Evolutionary Cognition, University of Tübingen, Germany.
Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Germany.
Neuroimage. 2019 Nov 15;202:116047. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116047. Epub 2019 Jul 23.
Discourse structures enable us to generate expectations based upon linguistic material that has already been introduced. We investigated how the required cognitive operations such as reference processing, identification of critical items, and eventual handling of violations correlate with neuronal activity within the language network of the brain. To this end, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in which we manipulated spoken discourse coherence by using presuppositions (PSPs) that either correspond or fail to correspond to items in preceding context sentences. Definite and indefinite determiners were used as PSP triggers, referring to (non-) uniqueness or (non-) existence of an item. Discourse adequacy was tested by means of a behavioral rating during fMRI. Discourse violations yielded bilateral hemodynamic activation within the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the inferior parietal lobe including the angular gyrus (IPL/AG), the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), and the basal ganglia (BG). These findings illuminate cognitive aspects of PSP processing: (1) a reference process requiring working memory (IFG), (2) retrieval and integration of semantic/pragmatic information (IPL/AG), (3) cognitive control of inconsistency management (pre-SMA/BG) in terms of "successful" comprehension despite PSP violations at the surface. These results provide the first fMRI evidence needed to develop a functional neuroanatomical model for context-dependent sentence comprehension based on the example of PSP processing.
语篇结构使我们能够根据已经引入的语言材料产生预期。我们研究了诸如参照处理、关键项目识别和最终处理违反等认知操作与大脑语言网络内的神经元活动有何关联。为此，我们进行了一项功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究，通过使用预设（PSP）来操纵口语语篇连贯性，这些预设与前文句子中的项目相符或不相符。限定词和不定限定词被用作 PSP 触发词，指代项目的（非）唯一性或（非）存在性。通过 fMRI 期间的行为评分来测试语篇的恰当性。语篇违反会导致额下回（IFG）、包括角回的下顶叶（IPL/AG）、预备运动区（pre-SMA）和基底神经节（BG）的双侧血液动力学激活。这些发现阐明了 PSP 处理的认知方面：（1）需要工作记忆的参照过程（IFG），（2）语义/语用信息的检索和整合（IPL/AG），（3）不一致管理的认知控制（pre-SMA/BG），尽管表面上存在 PSP 违反，但仍能“成功”理解。这些结果为基于 PSP 处理的语境相关句子理解提供了发展功能神经解剖模型所需的第一个 fMRI 证据。
