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Fractionating language: different neural subsystems with different sensitive periods.

H J Neville¹, D L Mills, D S Lawson

¹Salk Institute, La Jolla, California 92186.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

|May 1, 1992

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This study investigated brain responses to semantic and grammatical words in hearing and deaf adults. Findings suggest distinct neural systems support these language functions, with grammar being more vulnerable to early language experience.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psycholinguistics
Linguistics

Background:

Theories propose distinct subprocesses for semantic and grammatical language functions.
Previous research offers mixed support for this distinction.
Neurobiological evidence is needed to clarify these language domains.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate neurobiological evidence for distinct semantic and grammatical language functions.
To compare brain responses (event-related potentials - ERPs) to open-class (semantic) and closed-class (grammatical) words.
To examine the impact of early language experience, using congenitally deaf subjects, on these brain responses.

Main Methods:

Compared ERPs to open-class and closed-class words in normal-hearing adults.

Related Experiment Videos

Assessed ERPs in congenitally deaf subjects to evaluate the effects of altered early language experience.

Analyzed differences in ERPs related to semantic and grammatical word processing between groups.

Main Results:

Normal-hearing adults showed distinct ERPs for semantic and grammatical words, supporting different roles in language processing.
Semantic processing ERPs were similar in deaf and hearing subjects.
Grammatical processing ERPs differed significantly between deaf and hearing subjects.

Conclusions:

Semantic and grammatical language functions are mediated by separate neural systems.
Grammatical processing appears more vulnerable to early language experience than semantic processing.
These findings provide neurobiological support for distinguishing between semantic and grammatical language functions.