Changing Perspectives in Speech and Language Neuropsychology, 1863-2023

This Research Topic in Frontiers in Psychology will explore the efforts to understand the historical relationship between human behavior and brain function with respect to language, cognition, and memory with a focus on activities from the 1860s to 2020s in Europe and North America. This period begins with the work of Paul Broca (1824-1880) in France, John Hughlings Jackson (1835-1911) in Great Britain, and Karl Wernicke (1848-1905) in Germany to identify the neuropathological sources of selective impairments in language. Efforts continued throughout the second half of the 19th century and there was increased activity after each of the two World Wars. One hundred years later there was a resurgence of interest in the earlier ideas as new approaches were initiated by individuals such as Wilder Penfield (1891-1976) in Canada and Norman Geschwind (1926-1984) in the USA. Historiographical and philosophical approaches to the understanding of these efforts could consider: their models and metaphors; methodological approaches and the status of evidence; the flow of ideas and people; interdisciplinary exchanges with anthropology, education, linguistics, medicine, psychology, and sociology; and the wider socio-cultural drivers.

The goal is to cover some or all the listed subtopics through a combination of original
research articles and reviews, as well as historical and comparative perspectives.
● Founders of neuropsychology;
● Cerebral localization;
● Holism;
● Aphasia;
● Speech and language disorders;
● Lateralization;
● Neurorehabilitation;
● Clinical psychology;
● Handedness;
● Multimodality.

The collaboration sought with this Research Topic will afford fresh and challenging perspectives on the evolving development of speech and language neuropsychology. For instance, we will explore the long-standing debate between cerebral localizationists and holists in the field of neuropsychology and discuss how and why new concepts and theories have emerged, including for clinical and rehabilitation purposes. We will also explore the limits that certain models have imposed on basic and clinical research. By bringing scientific and humanistic groups of researchers into interaction, we will uniquely provide a deeper understanding of neuropsychology, aphasiology, and behavioral neuroscience, transcending the multiple boundaries among neurological diagnostics, behavioral assessments, clinical applications, disciplines, and ways of knowing.

We hope to facilitate scholarly and public discussions about the scientific investigations, cultural meanings, and consequences of the development of aphasiology and speech and language disorders.