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Multilingual Naming

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Intraoperative Mapping of Cognitive Networks

Abstract

Bi/multilingualism refers to the ability to use two or more languages in everyday life. Increasing interest has been paid to unveil the neural basis of bilingual language processing; however, the brain representation of language in bilinguals is still a matter of debate. Currently, there is a weak level of evidence supporting that the best probable way to avoid a selective language deficit is to perform multilingual intraoperative tests. The key point is to individualize and tailor—depending on daily needs—the neuropsychological protocol, from testing only the native language up to testing all the languages the patient speaks. Furthermore, the bilingual brain is capable of handling both languages without apparent difficulty or interference. This cognitive ability, which includes language switching, has also been studied and mapped. Results suggest a functional cortico-subcortical network that takes advantage both from language-specific areas and from nonspecific cognitive control regions, working together to maintain effective communication. Therefore, electrical stimulation mapping arises not only as a technique to maintain the quality of life of bilingual patients but also as a useful tool in neurocognitive research.

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by the Basque Government through the BERC 2018-2021 program, and by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación through BCBL Severo Ochoa excellence accreditation SEV-2015-0490 and project RTI2018-093547-B-I00.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge (HUB), Neurosurgery Section, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona e IDIBELL, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

    Alejandro Fernandez-Coello

  2. CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Barcelona, Spain

    Alejandro Fernandez-Coello

  3. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Alejandro Fernandez-Coello

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Quiron, Madrid, Spain

    Santiago Gil-Robles

  5. BioCruces Research Institute, Bilbao, Spain

    Santiago Gil-Robles

  6. BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain

    Manuel Carreiras

  7. Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain

    Manuel Carreiras

  8. University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain

    Manuel Carreiras

Authors
  1. Alejandro Fernandez-Coello
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  2. Santiago Gil-Robles
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  3. Manuel Carreiras
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuel Carreiras .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Lariboisière Hospital, Paris Brain Institute (ICM) and Paris University, Paris, France

    Emmanuel Mandonnet

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Gui de Chauliac Hospital, Montpellier & Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Montpellier, INSERM, CNRS, Montpellier, France

    Guillaume Herbet

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Fernandez-Coello, A., Gil-Robles, S., Carreiras, M. (2021). Multilingual Naming. In: Mandonnet, E., Herbet, G. (eds) Intraoperative Mapping of Cognitive Networks. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75071-8_14

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