Neural encoding and production of functional morphemes in the posterior temporal lobe

Daniel K. Lee, Evelina Fedorenko, Mirela V. Simon, William T. Curry, Brian V. Nahed, Dan P. Cahill and Ziv M. Williams ()
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Daniel K. Lee: Harvard Medical School
Evelina Fedorenko: Harvard Medical School
Mirela V. Simon: Harvard Medical School
William T. Curry: Harvard Medical School
Brian V. Nahed: Harvard Medical School
Dan P. Cahill: Harvard Medical School
Ziv M. Williams: Harvard Medical School

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Morphemes are the smallest meaning-carrying units in human language, and are among the most basic building blocks through which humans express specific ideas and concepts. By using time-resolved cortical stimulations, neural recordings, and focal lesion evaluations, we show that inhibition of a small cortical area within the left dominant posterior–superior temporal lobe selectively impairs the ability to produce appropriate functional morphemes but does not distinctly affect semantic and lexical retrieval, comprehension, or articulation. Additionally, neural recordings within this area reveal the localized encoding of morphological properties and their planned production prior to speech onset. Finally, small lesions localized to the gray matter in this area result in a selective functional morpheme-production deficit. Collectively, these findings reveal a detailed division of linguistic labor within the posterior–superior temporal lobe and suggest that functional morpheme processing constitutes an operationally discrete step in the series of computations essential to language production.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04235-3

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