Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning
Adults do not learn languages as easily as children do. It has been hypothesized that the late-developing prefrontal cortex that supports executive functions competes with procedural learning mechanisms that are important for language learning. To address this hypothesis, we tested whether a tempora...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Publishing Group
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48519/ |
| _version_ | 1848797782309076992 |
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| author | Smalle, Eleonore H.M. Panouilleres, Muriel Szmalec, Arnaud Möttönen, Riikka |
| author_facet | Smalle, Eleonore H.M. Panouilleres, Muriel Szmalec, Arnaud Möttönen, Riikka |
| author_sort | Smalle, Eleonore H.M. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Adults do not learn languages as easily as children do. It has been hypothesized that the late-developing prefrontal cortex that supports executive functions competes with procedural learning mechanisms that are important for language learning. To address this hypothesis, we tested whether a temporary neural disruption of the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) can improve implicit, procedural learning of word-forms in adults. Young adults were presented with repeating audio-visual sequences of syllables for immediate serial recall in a Hebb repetition learning task that simulates word-form learning. Inhibitory theta-burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation was applied to the left DLPFC or to the control site before the Hebb task. The DLPFC-disrupted group showed enhanced learning of the novel phonological sequences relative to the control group. Moreover, learning was negatively correlated with executive functions that rely on the DLPFC in the control group, but not in the DLPFC-disrupted group. The results support the hypothesis that a mature prefrontal cortex competes with implicit learning of word-forms. The findings provide new insight into the competition between brain mechanisms that contribute to language learning in the adult brain. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:09:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-48519 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:09:21Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-485192020-05-04T19:13:53Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48519/ Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning Smalle, Eleonore H.M. Panouilleres, Muriel Szmalec, Arnaud Möttönen, Riikka Adults do not learn languages as easily as children do. It has been hypothesized that the late-developing prefrontal cortex that supports executive functions competes with procedural learning mechanisms that are important for language learning. To address this hypothesis, we tested whether a temporary neural disruption of the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) can improve implicit, procedural learning of word-forms in adults. Young adults were presented with repeating audio-visual sequences of syllables for immediate serial recall in a Hebb repetition learning task that simulates word-form learning. Inhibitory theta-burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation was applied to the left DLPFC or to the control site before the Hebb task. The DLPFC-disrupted group showed enhanced learning of the novel phonological sequences relative to the control group. Moreover, learning was negatively correlated with executive functions that rely on the DLPFC in the control group, but not in the DLPFC-disrupted group. The results support the hypothesis that a mature prefrontal cortex competes with implicit learning of word-forms. The findings provide new insight into the competition between brain mechanisms that contribute to language learning in the adult brain. Nature Publishing Group 2017-10-25 Article PeerReviewed Smalle, Eleonore H.M., Panouilleres, Muriel, Szmalec, Arnaud and Möttönen, Riikka (2017) Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning. Scientific Reports, 7 (1). 13966/1-13966/9. ISSN 2045-2322 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-14547-x doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14547-x doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14547-x |
| spellingShingle | Smalle, Eleonore H.M. Panouilleres, Muriel Szmalec, Arnaud Möttönen, Riikka Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning |
| title | Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning |
| title_full | Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning |
| title_fullStr | Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning |
| title_short | Language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning |
| title_sort | language learning in the adult brain: disrupting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex facilitates word-form learning |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48519/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48519/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48519/ |