title: Neural activity during sentence processing as reflected in theta, alpha, beta, and gamma oscillations.
abstract: We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to explore the spatiotemporal dynamics of neural oscillations associated with sentence processing in 102 participants. We quantified changes in oscillatory power as the sentence unfolded, and in response to individual words in the sentence. For words early in a sentence compared to those late in the same sentence, we observed differences in left temporal and frontal areas, and bilateral frontal and right parietal regions for the theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. The neural response to words in a sentence differed from the response to words in scrambled sentences in left-lateralized theta, alpha, beta, and gamma. The theta band effects suggest that a sentential context facilitates lexical retrieval, and that this facilitation is stronger for words late in the sentence. Effects in the alpha and beta bands may reflect the unification of semantic and syntactic information, and are suggestive of easier unification late in a sentence. The gamma oscillations are indicative of predicting the upcoming word during sentence processing. In conclusion, changes in oscillatory neuronal activity capture aspects of sentence processing. Our results support earlier claims that language (sentence) processing recruits areas distributed across both hemispheres, and extends beyond the classical language regions.
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nietzsche H L
authors.initials: NHL
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Electronic address: jan.schoffelen@donders.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Jan-Mathijs
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schoffelen
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uddén
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hultén
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Electronic address: p.hagoort@donders.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hagoort
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000513:Alpha Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D001611:Beta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D065818:Gamma Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D011932:Reading; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Lexical retrieval; MEG; Oscillations; Sentence processing; Unification