Pub Date : 2025-11-15DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.011
Chen Feng , Mingjun Zhai , Qingqing Qu
Long-term semantic systems are specialized for taxonomic and thematic relations. In the present study, we investigated the influence of taxonomic and thematic relations on object naming. Leveraging the existing dataset (N = 32) and expanding the sample (total N = 48). Using a blocked cyclic naming paradigm, we explored semantic effects within both taxonomic and thematic contexts, using an identical set of stimuli. A set of sixteen objects was categorized into either a taxonomic context or a thematic context. Our results show that both contexts trigger semantic interference, with a more pronounced interference in the taxonomic context than in the thematic context. The taxonomic context modulated event-related potentials (ERPs) within the time windows of 134–456 msec after picture onset, while the thematic context modulated ERPs in 230–362 msec after picture onset. These results reveal larger and earlier effects of taxonomic relations compared to thematic relations, indicating that taxonomic relation prevails in object naming.
{"title":"Taxonomic semantic relation prevails in object naming: Larger and earlier effects of taxonomic relation compared to thematic relation","authors":"Chen Feng , Mingjun Zhai , Qingqing Qu","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Long-term semantic systems are specialized for taxonomic and thematic relations. In the present study, we investigated the influence of taxonomic and thematic relations on object naming. Leveraging the existing dataset (N = 32) and expanding the sample (total N = 48). Using a blocked cyclic naming paradigm, we explored semantic effects within both taxonomic and thematic contexts, using an identical set of stimuli. A set of sixteen objects was categorized into either a taxonomic context or a thematic context. Our results show that both contexts trigger semantic interference, with a more pronounced interference in the taxonomic context than in the thematic context. The taxonomic context modulated event-related potentials (ERPs) within the time windows of 134–456 msec after picture onset, while the thematic context modulated ERPs in 230–362 msec after picture onset. These results reveal larger and earlier effects of taxonomic relations compared to thematic relations, indicating that taxonomic relation prevails in object naming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"194 ","pages":"Pages 22-34"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145622895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-15DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.11.003
Jarrad A.G. Lum , Christine N. Moreau , Li-Ann Leow , Welber Marinovic , Sarah J. Lum , Marc F. Joanisse , Laura J. Batterink
Children's ability to extract statistical regularities from speech is considered fundamental to lexical, syntactic, and grammatical development. However, the neural oscillatory mechanisms supporting this process in childhood remains poorly understood. While beta-band oscillations have been linked to statistical learning in visual and motor domains, it is unclear whether similar dynamics support auditory statistical learning in children. In this study, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from children aged 8–12 years as they listened to a continuous stream of trisyllabic nonwords (e.g., dapiku), where syllable order within each nonword was fixed (high predictability), but transitions between nonwords were variable (low predictability). Beta power was significantly lower for the more predictable second and third syllables relative to the less predictable first syllable. This effect emerged only after repeated exposure and was localised to left prefrontal electrodes. Beta power also correlated with post-exposure recognition accuracy. Additional learning-related modulations were observed in the theta-alpha and delta-theta bands, suggesting broader oscillatory engagement. These findings indicate that auditory statistical learning in middle childhood engages frequency-specific neural dynamics, with beta power modulations showing parallel effects to those observed in other modalities.
{"title":"Beta-band modulation reveals the cortical dynamics of auditory statistical learning in children","authors":"Jarrad A.G. Lum , Christine N. Moreau , Li-Ann Leow , Welber Marinovic , Sarah J. Lum , Marc F. Joanisse , Laura J. Batterink","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.11.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.11.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children's ability to extract statistical regularities from speech is considered fundamental to lexical, syntactic, and grammatical development. However, the neural oscillatory mechanisms supporting this process in childhood remains poorly understood. While beta-band oscillations have been linked to statistical learning in visual and motor domains, it is unclear whether similar dynamics support auditory statistical learning in children. In this study, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from children aged 8–12 years as they listened to a continuous stream of trisyllabic nonwords (e.g., dapiku), where syllable order within each nonword was fixed (high predictability), but transitions between nonwords were variable (low predictability). Beta power was significantly lower for the more predictable second and third syllables relative to the less predictable first syllable. This effect emerged only after repeated exposure and was localised to left prefrontal electrodes. Beta power also correlated with post-exposure recognition accuracy. Additional learning-related modulations were observed in the theta-alpha and delta-theta bands, suggesting broader oscillatory engagement. These findings indicate that auditory statistical learning in middle childhood engages frequency-specific neural dynamics, with beta power modulations showing parallel effects to those observed in other modalities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"194 ","pages":"Pages 35-49"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145660567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-11DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.11.001
Morten Storm Overgaard
I argue that cognitive neurorehabilitation is currently faced with important challenges for its progress. Whereas most challenges are already well-known and debated in the field, a relatively overlooked challenge is whether cognitive functions are multiply realized. I argue that this debate is central to progress in cognitive neurorehabilitation. I conclude arguing that progress is possible but requires methodological improvements to determine how and not just if a function is rehabilitated, and methods to decide whether two instances of a cognitive function are identical. The aim of this article is therefore twofold: first, to demonstrate why the question of multiple realization is not an abstract philosophical curiosity but a methodological bottleneck for research in cognitive neurorehabilitation, and–second - to suggest directions for empirical innovation that can help resolve whether observed recovery reflects restoration, compensation, or genuine multiple realization.
