Thursday, Jun 26: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Oral Sessions
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Room: M4 (Mezzanine Level)
Possible title: Language: Anatomy, networks and pathology (Jean)
Presentations
Hemispheric lateralization is a fundamental feature of human brain organization, guiding processes such as language and visuospatial attention (Tzourio-Mazoyer et al., 2020). While previous research has focused on neurotransmitter systems that support the organization of brain networks, the influence of molecular and cellular phenotypes on regional hemispheric lateralization remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that neurotransmitter systems (acetylcholine-norepinephrine axis), mitochondrial distribution, microglia, and intratelencephalic-projecting neurons help shape these functional asymmetries. We further identify two molecular and cellular networks: a left-lateralized network associated with language and a right-lateralized network associated with visuospatial attention.
Presenter
Loïc Labache, PhD, Rutgers University
Psychiatry
Piscataway, NJ
United States
Humans excel at organizing high-dimensional conceptual information into low-dimensional semantic spaces [1], facilitating complex mental operations such as analogical reasoning, inferences and generalization [2]. Despite extensive behavioral evidence for this compression process, its neural basis and cortical topography remain largely unexplored. Using ultra-high resolution 7T fMRI and a comprehensive set of 1,854 object concepts, here we investigated how cortical responses represent and compress semantic information into low-dimensional manifolds. Our results highlight the default mode network (DMN) as a critical hub for semantic compression, providing novel insights into how humans efficiently organize and utilize conceptual knowledge [3].
Presenter
KAIXIANG ZHUANG, The Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-inspired Intelligence (ISTBI) Shanghai, Shanghai
China
Auditory cortex on the superior temporal plane and lateral convexity are key areas in the initial stages of cortical processing of sounds. More complex perceptual representations are envisioned to occur in auditory-related cortex along the ventral and dorsal processing streams, extending into prefrontal cortex and ultimately leading to behavior. To characterize the flow of information across these stages of the auditory hierarchy that ultimately leads to sensory-driven behavioral events, we examined neural activity using intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) during semantic categorization tasks.
Presenter
Kirill Nourski, The University of Iowa
Neurosurgery
Iowa City, IA
United States
Neurological conditions such as stroke and glioma are major causes of disability worldwide, accounting for millions of deaths per year and long-lasting cognitive impairments1. Recent studies show that brain network disruption can predict survival rates in glioma and model cognitive impairment in stroke2,3. However, a similar connectivity framework to model cognitive functioning after surgery is currently lacking.
Here, we introduce a novel method that integrates direct electrical brain stimulation (DES) with MRI-driven functional network mapping to recover the white matter substrates causally implicated in language production.
Dyslexia is a common learning disability affecting the acquisition of fluent reading skills. It is a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder that is known as a neural disconnection syndrome. Yet, how dyslexia related genes influence brain structure and connectivity has been rarely explored. In this study, we investigated whether and how human brain structure and connectivity are influenced by genetic underpinnings of dyslexia.
Presenter
Jingjing Zhao, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, Hong Kong
China
The development of infants' social and language skills is deeply influenced by interactions with caregivers, especially through maternal speech. From the prenatal stage, infants display a preference for their mother's voice, which aids in phoneme adjustment, word learning, and emotion recognition. This highlights its critical role in fostering sociality and language acquisition. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterized by social and language delays, may involve atypical responses to maternal voices, though little is known about this in infancy. This study focuses on brain responses to maternal versus unfamiliar voices in infants at Elevated Likelihood (EL) of ASD, compared to Low Likelihood (LL) infants, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Previous research suggests EL infants may show weaker preferences and altered neural connectivity to maternal voices, potentially impacting language development. By examining cortical activation and connectivity at 6 months and tracking later developmental outcomes until 36 months old, this study aims to elucidate early neural mechanisms underlying ASD-related differences.