Differential components of sentence comprehension: Beyond single word reading and memory

A number of studies have used functional neuroimaging to examine the neural mechanisms of sentence comprehension; however, few fMRI studies have examined activation patterns associated with sentence comprehension after accounting for activation attributable to single-word-level tasks important for s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2006-01, Vol.29 (2), p.429-438
Main Authors: Cutting, L.E., Clements, A.M., Courtney, S., Rimrodt, S.L., Schafer, J.G.B., Bisesi, J., Pekar, J.J., Pugh, K.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Brain
Brain Mapping
Cerebral Cortex - physiology
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical imaging
Memory
Memory - physiology
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Neurosciences
Occipital Lobe - physiology
Prefrontal Cortex - physiology
Reading
Semantics
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Summary:A number of studies have used functional neuroimaging to examine the neural mechanisms of sentence comprehension; however, few fMRI studies have examined activation patterns associated with sentence comprehension after accounting for activation attributable to single-word-level tasks important for sentence comprehension. To investigate the patterns of activation associated with sentence comprehension after controlling for single word reading and maintaining single words in memory, 20 unimpaired adult readers completed a block design paradigm which included sentence comprehension, single word reading, and short-term memory (for words) tasks. Results indicated that, regardless of the aspect of sentence comprehension being controlled for, activation was observed in bilateral temporal lobes (left > right) as well as bilateral occipital lobes and middle frontal gyri. Additional findings showed that bilateral superior parietal lobe activation was greatest for short-term memory for words, while left anterior inferior frontal gyri activation (centered around Brodmann's area 47) was greatest for single word reading. Results suggest that temporal cortex (left > right) is a core region important for sentence comprehension beyond the short-term memory and semantic requirements inherent in processing sentences.
ISSN:1053-8119
1095-9572
DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.07.057