Imaging cortical dynamics of language processing with the event-related optical signal

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0707901104
• Publication Date: 2007-10-18T01:25:13Z
• Authors: Chun-Yu Tse; Chia-Lin Lee; Jason Sullivan; Susan M. Garnsey; Gary S. Dell; Monica Fabiani; Gabriele Gratton
• Keywords: P600; Neurophysiology; Dynamics

Language processing involves the rapid interaction of multiple brain regions. The study its neurophysiological bases would therefore benefit from neuroimaging techniques combining both good spatial and temporal resolution. Here we use event-related optical signal (EROS), a recently developed imaging method, to reveal interactions between left superior/middle cortices (S/MTC) inferior frontal (IFC) during semantically or syntactically anomalous sentences. Participants were presented with sentences these types intermixed nonanomalous control required judge their acceptability. ERPs recorded simultaneously EROS showed typical activities that are elicited when stimuli: N400 P600 for semantic syntactic anomalies, respectively. response words increased activity in S/MTC (corresponding time N400), followed by IFC activity. Syntactically evoked similar sequence, temporal-lobe P600), However, corresponding anomaly was more ventral than anomaly. These data suggest activation related proceeds regions anomalies. This first investigating language shows can be used image across cortical areas.