Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Alfredo Ardila1, Byron Bernal2 and Monica Rosselli3
1 Florida International University,
2 Miami Children’s Hospital and
3 Florida Atlantic University
Background: Understanding the functions of different brain areas has represented a major endeavor of contemporary neurosciences. Modern neuroimaging developments suggest cognitive functions are associated with networks rather than with specific areas. Objectives. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the connectivity of Brodmann area (BA) 46 (anterior middle frontal gyrus) in relation to language. Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the language network in which BA46 is involved. The DataBase of Brainmap was used; 19 papers corresponding to 60 experimental conditions with a total of 245 subjects were included. Results: Our results suggest the core network of BA46. The localization and modules involved suggest BA46 participation in a “frontal language production system” (or extended Broca’s system). The depicted BA46 connectivity is also concordant with a minor role in language semantics and language understanding. Conclusion: It was concluded that BA46 plays a central role in the language production system, most likely related to its executive control.
Estudio de la conectividad del AB46 en el control ejecutivo del lenguaje. Antecedentes: la comprensión de las funciones de diferentes áreas cerebrales representa una de las mayores empresas de las neurociencias contemporáneas. Los estudios contemporáneos con neuroimágenes sugieren que las funciones cognitivas se asocian con redes más que con áreas específicas. El propósito de este estudio fue analizar la conectividad del área de Brodmann 46 (BA46) (circunvolución frontal media anterior) con relación al lenguaje. Método: se llevó a cabo un meta-análisis para determinar el circuito o red lingüística en la cual participa BA46. Se utilizó la base de datos Brainmap; se incluyeron 19 artículos correspondientes a 60 condiciones experimentales con un total de 245 sujetos. Resultados: nuestros resultados sugieren un papel central de BA46 en la red del lenguaje. BA46 participa en un “sistema frontal de producción del lenguaje” (o sistema de Broca extendido). La conectividad hallada es también congruente con una participación menor en la semántica y la comprensión del lenguaje. Conclusiones: se concluye que BA46 juega un papel central en el sistema de producción del lenguaje, muy probablemente relacionado con su control ejecutivo.
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ENGLISH
https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2015.174