{"title":"Multiple realization in cognitive neurorehabilitation research","authors":"Morten Storm Overgaard","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.11.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.11.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>I argue that cognitive neurorehabilitation is currently faced with important challenges for its progress. Whereas most challenges are already well-known and debated in the field, a relatively overlooked challenge is whether cognitive functions are multiply realized. I argue that this debate is central to progress in cognitive neurorehabilitation. I conclude arguing that progress is possible but requires methodological improvements to determine how and not just if a function is rehabilitated, and methods to decide whether two instances of a cognitive function are identical. The aim of this article is therefore twofold: first, to demonstrate why the question of multiple realization is not an abstract philosophical curiosity but a methodological bottleneck for research in cognitive neurorehabilitation, and–second - to suggest directions for empirical innovation that can help resolve whether observed recovery reflects restoration, compensation, or genuine multiple realization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"193 ","pages":"Pages 191-196"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145569047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.010
Gal R. Chen , Eyal H. McMurray , Ran R. Hassin , Leon Y. Deouell
Cognitive scientists have long debated the capabilities of non-conscious perception, defined as the level of processing of external stimuli that people do not consciously experience. While much is known about non-conscious visual perception, the auditory modality has received less focus. Here, we examine the level of processing for audible and intelligible spoken words that participants did not notice while performing another difficult visual task. Using repeated occurrences of such inattentional deafness and awareness probes, we measure the non-conscious processing of undetected words. In two pre-registered EEG experiments (N = 67), detected words elicited a frontal followed by a parietal scalp positivity, compared to matched pseudowords. Undetected words, however, showed frontal positivity compared to pseudowords, which differed in distribution and latency from the response to detected words. An exploratory analysis revealed a behavioral interference of undetected words with visual task performance. Both markers of non-conscious processing were contingent on relevance, implying that auditory non-conscious processing is automatic yet goal-dependent. Overall, our results support flexible capabilities for non-conscious speech perception, consistent with the ability to integrate acoustic information over time.
{"title":"Neural markers of speech processing during inattentional deafness☆","authors":"Gal R. Chen , Eyal H. McMurray , Ran R. Hassin , Leon Y. Deouell","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cognitive scientists have long debated the capabilities of non-conscious perception, defined as the level of processing of external stimuli that people do not consciously experience. While much is known about non-conscious visual perception, the auditory modality has received less focus. Here, we examine the level of processing for audible and intelligible spoken words that participants did not notice while performing another difficult visual task. Using repeated occurrences of such inattentional deafness and awareness probes, we measure the non-conscious processing of undetected words. In two pre-registered EEG experiments (N = 67), detected words elicited a frontal followed by a parietal scalp positivity, compared to matched pseudowords. Undetected words, however, showed frontal positivity compared to pseudowords, which differed in distribution and latency from the response to detected words. An exploratory analysis revealed a behavioral interference of undetected words with visual task performance. Both markers of non-conscious processing were contingent on relevance, implying that auditory non-conscious processing is automatic yet goal-dependent. Overall, our results support flexible capabilities for non-conscious speech perception, consistent with the ability to integrate acoustic information over time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"193 ","pages":"Pages 144-159"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145548656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-06DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.008
Erin Duricy , Corrine Durisko , Julie A. Fiez
Numeracy, the foundation of mathematical processing, can be divided into two subcategories: approximate (quantity estimation) and precise numeracy (exact quantity). Loss of numeracy is commonly comorbid with aphasia following stroke, yet little is known about the neural basis of this relationship. We employed a support vector regression lesion-symptom mapping (SVR-LSM) analysis with N = 104 left hemisphere chronic stroke survivors to investigate the neural relationship between approximate and precise numeracy with language ability. Our results highlight key differences between how approximate and precise numeracy overlap with language processing regions. Approximate numeracy does not show a significant relationship to aphasia or language related regions, while precise numeracy shares considerable neural overlap with language areas and co-varies significantly with aphasia severity. The results support a priori hypotheses that the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) is crucially involved in approximation and additionally implicate regions including angular gyrus (AG), precentral gyrus, and anterior fusiform gyrus. In contrast, precise numeracy was linked to damage to the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), AG, and anterior temporal cortex, as well as the caudate nucleus, thalamus, and posterior temporal regions. Overall, we provide evidence of strong lesion-deficit associations demonstrating distinct neural patterns between precise and approximate numeracy impairments. Crucially, we demonstrate that these subcategories have contrasting relationships with language processing.
