Co-localization of Stroop and Syntactic Ambiguity Resolution in Broca's Area: Implications for the Neural Basis of Sentence Processing
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For over a century, a link between left prefrontal cortex and language processing has been accepted, yet the precise characterization of this link remains elusive. Recent advances in both the study of sentence processing and the neuroscientific study of frontal lobe function suggest an intriguing possibility: The demands to resolve competition between incompatible characterizations of a linguistic stimulus may recruit top–down cognitive control processes mediated by prefrontal cortex. We use functional magnetic resonance imaging to test the hypothesis that individuals use shared prefrontal neural circuitry during two very different tasks—color identification under Stroop conflict and sentence comprehension under conditions of syntactic ambiguity—both of which putatively rely on cognitive control processes. We report the first demonstration of within-subject overlap in neural responses to syntactic and nonsyntactic conflict. These findings serve to clarify the role of Broca's area in, and the neural and psychological organization of, the language processing system.
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The data are difficult to reconcile with the hypothesis that the left inferior frontal gyrus is engaged in domain general cognitive control.
“Our data are difficult to reconcile with the widely favored hypothesis that this region is engaged in domain general cognitive control (8, 17); although we do see a weak response to the Stroop task in this region, we find no hint of activation for either of the other two cognitive control tasks [the MSIT task (39) and its variant, verbal MSIT (vMSIT)].”
From Functional specificity for high-level linguistic processing in the human brain (2011) · cites this paper as [17]
The language contrast does not confound linguistic processing and general cognitive effort because the memory probe task is more difficult in the control (nonwords) condition.
“Furthermore, unlike the language contrasts used in some prior studies (17, 21), this contrast does not confound linguistic processing and general cognitive effort, because the memory probe task is more difficult in the control (nonwords) condition.”
From Functional specificity for high-level linguistic processing in the human brain (2011) · cites this paper as [17]
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- Authors
- January, D., Trueswell, J. C., & Thompson-Schill, S. L.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- ORCID
- Trueswell, John C.
- Venue
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Publisher
- MIT Press - Journals
- Published
- 2009-12-01
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2434-2444
- ISSN
- 0898-929X (ISSN-L)
- 1530-8898
- PMC
- PMC2762484
- OpenAlex
- W2161723141
- Cited by
- 236
- References
- 63
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 4.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- ScholarlyCommons (University of Pennsylvania) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Institutes of Health (5r01dc009209-15)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH067008, R01 MH67008)
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (R01-DC009209)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P30NS045839)
- Division of Graduate Education
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
- Keywords
- Broca's area, syntactic ambiguity resolution, sentence processing, cognitive control, top-down control, prefrontal cortex, color recognition, language processing
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain Mapping, Color Perception, Discrimination, Psychological, Female, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Oxygen, Photic Stimulation, Psycholinguistics, Reaction Time, Semantics, Comprehension, Young Adult
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