title: Basal ganglia and language: phonology modulates dopaminergic release.
abstract: Basal ganglia have been implicated in syntactic and phonological processes, but direct evidence has been scarce. Here, we used [11C]raclopride and positron emission tomography to measure modulations of the dopaminergic system induced by phonological or syntactic processing. Two significant effects were found. First, the level of accuracy in phonological processing significantly correlated with tracer binding potential in the left caudate nucleus. Second, the speed in phonological processing significantly correlated with tracer binding potential in the left putamen. Thus, a more accurate and fast phonological processing was associated with a reduced dopamine requirement in the left striatum. These findings show that the striatal dopaminergic system plays an essential role in grammatical processes that form the core of human language.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy. tettamanti.marco@hsr.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tettamanti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Messa
authors.forename: Rosa M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Moresco
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Assunta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carpinelli
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matarrese
authors.forename: Ferruccio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fazio
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Perani
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000502:physiology; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D004298:Dopamine