{"title":"Lesion-symptom mapping reveals differential relationships between language and precise versus approximate numeracy","authors":"Erin Duricy , Corrine Durisko , Julie A. Fiez","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numeracy, the foundation of mathematical processing, can be divided into two subcategories: approximate (quantity estimation) and precise numeracy (exact quantity). Loss of numeracy is commonly comorbid with aphasia following stroke, yet little is known about the neural basis of this relationship. We employed a support vector regression lesion-symptom mapping (SVR-LSM) analysis with N = 104 left hemisphere chronic stroke survivors to investigate the neural relationship between approximate and precise numeracy with language ability. Our results highlight key differences between how approximate and precise numeracy overlap with language processing regions. Approximate numeracy does not show a significant relationship to aphasia or language related regions, while precise numeracy shares considerable neural overlap with language areas and co-varies significantly with aphasia severity. The results support <em>a priori</em> hypotheses that the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) is crucially involved in approximation and additionally implicate regions including angular gyrus (AG), precentral gyrus, and anterior fusiform gyrus. In contrast, precise numeracy was linked to damage to the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), AG, and anterior temporal cortex, as well as the caudate nucleus, thalamus, and posterior temporal regions. Overall, we provide evidence of strong lesion-deficit associations demonstrating distinct neural patterns between precise and approximate numeracy impairments. Crucially, we demonstrate that these subcategories have contrasting relationships with language processing.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"193 ","pages":"Pages 117-133"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145539459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-06DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.009
Carl Michael Galang , Michael Jenkins , Taryn Sanders , Ruchi Vijh , Sukhvinder S. Obhi
Previous EEG research has shown that observing others in pain increases sensorimotor activity, as indexed by Mu (7–12 Hz) and Beta (13–30 Hz) desynchronization. Such activity is often interpreted as reflecting empathic processing through shared neural representations between the observer and target. In everyday life, observing another in pain can trigger a range of potential action tendencies (e.g., withdrawing, helping, or protecting oneself), but EEG studies typically restrict movement to avoid artifacts. This immobility may produce an artificial scenario that limits our understanding of how motor readiness and empathic processing interact. The present study examined whether engaging the motor system (via a simple key press) modulates these neural responses. Participants observed videos and pictures of a hand being stabbed by a needle or touched by a Q-tip. In half of the blocks, they prepared and executed a speeded key press to a Go signal; in the other half, they remained still. Results revealed Mu and Beta desynchronization during pain observation regardless of movement condition, replicating prior findings. These effects were unrelated to reaction times or empathy traits, suggesting that sensorimotor resonance during pain observation reflects a stable response rather than one contingent on task-specific motor preparation.
