Four physiological conditions associated with later learning disabilities are noted: Turner Syndrome (a chromosomal abnormality), preterm children with intracranial hemorrhage, children with incompletely developed connecting fibers between the cerebral hemispheres, and children with acquired brain injury. (CL)

By studying forgetfulness in humans and monkeys, scientists are learning about the anatomy of normal memory. Results of amnesia studies, indicating that memory collapse occurs in a selective fashion depending on the cause, may help resolve a fundamental dispute among learning theorists. (JN)

The second in a series of three articles concerning children's brain development focuses on the organization of the brain. Aspects of the brain's vertical, neocortex, and temporal organization are discussed and references for further reading are provided. (CJ)

The paper surveys contribution of A. Luria to aphasiology, emphasizing unique extent to which he integrated theory and therapeutic practice. Luria's view of primary defects underlying main forms of aphasia is summarized; this is followed by brief account of his application of certain notions of structural linguists, including R. Jakobson's…

An interview with D. Goodman, brain researcher, focuses on the role of the frontal lobes in intelligence and learning in individuals with learning disabilities. The technique of psychic self-regulation, intensive training in active imagination, concentrated attention, and enhanced self-control, is seen to strengthen frontal lobe functioning. (CL)

The authors postulate that dysfunctions in the cortical sensorimotor areas of the brain that control internal speech may adversely affect the learning of reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic, especially in children who are first learning these skills. (Author)

Proposes a hypothesis suggesting that parts of the central nervous system that contain norepinephrine and dopamine are dynamically interrelated under stressful conditions in a compensatory way. (MLH)

Describes the role of mushroom bodies--cup-shaped structures perched atop the brain of an insect--in learning. Mushroom bodies may help fruit flies in learning meaningful odors, cockroaches in spatial learning, and honeybees both in locating pollen and nectar and in navigating back to the colony. (PVD)

Fourteen individuals who stutter and 14 nonstuttering individuals were assessed for the magnitude of their eye blink responses to noise bursts as a measure of temperament. Eye blink response to the initial noise burst and the mean of 10 responses were significantly greater for the stuttering group. Additionally, the Nervous subscale of the…

To assess the possible role of familial psychopathology in the etiology of infantile autism, family histories and neurological status of 51 autistic subjects subgrouped by level of language function were evaluated. Among findings was a high incidence of Asperger's Syndrome in family members of high functioning autistic subjects. (Author/DB)

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials were compared in 109 children with infantile autism, 38 with autistic condition, 19 with mental retardation, and 20 normal children. Children with infantile autism or autistic condition had significantly longer brainstem transmission time than normal children suggesting neurological damage as the basis of…

Presents an overview of research findings concerning the biological foundations of conscious memory and other attributes of the mind. Includes vignettes and diagrams depicting brain structure and how neurons communicate. (MCO)

A review of research on brain imaging of developmental stuttering concludes that findings increasingly point to a failure of normal temporal lobe activation during speech that may either contribute to (or is the result of) a breakdown in the sequencing of processing among premotor regions implicated in phonologic planning. (Contains references.)…

Functional lesion studies have yielded new information about the cortical organization of speech perception in the human brain. We will review a number of recent findings, focusing on studies of speech perception that use the techniques of electrocortical mapping by cortical stimulation and hemispheric anesthetization by intracarotid amobarbital.…