Lichtheim 2: Synthesizing Aphasia and the Neural Basis of Language in a Neurocomputational Model of the Dual Dorsal-Ventral Language Pathways

Traditional neurological models of language were based on a single neural pathway (the dorsal pathway underpinned by the arcuate fasciculus). Contemporary neuroscience indicates that anterior temporal regions and the ventral language pathway also make a significant contribution, yet there is no computationally-implemented model of the dual pathway, nor any synthesis of normal and aphasic behavior. The Lichtheim 2 model was implemented by developing a new variety of computational model which reproduces and explains normal and patient data but also incorporates neuroanatomical information into its architecture. By bridging the mind-brain gap in this way, the resultant neurocomputational model provides a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between lesion location and behavioral deficits, and to provide a platform for simulating functional neuroimaging data.