Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026
05:31
Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
Published on: February 26, 2020
Grammatical category-specific deficits in bilingual aphasia
Mireia Hernàndez1, Agnés Caño, Albert Costa
1GRNC, Parc Cienti fic Universitat de Barcelona & Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Departament de Psicologia Bàsica, Universitat de Barcelona, P. Vall d'Hebron, 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
Brain and Language
|February 26, 2008
Summary
This study examined naming abilities in a Spanish-Catalan bilingual with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA). Results show a grammatical class deficit, impacting verbs more than nouns across both languages.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
- Psychology
Background:
- Investigating language processing in bilingual individuals with neurodegenerative diseases provides insights into brain organization.
- Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) offers a unique window into language network integrity.
Observation:
- A highly proficient early Spanish-Catalan bilingual (JPG) with PPA demonstrated impaired naming abilities.
- A notable dissociation was observed, with significantly worse performance in naming verbs compared to nouns.
Findings:
- This grammatical category-specific deficit was evident in both oral and written naming tasks.
- The deficit appeared to originate at the lexical level and affected both the first and second languages.
- While qualitatively similar, the second language showed a greater impact than the first language.
Implications:
- Findings suggest that highly proficient bilinguals' languages share similar cortical organization principles, including grammatical class.
- This research contributes to understanding language representation and degradation in the bilingual brain.
- Further research can explore the neural underpinnings of cross-linguistic effects in aphasia.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...
01:27Language and Cognition
Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
01:25Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities are cognitive disorders caused by neurological impairments that affect cognitive functions like language and reading, without indicating overall intellectual or developmental challenges. These disabilities differ from global intellectual or developmental disabilities as they are limited to distinct cognitive functions. Common learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, each of which impacts unique aspects of learning.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...
01:28Lateralization
Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.
01:12Visual Agnosia
Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round end"...
01:24Components of Language
Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...