Neural basis for sentence comprehension: grammatical and short-term memory components.

Full Abstract

We monitored regional cerebral activity with BOLD fMRI while subjects were presented written sentences differing in their grammatical structure (subject-relative or object-relative center-embedded clauses) and their short-term memory demands (short or long antecedent-gap linkages). A core region of left posterior superior temporal cortex was recruited during all sentence conditions in comparison to a pseudofont baseline, suggesting that this area plays a central role in sustaining comprehension that is common to all sentences. Right posterior superior temporal cortex was recruited during sentences with long compared to short antecedent-gap linkages regardless of grammatical structure, suggesting that this brain region supports passive short-term memory during sentence comprehension. Recruitment of left inferior frontal cortex was most clearly associated with sentences that featured both an object-relative clause and a long antecedent-gap linkage, suggesting that this region supports the cognitive resources required to maintain long-distance syntactic dependencies during the comprehension of grammatically complex sentences.Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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Author information

Author/s: Cooke, Ayanna (A); Zurif, Edgar B (EB); DeVita, Christian (C); Alsop, David (D); Koenig, Phyllis (P); Detre, John (J); Gee, James (J); Pinãngo, Maria (M); Balogh, Jennifer (J); Grossman, Murray (M);

Affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4283, USA. mgrossma(-atsign-)mail.med.upenn.edu

Grants: AG15116 (Agency:NIA NIH HHS) ; AG17586 (Agency:NIA NIH HHS) ; DC00081 (Agency:NIDCD NIH HHS) ; DC00237 (Agency:NIDCD NIH HHS) ; DC02984 (Agency:NIDCD NIH HHS) ; NS35867 (Agency:NINDS NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Human brain mapping (Hum Brain Mapp), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Feb; vol 15 (issue 2) : pp 80-94

Dates: Created 2002/02/08; Completed 2002/04/12; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 11835600, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Behavior - physiology
Brain Mapping
Cognition - physiology
Female
Frontal Lobe - anatomy & histology; physiology
Functional Laterality - physiology
Humans
Language Tests

Language Tests
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Reaction Time - physiology
Reading
Temporal Lobe - anatomy & histology; physiology
Verbal Behavior - physiology

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