MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Cortex' source. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:05:41 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645048&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945212000147%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645048 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:23:23 +0100 5645048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645047&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945212000123%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645047 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:23:23 +0100 5645047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645046&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945212000111%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645046 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:23:23 +0100 5645046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636694&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211003297%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636694 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:42:05 +0100 5636694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636693&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211003273%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636693 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:42:05 +0100 5636693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636692&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211003261%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636692 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:42:05 +0100 5636692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636704&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002991%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Conclusions: Gliomas growing in the left VPCG are much more likely to cause speech deficits than gliomas infiltrating the IFG, including Broca’s area. Lesion extension to the AF connecting frontal to parietal and temporal regions is an important mechanism for the appearance of aphasia. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636704 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636705&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211003170%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Advances in our understanding of sensory-motor integration suggest a unique role of the frontal lobe circuits in cognition and behaviour. Long-range afferent connections convey higher order sensory information to the frontal cortex, which in turn responds to internal and external stimuli with flexible and adaptive behaviour. Long-range connections from and to frontal lobes have been described in detail in monkeys but little is known about short intralobar frontal connections mediating local connectivity in humans. Here we used spherical deconvolution diffusion tractography and post-mortem dissections to visualize the short frontal lobe connections of the human brain. We identified three intralobar tracts connecting: i) posterior Broca’s region with supplementary motor area (SMA... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636705 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557392&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211003054%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557392 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5557392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557391&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211003030%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557391 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5557391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557390&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211003029%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557390 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5557390 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636696&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002966%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Although the frontal lobes contain a large proportion of the total cerebral cortex in human brain, the epilepsies arising in this region are less studied and less well characterised than epilepsies arising in the mesial temporal lobe. Detailed studies of seizure semiology have identified a number of patterns of frontal lobe seizure, but with inconsistency across studies, and with limited evidence that specific patterns arise in specific discrete frontal lobe regions. In contrast to mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, there is no consistent pattern of cognitive impairment seen in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy, although some evidence exists to support the notion that cognitive function may be impaired. Given the rich interconnectivity between frontal lobes and many other brain reg... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636696 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5636696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645049&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002917%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Cortex was created in 1964 by Ennio De Renzi and a group of scientists of the “Milan group” supported by a strong international editorial board, including most of the founders of modern neuropsychology. At the time, neuropsychology began to be conceived as an interdisciplinary science based on the methods of experimental psychology and neuroscience (). Together with Neuropsychologia, which was founded a year before, the journal has not only survived for almost 50years but it has been enjoying an upsurge of interest. This suggests that the multidisciplinary approach of the journal and the breadth of topics it covers are paying off. Cortex was originally defined as “an international journal devoted to the study of cognition and of the relationship between the nervous system and mental ... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645049 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5645049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557393&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002838%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Research on the functions of the frontal lobes has had a phenomenal growth in the last two decades, spurred in particular by the advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The development of this method of analysis has proven invaluable. There is, however, a tendency to equate activation with a core function, and this is not necessarily true. In this special issue of Cortex, we emphasize the importance of the anatomy of the frontal lobes as a means of anchoring functional and clinical studies. A second objective is to underscore the historical salience of animal and human lesion research, in conjunction with older and newer structural imaging methods, as a framework on which to develop theoretical models. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557393 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5557393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645059&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002826%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In order for a manipulation of the speed of processing of the distractor (e.g., distractor frequency) to affect the time the response to the target accesses the buffer, it is necessary that the response to the target waits for the buffer to be purged. But this has an unwanted implication: If the response to the target has to wait for the distractor to be purged from the buffer, the benefit that derives from the picture name being of high frequency with respect to being low frequency is cancelled. … An example may illustrate the point.Suppose that Leonardo (low frequency picture) and Michelangelo (high frequency picture) want to talk to Giotto (the buffer), who is in the Scrovegni Chapel. Leonardo and Michelangelo start from the same point to go to Giotto, but Michelangelo can walk much f... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645059 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5645059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557400&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002759%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We report several similarities between human and monkey in the cingulum, uncinate, superior longitudinal fasciculus, frontal aslant tract and orbito-polar tract. These similarities suggest to preserved functions across anthropoids. In addition, we found major differences in the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. These differences indicate possible evolutionary changes in the connectional anatomy of the frontal lobes underlying unique human abilities. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557400 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5557400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322315&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002577%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322315 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:58:24 +0100 5322315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322314&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002553%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322314 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:58:24 +0100 5322314 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322313&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002541%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322313 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:58:24 +0100 5322313 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645061&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002401%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In recent years, hypnosis has begun to gain traction as a potentially valuable tool in the increasingly diverse repertoires of cognitive neuroscience and cognitive neuropsychiatry (). Hypnosis consists of a set of procedures beginning with an induction, which involves instructions and suggestions to promote absorption in (i.e., effortless attention towards) the words of the operator. An induction is typically followed by a series of suggestions for alterations in various dimensions of consciousness, perception, action, and cognition. In response to specific hypnotic suggestions, highly suggestible individuals are capable of experiencing marked changes in affect, attention, memory, and perception. Hypnotic suggestions can be used to model psychiatric and neurological conditions or test pre... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645061 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5645061 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322338&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002425%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Table 1 of this article regretfully contained some typographical errors. The corrected table is printed below. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322338 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322317&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002383%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: In this issue of Cortex, Crawford, Garthwaite and Ryan publish Bayesian statistical tests that will enable researchers to take account of covariates when comparing single patients to control samples. In this article, we provide some context for this development, from an audit of the Cortex archives. We suggest that single-case research is alive and well, and more rigorous than ever, and that current practice has been shaped considerably by Crawford and colleagues' statistical refinements over the past 12 years. However, there is scope for further tightening and standardisation of statistical methods and reporting standards. The advantages offered by the new Bayesian tests should promote the even wider use of appropriate statistical methods, with benefits for the validity of indiv... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322317 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557398&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002279%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Detailed cytoarchitectonic studies of the human cerebral cortex appeared during the first quarter of the 20th century. The incorporation of the cytoarchitectonic map by in the Talairach proportional stereotaxic space () has established the Brodmann numerical nomenclature as the basis for describing the cortical location of structural and functional findings obtained with modern neuroimaging. In experimental anatomical and physiological investigations of the macaque monkey performed during the last 50 years, the numerical architectonic nomenclature used to describe findings in the prefrontal cortex has been largely based on the map by . Unfortunately, the map by Walker was not based on a comparative investigation of the cytoarchitecture of the human and macaque monkey prefrontal ... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557398 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5557398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557396&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002267%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: In 1964 an original case report from A.R. Luria’s Laboratory of Neuropsychology was published in Cortex, being one of the first to draw a link between cerebellum and cognition, by highlighting the manifestation of ‘pseudo-frontal’ symptoms resulting from a cerebellar tumour. The findings of Luria and his team seem more consistent with modern views about cerebellar interactions with the frontal lobe and its contributions to behaviour than the views prevalent at the time of publication. The paper was originally submitted in Russian, and translated into Italian for its publication by Cortex. However, Cortex did not preserve the original manuscript in Russian. With the passage of time, and available only to the Italian readership, this case report inevitably fell into obscurity... