White-matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts Mandarin Chinese learning success
Second language learning becomes increasingly difficult with age, but some adults learn more successfully than others. We examined whether inter-subject variability in the microstructure of white matter pathways, as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), would predict native English speakers�...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Elsevier
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/112158 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4812-8842 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9198-6535 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1158-5692 |
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| author | Qi, Zhenghan Han, Michelle Garel, Keri-Lee A San Chen, Ee Gabrieli, John D. E. |
| author2 | Institute for Medical Engineering and Science |
| author_facet | Institute for Medical Engineering and Science Qi, Zhenghan Han, Michelle Garel, Keri-Lee A San Chen, Ee Gabrieli, John D. E. |
| author_sort | Qi, Zhenghan |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Second language learning becomes increasingly difficult with age, but some adults learn more successfully than others. We examined whether inter-subject variability in the microstructure of white matter pathways, as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), would predict native English speakers' outcomes in learning Mandarin Chinese. Twenty-one adults were scanned before participating in an intensive 4-week Mandarin course. At the end of the Mandarin course, participants completed a final exam that assessed their skills in both spoken and written Mandarin. Individual participants' white-matter tracts were reconstructed from their native DTI data and related to final-exam performance. Superior language learning was correlated with DTI measures in the right hemisphere, but not in the left hemisphere. In particular, greater initial fractional anisotropy (FA) in both the right superior longitudinal fasciculus (parietal bundle) and the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus was associated with more successful Mandarin learning. The relation between white-matter structure in the right hemisphere of native English speakers and successful initial language learning may reflect the tonal and visuo-spatial properties, respectively, of spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:37:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/112158 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:37:17Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1121582022-09-27T10:06:16Z White-matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts Mandarin Chinese learning success Qi, Zhenghan Han, Michelle Garel, Keri-Lee A San Chen, Ee Gabrieli, John D. E. Institute for Medical Engineering and Science Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT Qi, Zhenghan Han, Michelle Garel, Keri-Lee A San Chen, Ee Gabrieli, John D. E. Second language learning becomes increasingly difficult with age, but some adults learn more successfully than others. We examined whether inter-subject variability in the microstructure of white matter pathways, as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), would predict native English speakers' outcomes in learning Mandarin Chinese. Twenty-one adults were scanned before participating in an intensive 4-week Mandarin course. At the end of the Mandarin course, participants completed a final exam that assessed their skills in both spoken and written Mandarin. Individual participants' white-matter tracts were reconstructed from their native DTI data and related to final-exam performance. Superior language learning was correlated with DTI measures in the right hemisphere, but not in the left hemisphere. In particular, greater initial fractional anisotropy (FA) in both the right superior longitudinal fasciculus (parietal bundle) and the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus was associated with more successful Mandarin learning. The relation between white-matter structure in the right hemisphere of native English speakers and successful initial language learning may reflect the tonal and visuo-spatial properties, respectively, of spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. 2017-11-09T18:18:38Z 2017-11-09T18:18:38Z 2014-09 2014-08 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0911-6044 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/112158 Qi, Zhenghan et al. “White-Matter Structure in the Right Hemisphere Predicts Mandarin Chinese Learning Success.” Journal of Neurolinguistics 33 (February 2015): 14–28 © 2015 Elsevier https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4812-8842 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9198-6535 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1158-5692 en_US https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneuroling.2014.08.004 Journal of Neurolinguistics Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ application/pdf Elsevier Elsevier |
| spellingShingle | Qi, Zhenghan Han, Michelle Garel, Keri-Lee A San Chen, Ee Gabrieli, John D. E. White-matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts Mandarin Chinese learning success |
| title | White-matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts Mandarin Chinese learning success |
| title_full | White-matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts Mandarin Chinese learning success |
| title_fullStr | White-matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts Mandarin Chinese learning success |
| title_full_unstemmed | White-matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts Mandarin Chinese learning success |
| title_short | White-matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts Mandarin Chinese learning success |
| title_sort | white matter structure in the right hemisphere predicts mandarin chinese learning success |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/112158 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4812-8842 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9198-6535 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1158-5692 |
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