Toward the language oscillogenome

Language has been argued to arise, both ontogenetically and phylogenetically, from specific patterns of brain wiring. We argue that it can further be shown that core features of language processing emerge from particular phasal and cross-frequency coupling properties of neural oscillations; what has been referred to as the language 'oscillome.' It is expected that basic aspects of the language oscillome result from genetic guidance, what we will here call the language 'oscillogenome,' for which we will put forward a list of candidate genes. We have considered genes for altered brain rhythmicity in conditions involving language deficits: autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, specific language impairment and dyslexia. These selected genes map on to aspects of brain function, particularly on to neurotransmitter function. We stress that caution should be adopted in the construction of any oscillogenome, given the range of potential roles particular localized frequency bands have in cognition. Our aim is to propose a set of genome-to-language linking hypotheses that, given testing, would grant explanatory power to brain rhythms with respect to language processing and evolution.Economic and Social Research Council scholarship 1474910Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España) FFI2016-78034-C2-2-

Le juste milieu: Une approche de la biologie des systemes face aux troubles du developpement du langage

Current typologies of developmental language disorders are mostly based on symptomatic criteria. Nonetheless, they often fail to categorize and characterize patients unambiguously, essentially because of the widespread problems of comorbidity and heterogeneity. Likewise, they usually fail to incorporate etiological factors in a precise way. These shortcomings are expected to impact negatively on therapies and the recovery of patient’s abilities. This paper advocates a systems biology approach to developmental language disorders, aimed to disentangle how the myriad of biological factors involved (at the bottom) interact complexly to regulate language development and processing (at the surface). In particular, it advocates a classification of disorders based on intermediate-level components, like brain oscillations. This fresh approach to the etiopathogenesis of developmental language disorders, which is more biologically motivated and more theoretically grounded, should allow identify robust endophenotypes of these conditions, that can be used as reliable hallmarks for an earlier and more accurate diagnosis.Las tipologías de los trastornos del lenguaje ligados al desarrollo se basan fundamentalmente en criterios sintomatológicos. No obstante, frecuentemente son incapaces de categorizar adecuadamente a los pacientes, fundamentalmente debido a la heterogeneidad y la diversidad típicas de los trastornos, y a la comorbilidad que se advierte entre ellos. Asimismo, dichas tipologías no contemplan como debieran la naturaleza de los factores etiológicos que explican cada trastorno. Estas circunstancias pueden condicionar negativamente el tratamiento de los afectados. En este artículo se defiende una caracterización de estos trastornos desde la óptica de la biología de sistemas, que busca discernir la manera en que los factores biológicos implicados interactúan de forma compleja para explicar el desarrollo y el procesamiento anómalos del lenguaje. En concreto, se defenderá una clasificación basada en componentes biológicos intermedios, en particular, las oscilaciones cerebrales, que se espera que constituyan además endofenotipos más fiables, que permitan diagnósticos más exactos y tempranos.Les typologies actuelles des troubles du langage développemental sont principalement basées sur des critères symptomatiques. Néanmoins, ils ni catégorisent ni caractérisent les patients sans ambiguïté, à cause des problèmes généralisés de comorbidité et d'hétérogénéité. Également, ils ne parviennent généralement pas à intégrer les facteurs étiologiques de manière précise. Ces restrictions devraient avoir un impact négatif sur les traitements du patients. Cet article préconise une approche dès la biologie des systèmes pour traiter les troubles du développement du langage, pour comprendre mieux la manière dont la myriade de facteurs biologiques impliqués (les inférierurs) interagissent de manière complexe pour réguler le développement et le traitement anormal du langage (les supérieurs). En particulier, il préconise une classification basée sur des composants de niveau intermédiaire, tels que les oscillations cérébrales. Cette nouvelle approche devrait permettre d'identifier des endophénotypes fiables de ces affections, qui puissent être utilisés pour un diagnostic plus précoce et plus précis

Autism and Williams syndrome: Dissimilar socio-cognitive profiles with similar patterns of abnormal gene expression in the blood

