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Brain structure predicts the learning of foreign speech sounds
Narly Golestani1, Nicolas Molko, Stanislas Dehaene
1Unité INSERM 562, Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot, CEA/DRM/DSV 4 Place du general Leclerc, 91401 Orsay cedex, France. n.golestani@ucl.ac.uk
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|April 11, 2006
Summary
Faster learning of nonnative speech sounds is linked to specific brain anatomy. Enhanced white matter density in the left auditory cortex predicts better learning, suggesting a role for auditory processing efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Previous research suggests a link between parietal lobe structure and the ability to learn new speech sounds.
- Individual differences in nonnative speech sound learning are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between brain anatomy and the speed of learning novel speech sounds.
- To identify specific anatomical predictors of efficient phonetic learning.
Main Methods:
- Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were used to scan participants.
- Voxel-based morphometry and manual segmentation analyzed white matter density and volume in specific brain regions.
- Reanalysis of previously collected data confirmed initial findings.
Main Results:
- Faster learners exhibited higher white matter (WM) density in the left Heschl's gyrus (HG).
- Left HG white matter volume was larger in faster learners compared to slower learners.
- Greater left-biased asymmetry in parietal lobe volumes and superiorly located right insula/HG were observed in faster learners.
Conclusions:
- Left auditory cortex white matter anatomy predicts individual differences in rapid temporal processing aspects of language learning.
- Right hemispheric language network organization may also influence speech sound learning, reflecting functional anatomy and lateralization.