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Segregating the core computational faculty of human language from working memory.

Michiru Makuuchi¹, Jörg Bahlmann, Alfred Anwander

¹Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany. makuuchi@cbs.mpg.de

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|May 7, 2009

Summary

Human language relies on hierarchical structures. This study found distinct brain regions, the left pars opercularis (LPO) for structure and left inferior frontal sulcus (LIFS) for memory, work together in the brain to process complex sentences.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Linguistics

Background:

Human language uniquely features hierarchical structures, unlike simpler animal communication.
The left pars opercularis (LPO) is implicated in processing these complex linguistic structures.
It remains unclear if LPO activation reflects structural complexity or memory demands.

Purpose of the Study:

To differentiate the neural basis of structural complexity from working memory load in language processing.
To investigate the distinct and interacting roles of brain regions in handling syntactic complexity and memory in sentence comprehension.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study German sentence processing.
A 2-way factorial design manipulated structural complexity (hierarchical vs. non-hierarchical) and working memory load (short vs. long dependency distances).
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) examined white matter connectivity between relevant brain regions.

Main Results:

Structural complexity activated the left pars opercularis (LPO).
Working memory load modulated activity in the left inferior frontal sulcus (LIFS).
These regions are anatomically connected and show increased functional coupling for complex sentences.

Conclusions:

Syntax processing (LPO) and memory demands (LIFS) are neurally segregated within the left inferior frontal gyrus.
These distinct systems cooperate, evidenced by anatomical and functional connectivity, to process complex human language.