The representation of language in bilinguals : neural overlap as a function of modality, representational level, language proficiency and context

status: accepte

Neural overlap of L1 and L2 semantic representations across visual and auditory modalities : a decoding approach/

This study investigated whether brain activity in Dutch-French bilinguals during semantic access to concepts from one language could be used to predict neural activation during access to the same concepts from another language, in different language modalities/tasks. This was tested using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA), within and across language comprehension (word listening and word reading) and production (picture naming). It was possible to identify the picture or word named, read or heard in one language (e.g. maan, meaning moon) based on the brain activity in a distributed bilateral brain network while, respectively, naming, reading or listening to the picture or word in the other language (e.g. lune). The brain regions identified differed across tasks. During picture naming, brain activation in the occipital and temporal regions allowed concepts to be predicted across languages. During word listening and word reading, across-language predictions were observed in the rolandic operculum and several motor-related areas (pre- and postcentral, the cerebellum). In addition, across-language predictions during reading were identified in regions typically associated with semantic processing (left inferior frontal, middle temporal cortex, right cerebellum and precuneus) and visual processing (inferior and middle occipital regions and calcarine sulcus). Furthermore, across modalities and languages, the left lingual gyrus showed semantic overlap across production and word reading. These findings support the idea of at least partially language- and modality-independent semantic neural representations

Self-generated thoughts and depression: From daydreaming to depressive symptoms

Human minds often engage in thoughts and feelings that are self-generated rather than stimulus-dependent, such as daydreaming. Recent research suggests that under certain circumstances, daydreaming is associated with adverse effects on cognition and affect. Based on recent literature about the influence of resting mind in relation to rumination and depression, this questionnaire study investigated mechanisms linking daydreaming to depressive symptoms. Specifically, an indirect effect model was tested in which daydreaming influences depressive symptoms through enhancing self-focus and ruminative thought. Results were in line with the hypothesis and several alternative pathways were ruled out. The results provide initial supportive evidence that daydreaming can influence depressive symptoms through influences on self-focus and rumination. Further research should use prospective or experimental designs to further validate and strengthen these conclusions

Does Extreme Language Control Training Improve Cognitive Control? A Comparison of Professional Interpreters, L2 Teachers and Monolinguals

There is currently a lively debate in the literature whether bilingualism leads to enhanced cognitive control or not. Recent evidence suggests that knowledge of more than one language does not always suffice for the manifestation of a bilingual cognitive control advantage. As a result, ongoing research has focused on modalities of bilingual language use that may interact with the bilingual advantage. In this study, we explored the cognitive control performance of simultaneous interpreters. These highly proficient bilinguals comprehend information in one language while producing in the other language, which is a complex skill requiring high levels of language control. In a first experiment, we compared professional interpreters to monolinguals. Data were collected on interference suppression (flanker task), prepotent response inhibition (Simon task), and short-term memory (digit span task). The results showed that the professional interpreters performed similarly to the monolinguals on all measures. In Experiment 2, we compared professional interpreters to monolinguals and second language teachers. Data were collected on interference suppression (advanced flanker task), prepotent response inhibition (advanced flanker task), attention (advanced flanker task), short-term memory (Hebb repetition paradigm), and updating (n-back task). We found converging evidence for our finding that experience in interpreting may not lead to superior interference suppression, prepotent response inhibition, and short-term memory. In fact, our results showed that the professional interpreters performed similarly to both the monolinguals and the second language teachers on all tested cognitive control measures. We did, however, find anecdotal evidence for a (small) advantage in short-term memory for interpreters relative to monolinguals when analyzing composite scores of both experiments together. Taken together, the results of the current study suggest that interpreter experience does not necessarily lead to general cognitive control advantages. However, there may be small interpreter advantages in short-term memory, suggesting that this might be an important cognitive control aspect of simultaneous interpreting. The results are discussed in the light of ongoing debates about bilingual cognitive control advantages

Comment Concerning the Effects of Light Intensity on Melatonin Suppression in the Review “Light Modulation of Human Clocks, Wake, and Sleep” by A. Prayag et al.

Dose-response curves for circadian phase shift and melatonin suppression in relation to white or monochromatic nighttime illumination can be scaled to melanopic weighed illumination for normally constricted pupils, which makes them easier to interpret and compare. This is helpful for a practical applications

Neural overlap of L1 and L2 semantic representations in speech : a decoding approach

Although research has now converged towards a consensus that both languages of a bilingual are represented in at least partly shared systems for language comprehension, it remains unclear whether both languages are represented in the same neural populations for production. We investigated the neural overlap between L1 and L2 semantic representations of translation equivalents using a production task in which the participants had to name pictures in L1 and L2. Using a decoding approach, we tested whether brain activity during the production of individual nouns in one language allowed predicting the production of the same concepts in the other language. Because both languages only share the underlying semantic representation (sensory and lexical overlap was maximally avoided), this would offer very strong evidence for neural overlap in semantic representations of bilinguals. Based on the brain activation for the individual concepts in one language in the bilateral occipito-temporal cortex and the inferior and the middle temporal gyrus, we could accurately predict the equivalent individual concepts in the other language. This indicates that these regions share semantic representations across L1 and L2 word production. Keywords: mvpa, Production, Neural overlap, fMRI, Bilingualis

