Executive Function; fMRI; Language; Second Language; rTMS; Bilingualism; tDCS; Aphasia
Pestalozzi Maria I., Di Pietro Marie, Martins Gaytanidis Chrisovalandou, Spierer Lucas, Schnider Armin, Chouiter Leila, Colombo Françoise, Annoni Jean-Marie, Jost Lea B. (2018), Effects of Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Lexical Access in Chronic Poststroke Aphasia, in
Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 32(10), 913-923.
Radman Narges, Britz Juliane, Buetler Karin, Weekes Brendan S., Spierer Lucas, Annoni Jean-Marie (2018), Dorsolateral Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Language Processing but Does Not Facilitate Overt Second Language Word Production, in
Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 490-4098.
Neuhaus M., Bagutti S., Yaldizli Ö., Zwahlen D., Schaub S., Frey B., Fischer-Barnicol B., Burgunder J.-M., Martory M.-D., Pöttgen J., Annoni J.-M., Penner I.-K. (2018), Characterization of social cognition impairment in multiple sclerosis, in
European Journal of Neurology, 25(1), 90-96.
Dieguez Sebastian, Kaeser Mélanie, Roux Camille, Cottet Jérôme, Annoni Jean-Marie, Schmidlin Eric (2018), Birth and death of a phantom, in
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, 5(1), 98-101.
Jost Lea B., Radman Narges, Buetler Karin A., Annoni Jean-Marie (2018), Behavioral and electrophysiological signatures of word translation processes, in
Neuropsychologia, 109, 245-254.
Neuhaus Mireille, Calabrese Pasquale, Annoni Jean-Marie (2018), Decision-Making in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Systematic Review, in
Multiple Sclerosis International, 2018, 1-9.
de León Rodríguez Diego, Buetler Karin A., Eggenberger Noëmi, Laganaro Marina, Nyffeler Thomas, Annoni Jean-Marie, Müri René M. (2016), The Impact of Language Opacity and Proficiency on Reading Strategies in Bilinguals: An Eye Movement Study, in
Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 649.
Martory Marie-Dominique, Pegna Alan John, Sheybani Laurent, Métral Mélanie, Bernasconi Pertusio Françoise, Annoni Jean-Marie (2016), Assessment of Social Cognition and Theory of Mind: Initial Validation of the Geneva Social Cognition Scale, in
European Neurology, 74(5-6), 288-295.
Radman Narges, Mouthon Michael, Di Pietro Marie, Gaytanidis Chrisovalandou, Leemann Beatrice, Abutalebi Jubin, Annoni Jean-Marie (2016), The Role of the Cognitive Control System in Recovery from Bilingual Aphasia: A Multiple Single-Case fMRI Study, in
Neural Plasticity, 2016, 1-22.
1. SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH PLAN Background: Language relies on two main neurocognitive components; a dedicated language network depending on perisylvian structures, and a domain-general control-executive and working memory system relying on frontal (particularly left) networks. The executive system is known to participate in language control in bilinguals, but also plays a role in many intra-language processing, for mother language (L1) and even more in second language production (L2). For instance, the lexical access in L2 requires more left frontal activation than in L1. The integrity of language control has been associated with a parallel recovery of L1 and L2 in aphasia in bilinguals [1] and increased connectedness of the control and language networks has been associated to L2 recovery after therapy [2]. However, the exact role of executive functions in language performance and in the recovery of aphasia remains to be explored. Aim : The aim of the present project is to demonstrate the impact of the modulation of prefrontal functions on language production in healthy controls and on language recovery in aphasic patients. We propose that such impact will be particularly present in non-native languages (L2).Thus, the main questions of this project will be: 1)Does left frontal stimulation by transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) improve language abilities in mother language (L1) and even more in the L2? 2)Does left frontal stimulation improve language abilities in aphasia recovery? 3)Is there a relationship between the recovery of executive functions and the recovery of different languages, particularly of the L2, in aphasic patients? Methods: The projects rely on three experimental approaches: 1)An experimental task with healthy L1-L2 unbalanced control subjects where we will analyze the influence of the left DLPFC activation on naming and translation abilities using tDCS as well as their EEG correlates in the mother language and in their best second language (L2). The prediction is that left prefrontal stimulation will increase performances particularly in L2. EEG analyses will unravel the spatio-temporal dynamics of executive processes on word production. Pilot data support feasibility of this experience. 2)A second study aims to reproduce the same behavioral effect in a clinical population, i.e. in subacute and chronic brain lesioned aphasic patients with intact left DLPFC. The hypothesis is that tDCS-induced activation of the left DLPFC will lead to a specific effect on naming and translation performances in such patients 3)A second clinical experiment, for which we have started to collect preliminary data, will allow correlating executive functions and language recovery in late bilingual aphasic patients and to demonstrate through fMRI the association between language recovery (particularly L2) and control systems.