Reduced left lateralization of language in congenitally blind individuals
Open accessAbstract
Language processing depends on a left-lateralized network of frontotemporal cortical regions. This network is remarkably consistent across individuals and cultures. However, there is also evidence that developmental factors, such as delayed exposure to language, can modify this network. Recently, it has been found that, in congenitally blind individuals, the typical frontotemporal language network expands to include parts of “visual” cortices. Here, we report that blindness is also associated with reduced left lateralization in frontotemporal language areas. We analyzed fMRI data from two samples of congenitally blind adults (n = 19 and n = 13) and one sample of congenitally blind children (n = 20). Laterality indices were computed for sentence comprehension relative to three different control conditions: solving math equations (Experiment 1), a memory task with nonwords (Experiment 2), and a “does this come next?” task with music (Experiment 3). Across experiments and participant samples, the frontotemporal language network was less left-lateralized in congenitally blind than in sighted individuals. Reduction in left lateralization was not related to Braille reading ability or amount of occipital plasticity. Notably, we observed a positive correlation between the lateralization of frontotemporal cortex and that of language-responsive occipital areas in blind individuals. Blind individuals with right-lateralized language responses in frontotemporal cortices also had right-lateralized occipital responses to language. Together, these results reveal a modified neurobiology of language in blindness. Our findings suggest that, despite its usual consistency across people, the neurobiology of language can be modified by nonlinguistic experiences.
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Recent studies of language function recovery after stroke, long-term plasticity of language organization in the blind, and a recent review continue to focus on language-network nodes, frontotemporal language areas, and temporal and inferior frontal regions.
“For instance, a recent study of language function recovery after stroke (Del Gaizo et al., 2017) used Connectome-Dynamics Lesion Symptom Mapping to identify changes to network structure that are caused by lesions and their correlation with language function.”
From Grounding the neurobiology of language in first principles: The necessity of non-language-centric explanations for language comprehension (2018) · cites this paper as Lane et al., 2017
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Self-citationFunctional lateralization of tool-sound and action-word processing in a bilingual brain
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A conceptual framework for plasticity in the developing brain.
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“Visual” Cortices of Congenitally Blind Adults Respond to Executive Demands AuthorsPreprint
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Visual experience shapes functional connectivity between occipital and non-visual networks
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Language Development in Blind Children
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Semantic representations in the visual cortex of blind and sighted humansPreprint
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Visual experience shapes functional connectivity between occipital and non-visual networksPreprint
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Self-citation感觉通道与经验剥夺对阅读神经基础的影响——来自盲文触觉阅读的证据
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Lexical and Semantic Coding in the Occipital Cortex of Sighted and BlindPreprint
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- Authors
- Lane, C., Kanjlia, S., Richardson, H., Fulton, A., Omaki, A., & Bedny, M.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Publisher
- MIT Press - Journals
- Published
- 2017-01-01
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 65-78
- ISSN
- 0898-929X (ISSN-L)
- 1530-8898
- OpenAlex
- W2523213879
- Cited by
- 58
- References
- 76
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4
- FWCI
- 2.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Hemispheric Asymmetry in Neuroscience
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Keywords
- congenital blindness, left lateralization, language processing, sentence comprehension, Braille reading, neuroplasticity, right hemisphere language
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Blindness, Brain, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Language, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Memory, Middle Aged, Music, Neural Pathways, Neuropsychological Tests, Problem Solving, Mathematical Concepts, Young Adult
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