文字阅读学习的大脑塑造性机制

文字阅读学习如何塑造了人脑?这是当今语言认知神经科学的热点课题。研究表明,文字阅读学习不仅会增强早期视觉加工能力和重构腹侧视觉通路,还改变了口语脑网络的加工方式和词素-音素转换脑网络的结构。文字阅读学习通过在视觉皮层与口语系统之间创建一个高效自动运作的平台,改变人脑的功能与结构组织。今后的研究需要深入探究视觉词形区(VWFA)的功能特异性及其与语音和语义加工的动态交互作用、汉字阅读学习的大脑可塑性机制和文字识别与面孔加工的竞争性发育机制等重要问题。     

大脑电刺激在听觉语言加工研究中的应用

大脑电刺激是历史悠久但近年来才广泛应用在人类被试上的实验技术。通过对颅内刺激位点进行电刺激, 并分析引发的暂时性行为功能变化和记录位点的电位活动, 大脑电刺激技术可以揭示认知加工过程中脑区内的功能作用与脑区间的有效连接。通过对听觉语言加工过程相关的丘脑、听觉皮层、高级语言皮层进行电刺激, 现有研究发现了各个脑区的不同功能特点以及不同脑区间的信息传递机制, 为进一步探索听觉语言加工的神经机制提供了新的视角。     

词义与大脑机能一侧化

在左右两侧视野同时呈现单字词和双字词的条件下,以速示的方法,比较了有听力的被试和聋人被试汉字识别时大脑两半球机能的非对称性。结果表明,有听力的被试对单字词和双字词的识别均表现为右侧视野的优势,而聋人组财表现为方向完全相反的左侧视野的优势。两组被试左侧视野的得分几乎相等,右侧视野的得分则聋人组明显地低于听力正常组。对抽象词和具体词的识别两组被试的同侧大脑半球都没有显示出明显的差别,表明大脑两半球对这两类词的识别可能并没有特定的选择性。因此,用速示的方法所反映出来的可能是在认读加工过程中大脑两半球不同加工机制的差别,与字义可能无关。     

论医学语言的文化意义

医学语言具有丰厚的文化意义,在最为明显的层面上,它决定了临床实践的价值,奠定了医学科学的发展根基,拓展了语言和文学的覆盖面,推动了哲学反思的终极化;在间接或衍生层面上,医学语言承载着负面的致病作用,体现着自然科学的美学意蕴,打通了医学与军事兵法的思想渊源.     

右半球语言功能研究概述

对大脑右半球功能的研究如今趋于增多。该文介绍了右脑半球语言加工能力研究概况,这方面研究将对人脑语言功能的研究提供有益的启发。     

回族语言文化研究的力作——读杨占武博士的《回族语言文化》北大核心CSSCISSCI

一个民族的语言是最持久的交际工具,也是承载民族文化最坚固的活化石。杨占武博士在从事教学、科研和行政管理的间隙,对回族语言文化的研究坚持了25年,痴心不改,厚积薄发,终于再次推出了重新充实、丰富和提升的力作—《回族语言文化》（黄河出版传媒集团／宁夏人民出版社,2010年12月）。     

早期听觉剥夺后的大脑可塑性：来自先天性听力障碍群体的证据

皮层功能的正常发展依赖于充分的外部感觉信息的输入。先天性听力障碍群体由于经历早期听觉剥夺, 皮层功能往往出现异常。具体表现为初级听皮层功能退化, 初级、次级听皮层的功能连接变弱, 次级听皮层出现跨通道功能重组; 在后天听力重建后听皮层功能重组仍然存在, 言语加工需要更多高级认知资源的补偿。已有研究在探讨听力重建后皮层的长期可塑性机制、复杂声学环境下言语加工机制、汉语言加工独特性等方面尚不深入, 值得进一步研究。     

聋人早期手语经验对脑功能及结构的塑造作用

语言经验对脑功能和结构发展有重要的塑造作用。然而, 目前的相关证据主要来自对脑损伤导致的失语症病人的语言康复、第二语言学习以及针对成人读者进行的语言训练等方面的研究。幼儿时期的早期语言经验对脑结构与功能发展的影响更加重要, 但直接的研究证据却相当缺乏。本文提出一个研究设想, 拟综合使用多种脑成像技术, 系统探讨有早期手语经验和无早期手语经验的聋人个体在脑皮层语言功能的组织及脑结构发育的差异, 包括语言任务中大脑语言区的激活模式, 静息状态下脑功能联结的默认网络特征, 脑皮层灰质密度, 以及神经纤维束发育状况等, 揭示早期语言经验对大脑功能和结构发育的塑造作用。     

