Areas of Brain Responsible for Understanding American Sign Language

NCT00001782 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 98008298-N-0082
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The human brain is made up of two halves called hemispheres. Each half of the brain is responsible for processing different kinds of information. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that both the right and left hemispheres are involved when processing information given in American Sign Language (ASL). However, the study also showed that when processing spoken language, the left hemisphere was mostly involved. Researchers would like to find out more about how the brain processes American Sign Language (ASL). This study is designed to determine if the right hemisphere is necessary for normal understanding of ASL.

Conditions

Brain Mapping; Deafness; Healthy

Keywords

Deafness; Hemisphere Dominance; Language; Plasticity; Speech; rTMS

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Subject age between 18 and 65 years. Adult hearing offsprings of deaf parents. Congenitally deaf individuals. Intact hearing volunteers. No subjects with personal or family history of seizures or other neurological or demyelinating disorders. No pregnant women tested after urine pregnancy test. No subjects with severe coronary disease. No subjects with metal in the cranium except mouth. No subjects with intracardiac lines and implanted medication pumps. No subjects with increased intracranial pressure as evaluated by clinical means. No subjects with cardiac pacemakers. No subjects with an intake of neuroleptics.

Contact the study team to discuss eligibility requirements. They can help determine if this study is right for you.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Neville HJ, Bavelier D, Corina D, Rauschecker J, Karni A, Lalwani A, Braun A, Clark V, Jezzard P, Turner R. Cerebral organization for language in deaf and hearing subjects: biological constraints and effects of experience. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 Feb 3;95(3):922-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.95.3.922.

  PMID: 9448260 BACKGROUND

• Cohen LG, Bandinelli S, Sato S, Kufta C, Hallett M. Attenuation in detection of somatosensory stimuli by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1991 Oct;81(5):366-76. doi: 10.1016/0168-5597(91)90026-t.

  PMID: 1718723 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Deafness; Language; Speech

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Hearing Loss; Hearing Disorders; Ear Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Sensation Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Communication; Behavior; Verbal Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 3, 1999
• First Posted: December 10, 2002
• Study Start: March 1, 1998
• Study Completion: December 1, 2000
• Last Updated: March 4, 2008

Record last verified: 1999-11

Locations

US (1)