How do the thalamus, basal ganglia, and basal forebrain participate in language and memory? Are these anatomic entities involved in regulation of cortical activity, complex information processing, transfer of information between cortical units, motivation, or in other functions? This volume is the first single-authored volume devoted to understanding how deep brain structures participate in language and memory. Addressing a relatively new area of research, the book is unique in two ways. First, it comprehensively covers both language and memory not only with extensive literature reviews, but also with examinations of the anatomy of the structures involved and discussions of theory in light of empirical data. Second, the book takes a systems approach to the topics. In order to produce and understand language or to record and retrieve memories, different parts of the brain must operate as integrated systems. As subcortical structures are parts of these systems, this book endeavors to understand how these phylogenetically older structures contribute to systems responsible for communication and mnestic functions. Designed to facilitate this end, each of the book's sections follows a neuroanatomy--empirical data--theory format. Part I concentrates on the participation (or nonparticipation) of various subcortical structures in language. Rather than attempt to arrive at definitive conclusions, these chapters explore the possibilities suggested by the currently available data. Following a description of the neuroanatomy and a discussion of the data concerning the thalamus and basal ganglia, attention is paid to theories regarding the participation of these structures in language. Part II addresses the thalamus, other diencephalic structures, the basal forebrain, and the basal ganglia regarding their possible roles in memory. The connections between these structures are addressed, as is the relationship between current data on the participation of subcortical structures in memory and current neuropsychological assumptions about memory. The extensive literature on memory in alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome and Huntington's disease is culled for insights into what memory processes are subserved by subcortical structures, and memory theory is examined in light of what the subcortical literature reveals about memory. Paving the way for future research that holds the promise of a greater flexibility and complexity than now exists with purely cortical models, this volume will interest clinical and experimental neuropsychologists, cognitive psychologists, behavioral neurologists, speech/language pathologists, and psychiatrists with an interest in behavioral neurology. It also serves as a text for upper level graduate courses covering subcortical functions in cognition, neural systems, and advanced human neuropsychology.

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

Neurolinguistics is a young and highly interdisciplinary field, with influences from psycholinguistics, psychology, aphasiology, and (cognitive) neuroscience, as well as other fields. Neurolinguistics, like psycholinguistics, covers aspects of language processing; but unlike psycholinguistics, it draws on data from patients with damage to language processing capacities, or the use of modern neuroimaging technologies such as fMRI, TMS, or both. The burgeoning interest in neurolinguistics reflects that an understanding of the neural bases of this data can inform more biologically plausible models of the human capacity for language. The Oxford Handbook of Neurolinguistics provides concise overviews of this rapidly-growing field, and engages a broad audience with an interest in the neurobiology of language. The chapters do not attempt to provide exhaustive coverage, but rather present discussions of prominent questions posed by given topics. The volume opens with essential methodological chapters: Section I, Methods, covers the key techniques and technologies used to study the neurobiology of language today, with chapters structured along the basic divisions of the field. Section II addresses the neurobiology of language acquisition during healthy development and in response to challenges presented by congenital and acquired conditions. Section III covers the many facets of our articulate brain, or speech-language pathology, and the capacity for language production-written, spoken, and signed. Questions regarding how the brain comprehends meaning, including emotions at word and discourse levels, are addressed in Section IV. Finally, Section V reaches into broader territory, characterizing and contextualizing the neurobiology of language with respect to more fundamental neuroanatomical mechanisms and general cognitive domains.

Clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists are traditionally taught that cognition is mediated by the cortex and that subcortical brain regions mediate the coordination of movement. However, this argument can easily be challenged based upon the anatomic organization of the brain. The relationship between the prefrontal cortex/frontal lobes and basal ganglia is characterized by loops from these anterior brain regions to the striatum, the globus pallidus, and the thalamus, and then back to the frontal cortex. There is also a cerebrocerebellar system defined by projections from the cerebral cortex to the pontine nuclei, to the cerebellar cortex and deep cerebellar nuclei, to the red nucleus and then back to thalamus and cerebral cortex, including all regions of the frontal lobes. Therefore, both the cortical-striatal and cortical-cerebellar projections are anatomically defined as re-entrant systems that are obviously in a position to influence not only motor behavior, but also cognition and affect. This represents overwhelming evidence based upon neuroanatomy alone that subcortical regions play a role in cognition. The first half of this book defines the functional neuroanatomy of cortical-subcortical circuitries and establishes that since structure is related to function, what the basal ganglia and cerebellum do for movement they also do for cognition and emotion. The second half of the book examines neuropsychological assessment. Patients with lesions restricted to the cerebellum and/or basal ganglia have been described as exhibiting a variety of cognitive deficits on neuropsychological tests. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that higher-level cognitive functions such as attention, executive functioning, language, visuospatial processing, and learning and memory are affected by subcortical pathologies. There is also considerable evidence that the basal ganglia and cerebellum play a critical role in the regulation of affect and emotion. These brain regions are an integral part of the brain’s executive system. The ability to apply new methodologies clinically is essential in the evaluation of disorders with subcortical pathology, including various developmental disorders (broadly defined to include learning disorders and certain psychiatric conditions), for the purpose of gaining greater understanding of these conditions and developing appropriate methodologies for treatment. The book is organized around three sources of evidence: neuroanatomical connections; patients with various disease processes; experimental studies, including various imaging techniques. These three sources of data present compelling evidence that the basal ganglia and cerebellum are involved in cognition, affect, and emotion. The question is no longer if these subcortical regions are involved in these processes, but instead, how they are involved. The book is also organized around two basic concepts: (1) the functional neuroanatomy of the basal ganglia and the cerebellum; and (2) how this relates to behavior and neuropsychological testing. Cognitive neuroscience is entering a new era as we recognize the roles of subcortical structures in the modulation of cognition. The fields of neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychiatry, and neurology are all developing in the direction of understanding the roles of subcortical structures in behavior. This book is informative while defining the need and direction for new paradigms and methodologies for neuropsychological assessment.