脑死亡立法的艰难与中国传统文化

因中国传统伦理文化对人们意识观念的深刻影响导致中国脑死亡立法步履艰难。从中国传统文化视角分析中国的脑死亡及相关伦理问题,提出中国脑死亡诊断标准的制定必须充分考虑民族心理感受,要立足于民族文化理性地探索“中国脑死亡”。     

Brain plasticity and behavior

Although the brain was once seen as a rather static organ, it is now clear that the organization of brain circuitry is constantly changing as a function of experience. These changes are referred to as brain plasticity, and they are associated with functional changes that include phenomena such as memory, addiction, and recovery of function. Recent research has shown that brain plasticity and behavior can be influenced by a myriad of factors, including both pre- and postnatal experience, drugs, hormones, maturation, aging, diet, disease, and stress. Understanding how these factors influence brain organization and function is important not only for understanding both normal and abnormal behavior, but also for designing treatments for behavioral and psychological disorders ranging from addiction to stroke.     

Judaism, Brain Plasticity and the Making of the Self

Modifications of the self, that is to say, transformation of the psychological, physical and spiritual make up of an individual to achieve or approximate an ideal individual is one of the main goals of religion, medicine and psychology. However, these fields approach self-modification from their own perspective, with little intercorrelations between them. This article explores how mechanisms for self modification delineated by Judaic sources are very much in line with new discoveries in neurosciences, especially with recent scientific data indicating that the brain is in a constant state of structural and functional change, a property denominated brain plasticity.     

A New View of Language, Emotion and the Brain

Linguistic theory since the Cognitive Revolution has followed one of the premises of that revolution by largely sidelining the issue of emotions and concentrating on those aspects of language that are more strictly cognitive. However, during the last two decades research in cognitive science, especially in neuropsychology, has begun to fill in the gaps left by the exclusion of emotions from cognitive research. This article proposes a model for applying the fruits of this new research in emotion to our understanding of language itself. Building on Karl Pribram`s integrated model of emotions and motivations, the presentation it offers a propositional explanation for how the emotions may have contributed to the emergence of symbolic formation and, ultimately, to every aspect of language from lexis to literature.

儿童青少年认知能力发展与脑发育

自发展认知神经科学兴起以来, 研究者就开始借助MRI等脑成像技术探讨儿童青少年认知能力发展与大脑结构发育和功能特点等之间的关系, 这为揭示行为发展与生理成熟之间的关系、儿童认知发展的神经活动规律、正常和障碍群体的独特大脑神经结构及活动特点等提供了重要启示。通过对有关儿童青少年智力、工作记忆、反应抑制等认知能力发展与大脑结构发育、大脑功能发育之间关系, 以及认知能力训练与大脑可塑性等研究的介绍, 指出发展认知神经科学的未来研究应重视采用纵向设计, 关注自然成熟和经验对正常或障碍儿童青少年认知发展与脑发育关系的交互影响, 同时从练习和训练的角度对大脑可塑性的特点进行探讨。     

脑功能可塑性与灾后心理功能康复

神经系统具有惊人的可塑性,这种可塑性可以终生保留。大脑不仅可因个体的经验与行为而改变,也可因内在思维、放松和注意的不同而发生改变。如汶川地震这样的大型自然灾害,因其突发性和巨变性,可使身临其境的人大脑功能状态在瞬间就发生持久的改变,从而表现为认知、情感等心理功能的改变。反过来,利用有关神经可塑性的认识,同样可使受损的大脑得以修复,使发育障碍的个体增强功能,亦可使由各种内外因素导致的心灵扭曲重新舒展开来。利用放松、修复、重建的3R脑功能重塑技术,可望解决包括地震灾后心理健康重建在内的各种神经和心理问题,具有广泛的应用前景     

Language learning impairment: Integrating research and remediation

Timing cues present in the acoustic waveform of speech provide critical information for the recognition and segmentation of the ongoing speech signal. Research has demonstrated that deficient temporal perception rates, that have been shown to specifically disrupt acoustic processing of speech, are related to specific language-based learning impairments (LLI). Temporal processing deficits correlate highly with the phonological discrimination and processing deficits of these children. Electrophysiological single cell mapping studies of sensory cortex in brains of primates have shown that neural circuitry can be remapped after specific, temporally cohesive training regimens, demonstrating the dynamic plasticity of the brain. Recently, we combined these two lines of research in a series of studies that addressed whether the temporal processing deficits seen in LLIs can be significantly modified through adaptive training aimed at reducing temporal integration thresholds. Simultaneously, we developed a computer algorithm that expanded and enhanced the brief, rapidly changing acoustic segments within ongoing speech and used this to provide intensive speech and language training exercises to these children. Results to date from two independent laboratory experiments, as well as a large national clinical efficacy trial, demonstrate that dramatic improvements in temporal integration thresholds, together with speech and language comprehension abilities of LLI children, results from training with these new computer-based training procedures.