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The influence of atypical lateralization of language on cognitive processing
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Poster E109 in Poster Session E, Thursday, October 26, 10:15 am - 12:00 pm CEST, Espace Vieux-Port
Cristina Cano Melle1, María Baena Pérez1, Esteban Rodriguez Villar1, Lidón Marín Marín1, César Ávila1; 1Jaume I University
INTRODUCTION: For many years, extensive research has consistently proved that specific cognitive functions can be predominantly sustained by either one of the two hemispheres, while other functions are shared by both hemispheres when processing information. Language function, one of the most explored, is mainly left-lateralized in the brain. However, some individuals (mostly left-handers) have an atypical organization of language. We have known for years that atypical lateralization may be a risk for neurodevelopmental disorders suggesting the existence of cognitive deficits. One of the proposed mechanisms to these deficits is need for a greater hemispheric transfer via corpus callosum, that slows the cognitive processing. Here, we will employ lateralized tasks (visuospatial and language) and tasks requiring high processing speed to investigate performance of left-handed individuals with typical and atypical lateralization of language. Additionally, we will correlate performance of these tasks with the volume of the corpus callosum. METHOD: Seven ty left-handed participants initially completed the verb generation task in an MRI scanner. We classified participants into two groups by calculating Laterality Index (LI) in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) using the bootstrap in LI-toolbox for SPM12, resulting in 40 typically-lateralized and 30 atypically-lateralized subjects. These individual also completed the cognitive tasks: reading words and pseudo-words and detection to second phoneme, n-back task, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), stop-signal task, Stroop Test and mental rotation task. In addition to that, we calculated the volume of corpus callosum and then we correlated with each cognitive performance (P <0.05). RESULTS: Significant differences between typically and atypically lateralized arose only in language and visuo-spatial functions. Our results revealed that atypical group performed worse in reading short in unfamiliar words and pseudowords, as well as long in familiar and unfamiliar words (F (2,63) = 7.02, P =0.002) and in both condition to phoneme detection task (F (1,64) = 7.18, P = 0.009). However, atypical participants showed a better performance in mental rotation task in comparison to typical lateralization group (F = 2.87, P =0.043). No differences were found for N-Back, PASAT, Stop and Stroop tasks. The volume of the corpus callosum correlated significantly with better performance in working memory (N-Back3 and PASAT) and language (reading short familiar words and long pseudowords) tasks. However, the volume of the corpus callosum correlated negatively with performance of those tasks lateralized in the right hemisphere, that is SSRT and mental rotation. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that the typical and atypical lateralization of language is associated with a better performance in task performance lateralized in one of two hemispheres: language tasks in left handers with a typical lateralization of language and visuospatial tasks in those with an atypical lateralization of language. In the case of corpus callosum, the results showed a better performance in tasks requiring bilateral and (mainly) left lateralized control, but a worse performance in (mainly) right-lateralized tasks. Future studies with larger sample size should determine the interaction of both factors.
Topic Areas: Control, Selection, and Executive Processes, Language Production