The thalamus plays a critical role in perceptual processing, but many questions remain about what thalamic activities contribute to sensory and motor functions. In this book, two pioneers in research on the thalamus examine the close two-way relationships between thalamus and cerebral cortex and look at the distinctive functions of the links between the thalamus and the rest of the brain. Countering the dominant "corticocentric" approach to understanding the cerebral cortex—which does not recognize that all neocortical areas receive important inputs from the thalamus and send outputs to lower motor centers—S. Murray Sherman and R. W. Guillery argue for a reappraisal of the way we think about the cortex and its interactions with the rest of the brain. The book defines some of the functional categories critical to understanding thalamic functions, including the distinctions between drivers (pathways that carry messages to the cortex) and modulators (which can change the pattern of transmission) and between first-order and higher-order thalamic relays—the former receiving ascending drivers and the latter receiving cortical drivers. This second edition further develops these distinctions with expanded emphasis throughout the book on the role of the thalamus in cortical function. An important new chapter suggests a structural basis for linking perception and action, supplying supporting evidence for a link often overlooked in current views of perceptual processing.

Subcortical Stroke is a new and fully revised edition of Lacunar and Other Subcortical Infarctions (OUP, 1995). Stroke is one of the most common causes of death and subcortical stroke accounts for 20-30% of all cerebrovascular infarctions. Our understanding of stroke processes in general, and subcortical stroke in particular, has advanced considerably in recent years. Research findings from the fields of neurochemistry, imaging and genetics have provided insight and input to our understanding of this condition, and this new edition provides an opportunity to describe these advances, and to relate the findings to the clinical expression, neural mechanism, prognosis and treatment of subcortical stroke. In addition, new subcortical syndromes such as CADASIL are covered, as is subcortical haemorrhage. This book presents a comprehensive and authoritative review of the field with contributions from the leading international experts. Subcortical Stroke is for stroke physicians, neurologists and those researching cerebrovascular diseases.

Takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the brain to demonstrate how language is processed.

Recent advances in the understanding of brain functions are reviewed in this text, along with how neurobiological research and brain imaging contributes to identifying and treating neurologic and psychiatric disorders. Chapters focus on consciousness, memory, emotions, language, communication, trauma, pain and resilience, while exploring how stressful events impact mental health and interrupt the continuity of one's sense of self. Clinical vignettes of patients with neurological and mental affections reveal coping and grieving processes in dreams and narratives. This presentation of clinical experience with neuro-scientific evidence provides neurologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and psychologists with a coherent picture of the brain-mind relationship.

Fully updated and revised according to student feedback, the sixth edition of Mayo Clinic Medical Neurosciences: Organized by Neurologic System and Level provides a systematic approach to anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the nervous system inspired by the neurologist's approach to solving clinical problems. This volume has 4 sections: 1) an overview of the neurosciences necessary for understanding anatomical localization and pathophysiologic characterization of neurologic disorders; 2) an approach to localizing lesions in the 7 longitudinal systems of the nervous system; 3) an approach to localizing lesions in the 4 horizontal levels of the nervous system; and 4) a collection of clinical problems. This book provides the neuroscience framework to support the neurologist in a clinical setting and is also a great resource for neurology and psychiatry board certifications. This is the perfect guide for all medical students and neurology, psychiatry, and physical medicine residents at early stages of training. New to This Edition - A chapter devoted to multiple-choice questions for self-assessment - Discussion of emerging concepts in molecular, cellular, and system neurosciences - New chapters on emotion and consciousness systems - Incorporation of new discoveries in neuroimaging and an appendix for tables of medications commonly used to treat neurologic disorders

This book introduces the reader to both neurolinguistics per se and the neuropsychological aspects of bilingualism. Neurolinguistics may roughly be defined as a subset of neuropsychology, namely the study of the representation and processing of language in the brain. To this effect, the first chapters of the book focus on the basic neuropsychology of language processing and acquisition. The second half of the book addresses the issues of cerebral representation and processing of language in bi-or multilingual subjects. All aspects are systematically dealt with, namely the definition of bilingualism; an analysis of all the issues related to bilingual aphasia, i.e. patterns of recovery of the patients' carious languages in diverse population; an investigation of the methodologies used in the study of the neuropsychological aspects of the various linguistic functions, such as comprehension, production and translation; and lastly, the issues of cerebral lateralization and neuroanatomical localization of the numerous cortical and subcortical structures subserving the various language system components in multilingual subjects. It is an excellent introduction to both the neuropsychology of language and the phenomena related to bilingualism. This book will be of particular interest to students of language therapy, aphasiology, applied psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics and, in general, to students of medicine who wish to become more knowledgeable about the specific needs of patients in a multilingual society.