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557396 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5557396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322323&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002103%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: The 150th anniversary affords an opportunity to revisit the circumstances surrounding Paul Broca’s case report celebrated today as the moment of discovery of aphasia. The proceedings from January to June 1861 of the Paris Society of Anthropology are examined to reconstruct the events surrounding the report of M. Leborgne on April 18th. From a close reading of the presentations and discussions which took place during this period it is apparent that Broca’s case report was a minor diversion to a debate about cranial measurements and their relation to intelligence in individuals and racial groups. Moreover, it appears that little attention was granted to Broca’s first case at the time. While his ideas about localization and specialization developed and change over the next dec... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322323 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095370&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002164%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095370 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:58:44 +0100 5095370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095369&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002140%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095369 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:58:44 +0100 5095369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095368&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002139%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095368 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:58:43 +0100 5095368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636697&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002085%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death in the young population and long-term disability in relation to pervasive cognitive–behavioural disturbances that follow frontal lobe damage. To date, emphasis has been placed primarily on the clinical correlates of frontal cortex damage, whilst identification of the contribution of subjacent white matter lesion is less clear. Our poor understanding of white matter pathology in TBI is primarily due to the low sensitivity of conventional neuroimaging to identify pathological changes in less severe traumatic injury and the lack of methods to localise white matter pathology onto individual frontal lobe connections. In this paper we focus on the potential contribution of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to TBI. Our review of th... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636697 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5636697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636695&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002024%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Repetition ability is a major criterion for classifying aphasic syndromes and its status is helpful in the determination of the involved neural structures. It is widely assumed that repetition deficits correlate with injury to the left perisylvian core including the arcuate fasciculus (AF). However, descriptions of normal repetition despite damage to the AF or impaired repetition without AF involvement cast doubts on its role in repetition. To explain these paradoxes, we analyse two different aphasic syndromes – in which repetition is selectively impaired (conduction aphasia) or spared (transcortical aphasias) – in light of recent neuroimaging findings. We suggest that the AF and other white matter bundles are the anatomical signatures of language repetition and that individu... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636695 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5636695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645055&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521100205X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The need of appropriate methodological approaches in cognitive neuropsychology has been repeatedly addressed for over 30years. Most of the debate has focused on whether single-case or group studies are more appropriate for drawing inferences with respect to an unimpaired cognitive architecture (e.g., ). This controversy has not been resolved in either direction and, currently, both single-cases and group studies are commonly adopted in neuropsychological research. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645055 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5645055 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322328&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002012%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Violence is a phenomenon we are daily confronted with in the media and everyday life. Yearly more than one and a half million of humans are reported to lose their lives due to violence. Violence has links to aggression, an almost universal phenomenon in animal kingdom that may in some instances serve the purpose of survival of species (e.g., the maternal aggression for defending offspring). Violence is classified according to target and mode. Our focus here is on the individual violent behavior toward others and contributions from neuroimaging to understanding its putative neurobiological underpinnings and reframing the “nature-nurture” debate. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322328 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322316&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211002036%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Neuroimaging is no longer just a mainstay of medical diagnosis. It is now used extensively in neuroscience research and, increasingly, in applications outside medicine and neuroscience research in ways that it’s early pioneers probably never dreamt of. Questions such as ‘Is this person autistic?’, ‘What is my best future career choice?’, ‘Does this person love me?’, ‘Will the public prefer the product in this or that packaging?’ (), ‘Who will these people vote for?’, ‘What is this person thinking?’ (), ‘Can this unconscious patient on life support tell me if they want to go on living and would I believe them anyway?’ (), ‘Is this person guilty?’ (; ), ‘Can I read other people’s dreams, or memories?’, ‘Is this person lying?’, and ‘Are they a ter... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322316 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645060&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001730%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The word paradox is derived from the Greek: the prefix para means contrary or opposed, and doxos means opinion. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary includes amongst its definitions of paradox ‘a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition which, when investigated or explained, may prove to be well-founded or true’. In his philosophical treatise on paradoxes, has highlighted the paradoxical nature of paradoxes themselves – “Paradoxes are fun. In most cases, they are easy to state and immediately provoke one into trying to ‘solve’ them……. Paradoxes are serious…. To grapple with them is not merely to engage in an intellectual game, but to come to grips with key issues” (, p. 1). There are now a number of converging channels of scientific inquiry, acr... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645060 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5645060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636701&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001742%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Conclusions: The present study confirms a previous report of reduced FA in the UF. Additionally, we report for the first time, FA deficits in tracts involved in interhemispheric as well as frontal lobe connectivity in conjunction with MD increases in the frontal lobe. Hence, we provide evidence of significant WM microstructural abnormalities in frontal brain regions in ASPD and psychopathy. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636701 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5636701 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645050&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001729%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: A controversial issue in the cognitive neuroscience of language is the question whether independent lexical representations need to be included in cognitive models. Recent models claim to account for the available data without including phonological or orthographic lexicons. These models base their lexical decision (“Is it a word or not?”) either on familiarity of the input string or alternatively, on semantic information. These two alternatives were evaluated in a series of experiments with an individual suffering from word-meaning deafness. This is a rare disorder of auditory word comprehension which affects mapping of a word’s phonology to its meaning. The participant, BB, was unaffected by the ‘word-likeness’ of nonwords with comparable accuracy for plausible and ab... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645050 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5645050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322318&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001997%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Free will is classically attributed to the prefrontal cortex. In clinical neurology, prefrontal lesions have consistently been shown to cause impairment of internally driven action and increased reflex-like behaviour. Recently, parietal contributions to both free selection at early stages of sensorimotor transformations and perception of specifically self-intended movements were demonstrated in the healthy brain. Such findings generated the concept that ‘free will’ is not a function restricted to the prefrontal cortex but is more widely embedded in the brain, indeed including the parietal cortex. In this paper, a systematic re-interpretation of parietal symptoms, such as apraxia and reduced sense of agency, is given with reference to the consequences of reduced freedom of sel... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322318 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322320&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001572%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: The goal of this study was to examine past-tense spelling deficits in developmental dyslexia and their relationship to phonological abilities, spoken morphological awareness and word specific orthographic memory. Three groups of children (28 9-year-old dyslexic, 28 chronological age-matched and 28 reading/spelling age-matched children) completed a battery of tests including spelling regularly inflected words (e.g., kissed) and matched one-morpheme words (e.g., wrist). They were also assessed on a range of tests of reading and spelling abilities and associated linguistic measures. Dyslexic children were impaired in relation to chronological age-matched controls on all measures. Furthermore, they were significantly poorer than younger reading and spelling age-matched controls at sp... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322320 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007676&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001833%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007676 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:22:28 +0100 5007676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007675&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521100181X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007675 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:22:28 +0100 5007675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007674&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001808%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007674 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:22:28 +0100 5007674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095377&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001675%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In his editorial announcing the symposium on the relationship between neuroscience and education (Cortex, April 2009), Sergio Della Sala frames the question by saying that although most teachers think knowledge of the brain is important for the design of educational programs, “…how the interaction between the neurosciences and teachers could be made fruitful is still a matter of debate” (). In other words, the marriage of education and neuroscience is equated to that of teachers and neuroscience. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095377 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636699&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001626%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Conclusions: These data suggest that autism may be associated with differences in the anatomy of fronto-striatal white matter tracts. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636699 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5636699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095383&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001560%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: We have shown that an anteromedial temporal lobe resection can impair the recognition of scary music in a prior study (). In other studies (), similar results have been obtained with fearful facial expressions. These findings suggest that scary music and fearful faces may be processed by common cerebral structures. To assess this possibility, we tested patients with unilateral anteromedial temporal excision and normal controls in two emotional tasks. In the task of identifying musical emotion, stimuli evoked either fear, peacefulness, happiness or sadness. Participants were asked to rate to what extent each stimulus expressed these four emotions on 10-point scales. The task of facial emotion included morphed stimuli whose expression varied from faint to more pronounced and evoked... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095383 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095383 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095371&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001651%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes When compared to human auditory cognition and expertise, which in the field of language learning have been widely investigated for decades, music and its brain determinants form a more novel area of research. However, thanks to recent advances in theoretical and methodological domains in cognitive neuroscience, this appealing research area has become feasible. In parallel, thanks to mobile sound technology and social concomitants of music, the importance of music in our daily life has increased remarkably. Thus, music and its brain basis have become an important topic for multidisciplinary investigation, not only scientifically but also socially. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095371 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095371 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322321&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001559%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: The case study of Martial, a French 9-year-old boy, who exhibits severe mixed dyslexia and surface dysgraphia is reported. Despite very poor pseudo-word reading, Martial has preserved phonological processing skills as his good oral language, good phoneme awareness and good verbal short-term memory show. He exhibited a strong length effect when reading briefly presented words but no sign of mini-neglect. His letter-string processing abilities were assessed through tasks of whole and partial report. In whole report, Martial could only name a few letters from briefly displayed 5-consonant strings. He showed an initial-position advantage and a sharper than expected left-to-right gradient of performance. He performed better when asked to report a single cued letter within the string b... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322321 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322321 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095378&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001535%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Many studies on the synthesis of emotional expression in music performance have focused on the effect of individual performance variables on perceived emotional quality by making a systematical variation of variables. However, most of the studies have used a predetermined small number of levels for each variable, and the selection of these levels has often been done arbitrarily. The main aim of this research work is to improve upon existing methodologies by taking a synthesis approach. In a production experiment, 20 performers were asked to manipulate values of 7 musical variables simultaneously (tempo, sound level, articulation, phrasing, register, timbre, and attack speed) for communicating 5 different emotional expressions (neutral, happy, scary, peaceful, sad) for each of 4 ... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095378 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095378 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095382&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001511%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: The present study investigated emotional responses to music by using multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis in patients with right or left medial temporal lobe (MTL) lesions and matched normal controls (NC). Participants were required to evaluate emotional dissimilarities of nine musical excerpts that were selected to express graduated changes along the valence and arousal dimensions. For this purpose, they rated dissimilarity between pairs of stimuli on an eight-point scale and the resulting matrices were submitted to an MDS analysis. The results showed that patients did not differ from NC participants in evaluating emotional feelings induced by the musical excerpts, suggesting that all participants were able to distinguish refined emotions. We concluded that the ability to det... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095382 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095382 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007678&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001717%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes On the 7th October 1911, at the age of 76, died in London the neurologist whose reputation has since grown to the honorific title of the ‘father of English neurology’ (). John Hughlings Jackson () had been a well respected figure during his lifetime, as attested by the series of invitations he received to deliver some of the most prestigious lectures to the Royal College of Physicians and the Hunterian Society. These included the Goulstonian (1869), Croonian (1884) and Lumleian (1890) lectures and the Hunterian Oration (1872). His achievements were remarkable for his time. Along with John Charles Bucknill, James Crichton-Browne, and David Ferrier, he founded the prestigious journal Brain and was among the first to draw attention to disorders of higher cognitive functions associated wit... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007678 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5007678 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645056&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001481%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Confabulation refers to “spontaneous ‘narrative’ reports of events that never happened” in patients with amnesia (). Falsification of stories is the main characteristic of confabulation, and the degree of confabulation is known to increase with a time delay after an event (). Despite abundant reports on verbal confabulation, little is known about the graphic version of confabulation, which can occur during the recall of figures that patients have seen or drawn. A few studies have reported rotation errors in reproducing the Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure (RCFT) (, ), and one of these also showed findings of irrelevant drawing (), which may be a form of graphic confabulation. However, to our knowledge, no study has systemically evaluated graphic confabulation. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645056 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5645056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322330&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001328%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes “There’s no artTo find the mind’s construction in the face;He was a gentleman on whom I builtAn absolute trust.” Macbeth, Act I, Scene 4 (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322330 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322332&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001341%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The last decade has seen an increased public receptiveness to studies of the brain. Accepting this responsibility, the neuroethics movement has emerged to draw attention to ethical concerns arising from this interplay. Key players include the Law and Neuroscience Project in the U.S.A. and the National Core for Neuroethics in Canada – interdisciplinary groups dedicated to tackling the societal impact of neuroscience research. In addition to elucidating the finer ethical implications of new research findings, these groups aim to keep the regulatory regime updated for rapidly moving technologies. Ethical bodies have often been dimly viewed by neuroscientists who accuse them of sidetracking studies with pedantic bureaucracy and a myopic understanding of ethical issues (). In light of this sc... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322332 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322332 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322324&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001493%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Careful clinical descriptions and advances in neurobiological investigation, such as neuropathology and early approaches to brain imaging, during the nineteenth and early twentieth century led to the separation of neurological diseases which had identifiable organic causes from psychiatric disorders which did not. However, towards the end of the twentieth century it became clear that dementia has demonstrable neuropathological underpinnings and that there were at least organic associates of conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism. It is increasingly evident that this is also true of less severe but more common conditions such as depression, anxiety, and alcohol and drug misuse. It even looks likely to be true of the so-called “personality disorders”, originally defin... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322324 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095385&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001523%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: In the field of psychology, the first studies in experimental aesthetics were conducted approximately 140 years ago. Since then, research has mainly concentrated on aesthetic responses to visual art. Both the aesthetic experience of music and, especially, its development have received rather limited attention. Moreover, until now, very little attention has been paid to the investigation of the aesthetic experience of music using neuroscientific methods. Aesthetic experiences are multidimensional and include inter alia sensory, perceptual, affective, and cognitive components. Aesthetic processes are usually experienced as pleasing and rewarding and are, thus, important and valuable experiences for many people. Because of their multidimensional nature, these processes employ severa... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095385 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095385 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095384&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001547%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: One of the primary goals of cognitive neuroscience is to understand the interaction between genes, development and specific experience. A particularly fascinating example of this interaction is a sensitive period – a time during development when experience has a differential effect on behavior and the brain. Behavioral and brain imaging studies in musicians have provided suggestive evidence for a possible sensitive period for musical training; showing that musicians who began training early show better task performance and greater changes in auditory and motor regions of the brain. However, these studies have not controlled for likely differences between early- (ET) and late-trained (LT) musicians in the number of years of musical experience. This review presents behavioral wor... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095384 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095384 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095379&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521100150X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, the present methodological approach appeared to be suitable for simultaneous EEG recordings in musicians playing in ensemble. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095379 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095374&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000773%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We report the case of an Italian speaker (GBC) with classical Wernicke’s aphasia syndrome following a vascular lesion in the left posterior middle temporal region. GBC exhibited a selective phonological deficit in spoken language production (repetition and reading) which affected all word classes irrespective of grammatical class, frequency, and length. GBC’s production of number words, in contrast, was error free. The specific pattern of phonological errors on non-number words allows us to attribute the locus of impairment at the level of phonological form retrieval of a correctly selected lexical entry. These data support the claim that number words are represented and processed differently from other word categories in language production. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095374 Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557397&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001031%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: The interhemispheric connections of the cortical areas of the human brain are distributed within the corpus callosum according to a topographic order which is being studied in detail by novel imaging techniques. Total section of the corpus callosum is followed by a variety of interhemispheric disconnection symptoms each of which can be attributed to the interruption of fibers in a specific callosal sector. Disconnection symptoms deriving from posterior callosal sections, disconnecting parietal, temporal and occipital lobes across the midline, are more apparent than those following anterior callosal sections disconnecting the frontal lobes. In spite of the massive bulk of the frontal callosal connections in man, ascertained consequences of their interruption are limited to disorde... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557397 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5557397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322337&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001444%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. The Holy Bible (Psalm 139 verses 1 and 2) (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322337 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322337 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645058&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001390%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In the picture–word interference (PWI) task, a variant of the Stroop task, pictures are presented, one at a time, along with a superimposed distractor word. Participants are instructed to name the pictures as quickly and accurately as possible while ignoring the distractor words (). Recently, a theory has been proposed to account for the performance in the PWI: the response-exclusion hypothesis (hereafter REH; ; see also ). The aim of the present work is to test the REH against a set of published data. As it will become evident at the end of the paper, the REH fails the test. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645058 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5645058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322327&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001353%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Neurolaw (also known as Law and Neuroscience) is the study of various ways to use neuroscience in and about the legal system. The legal system includes mainly courts but also legislatures, prisons, parole boards, police, and attorneys. Neuroscience includes mainly brain scanning but also lesion studies, animal research, neurochemistry tests, computational models, and manipulations, such as by transcranial magnetic stimulation. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322327 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557402&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001432%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: For a long time, in a localizationist view of brain functioning, a combination of symptoms called “frontal syndrome” has been interpreted as the direct result of damages involving the frontal lobe(s). The goal of this review is to challenge this view, that is, to move to a hodotopical approach to lesion mapping, on the basis of new insights provided by intraoperative electrostimulation mapping investigations in patients who underwent awake surgery for cerebral tumors. These original data reported in the last decade break with the traditional dogma of a modular and fixed organization of the central nervous system, by switching to the concepts of cerebral connectivity and plasticity – i.e., a brain organization based on dynamic interrelationships between parallel distributed ... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557402 Mon, 30 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5557402 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322336&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001109%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes I do not know whether medical science has become less honest over the years, more hyped up, more spun. Maybe it was ever thus. But it does seem that in my professional lifetime it has become more unpleasant, aggressive, ‘go-getting’ and nakedly entrepreneurial. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322336 Mon, 30 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322335&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001377%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Brain imaging applications are numerous, and no longer restricted to medicine or neuroscience: neuroimaging is already in use for example in marketing, economics and forensic science. While these other disciplines start to exploit brain imaging, concerns are raised, and even if somewhat behind the field, literature discussing imaging methodology, neuroethics or philosophy of science is also emerging (). Besides its complex nature, expensive hardware and difficult interpretation, neuroimaging is more and more available, and its potential uses are only limited by imagination. And although neuroimages represent brain data, they are also just pictures – that are worth a thousand words (). (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322335 Mon, 30 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322331&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001389%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Ethical issues in neuroimaging overlap with some familiar issues in medical ethics and bioethics. Familiar bioethical issues have to do with regulation around existing or emerging research methods and include consideration of the risks as well as the benefits to people of participating in research. One such source of risk is incidental findings that are revealed in the course of the research. These are discussed in depth elsewhere in this Forum but are worth commenting on here. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322331 Mon, 30 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322329&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001365%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In his magisterial history of the polygraph, explains the uniquely American obsession with techno-scientific approaches to lie detection in the 20th C in terms of deep-seated cultural assumptions about the sin of deceitfulness, the importance of swift and foolproof justice and the capacity of the body to mediate the soul’s secrets that have little to do with the technical efficacy of the polygraph itself, which was never great. He suggests also that interest in the polygraph was partly sustained by the shamanic entrepreneurialism of psychologists like William Marston (1893–1947), whose mission to convince the public of its worth included the creation of Wonder Woman, a crime-fighting superhero whose lasso effortlessly squeezed the truth from the villains she reeled in with it. Adler sp... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322329 Mon, 30 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095380&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001407%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Studies have consistently shown that the mismatch negativity (MMN) for different auditory features correlates with musical skills, and that this effect is more pronounced for stimuli integrated in complex musical contexts. Hence, the MMN can potentially be used for determining the development of auditory skills and musical expertise. MMN paradigms, however, are typically very long in duration, and far from sounding musical. Therefore, we developed a novel multi-feature MMN paradigm with 6 different deviant types integrated in a complex musical context of no more than 20min in duration. We found significant MMNs for all 6 deviant types. Hence, this short objective measure can putatively be used as an index for auditory and musical development. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095380 Sun, 29 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095380 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322334&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001110%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Over the past 20 years neuroimaging techniques have developed at an extraordinary rate, primarily down to advances in the science and technology involved (). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one particular tool that has risen in prominence over the past few years with a resultant significant impact on cognitive neurosciences. This is predominantly due to its wide availability, its relative safety and its use for examining an increasing range of physical, neurobehavioural and social phenomena (). (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322334 Fri, 27 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322333&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001316%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) cannot yet provide sufficiently reliable evidence to allow courts of law to admit such evidence; however, the future developments in neuroscience may permit the use of fMRI as evidence. This discussion paper will make analogies between brain imaging and other intersections of science and the law: principally, the regulation of research tissue banks, DNA samples and CCTV in order to evaluate how the law can best react to future use of fMRI evidence in the courtroom. The laws of the UK (Scotland in particular) will be used as examples, but the concepts may be extended to the legal frameworks elsewhere in Europe or worldwide. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322333 Fri, 27 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322333 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322325&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521100133X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes As senior researchers in psychology and experts in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI: LM) and Magneto-/Encephalography (MEG/EEG: KK), respectively, we ask the question from a scientific point of view whether the existing methods and findings in brain imaging (fMRI, EEG/MEG) could contribute to decisions in court at this point in time. Firstly, we point out the relative nature of scientific findings and the present lack of an informed dissemination of results into society. Secondly, we summarise what seems to be scientifically possible at the moment and what challenges future research must address before neuroimaging could be used in court. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322325 Fri, 27 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322326&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001092%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes To date there is no objective method that can be used to measure consciousness. The concept of consciousness itself remains elusive and poses a number of theoretical and philosophical challenges. In spite of these conceptual difficulties, we normally find it relatively easy to discern whether another person is conscious provided that we can establish some form of communication with them. For example, we can ask a question and based on their response which can take the form of spoken words or a non-verbal signal, we can infer whether or not they are conscious. However, the situation is considerably more complicated in patients who suffer from severe disorders of consciousness such as coma or vegetative state, as these patients are unable to speak or to show a purposeful reaction to any form... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322326 Wed, 25 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095381&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001067%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Neuroimaging studies investigating the processing of emotions have traditionally considered variance between subjects as statistical noise. However, according to behavioural studies, individual differences in emotional processing appear to be an inherent part of the process itself. Temporary mood states as well as stable personality traits have been shown to influence the processing of emotions, causing trait- and mood-congruent biases. The primary aim of this study was to explore how listeners’ personality and mood are reflected in their evaluations of discrete emotions represented by music. A related aim was to investigate the role of personality in music preferences. An experiment was carried out where 67 participants evaluated 50 music excerpts in terms of perceived emotion... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095381 Tue, 24 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095381 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847699&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001183%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847699 Sat, 21 May 2011 05:41:06 +0100 4847699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847698&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001158%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847698 Sat, 21 May 2011 05:41:06 +0100 4847698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847697&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001146%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847697 Sat, 21 May 2011 05:41:05 +0100 4847697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636700&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521100102X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has long been associated with abnormalities in frontal brain regions. In this paper we review the current structural and functional imaging evidence for abnormalities in children and adults with ADHD in fronto-striatal, fronto-parieto-temporal, fronto-cerebellar and fronto-limbic regions and networks. While the imaging studies in children with ADHD are more numerous and consistent, an increasing number of studies suggests that these structural and functional abnormalities in fronto-cortical and fronto-subcortical networks persist into adulthood, despite a relative symptomatic improvement in the adult form of the disorder.We furthermore present new data that support the notion of a persistence of neurofunctional deficits in adults w... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636700 Mon, 16 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5636700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007677&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211001006%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The cover of this issue shows an illustration of “cortical glands” from Marcello Malpighi’s De Cerebri Cortice (). Malpighi (1628–1694) was a founder of microscopic anatomy and is most famous for his discovery of capillaries. He was Professor in Bologna for much of his life and, finally, private physician to the Pope. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007677 Sun, 15 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5007677 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557401&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000785%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We report 17 patients with small lesions in the downstream structures of the frontal-subcortical circuits displaying severe dysexecutive behaviour. Positron emission tomography (PET) demonstrated hypometabolism of the frontal lobe in some of these patients. The literature on frontal lobe dysfunction after lesions in the basal ganglia and thalamus is discussed and the semiology of frontal lobe dysfunction in relation to the frontal-subcortical circuits is highlighted. Derived from our findings we suggest a disconnection syndrome of the frontal lobe caused by lesions in the downstream structures of the frontal-subcortical circuits. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557401 Fri, 06 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5557401 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847700&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000992%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The question of whether or not women are under-represented in science continues to be fervently researched. Gender inequalities in science and academia have been widely discussed and arguably stem from complex sociocultural issues. It has recently been reported that women continue to account for just 30% of all researchers across the European Union () – or a quarter of researchers worldwide – and continue to have less opportunities for research and development compared to their male counterparts (). An excellent discussion of women and science, with a review of 20 years of research on the subject, has recently been provided by who recognise that over the past thirty years the representation of women in science has dramatically increased; more than half of the PhDs in life sciences and ... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847700 Tue, 03 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4847700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645057&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000931%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Evidence has mounted documenting widespread musician enhancements in an evolutionarily ancient subcortical structure, the auditory brainstem, highlighting the brainstem as a structure involved in learning-related brain plasticity (). Musicians not only show more precise subcortical encoding of music, but of speech and emotional communication sounds as well (). Though remarkable, such observations cannot disambiguate the source of this musician advantage. Does musical training shape subcortical auditory processing, or are individuals born with more refined auditory brainstem function predisposed to pursue musical training? Although neurobiological studies have employed correlational analyses to infer that functional differences between the brains of musicians and nonmusicians are a conseque... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645057 Tue, 03 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5645057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007687&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000736%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Challenging the classical proposal of separate neural/cognitive processes for speech perception and speech production, several neurobiological and psycholinguistic models of speech perception argue for a functional connection between sensory and motor systems (e.g., ). In these models, phonetic interpretation of sensory information is determined or constrained by some internal motor simulation based on articulatory procedural knowledge. However, despite accumulating evidence that speech motor regions are activated in processing speech sounds (e.g., ), the question of whether articulatory processes mediate speech perception is still vigorously debated (e.g., ). Using a new technique based on use-induced motor plasticity, we here provide evidence that the motor system can bias perceptual per... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007687 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5007687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723454&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000852%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723454 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:29:44 +0100 4723454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723453&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000827%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723453 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:29:44 +0100 4723453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723452&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000815%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723452 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:29:44 +0100 4723452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095376&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000670%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We thank Dr. Millonig for his interest in our study. We agree that further study of this syndrome may not only help determine prevalence, but also broaden the clinical appreciation of distorted body image and shed light on the neural basis of conscious body perception. Especially with regard to patients with the striking syndrome of near volitional control of their Phantom Limb (PL). This phenomenon has certainly been described in the anosognosia literature, but is incompletely understood (). (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095376 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5095376 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557399&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000682%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: One dimension of understanding the functions of the prefrontal cortex is knowledge of cortical connectivity. We have surveyed three aspects of prefrontal cortical connections: local projections (within the frontal lobe), the termination patterns of long association (post-Rolandic) projections, and the trajectories of major fiber pathways. The local connections appear to be organized in relation to dorsal (hippocampal origin) and ventral (paleocortical origin) architectonic trends. According to the proposal of a dual origin of the cerebral cortex, cortical areas can be traced as originating from archicortex (hippocampus) on the one hand, and paleocortex, on the other hand, in a stepwise manner (e.g., ). Prefrontal areas within each trend are connected with less architectonically d... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557399 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5557399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636702&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000700%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that HIV-1 disease by itself does not significantly impair cognitive function when patients are otherwise asymptomatic. Nevertheless, the imaging techniques were sensitive enough to detect subtle grey matter changes not normally evident until much later in the disease. If confirmed in a longitudinal study this frontal grey matter change could represent an important biomarker for trials in HIV disease. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636702 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5636702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322319&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000578%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Existing inferential methods of testing for a deficit or dissociation in the single case are extended to allow researchers to control for the effects of covariates. The new (Bayesian) methods provide a significance test, point and interval estimates of the effect size for the difference between the case and controls, and point and interval estimates of the abnormality of a case’s score, or standardized score difference. The methods have a wide range of potential applications, e.g., they can provide a means of increasing the statistical power to detect deficits or dissociations, or can be used to test whether differences between a case and controls survive partialling out the effects of potential confounding variables. The methods are implemented in a series of computer programs... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322319 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5322319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007685&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000372%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Some studies have claimed that, when fixating a word, a precise split in foveal processing produces substantial effects on word recognition because all letters to the left and right of fixation project to different, contralateral hemispheres. Recently in this Journal, Jordan, Paterson, Kurtev, and Xu (2010, Cortex, 46, 298–309) evaluated this claim using precisely-controlled procedures of fixation and stimulus presentation and found no evidence of split-foveal processing. However, in line with other research in this area, these findings were obtained using a Latinate alphabetic language (in this case English) which may induce specific effects on performance. Consequently, here we report a further study which used stimuli from a fundamentally different, non-Latinate alphabetic l... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007685 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5007685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007679&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000591%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: In the domain of written sentence comprehension, the computation of agreement dependencies is generally considered as a form-driven processing routine whose domain is syntactic in nature. In the present review we discuss the main findings emerging in the Event-Related Potential (ERP) literature on sentence comprehension, focusing on the different dimensions of agreement patterns (features, values, constituents involved and language): Agreement mismatches usually evoke a biphasic electrophysiological pattern (Left Anterior Negativity – LAN, 300–450msec and P600 after 500msec). This ERP pattern is assumed to reflect rule-based computations sensitive to formal (inflectional) covariations of related words (trigger–target). Here we claim that agreement processing is sensitive to... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007679 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5007679 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723457&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000712%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Simon Singh is a science writer and the author of “Fermat’s Last Theorem”, “Big Bang” and “Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial” (with Professor Edzard Ernst). On 15 March 2011, the British Government published its draft defamation bill, the first step in reforming England’s libel law. This might seem like an odd subject for an editorial in an international neuroscience journal, but this issue is directly relevant to you and your research. Indeed, if you care about scientific freedom then you should be following the progress of this libel reform bill over the next year. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723457 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4723457 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723456&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000724%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes One way of analysing the impact of academics, articles or journals is to examine their citation rates (). Indices of citation rates include Immediacy Index, which reflects the number of times articles published within a given year were cited during that year divided by the total number of articles published in that journal that year, and Impact Factor, which reflects the total number of articles published over a 2-year-period were cited during the following year divided by the total number of articles published in the same journal in the same 2-year-period. However, the current methods used to calculate such citation rates, such as that by the Institute of Scientific Information, have been criticized for their vagueness (see ), openness to manipulation () and bias towards faster moving dis... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723456 Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4723456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007693&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000608%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes “There is no such thing as predicting the future!” says Sally in Woody Allen’s You will meet a tall dark stranger. But people have go at it nevertheless. Sally’s mother, her husband and even herself fantasize about meeting the stranger of their dreams. “If you can see into the future, how come you didn’t know I was gonna jump out a building and land on top of you?” asks Boris to Helena (Whatever works, Woody Allen). Because “humans have the ubiquitous capacity to imagine, plan for, and shape the future (even if we do frequently get it wrong)” (, p. 1006). And they do so for various reasons. Many dilemmas, more or less ordinary, can be approached by projecting oneself forward in time and envisaging how different variations of the event will turn out. Max uses a future pic... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007693 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5007693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642296&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000463%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642296 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:28:05 +0100 4642296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642295&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521100044X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642295 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:28:05 +0100 4642295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642294&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000438%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642294 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:28:05 +0100 4642294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007682&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000347%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Specific language impairment (SLI) diagnosed in the pre-school years is frequently associated with reading and writing difficulties at school age. The nature of this relationship is unclear, despite the availability of a large number of studies, mostly on English speaking children. Phonological processing deficits have been considered the prominent cause of both difficulties. However recent findings in both children with SLI and in children with reading difficulties are not easily accommodated within a single dimensional model explaining the relationship between oral and written language deficits.Our study focuses on the long-term reading and spelling outcome in relation to preschool oral language skills in a group of Italian adolescents with a documented history of SLI.Sixteen I... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007682 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5007682 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847710&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000396%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In this study, we test the hypothesis that patients with HD may be impaired in their recognition of positive as well as negative emotional signals, by examining the recognition of a range of positive emotions from vocal cues. We present a study of 14 Huntington’s patients and 15 controls performing a forced-choice task with a previously validated set of negative and positive non-verbal emotional vocalizations (). Although HD patients performed above chance for each emotion, they were found to be impaired in both positive and negative emotions, including pleasure, fear and anger. These findings complement previous work by demonstrating that impairments in emotion recognition in HD extend to positive and negative emotions, which may imply a general deficit. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847710 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4847710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007686&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000359%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The rubber hand illusion (RHI) is an experimental paradigm whereby a fake rubber hand may be self-attributed when it is stroked synchronously with one’s own hidden hand. Self-attribution to the artificial hand, in healthy participants, corresponds to the rubber hand displacing (), replacing (), or simply proprioceptively “losing” () the participant’s own hand. In the traditional RHI paradigm, participants never experience the fake hand as a supernumerary limb (). Only when presented with two artificial hands do participants experience a supernumerary limb (), with increased skin conductance in the real hand when noxious stimuli are applied to either fake limbs (). However, participants reported that they could only “control” one of these limbs (). This suggests that while multi... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007686 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 5007686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4591730&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000074%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4591730 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:08:22 +0100 4591730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4591729&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000050%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4591729 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:08:22 +0100 4591729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4591728&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000049%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4591728 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:08:22 +0100 4591728 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645052&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000165%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Discussion: The findings from the verbal task in particular provide evidence consistent with an extended period of memory consolidation that can be disrupted by both left and right TLE. The material-specific effects at the 1-h delay only, suggest that the initial consolidation of verbal and non-verbal, information depends on the integrity of the left and right hippocampus, respectively. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645052 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5645052 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636698&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000293%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This article will review the current state of knowledge regarding the neuropathological and neuroanatomical basis for cognitive dysfunction in ALS. Neuropathological findings suggest that ALS does not selectively affect the frontotemporal network but rather is part of a broad clinico-pathological spectrum now known as TAR-DNA binding protein (TDP)-43 proteinopathies. Functional neuroimaging has supported neuropsychological findings of frontotemporal dysfunction but has also implied the involvement of somatosensory areas. Structural neuroimaging has not been able to establish a specific hypothesis of extra-motor cortical atrophy beyond the combination of various frontal, temporal and limbic areas. The finding of reduction in the integrity of white matter in the frontal, temporal and pariet... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636698 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5636698 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847709&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000335%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We report here the cases of two synesthetes, experienced swimmers, for whom each swimming style evokes another synesthetic color. Importantly, synesthesia is evoked also in the absence of direct sensory stimulation, i.e., the proprioceptive inputs during swimming. To evoke synesthetic colors, it is sufficient to evoke the concept of a given swimming style e.g., by showing a photograph of a swimming person. A color-consistency test and a Stroop-type test indicated that the synesthesia is genuine. These findings imply that synesthetic inducers do not operate at a sensory level but instead, at the semantic level at which concepts are evoked. Hence, the inducers are not defined by the modality-dependent sensations but by the “ideas” activated by these sensations. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847709 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4847709 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847711&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521100027X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Conclusion: Very little work was done on aphasia in the 19th century in the Netherlands. Van Rhijn’s thesis, from an aphasiological point of view of limited value, does show that the notions of “centers”, “connections”, and “disorders due to disconnections” were generally known before Wernicke, also in the Netherlands. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847711 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4847711 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723468&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000256%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Typically developing 5- to 6-year-old children often reverse some digits (e.g., ɛ for 3) or single (capital) letters (e.g., Я for R) when they are required to write them under dictation. A theoretical approach to this phenomenon, based on an implicit right writing rule and that postulates an influence of the preceding writing, was tested in an experimental study of 300 children aged 5–6 years. The data support the implicit right writing rule and show the considerable influence of the preceding writing. For example, 73% of the children who correctly wrote the letter C mirror wrote an immediately following digit 3, whereas only 10% of the children who mirror wrote the letter C also mirror wrote an immediately following digit 3. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723468 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4723468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642312&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000402%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The following acknowledgement was missing from the papers “Exogenous phasic alerting and spatial orienting in mild cognitive impairment compared to healthy ageing: Study outcome is related to target response” [Cortex, 47(2): 180–190, 2011], “New insights into feature and conjunction search: II. Evidence from Alzheimer’s disease” [Cortex, 46(5): 637–649, 2010], and “New insights into feature and conjunction search: I. Evidence from pupil size, eye movements and ageing” [Cortex, 46(5): 621–636, 2010]: GW was partly funded by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Programme, Oxford. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642312 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642312 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5557395&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000153%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This article focuses on a series of six studies that address functional localization in the frontal lobe; they were published in Argentina between 1906 and 1909 by Christfried Jakob (1866–1956), one of the great thinkers in early 20th century neuropathology and neurophilosophy. At that time, the localization-holism controversy was at a peak, having been triggered by the historic Marie-Déjerine aphasiology debate. Jakob held the view that constitutive physiological elements of cognition are localized. Nonetheless, he cast doubt on phrenological approaches that considered the frontal lobe as ‘superior’ to the other cortical regions. Jakob studied the human frontal lobe from fetal life through senility, in normality and pathology, including tumors, injuries, softening, general paralysi... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5557395 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5557395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847712&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000207%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) is usually defined as the failure of unilateral brain damaged patients to attend or respond to stimuli in the hemispace contralateral to the site of lesion. This definition encompasses either a complete lateralisation of omissions or their asymmetric distribution in space, whereby only a few are committed ipsilaterally (). (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847712 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4847712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645054&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945211000190%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Conclusions: Our study clearly shows that people with CP demonstrate covert recognition for faces that they cannot overtly recognize, and that behavioural tasks vary in their sensitivity to detect covert recognition in CP. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645054 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5645054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095375&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210003011%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In the recent article about phantom limbs (PL) () frequency and characteristics of PL in stroke patients are investigated applying a questionnaire based approach. In their cohort of 50 patients 54% report phantom sensations. The authors make a good effort to subdivide the phantom sensations in replacement versus reduplicative (supernumerary) phantom sensations: 22 of the patients report a postural phantom, 14 a kinesthetic, 10 a combined postural/kinesthetic and only one patient a reduplicative PL. The authors deduce that phantom sensations are more frequent than previously thought and have been underreported, even if the observed prevalence cannot be generalized to all post-stroke patients due to some study limitations. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095375 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100 5095375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007689&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210003175%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Neuropsychological evidence remains an important source for localisation of function (). Indeed recently, dementia, classically seen as the prototypical anatomically diffuse condition has given valuable evidence of this type (e.g., ). However, there has long been a widely held view in the field that the cognitive deficits of tumour patients do not provide effective empirical evidence from which to base conclusions about the localisation of cognitive functions. The arguments for this negative position are outlined in the Introduction of the criticised paper – . Further related arguments are presented in the critique of the paper made by . (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007689 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 5007689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4371689&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210003084%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4371689 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:09:19 +0100 4371689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4371688&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210003060%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4371688 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:09:19 +0100 4371688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4371687&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210003059%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4371687 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:09:19 +0100 4371687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007691&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002911%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The study of Shallice and colleagues () is a very important one. It proves that a clinico-anatomic relationship exists between a cognitive deficit and the location of the brain invaded by a focal mass. Since the early 80s (), there has been a widespread assumption that invasion of brain tissue by a neoplasm produces relatively little focal cognitive deficits, especially early in the onset of the disease and in young patients. Despite evidence that most brain tumors present with a focal neurological event (an elementary or complex focal seizure) and that patients with tumors of variable histotypes show similar selective cognitive deficits when located in the same anatomic region (), it is generally believed that neoplasms are not a sufficiently good lesion model to demonstrate segregation o... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007691 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 5007691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642299&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210003023%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This issue of CORTEX publishes a biographical article on Karl Kleist (, this issue). In that article there is a short notion which is likely to raise the curiosity of readers whose interest transgresses the narrow field of neuropsychology to include also the role of neuropsychology and its proponents in the historical events of their time. The notion relates that in 1920 Karl Kleist was appointed the chair of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Frankfurt, where he remained until his retirement. Kleist retired in 1950 (). The time of his chairmanship thus included the years from 1933 to 1945 when Germany was under the regime of National Socialism. Kleist’s maintenance of the chair and the directorship of the Psychiatric clinic thus contrasts sharply with the fate of many, if not... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642299 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4642299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645053&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002984%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Visual masking and visual suppression by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) are both widely utilized in cognitive neuroscience to investigate a wide range of processes. However, the neural processes affected by visual masking and TMS remain unclear. We compared para- and metacontrast masking with TMS-induced suppression of visibility in a within-subjects design where participants were asked to detect and rate the visibility of a stimulus. TMS pulses applied 75–109msec after the onset of the visual stimulus reduced the subjective visibility of the target. Even when the TMS pulses completely eliminated the conscious perception of the target, unconscious location detection was possible. The visual masking condition yielded similar results: metacontrast did not eliminate uncon... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645053 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5645053 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095372&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002935%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Audiovisual integration (AVI) is a well-known aspect of speech perception, but integration of facial and vocal information is also important for speaker recognition. We recently demonstrated AVI in the recognition of familiar (but not unfamiliar) speakers. Specifically, systematic behavioural benefits and costs in recognizing a familiar voice occur when the voice is combined with a time-synchronised articulating face of corresponding or noncorresponding speaker identity, respectively (; ). Here we report an experiment assessing event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in this novel paradigm, while participants recognized familiar speakers presented in (1) Voice only, (2) voice with identity-corresponding and (3) noncorresponding time-synchronised speaking faces, as well as (4) Face ... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095372 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 5095372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5322322&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002959%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: A 51-year-old woman presented with anosognosia for hemiplegia (AHP), neglect, and a complete loss of vision, for which she was almost immediately aware. Neuroimaging studies revealed intracranial hemorrhages in the medial temporal lobes bilaterally, extending back to the occipital cortex, but sparing the calcarine cortex. A large right frontal-parietal hemorrhage which extended to the posterior body of the corpus callosum was also observed. The patient’s vision slowly improved, and by 11 months post onset, formal visual fields revealed improvement primarily in the left upper quadrants only. In contrast, resolution of her AHP occurred between the 26th and 31st day post onset. Awareness of motor impairment was correlated with her ability to initiate finger tapping in her left hem... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5322322 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5322322 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4591741&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002947%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes It has been nearly four decades since researchers have identified the role of the anterior portion of the corpus callosum in activating the nondominant hemisphere for moving the contralateral (i.e., nondominant) side of the body; utilizing the commands issued for that purpose in the dominant hemisphere (). Recently, the relationship of the laterality of major hemisphere (command center or action hemisphere) to behavioral handedness has been the subject of an intense study (). According to the newly described one-way callosal traffic circuitry, all commands are issued in same hemisphere, regardless of the laterality of the effector(s) intended for implementing those commands. However, approximately one in five persons in society at large claim a handedness opposite for which the person is w... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4591741 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4591741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007692&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002923%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In their objections to the paper by called into question the use of brain tumours to draw conclusions on the localisation of human brain functions. However, their argumentation is very questionnable. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007692 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 5007692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642311&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521000290X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The out-of-body experience (OBE) can be defined as “…an experience in which a person seems to perceive the world from a location outside his physical body.” (; p. 1). A growing number of studies have investigated OBEs, their underlying substrates, and kindred hallucinatory phenomena of the ‘self’ (i.e., autoscopy/heautoscopy/sensed-presence experiences) to inform a more comprehensive understanding of the wider issues of illusory self-reduplication (see ). As well as providing a framework for understanding striking experiences in fields such as clinical neurology, such research is also informing current neuroscientific accounts for stable ‘in-the-body’ processing as well. As a consequence of these developments, it has been suggested that the varieties of self-reduplication exp... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642311 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4642311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294078&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002790%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294078 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:50:17 +0100 4294078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294077&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002777%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294077 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:50:17 +0100 4294077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294076&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002765%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294076 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 05:50:17 +0100 4294076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007690&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002893%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In recent years, technical advances in neuroimaging such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography and functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity studies are moving the study of structure–function correlations from strict cortical localization, sometimes called a “topological” perspective (), to a more “hodological”, or network-based approach. According to this view, cognitive functions emerge from the flow of information across large-scale networks linking distant cortical regions, rather than resulting from the activity of single cortical areas. The network-based approach, inspired by the classical work of Meynert in the 19th century and of Geschwind in the 20th, emphasizes that cognitive deficits are not only related to the local effects of damaged regions, but al... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007690 Mon, 27 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 5007690 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4591743&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521000273X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes provided a recent commentary with specific reference to the work of . report on a case series of four congenital prosopagnosic (CP) cases, with whom face and object imagery testing was examined. The key finding of this work was that such cases can have co-occurring impairments of face recognition and face imagery – but that the mental imagery impairment in their group was category specific (i.e., not generalized to other non-face stimuli). One other finding was that CP testing of mental imagery using a ‘vividness’ questionnaire (i.e., a subjective measure of mental imagery in which participants are asked to introspectively rate vividness of different mental images) had little connection to CP performance on forced choice type (accuracy) measures of visual imagery – such that the fo... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4591743 Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4591743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4232930&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002558%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4232930 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:33:08 +0100 4232930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4232928&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002522%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4232928 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:33:08 +0100 4232928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4232927&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002510%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4232927 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:33:08 +0100 4232927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642309&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002479%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Since reported the SNARC (Spatial–Numerical Association of Response Codes) effect, researchers have repeatedly documented an influence of number magnitude on reaction time in various motor tasks. In addition, thinking about numbers induces shifts of visuo-spatial attention (). The present study examined whether number magnitude affects a person’s eye movement in a free-choice task. After the presentation of a number in the middle of the screen, two pictures of human faces were simultaneously presented on either side of the screen. Participants were asked to explore the screen after the presentation of a number. Analyses performed on first eye fixations confirmed that number magnitude affects gaze direction in this free-choice task. The present study shows that the influence o... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642309 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4642309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007684&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002443%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Conclusions: Our results showed that patients displayed very mild memory disorders several months after the episode of TGA, not affecting the daily routine. This impairment was influenced by patients’ emotional state, which could suggest that a high level of anxiety or depression can slow down the recovery. However, we cannot be sure that the deleterious effect of patients’ emotional state on their cognitive performances is specific to TGA. Other investigations are necessary to unravel this issue. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007684 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 5007684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4371691&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521000225X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: During the last decades, many studies have shown that the thalamus is crucially involved in language and cognition. We critically reviewed a study corpus of 465 patients with vascular thalamic lesions published in the literature since 1980. 42 out of 465 (9%) cases with isolated thalamic lesions allowed further neurocognitive analysis.On the neurolinguistic level, fluent output (=31/33; 93.9%), normal to mild impairment of repetition (=33/35; 94.3%), mild dysarthria (=8/9; 88.9%) and normal to mild impairment of auditory comprehension (=27/34; 79.4%) were most commonly found in the group of patients with left and bilateral thalamic lesions. The taxonomic label of thalamic aphasia applied to the majority of the patients with left thalamic damage (=7/11; 63.6%) and to one patient w... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4371691 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4371691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294080&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002704%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes On April 18, 1861, Paul Pierre Broca () reported to the members of the Société Anthropologique de Paris the case of Leborgne, the famous Monsieur Tan, and proposed the localization of the site of articulate speech (). After his first observation, Broca had the opportunity to study other patients with a selective impairment of verbal production. He confirmed the causal role of the frontal cerebral lesion () and concluded that “we speak with the left hemisphere” (). (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294080 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4294080 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5095373&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002467%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Patients with peripheral dysgraphia due to impairment at the allographic level produce writing errors that affect the letter-form and are characterized by case confusions or the failure to write in a specific case or style (e.g., cursive). We studied the writing errors of a patient with pure peripheral dysgraphia who had entirely intact oral spelling, but produced many well-formed letter errors in written spelling. The comparison of uppercase print and lowercase cursive spelling revealed an uncommon pattern: while most uppercase errors were case substitutions (e.g., A – a), almost all lowercase errors were letter substitutions (e.g., n – r). Analyses of the relationship between target letters and substitution errors showed that errors were neither influenced by consonant–vo... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5095373 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 5095373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4232929&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002674%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The editors of Cortex are extremely grateful to the following ad hoc reviewers who helped review manuscripts submitted in the year 2010: (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4232929 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4232929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007683&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002431%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with impairments in emotional experience and expression. The current study examined the recognition of emotional facial expressions in PTSD patients and matched healthy controls, both in terms of accuracy and sensitivity. The task involved short video clips of a neutral face changing (morphing) into one of the six basic emotions (happiness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust and sadness). Clips differed in length, with short clips terminating at 20% of maximum emotional intensity, and the longest ones ending with a full-blown expression. We observed a specific impairment in the PTSD group for recognizing the emotions fear and sadness. This result was observed via a reduced accuracy and a decreased sensitivity for these emotions. We ... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007683 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 5007683 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5007680&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS001094521000239X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We report the case of VJ, a boy with developmental amnesia of most likely perinatal onset diagnosed at the age of 8. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including quantitative volumetric measurements of the hippocampal formation and of the entorhinal, perirhinal, and temporopolar cortices, showed severe, bilateral atrophy of the hippocampal formation, fornix and mammillary bodies; by contrast, the perirhinal cortex was within normal range and the entorhinal and temporopolar cortex remained within two standard deviations (SDs) from controls’ mean. We examined the development of his semantic knowledge from childhood to teenage as well as his recognition and cued recall memory abilities. On tasks tapping semantic memory, VJ increased his raw scores across years at the same rate as children fr... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5007680 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 5007680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5645051&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002388%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Conclusions: Taken together, the findings show that receptive prosody is impaired in nonfluent PPA syndromes, and suggest a generic early perceptual deficit of prosodic signal analysis with additional relatively specific deficits (recognition of particular vocal emotions). (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5645051 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:00:00 +0100 5645051 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097294&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002327%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097294 Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:36:58 +0100 4097294 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097293&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002303%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097293 Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:36:58 +0100 4097293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097292&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002297%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097292 Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:36:58 +0100 4097292 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4371699&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002248%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The last two decades have witnessed an exponential increase in novel data on both the workings of the human mind and their underlying neural mechanisms. This research is taking place largely under the banner of cognitive neuroscience (). The concept “cognitive neuroscience” could easily suggest a higher degree of unification within this field of research than legitimate given the complexity both of the human brain itself and the wide range of cognitive functions it gives rise to: sensation, perception, emotion, learning, memory, etc. Rather, cognitive neuroscience has become an extremely multifaceted research enterprise in which most researchers decide to focus on sub-domains such as face perception or episodic memory. In many cases this kind of cognitive resource management is warrant... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4371699 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4371699 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4591731&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002182%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Phineas Gage is probably the most renowned patient presenting with behavioural changes following brain injury. His prototypical story is discussed in introductory lectures; his case features in most neuropsychology textbooks; several articles, books, and conferences have been dedicated to discussing his spared and impaired cognitive and behavioural abilities; numerous web pages describe his life after the accident he suffered. The report of “the only living man with a hole in the top of his head” (as the Broadway Barnum Museum, where he worked for while as an oddity, advertised his remarkable recovery) is a classic. (Source: Cortex) Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4591731 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4591731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642308&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002200%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: Right brain damaged patients with left spatial neglect typically bisect long horizontal lines to the right of their midpoint. However, bisections of very short lines can favour the emergence of a paradoxical “cross-over” effect in which lines are bisected to the left of the true midpoint. It has been suggested that in healthy participants similar variations in the position of the subjective line midpoint can be observed in the bisections of long and short Oppel–Kundt (O-K) illusory gradients (). This analogy was taken as proof that patients with neglect suffer a distorted representation of horizontal space that is equivalent to illusory distortions that O-K gradients induce in the intact brain (). In contrast to this proposal, however, it has been noted that reversal of O-... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642308 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4642308 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097295&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002261%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Interpreting the reading and spelling profiles of children with developmental dyslexia and/or dysgraphia has traditionally proven a challenging task. In particular, problems seem to arise when trying to provide a unitary account of all individuals with developmental dyslexia or of all individuals with developmental dysgraphia. These attempts to provide a single account or a single generalization to cover all aspects of dyslexia consistently result in empirical problems, inconsistent results, and failures to replicate. The articles included in this issue suggest that the key to explaining this pattern may lie in the selectivity and heterogeneity of developmental dyslexia and dysgraphia types, in the effect of modulating factors such as orthographies, and in the need to search for various (r... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097295 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4097295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4591742&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002224%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In a sample of four prosopagnosics found an imagery deficit for faces, while the self-report questionnaires they used did not show any reduction in the vividness of visual mental imagery (VVMI). They did not find any reduction of mental imagery for objects or colors in their subjects. The authors tested the imagery with a set of questions about external and internal facial features of celebrities and about features of objects. In our recent study (), explicitly referred to by we evaluated the self-rated imagery of 53 congenital prosopagnosics and found that the vividness of their mental imagery was quite low – in fact the prosopagnosic group showed the lowest average mental imagery scores ever published for a non-brain-damaged group. This reduction of imagery capabilities was more pronou... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4591742 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4591742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294089&cid=s_38405_168_f&fid=38405&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cortexjournal.net%2Farticle%2FPIIS0010945210002212%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Abstract: The present investigation reports the case of patient AS, ambidextrous, who showed a selective problem with arithmetical procedures in addition, subtraction and multiplication, contrasting with complete sparing of division. AS displayed a specific and never described “bug” error, involving the selection of digits that have to be added, subtracted or multiplied. This bug consisted in inverting the order of the numbers that have to be selected to correctly solve the operation. In particular, AS selected the numbers beginning from the leftmost position. This bug spared division, since it is the only operation that requires starting from the leftmost digit(s). The present case would suggest that some aspects of arithmetical procedures are operation independent. Moreover, an accou... Cortex journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294089 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4294089