title: Multiple neural representations of elementary logical connectives.
abstract: A defining trait of human cognition is the capacity to form compounds out of simple thoughts. This ability relies on the logical connectives AND, OR and IF. Simple propositions, e.g., 'There is a fork' and 'There is a knife', can be combined in alternative ways using logical connectives: e.g., 'There is a fork AND there is a knife', 'There is a fork OR there is a knife', 'IF there is a fork, there is a knife'. How does the brain represent compounds based on different logical connectives, and how are compounds evaluated in relation to new facts? In the present study, participants had to maintain and evaluate conjunctive (AND), disjunctive (OR) or conditional (IF) compounds while undergoing functional MRI. Our results suggest that, during maintenance, the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus (pIFG, BA44, or Broca's area) represents the surface form of compounds. During evaluation, the left pIFG switches to processing the full logical meaning of compounds, and two additional areas are recruited: the left anterior inferior frontal gyrus (aIFG, BA47) and the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS, BA40). The aIFG shows a pattern of activation similar to pIFG, and compatible with processing the full logical meaning of compounds, whereas activations in IPS differ with alternative interpretations of conditionals: logical vs conjunctive. These results uncover the functions of a basic cortical network underlying human compositional thought, and provide a shared neural foundation for the cognitive science of language and reasoning.
authors.affiliation: Language Acquisition and Language Processing Lab, Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway; SISSA International School for Advanced Studies, 34136 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Giosuè
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baggio
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy; NeuroMi - Milan Center for Neuroscience, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cherubini
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy; NeuroMi - Milan Center for Neuroscience, 20126 Milan, Italy; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, 10115 Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, 10119 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pischedda
authors.affiliation: SISSA International School for Advanced Studies, 34136 Trieste, Italy; The Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, N6A 5B7 London, Canada.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
authors.affiliation: Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, 10115 Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, 10119 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Excellence Cluster NeuroCure, Charité-Universitätsmedizin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: John-Dylan
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy; NeuroMi - Milan Center for Neuroscience, 20126 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: carlo.reverberi@unimib.it.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reverberi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003210:Concept Formation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008128:Logic; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Broca's area; Logic; Multivariate pattern analysis; Neural code; Prefrontal cortex; Reasoning; Semantics; fMRI