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Abstract:
Electrophysiological recordings in healthy subjects and data
from patients with brain damage imply that different aspects of
language (semantics and syntax) are processed in non-identical
neural systems. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
we investigated the neuroanatomical correlates of semantic and
syntactic language functions in right handed adults. Subjects
listened to sentences which varied in syntactic processing
difficulty. In different blocks, either normal words or
pseudo-words were used. In addition, a backward-speech condition
served as baseline. When contrasted with backward-speech, language
processing elicited a reliable activation of the classical language
areas (Broca's and Wernicke's areas) in all subjects. This
activation was left-lateralized in most participants. The strongest
effects of syntactic processing difficulty were observed within
frontal brain regions. By contrast, the superior temporal gyrus and
supramarginal gyrus were most reliably activated in association
with semantic processing. Therefore, the present study
substantiates the assumption that semantic and syntactic aspects of
language are processed in partially non-overlapping neural
systems.
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