View in EDS

Filler-gap dependencies are not all the same: an fMRI study of effective connectivity.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Filler-gap dependencies are not all the same: an fMRI study of effective connectivity.
Authors: Lee, Ting-Wu1 (AUTHOR), Chan, Shiao-Hui1 (AUTHOR) shiaohui@gmail.com
Source: Language, Cognition & Neuroscience. May2026, Vol. 41 Issue 4, p436-450. 15p.
Subject Terms: *Data analysis, *Experimental design, *Research, Brain physiology, Neural physiology, Research funding, Causal models, T-test (Statistics), Prefrontal cortex, Questionnaires, Magnetic resonance imaging, Descriptive statistics, Large-scale brain networks, Statistics, One-way analysis of variance, Body movement, Neuroradiology, Data analysis software, Psychosocial factors
Abstract: While linguistic theorists propose fine-grained classifications for syntactic movements, it remains unclear whether the distinctions among movement types are biologically valid. We conducted an fMRI experiment to examine two Mandarin Chinese constructions involving theoretically different movement types: topic and passive constructions. The whole-brain analysis revealed similar activity patterns for both constructions, with primary engagement of the peri-sylvian network, consistent with previous neuroimaging studies. However, the dynamic causal modelling analysis showed that only the topic condition exhibited an excitatory effect from the left inferior frontal gyrus (L-IFG) to the left middle temporal gyrus (L-MTG). The results suggest that distinctions among different movement types are theoretically and biologically essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Language, Cognition & Neuroscience is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
Description
Abstract:While linguistic theorists propose fine-grained classifications for syntactic movements, it remains unclear whether the distinctions among movement types are biologically valid. We conducted an fMRI experiment to examine two Mandarin Chinese constructions involving theoretically different movement types: topic and passive constructions. The whole-brain analysis revealed similar activity patterns for both constructions, with primary engagement of the peri-sylvian network, consistent with previous neuroimaging studies. However, the dynamic causal modelling analysis showed that only the topic condition exhibited an excitatory effect from the left inferior frontal gyrus (L-IFG) to the left middle temporal gyrus (L-MTG). The results suggest that distinctions among different movement types are theoretically and biologically essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:23273798
DOI:10.1080/23273798.2026.2640964