{"title":"Motor preparation during pain observation does not influence event-related Mu and Beta desynchronization","authors":"Carl Michael Galang , Michael Jenkins , Taryn Sanders , Ruchi Vijh , Sukhvinder S. Obhi","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous EEG research has shown that observing others in pain increases sensorimotor activity, as indexed by Mu (7–12 Hz) and Beta (13–30 Hz) desynchronization. Such activity is often interpreted as reflecting empathic processing through shared neural representations between the observer and target. In everyday life, observing another in pain can trigger a range of potential action tendencies (e.g., withdrawing, helping, or protecting oneself), but EEG studies typically restrict movement to avoid artifacts. This immobility may produce an artificial scenario that limits our understanding of how motor readiness and empathic processing interact. The present study examined whether engaging the motor system (via a simple key press) modulates these neural responses. Participants observed videos and pictures of a hand being stabbed by a needle or touched by a Q-tip. In half of the blocks, they prepared and executed a speeded key press to a Go signal; in the other half, they remained still. Results revealed Mu and Beta desynchronization during pain observation regardless of movement condition, replicating prior findings. These effects were unrelated to reaction times or empathy traits, suggesting that sensorimotor resonance during pain observation reflects a stable response rather than one contingent on task-specific motor preparation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"193 ","pages":"Pages 160-170"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145556433","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-05DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.007
Natacha Cordonier , Olivier Piguet
Beyond their predominant language impairments, primary progressive aphasias (PPA) are also marked by non-linguistic cognitive deficits. Among these, social cognition deficits have been understudied, particularly in the non-fluent (nfvPPA) and logopenic (lvPPA) variants. This review synthesizes behavioural and imaging data on emotion recognition, empathy, and theory of mind (ToM) in nfvPPA and lvPPA, and examines their potential contribution to the differential diagnosis. Evidence suggests that both variants exhibit social cognition deficits. Emotion recognition deficits are observed from disease onset in nfvPPA and lvPPA, although performance varies across modalities and tasks. Empathy appears relatively preserved in early stages, with cognitive aspects showing more variability than affective empathy. Theory of mind is consistently impaired in nfvPPA but remains largely unexplored in lvPPA. Limited comparative research and lack of ToM studies in lvPPA constrain our understanding of variant-specific profiles. However, combining emotion recognition with other cognitive measures shows potential to improve classification of these variants. Similarly, a more rapid decline in empathy in nfvPPA could contribute to differential diagnosis as the disease progresses. Finally, hypotheses based on anatomo-clinical correlates suggest distinct ToM deficits between variants. By highlighting variant-specific profiles and gaps in research, this review provides a comprehensive framework to guide future research, improve diagnostic accuracy and inform clinical management of these syndromes.
{"title":"Social cognition in the nonfluent and logopenic variants of primary progressive aphasia: A review of variant-specific profiles","authors":"Natacha Cordonier , Olivier Piguet","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Beyond their predominant language impairments, primary progressive aphasias (PPA) are also marked by non-linguistic cognitive deficits. Among these, social cognition deficits have been understudied, particularly in the non-fluent (nfvPPA) and logopenic (lvPPA) variants. This review synthesizes behavioural and imaging data on emotion recognition, empathy, and theory of mind (ToM) in nfvPPA and lvPPA, and examines their potential contribution to the differential diagnosis. Evidence suggests that both variants exhibit social cognition deficits. Emotion recognition deficits are observed from disease onset in nfvPPA and lvPPA, although performance varies across modalities and tasks. Empathy appears relatively preserved in early stages, with cognitive aspects showing more variability than affective empathy. Theory of mind is consistently impaired in nfvPPA but remains largely unexplored in lvPPA. Limited comparative research and lack of ToM studies in lvPPA constrain our understanding of variant-specific profiles. However, combining emotion recognition with other cognitive measures shows potential to improve classification of these variants. Similarly, a more rapid decline in empathy in nfvPPA could contribute to differential diagnosis as the disease progresses. Finally, hypotheses based on anatomo-clinical correlates suggest distinct ToM deficits between variants. By highlighting variant-specific profiles and gaps in research, this review provides a comprehensive framework to guide future research, improve diagnostic accuracy and inform clinical management of these syndromes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"193 ","pages":"Pages 171-190"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145556391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-03DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.005
Imke Wets , Vitória Piai , Lize Jiskoot , Esther van den Berg , Nikki Janssen , Lotte Hogeweg , Marina B. Ruiter , Helen de Hoop
Discourse production, including the use of discourse particles, is crucial in everyday communication. Discourse particles (e.g., ja ‘yeah’) form a heterogeneous group of words that fulfil different functions such as structuring the discourse or marking the relationship between the hearer and speaker. Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative language condition that causes communication breakdowns. In this study, we examined the production of discourse particles by 58 Dutch-speaking individuals with PPA and 40 neurologically healthy speakers (NHS). We analysed language samples obtained from a picture description task for the use of discourse particles, comprising both discourse particles that require an assessment of the interlocutor's discourse belief (e.g., eigenlijk ‘actually’) as well as discourse particles with a more general discourse-structuring function (e.g., ja ‘yeah’ nee ‘no’, nou ‘well’). We found that individuals with PPA used the discourse particle ja 'yeah' more frequently than NHS (p < .001) relative to eigenlijk. The results also showed that the discourse particles nee ‘no’ and nou ‘well’ were used differently by individuals with PPA versus NHS. These discourse particles were employed by individuals with PPA to signal or manage word-finding difficulties. The findings underline the variety in functions and complexity of discourse markers. Studying and comparing the use of individual particles by speakers with a neurodegenerative language disorder is therefore not only informative to understand these disorders but also provides more insight into the heterogeneity of the class of discourse particles.
