The results of this dissertation contribute to the existing literature on neuronal correlates of lan-guage processing in adults, and basic auditory perception underlying lanlan-guage acquisition in in-fancy by suggesting the following conclusions:
• Phonotactic segmental cues are predominantly processed by left fronto-temporal cortex re-gions in the adult brain.
• Language acquisition is linked to basic capacities in auditory processing. From birth the brain is tuned to critical temporal properties of linguistic signals.
• In newborns the observed lateralization of language functions is related to a more general specialization of the auditory cortex for different temporal acoustic properties.
• This lateralization pattern remains relatively constant over the first months of life.
Together, the dissertation supports the view, that convergent evidence by complementary ex-periments in adults and infants, as well as the combination of multiple methods can help to eluci-date the neuronal mechanisms underlying language perception and its development from birth.
Future studies in adults are needed to further investigate the functional pathways of language perception and the assumptions of psychoacoustic models in particular. Concerning language acquisition, results in adults provide an important basis for interpretations of infant studies. To further identify early precursors of language and the underlying neuronal mechanisms is of major importance because it may contribute to various fields of research such as the evolution of lan-guage or the quest to diagnose children with developmental disabilities that involve lanlan-guage
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Eidesstattliche Erklärung
Hiermit erkläre ich an Eides statt, dass ich
• die vorliegende Arbeit selbstständig und ohne unerlaubte Hilfe verfasst habe,
• mich nicht bereits zu einem anderen Zeitpunkt oder an einer anderen Fakultät um einen Doktorgrad beworben habe und keinen Doktorgrad in dem Promotionsfach Psychologie be-sitze,
• und die zugrunde liegende Promotionsordnung vom 03.08.2006 kenne.
Berlin, 15.11.2010 Silke Telkemeyer
Appendix
• Publikations- und Vortragsliste
Publikations- und Vortragsliste
Veröffentlichte Artikel
Rossi, S., Jürgenson, I.B., Hanulíková, A., Telkemeyer, S., Wartenburger, I., Obrig, H. Implicit Processing of Phonotactic Cues: Evidence from Electrophysiological and Vascular Responses.
(2010). Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. Epub ahead of print.
Obrig, H., Rossi, S., Telkemeyer, S., Wartenburger, I. From acoustic segmentation to language processing: Evidence from optical imaging. (2010). Frontiers in Neuroenergetics. June 23, 2. (13).
Telkemeyer, S., Rossi, S., Koch, S.P., Nierhaus, T., Steinbrink, J., Poeppel, D., Obrig, H., Wartenburger, I. Sensitivity of newborn auditory cortex to the temporal structure of sounds.
(2009). Journal of Neuroscience. 29(47):14726 –14733.
Wartenburger, I., Steinbrink. J., Telkemeyer, S., Friedrich, M., Friederici, AD., Obrig, H. The Processing of Prosody: Evidence of Interhemispheric Specialization at the Age of Four. (2007).
Neuroimage, 34: 416:425. 2007,Jan.
Eingereichte Artikel
Artikel in Vorbereitung
Rossi, S., Telkemeyer, S., Gugler, M.F., Hanulikova, A., Wartenburger, I. & Obrig, H. Young infants discriminate between native and non-native language rules: A study with combined EEG and near-infrared spectroscopy. In Vorbereitung.
Mehnert, J., Akhrif, A., Telkemeyer, S., Rossi, S., Schmitz, C., Steinbrink, J., Wartenburger, I., Obrig H., Neufang, S. Developmental changes in brain function and cerebral coherence during response inhibition in the early childhood brain. In Vorbereitung.
Poster-Präsentationen
Mehnert, J., Telkemeyer, S., Schmitz, C., Steinbrink, J., Obrig, H., Wartenburger, I., (2009). Dif-ferential processing of sounds with varying spectral and temporal complexity in bilateral temporal cortex. Neuroimage (Nr. 781). Human Brain Mapping Conference, San Francisco, USA.
Telkemeyer, S., Obrig, H., Steinbrink, J., Rossi, S., Passow, S., Wartenburger, I., (2008). Hemo-dynamic response to stimuli with varying temporal complexity in healthy neonates. XI Interna-tional Congress for the Study of Child Language, Edinburgh, Schottland.
Telkemeyer, S., Obrig, H., Steinbrink, J., Rossi, S., Passow, S., Wartenburger, I., (2008). Hemo-dynamic response to stimuli with varying temporal complexity in healthy neonates. XXIX Inter-national Congress of Psychology, Berlin, Deutschland.
Telkemeyer, S., Obrig, H., Rossi, S., Steinbrink, J., Wartenburger, I. (2008). Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy investigates hemispheric asymmetry for processing temporally varying acoustic stimuli in newborns. Cognitive Neuroscience Soc., San Francisco, Suppl.
Telkemeyer, S., Wartenburger, I., Steinbrink, J., Rossi, S., Passow, S., Obrig, H. (2007). Hemo-dynamic response to auditory stimuli of varying temporal complexity: a Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy (NIRS) study in newborns and adults. Neuroimage (67 M-AM). Human Brain Mapping Conference, Chicago, USA.
Rossi, S., Wartenburger, I., Passow, S., Telkemeyer, S., Nierhaus, T., Obrig, H. (2007). Gamma-band response to auditory stimuli of varying temporal complexity: A study in healthy adults.
Cognitive Neuroscience Soc., New York, Suppl.
Telkemeyer, S., Obrig, H., Gaebler, M., Steinbrink. J., Friedrich, M., Friederici, AD., Warten-burger, I. (2006). Optical Topography Reveals Lateralization of Auditory Language Functions in Four-Year Old Children. Neuroimage (359 W-AM). Human Brain Mapping Conference, Flor-ence, Italien.
Gaebler, M., Telkemeyer, S., Obrig, H., Steinbrink, J., Friedrich, M., Friederici, A.D., Warten-burger, I. (2006). Lateralization of Prosody Processing in Children and Adults. Conference: The Architecture of Language, Pisa, Italien.
Wartenburger, I., Telkemeyer, S., Friedrich, M., Steinbrink. J., Obrig, H., Friederici, A.D.
(2006). The melody and meaning of sentences: interhemispheric specialization at the age of four.
Cognitive Neuroscience Soc., San Francisco, Suppl.
Eingeladene Vorträge
Telkemeyer, S. (2010). Kortikale Verarbeitung sprachrelevanter akustischer Information in den ersten Lebensmonaten. Institut für Biologische Psychologie and Neuropsychologie, Universität Hamburg, Deutschland.
Telkemeyer, S. (2008). Auditory and Language processing in infants. School of Mind & Brain, Berlin, Deutschland.
Telkemeyer, S. (2007). Cognitive Neuroscience of Language. International Graduateprogram Medical Neuroscience, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Deutschland.
Telkemeyer, S., Wartenburger, I., Steinbrink, J., Rossi, S., Passow, S., Obrig, H. (2007). Process-ing of temporally different acoustic signals in newborns: a combined Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy and EEG study. International Networking Seminar for Young Scientists: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuro-Imaging of Development. British Council. Paris, Frankreich.
Telkemeyer, S., Obrig, H., Gaebler, M., Steinbrink, J., Friedrich, M., Friederici, A.D., Warten-burger, I. (2006). Interhemispheric Specialization of Language Processing in Four-Year Old Chil-dren: A NIRS-Study. Symposium: Tools to study language acquisition, SISSA, Trieste, Italien.