Chanraud-Guillermo Sandra, Andoh Jamila, Martelli Catherine, Artiges Eric, Pallier Christophe, Aubin Henri-Jean, Martinot Jean-Luc, Reynaud Michel
INSERM U797 Research Unit, Neuroimaging & Psychiatry, 4 place du Général Leclerc, Orsay, France.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2009 Jun;33(6):977-84. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2009.00918.x. Epub 2009 Mar 25.
Neuroimaging studies showed clear evidence of alcoholism-related damage to the frontal lobes and cerebellum. Although these regions have been involved in language processing, language skills are relatively spared in alcoholics. Here, we aimed at identifying neural substrates associated with the preserved mechanisms of language processing in alcoholics. We hypothesized that alcoholics would show a different pattern of neural activity compared with the controls.
Alcoholic and nonalcoholic subjects performed an auditory language task while receiving a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan in a 1.5 T magnet. This task has been previously shown to solicit the comprehension processing in healthy controls, with reliable fMRI response in the left frontal and temporal/parietal lobes.
Behavioral results showed comparable performance (error rates, response time) between the alcoholics and the matched controls. However, analysis of the functional data revealed that the alcoholics exhibited greater fMRI response in the left middle frontal gyrus (pars triangularis), the right superior frontal gyrus, and the cerebellar vermis relative to the controls.
These findings suggest that frontocerebellar neural activity, supporting the comprehension processing of the auditory language task, may require compensatory mechanisms in alcoholics in order to maintain the same level of performance as the controls.
神经影像学研究显示，有明确证据表明酗酒会对额叶和小脑造成损伤。尽管这些区域参与语言处理，但酗酒者的语言技能相对保留。在此，我们旨在确定与酗酒者语言处理保留机制相关的神经基质。我们假设酗酒者与对照组相比会表现出不同的神经活动模式。
酗酒者和非酗酒者在1.5T磁体中接受功能磁共振成像（fMRI）扫描时执行听觉语言任务。先前已证明该任务能激发健康对照组的理解处理，在左额叶和颞叶/顶叶有可靠的fMRI反应。
行为结果显示酗酒者与匹配的对照组之间表现相当（错误率、反应时间）。然而，功能数据分析显示，与对照组相比，酗酒者在左额中回（三角部）、右额上回和小脑蚓部表现出更大的fMRI反应。
这些发现表明，支持听觉语言任务理解处理的额小脑神经活动，可能需要酗酒者的代偿机制来维持与对照组相同的表现水平。
