Specifying the role of the left prefrontal cortex in word selection

Brain and Language. 2015. Vol. 149. P. 135–147.

Ries S. K., Karzmark C. R., Navarrete E., Knight R. T., Dronkers N.

Word selection allows us to choose words during language production. This is often viewed as a competitive process wherein a lexical representation is retrieved among semantically-related alternatives. The left prefrontal cortex (LPFC) is thought to help overcome competition for word selection through top-down control. However, whether the LPFC is always necessary for word selection remains unclear. We tested 6 LPFC-injured patients and controls in two picture naming paradigms varying in terms of item repetition. Both paradigms elicited the expected semantic interference effects (SIE), reflecting interference caused by semantically-related representations in word selection. However, LPFC patients as a group showed a larger SIE than controls only in the paradigm involving item repetition. We argue that item repetition increases interference caused by semantically-related alternatives, resulting in increased LPFC-dependent cognitive control demands. The remaining network of brain regions associated with word selection appears to be sufficient when items are not repeated.

Keywords: актуализация слова, prefrontal cortex, language production, порождение речи, word selection, префронтальные отделы мозга x

Publication based on the results of: Neural foundations of language grammar: structural and functional elements (2015)