Measuring change in spontaneous speech production during the course of aphasia: Computer-assisted analysis of basic parameters

Spontaneous speech samples of 28 patients were analyzed using a computer-assisted method before and after seven weeks of intensive language treatment. We focussed on the following four basic parameters: percentage words, percentage open class words, syntactic completeness and MLU. A 3-factorial-ANOVA revealed a significant main effect for type of aphasia (fluent vs. non-fluent) for all four parameters. In comparison with a conventional rating scale, the basic parameters proved to be much more sensitive to change. Thus, the computer-assisted analysis of basic parameters represents a clinically applicable instrument to measure even small changes during the course of recovery from aphasia

Dysfunctions in brain networks supporting empathy: An fMRI study in adults with autism spectrum disorders

The present study aimed at identifying dysfunctions in brain networks that may underlie disturbed empathic behavior in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). During functional magnetic resonance imaging, subjects were asked to identify the emotional state observed in a facial stimulus (other-task) or to evaluate their own emotional response (self-task). Behaviorally, ASD subjects performed equally to the control group during the other-task, but showed less emotionally congruent responses in the self-task. Activations in brain regions related to theory of mind were observed in both groups. Activations of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) were located in dorsal subregions in ASD subjects and in ventral areas in control subjects. During the self-task, ASD subjects activated an additional network of frontal and inferior temporal areas. Frontal areas previously associated with the human mirror system were activated in both tasks in control subjects, while ASD subjects recruited these areas during the self-task only. Activations in the ventral MPFC may provide the basis for one's “emotional bond” with other persons’ emotions. Such atypical patterns of activation may underlie disturbed empathy in individuals with ASD. Subjects with ASD may use an atypical cognitive strategy to gain access to their own emotional state in response to other people's emotions

Neuronale Korrelate und Inhalte des emotionalen autobiographischen Gedächtnisses : Ergebnisse neurofunktioneller Bildgebung und Verhaltensaspekte

Piefke M. Neural correlates and contents of emotional autobiographical memory : functional neuroimaging results and behavioral perspectives. Bielefeld (Germany): Bielefeld University; 2003.This study was primarily concerned with the functional neuroanatomy underlying autobiographical memory. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess differences in the distributed networks of brain structures involved in the retrieval of old and new autobiographical memories with differential emotional valence. Additionally, a content analysis was accomplished to assess the thematic structure of emotional autobiographical memory in male and female healthy human subjects. Significant changes in neural activity related to autobiographical memory retrieval were observed bilaterally in medial and lateral temporal, temporal-occipital, posterior cingulate, and frontal cortices. Recent (relative to remote) memories were associated with differentially increased neural activity bilaterally in the retrosplenial cortex and the hippocampal region whereas remote (relative to recent) memories did not show any statistically significant differential neural activations. Positive (relative to negative) memories bilaterally activated the orbitofrontal cortex, the temporal pole, as well as medial temporal areas with the activation peak being in the entorhinal region. By contrast, negative (relative to positive) memories differentially increased neural activity in the right middle temporal gyrus only. No differences in behavioral performance were observed across experimental conditions. Analyses of gender specificities in the neural substrates of emotional autobiographical memory retrieval demonstrated that there were no overall differences in the autobiographical memory network in males and females, respectively. Also, there were no gender differences in behavioral performance. Analyses of gender differences associated with the main effect of TIME and EMOTION remained at a highly speculative level. The content analysis data showed significant differences in memory contents depending on both the age and the emotional valence of recollections. The neuroimaging data suggest differential functional roles for temporal, prefrontal and retrosplenial regions during autobiographical memory retrieval depending on the remoteness and the emotional valence of the memories retrieved. In particular, our findings support the "classic" model of long-term memory processing which suggests a time-limited differential involvement of the hippocampus in memory consolidation. Interestingly, the observation of such a time-dependent involvement of the hippocampal region in memory consolidation corresponds to the course of retrograde amnesia observed in demented patients, with the loss of recent memories appearing during early stages of the disease when conspicuous neurofibrillary changes are restricted mainly to the hippocampal and parahippocampal regions. Only during later stages, as the neurofibrillary changes spread out to neocortical association areas, remote memories become impaired, too. With regard to the effect of differential emotional valence of the memories retrieved, our data suggest that the entorhinal cortex and adjacent medial temporal areas (including the amygdala) are relatively more engaged in the processing of positive compared to negative emotion. Interestingly, this finding is in good accordance with recent research on emotion processing in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) indicating that early brain pathology within the entorhinal region specifically yields a deficit in the processing of positive information. Moreover, our results indicate that the neural substrates supporting emotional autobiographical memory retrieval are highly similar in males and females. This finding is consistent with the observation that there were not any significant gender differences in memory task performance. The content analysis data show differences as well as similarities in autobiographical memory contents across the experimental memory conditions suggesting that the topics referred to in autobiographical recollections vary with differential age and emotional valence of memories. However, this finding also demonstrates that some topics may play an overall significant role across an individual's whole life history

Abweichende kognitiv-emotionale Verhaltensweisen gewaltbereiter Straftäter im Spannungsfeld zwischen Neurobiologie und Forensik

Piefke M. Abweichende kognitiv-emotionale Verhaltensweisen gewaltbereiter Straftäter im Spannungsfeld zwischen Neurobiologie und Forensik. In: Saimeh N, ed. Kriminalität als biographisches Scheitern - Forensik als Lebenshilfe? : Forensik 2010. 25. Eickelborner Fachtagung zu Fragen der Forensischen Psychiatrie, 3. bis 5. März 2010. Bonn: Psychiatrie-Verlag; 2010: 120-133

Genetisch-biologische und umweltbedingte Determinanten von Aggression und Gewalt

Piefke M, Markowitsch HJ. Genetisch-biologische und umweltbedingte Determinanten von Aggression und Gewalt. Der Kriminalist. 2009;41:21-29

Neuronale Plastizität, Emotion und soziale Kognition: Reifungsprozesse des menschlichen Gehirns

Piefke M, Markowitsch HJ. Neuronale Plastizität, Emotion und soziale Kognition: Reifungsprozesse des menschlichen Gehirns. Psychologieunterricht. 2008;9:23-29

Genetisch-biologische und umweltbedingte Determinanten von Moralvorstellungen und gesellschaftskonformen Verhaltensweisen

Piefke M, Markowitsch HJ. Genetisch-biologische und umweltbedingte Determinanten von Moralvorstellungen und gesellschaftskonformen Verhaltensweisen. TV Diskurs. 2008;44:74-79

Anatomische und funktionelle Grundlagen von Gedächtnisfunktionen

Piefke M, Markowitsch HJ. Anatomische und funktionelle Grundlagen von Gedächtnisfunktionen. Psychologieunterricht. 2008;9:17-23

Gedächtnis und Gedächtnisstörungen. Neuroanatomische und neurofunktionelle Grundlagen

Piefke M, Markowitsch HJ. Gedächtnis und Gedächtnisstörungen. Neuroanatomische und neurofunktionelle Grundlagen. Psychoneuro. 2007;33(11):462-465

Laboratory memory tasks and autobiographical recollection: cognitive and neurofunctional evidence for differential forms of episodic memory

Piefke M. Laboratory memory tasks and autobiographical recollection: cognitive and neurofunctional evidence for differential forms of episodic memory. In: Bakker LN, ed. Brain mapping research developments. New York: Nova Science Publishers; 2008: 101-127