title: Domain-general inhibition areas of the brain are involved in language switching: fMRI evidence from trilingual speakers.
abstract: The prevailing theory of language switching states that unbalanced bilingual speakers use inhibition to switch between their languages (Inhibitory Control or IC model; Green, 1998). Using fMRI, we examined the brain mechanisms underlying language switching and investigated the role of domain-general inhibition areas such as the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) and the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA). Dutch-English-German trilinguals performed a picture naming task in the MRI scanner in both a blocked-language and a mixed-language context. The rIFG and pre-SMA showed more activation for switches to the second and third language (L2 and L3) compared to non-switch trials and blocked trials. No such difference was found for switches to the first language (L1). Our results indicate that language switching recruits brain areas related to domain-general inhibition. In this way, our study supports the claim that multilinguals use inhibition to switch between their languages.
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: angela.debruin@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Bruin
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ardi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roelofs
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ton
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dijkstra
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf, Institut für Sprache und Information, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D007802:Language; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Executive control; FMRI; Inhibition; Language switching; Trilingual