Progress in the Neurobiology of Communication and Language
Code: 45529 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Trastornos de la Comunicación y del Lenguaje | OB | 1 |
Contact
- Name:
- Marcos Pallarés i Añó
- Email:
- marc.pallares@uab.cat
Teachers
- Margalida Coll Andreu
- Sonia Darbra Marges
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are needed.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The objective of the subject is to provide current knowledge to students of functional neuroanatomy and the neurochemistry of communication and language disorders. They will work out questions that require understanding the nature of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of the various disorders and analyzing the importance of the relationship between the genetic factors and the protective and risk environmental factors. Furthermore, it is intended that students understand the capabilities of brain development throughout the life cycle and the functional reorganization dependent on experience. You will also acquire skills and competencies related to the critical reading of scientific publications and communication information on the neurobiology of communication and language.
Learning Outcomes
- CA02 (Competence) Critically analyse research data in the neurobiology of communication and language disorders.
- CA03 (Competence) Clearly communicate information about the neurobiology of communication and language disorders to the specialist public and the general public.
- CA04 (Competence) Make decisions autonomously in the context of the neurobiology of communication and language.
- KA04 (Knowledge) Distinguish between the relevance and adequacy of research methods and designs in the context of the neurobiology of communication and language disorders.
- KA05 (Knowledge) Scientifically analyse the limitations and biases of theories in the field of neurobiology of communication and language disorders.
- SA04 (Skill) Critically interpret scientific publications in the field of neurobiology of language and communication.
- SA05 (Skill) Write scientific reports in the field of neurobiology of communication and language disorders.
- SA06 (Skill) Use documentary sources to obtain relevant information in the field of neurobiology of communication and language.
Content
• Functional Neuroanatomy of Language and Communication
• Genes, Language and Communication
• Brain Development and Plasticity
• Neurochemical Alterations in Language and Communication Disorders
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Expository classes | 30 | 1.2 | CA02, KA04, KA05, SA04, SA06, CA02 |
| Oral presentations | 1.5 | 0.06 | CA03, CA04, CA03 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorial | 7.5 | 0.3 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study | 40.5 | 1.62 | CA02, KA04, KA05, SA04, SA06, CA02 |
| Preparation of oral presentation | 7 | 0.28 | CA03, CA04, CA03 |
| Preparation of written works | 15 | 0.6 | CA02, CA03, CA04, KA04, KA05, SA04, SA05, SA06, CA02 |
| Reading articles and other scientific documents | 40.5 | 1.62 | CA02, KA04, SA04, SA06, CA02 |
| Search for documentation in journals, books and other documentation sources | 8 | 0.32 | CA02, SA04, SA06, CA02 |
The teaching methodology is based on different activities. Depending on the situation, active
lectures or seminars will be held and supervised independent activities will be carried out:
Use of artificial intelligence:
In this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed as an integral part
of the development of the work, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution
of the student in the analysis and personal reflection. The student must clearly identify which parts
have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical consideration on
how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency
in the use of AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a penalization in the
grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV1: Critical analysis of bibliographic sources | 25 | 0 | 0 | CA02, KA04, KA05, SA04 |
| EV2a: Bibliographic search results | 15 | 0 | 0 | CA02, CA04, SA04, SA06 |
| EV2b: Written review work (maximum 5 pages) | 30 | 0 | 0 | CA02, CA03, CA04, KA04, KA05, SA04, SA05, SA06 |
| EV3: Oral presentation and defense of the revision work | 30 | 0 | 0 | CA03, CA04 |
The evaluation of the subject will be carried out following the "Evaluation Guidelines for the Degrees of the Faculty of Psychology", which can be found at https://www.uab.cat/web/estudiar/graus/graus/avaluacions-1345722525858.html, and based on various evidence of learning:
EV1: Critical analysis of scientific bibliographic sources (25% of the final grade). Written and in group. S7 will be submitted. The return will be S8 in specific rubric format.
EV2: Preparation of a work on a relevant issue in the Neurobiology of Hearing, Language and Communication (40% of the final grade): Written and Individual.
EV2a: Results of the bibliographic search (4 articles) (10%) S9 will be submitted. The return will be the same week 9 in rubric format.
EV2b: Preparation and submission of a written report on a topic in Neurobiology of Hearing, Language and Communication of the chosen topic (30%) S15 will be submitted. Return S19 in tutorial format.
Overall grade
The overall grade for the subject will be the weighted average of the scores obtained in each of the learning evidences, provided that the EV2b grade is equal to or greater than 4.
In the event that these requirements are not met, the grade on the academic transcript will be the lower value between 4.5 points and the weighted average of the grades of the continuous assessment.
Recovery
Due to its nature, EV3 cannot be recovered.
If the final grade of the Module does not reach 5 and/or the EV2b grade is less than 4, it will be necessary to recover. Recovery consists of re-elaborating EV2 (Ev2a and EV2b).
The maximum grade that can be obtained after recovery is 5 (out of 10).
EV3: Oral presentation and defense of the chosen topic (30% of the final grade). Individual. S18 will be submitted. S19 return in tutorial format.
Definition of "Not assessable"
Students who have not submitted either of the two pieces of evidence related to the Review Work (EV2a and EV2b) or who have submitted several pieces of evidence but the total weight of these is less than 40.5 of the final grade will receive the grade of "Not assessable"
Synthesis test
For students in their 2nd year or later, the same continuous assessment will be followed, therefore it is NOT expected that there will be an assessment through a single non-recoverable synthesis test.