Autism spectrum disorders and Williams syndrome exhibit quite opposite features in the social domain, but also share some common underlying behavioral and cognitive deficits. It is not clear, however, which genes account for the attested differences (and similarities) in the socio-cognitive domain. In this article, we adopted a comparative molecular approach and looked for genes that might be differentially (or similarly) regulated in the blood of subjects with these two conditions. We found a significant overlap between differentially expressed genes compared to neurotypical controls, with most of them exhibiting a similar trend in both conditions, but with genes being more dysregulated in Williams syndrome than in autism spectrum disorders. These genes are involved in aspects of brain development and function (particularly dendritogenesis) and are expressed in brain areas (particularly the cerebellum, the thalamus, and the striatum) of relevance for the autism spectrum disorder and the Williams syndrome etiopathogenesi

Stanisław Barańczak o la rebeldía perpleja

Considerado en sus inicios como un representante típico de la poesía política polaca, la obra de Stanisław Barańczak constituye, no obstante, un análisis particularmente lúcido de la realidad existencial del ser humano y de los límites impuestos al yo individual en su confrontación con la sociedad de la que forma parte y con la trascendencia a la que aspira. Nacida, ciertamente, de los avatares de la lucha política contra el régimen comunista, la poesía de Barańczak ha sabido evolucionar, sin embargo, hacia un horizonte más universal, acentuando para ello la vindicación de los derechos inalienables del ser humano y el valor irrenunciable de su libertad. La Poética de Barańczak se halla en consonancia con los presupuestos éticos que defiende a través de sus versos: con su estilo complejo, sus referencias cultistas y su original voluntad de experimentación formal (que incluye, en particular, un acentuado interés por la expresión musical como límite o coadyuvante de la expresión poética) su poesía constituye una plasmación siempre actual y siempre personal de las sempiternas cuestiones filosóficas que inquietan al hombre.Traditionally regarded as a political poet, Stanisław Barańczak‟s work actually represents a lucid depiction of human being‟s existential complexities, but also a coherent drawing of the limits imposed upon him by society and transcendence. Barańczak‟s poetry was born on occasion of political conflicts in Popular Poland during the 70‟s, but since then has nevertheless sought more universal horizons, by a coherent vindication of the inalienable value of human freedom and human rights. Barańczak‟s Poetics much more reflects his main ethic concerns: a complex style, a profusion of quotes and cultist references, and a patent interest in formal experimentation (particularly in music as a limit or coadjutant to poetic creation) accurately give expression to those everlasting philosophical questions which have always disturbed human beings

Biología y lenguaje : pasado, presente y futuro de una relación obligada

Diversas evidencias sugieren la plausibilidad (y la necesidad) de un análisis biológico del lenguaje, incluyendo determinados resultados derivados del propio análisis de la estructura y el proceso de adquisición de las lenguas. De ahí que buena parte de los modelos generados por la teoría lingüística en las últimas décadas hayan tratado de buscar una legitimación en los datos proporcionados por la Biología. Sin embargo, una compresión cabal de la naturaleza (necesariamente biológica) del lenguaje y de su desarrollo ontogenético y filogenético sólo se conseguirá cuando se tengan en cuenta asimismo los paradigmas y los marcos teóricos actualmente vigentes en el ámbito de la Biología.Multiple evidences suggest that a biological study of language could be both plausible and necessary, some of them being the output of the structural analysis of languages and the way in which they are acquired by the child. Hence, the current tendency of taking into account biological data to validate (or falsify) the diverse models of language developed by theoretical linguistics. Nevertheless, if we are actually intending to gain a real comprehension of the (biological) nature of language (but also of the way in which it develops, both ontogenetically and phylogenetically), we will further need to integrate as well fresh theoretical frames and paradigms which are at present at the core of biological thinking

Figurative Language, Language Disorders, and Language(s) Evolution

Preparation of this work was supported by funds from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (grants FFI2014-61888-EXP and FFI2016-78034-C2-2-P) and FEDER