Occupation-modulated Language Networks and Its Lateralization: A Resting-state FMRI Study of Seafarers

Overview

Journal Front Hum Neurosci

Specialty Neurology

Date 2023 Mar 30

PMID 36992794

Authors

Huijun Wu

Deyuan Peng

Hongjie Yan

Yang Yang

Min Xu

Weiming Zeng

Chunqi Chang

Nizhuan Wang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: Studies have revealed that the language network of Broca's area and Wernicke's area is modulated by factors such as disease, gender, aging, and handedness. However, how occupational factors modulate the language network remains unclear.

Methods: In this study, taking professional seafarers as an example, we explored the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the language network with seeds (the original and flipped Broca's area and Wernicke's area).

Results: The results showed seafarers had weakened RSFC of Broca's area with the left superior/middle frontal gyrus and left precentral gyrus, and enhanced RSFC of Wernicke's area with the cingulate and precuneus. Further, seafarers had a less right-lateralized RSFC with Broca's area in the left inferior frontal gyrus, while the controls showed a left-lateralized RSFC pattern in Broca's area and a right-lateralized one in Wernicke's area. Moreover, seafarers displayed stronger RSFC with the left seeds of Broca's area and Wernicke's area.

Discussion: These findings suggest that years of working experience significantly modulates the RSFC of language networks and their lateralization, providing rich insights into language networks and occupational neuroplasticity.

References

Shi Y, Zeng W, Wang N . SCGICAR: Spatial concatenation based group ICA with reference for fMRI data analysis. Comput Methods Programs Biomed. 2017; 148:137-151. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2017.07.001. View

Stipdonk L, Boon R, Franken M, van Rosmalen J, Goedegebure A, Reiss I . Language lateralization in very preterm children: associating dichotic listening to interhemispheric connectivity and language performance. Pediatr Res. 2021; 91(7):1841-1848. DOI: 10.1038/s41390-021-01671-8. View

Cerri G, Cabinio M, Blasi V, Borroni P, Iadanza A, Fava E . The mirror neuron system and the strange case of Broca's area. Hum Brain Mapp. 2014; 36(3):1010-27. PMC: 6869026. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22682. View

Chao-Gan Y, Yu-Feng Z . DPARSF: A MATLAB Toolbox for "Pipeline" Data Analysis of Resting-State fMRI. Front Syst Neurosci. 2010; 4:13. PMC: 2889691. DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2010.00013. View

Sepeta L, Berl M, Wilke M, You X, Mehta M, Xu B . Age-dependent mesial temporal lobe lateralization in language fMRI. Epilepsia. 2015; 57(1):122-30. PMC: 4749038. DOI: 10.1111/epi.13258. View

Zuo X, Xu T, Jiang L, Yang Z, Cao X, He Y . Toward reliable characterization of functional homogeneity in the human brain: preprocessing, scan duration, imaging resolution and computational space. Neuroimage. 2012; 65:374-86. PMC: 3609711. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.10.017. View

Kringelbach M, Berridge K . The Affective Core of Emotion: Linking Pleasure, Subjective Well-Being, and Optimal Metastability in the Brain. Emot Rev. 2017; 9(3):191-199. PMC: 5604465. DOI: 10.1177/1754073916684558. View

Agcaoglu O, Muetzel R, Rashid B, White T, Tiemeier H, Calhoun V . Lateralization of Resting-State Networks in Children: Association with Age, Sex, Handedness, Intelligence Quotient, and Behavior. Brain Connect. 2021; 12(3):246-259. PMC: 9058867. DOI: 10.1089/brain.2020.0863. View

Sulpizio S, Del Maschio N, Mauro G, Fedeli D, Abutalebi J . Bilingualism as a gradient measure modulates functional connectivity of language and control networks. Neuroimage. 2019; 205:116306. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116306. View

10.

Wang N, Zeng W, Shi Y, Yan H . Brain Functional Plasticity Driven by Career Experience: A Resting-State fMRI Study of the Seafarer. Front Psychol. 2017; 8:1786. PMC: 5641626. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01786. View

11.

Murphy K, Birn R, Handwerker D, Jones T, Bandettini P . The impact of global signal regression on resting state correlations: are anti-correlated networks introduced?. Neuroimage. 2008; 44(3):893-905. PMC: 2750906. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2008.09.036. View

12.

Yan H, Wu H, Chen Y, Yang Y, Xu M, Zeng W . Dynamical Complexity Fingerprints of Occupation-Dependent Brain Functional Networks in Professional Seafarers. Front Neurosci. 2022; 16:830808. PMC: 8973415. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.830808. View

13.

Hassabis D, Maguire E . Deconstructing episodic memory with construction. Trends Cogn Sci. 2007; 11(7):299-306. DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2007.05.001. View

14.

Shi Y, Zeng W, Wang N . The Brain Alteration of Seafarer Revealed by Activated Functional Connectivity Mode in fMRI Data Analysis. Front Hum Neurosci. 2021; 15:656638. PMC: 8100688. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.656638. View

15.

Wang N, Zeng W, Chen L . SACICA: a sparse approximation coefficient-based ICA model for functional magnetic resonance imaging data analysis. J Neurosci Methods. 2013; 216(1):49-61. DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2013.03.014. View

16.

Wenger E, Schaefer S, Noack H, Kuhn S, Martensson J, Heinze H . Cortical thickness changes following spatial navigation training in adulthood and aging. Neuroimage. 2011; 59(4):3389-97. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.11.015. View

17.

van Ettinger-Veenstra H, Ragnehed M, Hallgren M, Karlsson T, Landtblom A, Lundberg P . Right-hemispheric brain activation correlates to language performance. Neuroimage. 2009; 49(4):3481-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.10.041. View

18.

Wang Y, Xue G, Chen C, Xue F, Dong Q . Neural bases of asymmetric language switching in second-language learners: an ER-fMRI study. Neuroimage. 2007; 35(2):862-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2006.09.054. View

19.

Chen Y, Xia W, Chen H, Feng Y, Xu J, Gu J . Tinnitus distress is linked to enhanced resting-state functional connectivity from the limbic system to the auditory cortex. Hum Brain Mapp. 2017; 38(5):2384-2397. PMC: 6866871. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23525. View

20.

Wang N, Zeng W, Chen D . A Novel Sparse Dictionary Learning Separation (SDLS) Model With Adaptive Dictionary Mutual Incoherence Constraint for fMRI Data Analysis. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2016; 63(11):2376-2389. DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2016.2533722. View