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Language Development across the Life Span: A Neuropsychological/Neuroimaging Perspective
Mónica Rosselli1, Alfredo Ardila2, Esmeralda Matute3
1Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, 3200 College Avenue, Davie, FL 33314, USA.
Neuroscience Journal
|August 29, 2015
Summary
This study explores how language development and brain maturation are linked throughout life. It examines changes in naming, verbal fluency, and brain asymmetry from birth to old age.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Language development is intrinsically linked to brain maturation.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for tracking cognitive and linguistic changes across the lifespan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the associations between language development and brain changes from birth through senescence.
- To examine the relationship between observable language changes and corresponding brain maturation processes across different age groups.
Main Methods:
- Review of neuropsychological and neuroimaging literature.
- Examination of developmental changes in naming (lexical knowledge) and verbal fluency (language production).
- Analysis of age-related changes in brain lateralization, gray matter, and white matter volume.
Main Results:
- Language development and brain maturation show significant correlations across the lifespan.
- Increased functional brain asymmetry for language in early life, with changes over time.
- Age-sensitive alterations in gray and white matter volume correlate with linguistic development.
Conclusions:
- Language and brain development are dynamically intertwined throughout human life.
- Factors like gender, education, and bilingualism influence these linguistic-brain associations.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate these complex developmental trajectories.
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