Vascular responses to syntactic processing: Event‐related fMRI study of relative clauses

Caplan, David; Vijayan, Sujith; Kuperberg, Gina R.; West, Caroline; Waters, Gloria; Greve, Doug; Dale, Anders M.

doi:10.1002/hbm.1059

Cited by 131 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Most of this work has implicated left anterior frontal brain regions, specifically including Broca's area, in the processing of sentences with complex structure (Ben-Shachar et al, 2003;Caplan et al, 1998Caplan et al, , 1999Caplan et al, , 2001Cooke et al, 2001;Dapretto and Bookheimer, 1999;Friederici et al, 2000;Grossman et al, 2002;Heim et al, 2003;Inui et al, 1998;Just et al, 1996;Musso et al, 2003;Newman et al, 2001;Ni et al, 2000;Sakai et al, 2001;Stromswold et al, 1996;Waters et al, 2003;Wartenburger et al, 2004). In general, conclusions drawn from this research fit well with behavioral and lesion evidence gleaned over decades about the role of left inferior frontal cortex (L-IFC) including Broca's area.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 73%

A Functional Neuroimaging Investigation of the Roles of Structural Complexity and Task-Demand During Auditory Sentence Processing

Love

Haist

Nicol³

et al. 2006

Cortex

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Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study directly examined an issue that bridges the potential language processing and multi-modal views of the role of Broca's area: the effects of task-demands in language comprehension studies. We presented syntactically simple and complex sentences for auditory comprehension under three different (differentially complex) taskdemand conditions: passive listening, probe verification, and theme judgment. Contrary to many language imaging findings, we found that both simple and complex syntactic structures activated left inferior frontal cortex (L-IFC). Critically, we found activation in these frontal regions increased together with increased task-demands. Specifically, tasks that required greater manipulation and comparison of linguistic material recruited L-IFC more strongly; independent of syntactic structure complexity. We argue that much of the presumed syntactic effects previously found in sentence imaging studies of L-IFC may, among other things, reflect the tasks employed in these studies and that L-IFC is a region underlying mnemonic and other integrative functions, on which much language processing may rely.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 73%

A Functional Neuroimaging Investigation of the Roles of Structural Complexity and Task-Demand During Auditory Sentence Processing

Love

Haist

Nicol³

et al. 2006

Cortex

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…These processes involving syntactic working memory are not reflected in a local ERP component but in a sustained left frontal negativity (Fiebach and Friederici, 2003;Fiebach et al, 2001). These latter syntactic processes are supported by BA 44/45 in the IFG (Ben-Shahar et al, 2003;Caplan et al, 1998Caplan et al, , 2002Fiebach et al, 2001;Newman et al, 2003;Stromswold et al, 1996) (indicated by white circle in Fig. 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

The brain basis of syntactic processes: functional imaging and lesion studies

2003

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Language comprehension can be subdivided into three processing steps: initial structure building, semantic integration, and late syntactic integration. The two syntactic processing phases are correlated with two distinct components in the event-related brain potential, namely an early left anterior negativity (ELAN) and a late centroparietal positivity (P600). Moreover, ERP findings from healthy adults suggest that early structure-building processes as reflected by the ELAN are independent of semantic processes. fMRI results have revealed that semantic and syntactic processes are supported by separable temporofrontal networks, with the syntactic processes involving the left superior temporal gyrus (STG), the left frontal operculum, and the basal ganglia (BG) in particular. MEG data from healthy adults have indicated that the left anterior temporal region and the left inferior frontal region subserve the early structure building processes. ERP data from patients with lesions in the left anterior temporal region and from patients with lesions in the left inferior frontal gyrus support this view, as these patients do not demonstrate an ELAN, although they do demonstrate a P600. Further results from patients with BG dysfunction suggest that parts of this subcortical structure are involved in late syntactic integrational processes. The data from the different experiments lead to the notion of separable brain systems responsible for early and late syntactic processes, with the former being subserved by the inferior frontal gyrus and the anterior STG and the latter being supported by the BG and more posterior portions of the STG.

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“…To the best of our knowledge this technique has not been implemented in fMRI experiments before. Previous attempts include the use of behavioural SPR to determine the appropriate duration for a fixed word presentation in fMRI (Caplan et al 2002), or the use of self-paced eye movements as predictors of brain activation (Richlan et al 2014;Bonhage et al 2015). However, in none of these cases were the participants asked to pace the experiment themselves while in the MRI scanner.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An fMRI study on the processing of long-distance wh-movement in a second language

2017

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Recent behavioural evidence from second language (L2) learners has suggested native-like processing of syntactic structures, such as long-distance wh-dependencies in L2. The underlying processes are still largely debated, while the available neuroimaging evidence has been restricted to native (L1) processing. Here we test highly proficient L2 learners of English in an fMRI experiment incorporating a sentence reading task with long-distance wh-dependencies, including abstract syntactic categories (empty traces of wh-movement). Our results suggest that long-distance wh-dependencies impose increased working memory (WM) demands, compared to control sentences of equal length, demonstrated as increased activation of the superior and middle temporal gyri bilaterally. Additionally, our results suggest abstract syntactic processing by the most immersed L2 learners, manifested as comparable left temporal activity for sentences with wh-traces and sentences with no wh-movement. These findings are discussed against current theoretical proposals about L2 syntactic processing.

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Vascular responses to syntactic processing: Event‐related fMRI study of relative clauses

Cited by 131 publications

References 46 publications

A Functional Neuroimaging Investigation of the Roles of Structural Complexity and Task-Demand During Auditory Sentence Processing

A Functional Neuroimaging Investigation of the Roles of Structural Complexity and Task-Demand During Auditory Sentence Processing

The brain basis of syntactic processes: functional imaging and lesion studies

An fMRI study on the processing of long-distance wh-movement in a second language

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