit individuals from understanding the emotiveelement present in the prosody of others.


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Language & Meaning Language is not just about communication.

Language helps us organize sensory experienceandinternal thought.

We categorize objects around us by words and oncea wordsmeaning is mapped in our brain, we cannotlose this connection unless there is damage to thebrain.


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Summary Language is a unique capability that we alone as humans

have.

Both the left and the right hemisphere are important for

our ability to speak and understand language.

Language helps us communicate with each other andorganize our sensory experience and our internalthoughts.

Different types of disorders can result from damage indifferent areas of the brain involved in language.


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Literature Goldstein, L. H. & McNeil, J. E. (2003). Clinical Neuropsychology: A

Practical Guide to Assessment and Management for Clinicians. WilleyPublications, West Sussex.

Kolb, B. & Whishaw, I. Q. (2008). Fundamentals of HumanNeuropsychology. Worth Publishers, New York.

Procter, P. (1995). Cambridge International Dictionary of English .Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Schoenberg, M. R. & Scott, J. G. (2011). The Little Black Book ofNeuropsychology: A Syndrome-Based Approach. SpringerPublications, London.

neuropsychology of language_vasileios karavasilis

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