{"title":"The use of discourse particles in oral picture description by individuals with primary progressive aphasia","authors":"Imke Wets , Vitória Piai , Lize Jiskoot , Esther van den Berg , Nikki Janssen , Lotte Hogeweg , Marina B. Ruiter , Helen de Hoop","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.10.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Discourse production, including the use of discourse particles, is crucial in everyday communication. Discourse particles (e.g., <em>ja</em> ‘yeah’) form a heterogeneous group of words that fulfil different functions such as structuring the discourse or marking the relationship between the hearer and speaker. Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative language condition that causes communication breakdowns. In this study, we examined the production of discourse particles by 58 Dutch-speaking individuals with PPA and 40 neurologically healthy speakers (NHS). We analysed language samples obtained from a picture description task for the use of discourse particles, comprising both discourse particles that require an assessment of the interlocutor's discourse belief (e.g., <em>eigenlijk</em> ‘actually’) as well as discourse particles with a more general discourse-structuring function (e.g., <em>ja</em> ‘yeah’ <em>nee</em> ‘no’<em>, nou</em> ‘well’). We found that individuals with PPA used the discourse particle <em>ja</em> 'yeah' more frequently than NHS (<em>p</em> < .001) relative to <em>eigenlijk</em>. The results also showed that the discourse particles <em>nee</em> ‘no’ and <em>nou</em> ‘well’ were used differently by individuals with PPA versus NHS. These discourse particles were employed by individuals with PPA to signal or manage word-finding difficulties. The findings underline the variety in functions and complexity of discourse markers. Studying and comparing the use of individual particles by speakers with a neurodegenerative language disorder is therefore not only informative to understand these disorders but also provides more insight into the heterogeneity of the class of discourse particles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"193 ","pages":"Pages 134-143"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145548661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2025.07.017
Shao-Yang Tsai , Jan Nasemann , Hermann J. Müller , Zhuanghua Shi
The mechanisms involved in handling task-irrelevant distractors remain a topic of debate. This study investigated how spatial and feature-based attentional templates influence distractor handling. Participants searched for a target located in a known region while ignoring the distractor region. The distractor either shared the features of the target, or differed by dimension, or varied by modality. Behaviorally, distractors that matched the target features caused the most interference, more so than those differing in dimension or modality. EEG results revealed that N2pc amplitudes increased for lateral distractors, particularly when distractors shared features with the target. Cross-modal distractors elicited a distinct central contralateral negativity (CCN), but did not impair search performance. Both the CCN and positive posterior contralateral (Ppc) components indicated early sensory registration of lateralized distractors, ruling out the Ppc as a marker of early distractor suppression. These findings support the 'down-weighting' hypothesis, showing that distractors can be registered without further attentional engagement. N2pc findings also suggest that the spatial template acted through "distractor location shielding" rather than "target location enhancement”. Our results suggest that effective distractor handling via distractor-location shielding and feature/dimension-based down-weighting may render proactive or reactive suppression mechanisms, typically reflected by the PD (Distractor Positivity) component, unnecessary.
{"title":"Distractors sharing critical target features summon, but do not engage, attention: An EEG study ☆","authors":"Shao-Yang Tsai , Jan Nasemann , Hermann J. Müller , Zhuanghua Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.07.017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cortex.2025.07.017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The mechanisms involved in handling task-irrelevant distractors remain a topic of debate. This study investigated how spatial and feature-based attentional templates influence distractor handling. Participants searched for a target located in a known region while ignoring the distractor region. The distractor either shared the features of the target, or differed by dimension, or varied by modality. Behaviorally, distractors that matched the target features caused the most interference, more so than those differing in dimension or modality. EEG results revealed that N2pc amplitudes increased for lateral distractors, particularly when distractors shared features with the target. Cross-modal distractors elicited a distinct central contralateral negativity (CCN), but did not impair search performance. Both the CCN and positive posterior contralateral (Ppc) components indicated early sensory registration of lateralized distractors, ruling out the Ppc as a marker of early distractor suppression. These findings support the 'down-weighting' hypothesis, showing that distractors can be registered without further attentional engagement. N2pc findings also suggest that the spatial template acted through \"distractor location shielding\" rather than \"target location enhancement”. Our results suggest that effective distractor handling via distractor-location shielding and feature/dimension-based down-weighting may render proactive or reactive suppression mechanisms, typically reflected by the P<sub><sub>D</sub></sub> (Distractor Positivity) component, unnecessary.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10758,"journal":{"name":"Cortex","volume":"192 ","pages":"Pages 285-304"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145205629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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