A network analysis of Facebook use and well-being in relation to key psychological variables : replication and extension

Studies exploring the relationship between Facebook use and well-being have yielded inconsistent findings. Investigating the intermediate mechanisms seems to be of crucial importance to gain insight into the positive and negative consequences of Facebook use. A recent study illustrated the importance of taking into account social comparison and self-esteem, as these constructs are central to theories about the link between Facebook use and risk for affective disorders. Extending these findings will be key to increase our knowledge on possible risk and/or protective intermediate mechanisms. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study (n = 459) to investigate the position of attention control and social capital in this previously reported network. Our results provide a conceptual replication of Faelens, Hoorelbeke, Fried, De Raedt, and Koster (2019). In addition, our findings suggest that attentional control does not play a central role in the relationship between Facebook use and well-being. However, (bridging) social capital uniquely connected the variables related to Facebook use with our indicators of vulnerability for affective disorders via social comparison and contingent self-esteem. Possible explanations are discussed.Studies exploring the relationship between Facebook use and well-being have yielded inconsistent findings. Investigating the intermediate mechanisms seems to be of crucial importance to gain insight into the positive and negative consequences of Facebook use. A recent study illustrated the importance of taking into account social comparison and self-esteem, as these constructs are central to theories about the link between Facebook use and risk for affective disorders. Extending these findings will be key to increase our knowledge on possible risk and/or protective intermediate mechanisms. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study (n = 459) to investigate the position of attention control and social capital in this previously reported network. Our results provide a conceptual replication of Faelens, Hoorelbeke, Fried, De Raedt, and Koster (2019). In addition, our findings suggest that attentional control does not play a central role in the relationship between Facebook use and well-being. However, (bridging) social capital uniquely connected the variables related to Facebook use with our indicators of vulnerability for affective disorders via social comparison and contingent self-esteem. Possible explanations are discussed.A

Does extreme language control training improve cognitive control? A comparison of professional interpreters, L2 teachers and monolinguals

There is currently a lively debate in the literature about whether bilingualism leads to enhanced cognitive control or not. Recent evidence suggests that knowledge of more than one language does not always suffice for the manifestation of a bilingual cognitive control advantage. As a result, ongoing research has focused on modalities of bilingual language use that may interact with the bilingual advantage. In this study, we explored the cognitive control performance of simultaneous interpreters. These highly proficient bilinguals comprehend information in one language while producing in the other language, which is a complex skill requiring high levels of language control. In a first experiment, we compared professional interpreters to monolinguals. Data were collected on interference suppression, prepotent response inhibition, and working memory capacity, using the flanker task, the Simon task, and a digit span task, respectively. The results showed that the professional interpreters performed similarly to the monolinguals on all measures. In Experiment 2, we compared professional interpreters to monolinguals and second language teachers. Data were collected on interference suppression, prepotent response inhibition, attention, working memory capacity, and updating. These cognitive control measures were assessed using three computerized tasks: an advanced flanker task, a Hebb repetition paradigm, and an n-back task. We found converging evidence for our finding that experience in interpreting may not lead to superior interference suppression, prepotent response inhibition, and working memory capacity. In fact, our results showed that the professional interpreters performed similarly to both the monolinguals and the second language teachers on all tested cognitive control measures. We did however find evidence for a (small) advantage in working memory capacity for interpreters relative to monolinguals when analyzing composite scores of both experiments together. Taken together, the results of the current study suggest that interpreter experience does not necessarily lead to general cognitive control advantages. However, there may be small interpreter advantages in working memory capacity, suggesting that this might be an important cognitive control aspect of simultaneous interpreting. The results are discussed in the light of ongoing debates about bilingual cognitive control advantages

Anatomical and functional changes in the brain after simultaneous interpreting training: A longitudinal study

In the recent literature on bilingualism, a lively debate has arisen about the long-term effects of bilingualism on cognition and the brain. These studies yield inconsistent results, in part because they rely on comparisons between bilingual and monolingual control groups that may also differ on other variables. In the present neuroimaging study, we adopted a longitudinal design, assessing the long-term anatomical and cognitive effects of an extreme form of bilingualism, namely simultaneous interpreting. We compared a group of students starting interpreting training with a closely matched group of translators, before and after nine months of training. We assessed behavioral performance and neural activity during cognitive control tasks, as well as the structural connectivity between brain regions that are involved in cognitive control. Despite the lack of behavioral differences between the two groups over time, functional and structural neural differences did arise. At the functional level, interpreters showed an increase of activation in the right angular gyrus and the left superior temporal gyrus in two nonverbal cognitive control tasks (the Simon task and a colour-shape switch task), relative to the translators. At the structural level, we identified a significant increment of the structural connectivity in two different subnetworks specifically for the interpreters. The first network, the frontal-basal ganglia subnetwork, has been related to domain-general and language-specific cognitive control. The second subnetwork, in which the cerebellum and the SMA play a key role, has recently also been proposed as an important language control network. These results suggest that interpreters undergo plastic changes in specific control-related brain networks to handle the extreme language control that takes place during interpreter training