Bibliography
BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY
Braid J, Richlan F (2022) The Functional Neuroanatomy of Reading Intervention. Front Neurosci. 16:921931
Caspi A; Moffitt TE (2006) Gene-environment interactions in psychiatry: joining forces with neuroscience. Nat Rev Neurosci. 7(7): 583-590.
Gazerani P (2025) The neuroplastic brain: current breakthroughs and emerging frontiers. Brain Res. 1858:149643
Ghosh A, Michalon A, Lindemann L, Fontoura P, Santarelli L (2013) Drug discovery for autism spectrum disorder: challenges and opportunities. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 12(10):777-90
Local activity alterations in autism spectrum disorder correlate with neurotransmitter properties and ketamine induced brain changes
Kral A, Sharma A (2023) Crossmodal plasticity in hearing loss. Trends Neurosci. 46(5):377-393
Lieberman P (2013) Synapses, Language, and Being Human. Science. 342(6161):944-945
Manter MA, Birtwell KB, Bath J, Friedman NDB, Keary CJ, Neumeyer AM, Palumbo ML, Thom RP, Stonestreet E, Brooks H, Dakin K, Hooker JM, McDougle CJ (2025) Pharmacological treatment in autism: a proposal for guidelines on common co-occurring psychiatric symptoms. BMC Med. 23(1):11
Marotta R, Risoleo MC, Messina G, Parisi L, Carotenuto M, Vetri L, Roccella M (2020) The Neurochemistry of Autism. Brain Sci. 10(3):163
Montanari M, Martella G, Bonsi P, Meringolo M (2022) Autism Spectrum Disorder: Focus on Glutamatergic Neurotransmission. Int J Mol Sci. 23(7): 3861
Nasios G, Dardiotis E, Messinis L. (2019) From Broca and Wernicke to the Neuromodulation Era: Insights of Brain Language Networks for Neurorehabilitation. Behav Neurol. 2019:9894571
Newbury DF, Monaco AP, Paracchini S.(2014) Reading and language disorders: the importance of both quantity and quality. Genes. 5(2):285-309.
Norton ES, Beach SD, Gabrieli JD (2015) Neurobiology of dyslexia. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 30: 73-38.
Poeppel D (2014) The neuroanatomic and neurophysiological infrastructure for speech and language. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 28: 142-149.
Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, Hall WC, Lamantia A-S, Mcnamara JO, Williams, S. Neurociencia (3ª Ed, 2007). Buenos Aires: Editorial Médica Panamericana. Capítulos 21, 22, 23 y 24
Simmons, D (2008) Behavioral genomics. Nature Education 1(1):54.
Tomiyama S, Yoshida K, Tani H, Uchida H (2025) Pharmacological Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Treatment Guidelines. Pharmacopsychiatry 58(3):100-116
Wolpaw JR, Thompson AK (2023) Enhancing neurorehabilitation by targeting beneficial plasticity. Front Rehabil Sci. 4:1198679
COMPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bates E, Roe K (2001) Language development in children with unilateral brain injury. En: Nelson, C. A.; Luciana, M. (Eds). Handbook of developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. The MIT Press. Pp. 281-308.
Bavelier D, Neville HJ (2002) Cross-modal plasticity: Where and how? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 3: 443-452
Canitano R (2014) New experimental treatments for core social domain in autism spectrum disorders. Front Pediatr. 2:61
Dror, AA, Avraham KB. (2009) Hearing loss: Mechanisms revealed by genetics and cell biology. Annu. Rev. Genet. 43: 411-437
Hagoort P. (2017). The core and beyond in the language-ready brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev.; 81(Pt B):194-204.
Heimler B, Weisz N, Collignon O (2014) Revisiting the adaptive and maladaptive effects of crossmodal plasticity. Neuroscience, 283: 44-63.
Kleim, J. A. & Jones, T. A. (2008). Principles of experience-dependent neural plasticity: implications for rehabilitation after brain damage. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 51, 225-239.
Kral A, Sharma A (2012) Developmental neuroplasticity after cochlear implantation. Trends in Neurosciences, 35(2): 111-122.
Marcus G, Rabagliati H (2006) What developmental disorders can tell us about the nature and origins of language. Nat Neurosci. 9(10): 1226-1229.
Matsunaga E, Okanoya K (2014) Cadherins: potential regulators in the faculty of language. Curr Opin Neurobiol, 28:28-33
Narbona, J. & Crespo-Eguílaz, N. (2012). Plasticidad cerebral para el lenguaje en el niño y el adolescente. Revista de Neurología, 54 (Supl. 1), 127-130.
Small SL, Llano DA (2009) Biological approaches to aphasia treatment. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 9(6):443-50
Spooren W, Lindemann L, Ghosh A, Santarelli L (2012) Synapse dysfunction in autism: a molecular medicine approach to drug discovery in neurodevelopmental disorders. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 33(12):669-84
White EJ, Hutka SA, Williams LJ, Moreno S (2013) Learning, neural plasticity and sensitive periods: implications for language acquisition, music training and transfer across the life span. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 7, Article 90
Wong PC, Morgan-Short K, Ettlinger M, Zheng J (2012) Linking neurogenetics and individual differences in language learning: the dopamine hypothesis. Cortex 48(9):1091-10
Software
Search Engine (Edge, Google, ...)
Text Editor (Word, ...)
Presentation Designer (PowerPoint, ...)
Online Teaching (Teams, ...)
UAB Virtual Campus (Moodle): Basic communication tool and material repository.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (TEm) Theory (master) | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | first semester | afternoon |