The Visual Word Form Area Colocalizes with Language Networks
Anna Seydell-Greenwald, Natalya Vladyko, Catherine E. Chambers, William Gaillard, Barbara Landau, and Elissa L. Newport
(see article e0924242024)
The ability to read typically relies on the visual word form area (VWFA) in the left hemisphere of the brain, which responds to written characters more strongly than it does to other kinds of visual stimuli. In this issue, Seydell-Greenwald et al. provide fMRI evidence to support the idea that left lateralization of the VWFA is due to its colocalization with the left hemisphere language network. Using a sample of people with rare right hemisphere language dominance due to left hemisphere injury from perinatal stroke, the authors found that these individuals have right-lateralized VWFA. Beyond offering support for the colocalization theory, this work is also informative from a treatment perspective. These findings suggest that if there is damage or injury to the left VWFA early in life, facilitating the development of a functional language system in the right VWFA may aid in the rehabilitation of reading skills.
Voxelwise analysis of the association between amyloid-beta pathology, measured by 18F-florbetapir standardized uptake value ratio, and temporal mnemonic discrimination. See Vanderlip et al. for more information.
Probing the Utility of an Early Arising Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker
Casey Vanderlip, Lisa Taylor, Soyun Kim, Alyssa L. Harris, Nandita Tuteja et al.
(see article e1605242025)
Accumulation of cerebral amyloid-beta precedes cognitive impairments that clinicians observe in Alzheimer's disease patients by up to three decades. This pathophysiology may therefore help clinicians predict whether patients are at risk for Alzheimer's disease. To explore the potential clinical utility of this early arising biomarker, Vanderlip et al. assessed whether cerebral amyloid-beta contributes to observable subtle memory deficits. In a sample of over 100 people, the authors found that amyloid-beta accumulation in regions of the basal frontotemporal cortex indeed contributes to loss of a specific form of memory prior to the onset of symptoms. This form of memory, called temporal mnemonic discrimination, is the ability to distinguish between events occurring at different times. This type of memory did not decline in age-matched controls. According to the authors, these findings suggest that clinical assessments probing temporal mnemonic discrimination may be a useful early diagnostic tool.
Footnotes
This Week in The Journal was written by Paige McKeon
