A Theory of the Neural Basis for Language Functioning

Abstract

In this ambitious and densely written volume, Glezerman and Balkoski attempt to present their theory of the neural basis for language and thought, and provide evidence from the literature to support their model. Their model is based on a neurobehavioral analysis of movement by the Russian physiologist Nicolai Bernstein. He proposed “horizontal” (intrahemispheric), “vertical” (hierarchical), and interhemispheric principles of brain organization that Glezerman and Balkoski have applied to the cerebral organization of language. Bernstein's basic model is described in detail in the first chapter of the book. The subsequent four chapters each consider a specific brain region and a related aspect of language and thought. Each of these chapters begins with a description of the relevant neuroanatomy. The authors then review the cognitive processes and knowledge that this brain area supports. Each chapter then considers the relevant form of aphasia that emerges following insult to the area under discussion. For example, the second chapter is concerned with temporal–occipital cortices and the role of this brain region in visual object perception, thought, and the meanings of individual words. After describing the regional anatomy, the authors characterize their perspective on object perception and how the breakdown of this process can lead to visual agnosia. Glezerman and Balkoski then relate this to the cerebral organization of word meaning and to disorders of naming. Chapter 3 is concerned with lateral temporal cortex and phonologic representations of words. The authors discuss the sound codes of a word, and how this coding process can break down