Data di Pubblicazione:
2016
Abstract:
During picture naming, the ease with which humans generate words is dependent upon the context
in which they are named. For instances, naming previously presented items results in facilitation.
Instead, naming a picture semantically related to previous items displays persistent interference effects (i.e.,
cumulative semantic interference, CSI). The neural correlates of CSI are still unclear and it is a matter of
debate whether semantic control, or cognitive control more in general, is necessary for the resolution of CSI.
We carried out an event-related fMRI experiment to assess the neural underpinnings of the CSI effect and
the involvement and nature of semantic control. Both left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and the left caudate
nucleus (LCN) showed a linear increase of BOLD response positively associated with the consecutive number
of presentations of semantically related pictures independently of task-load. The generalized psychophysiological
interaction analysis showed that LIFG demonstrated a quantitative neural connectivity
difference with the left supramarginal and angular gyri for increases of task-load and with the fusiform
gyri for linear CSI increases. Furthermore, seed-to-voxel functional connectivity showed that LIFG activity
coupled with different regions involved in cognitive control and lexicosemantic processing when semantic
interference was elicited to a minimum or maximum degree. Our results are consistent with the lexicalcompetitive
nature of the CSI effect, and we provide novel evidence that semantic control lies upon a more
general cognitive control network (i.e., LIFG and LCN) responsible for resolving interference between competing
semantically related items through connectivity with different brain areas in order to guarantee the
correct response. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4179–4196, 2016.
in which they are named. For instances, naming previously presented items results in facilitation.
Instead, naming a picture semantically related to previous items displays persistent interference effects (i.e.,
cumulative semantic interference, CSI). The neural correlates of CSI are still unclear and it is a matter of
debate whether semantic control, or cognitive control more in general, is necessary for the resolution of CSI.
We carried out an event-related fMRI experiment to assess the neural underpinnings of the CSI effect and
the involvement and nature of semantic control. Both left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and the left caudate
nucleus (LCN) showed a linear increase of BOLD response positively associated with the consecutive number
of presentations of semantically related pictures independently of task-load. The generalized psychophysiological
interaction analysis showed that LIFG demonstrated a quantitative neural connectivity
difference with the left supramarginal and angular gyri for increases of task-load and with the fusiform
gyri for linear CSI increases. Furthermore, seed-to-voxel functional connectivity showed that LIFG activity
coupled with different regions involved in cognitive control and lexicosemantic processing when semantic
interference was elicited to a minimum or maximum degree. Our results are consistent with the lexicalcompetitive
nature of the CSI effect, and we provide novel evidence that semantic control lies upon a more
general cognitive control network (i.e., LIFG and LCN) responsible for resolving interference between competing
semantically related items through connectivity with different brain areas in order to guarantee the
correct response. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4179–4196, 2016.
Tipologia CRIS:
1.1 Articolo in rivista
Elenco autori:
Canini, M; Della Rosa, Pa; Catricalà, E; Strijkers, K; Branzi, Fm; Costa, A; Abutalebi, Jubin
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