scholarly journals Hierarchical syntactic processing is beyond mere associating: Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence from a novel artificial grammar

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luyao Chen ◽  
Tomás Goucha ◽  
Claudia Männel ◽  
Angela D. Friederici ◽  
Emiliano Zaccarella
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Artificial Grammar ◽  
Syntactic Processing ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evidence

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evidence for a Hierarchical Organization of the Prefrontal Cortex

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 2082-2099 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Badre ◽  
Mark D'Esposito
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Hierarchical Organization ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evidence ◽  
Organized Action ◽  
Selection Of

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is central to flexible and organized action. Recent theoretical and empirical results suggest that the rostro-caudal axis of the frontal lobes may reflect a hierarchical organization of control. Here, we test whether the rostro-caudal axis of the PFC is organized hierarchically, based on the level of abstraction at which multiple representations compete to guide selection of action. Four functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments parametrically manipulated the set of task-relevant (a) responses, (b) features, (c) dimensions, and (d) overlapping cue-to-dimension mappings. A systematic posterior to anterior gradient was evident within the PFC depending on the manipulated level of representation. Furthermore, across four fMRI experiments, activation in PFC subregions was consistent with the sub- and superordinate relationships that define an abstract representational hierarchy. In addition to providing further support for a representational hierarchy account of the rostro-caudal gradient in the PFC, these data provide important empirical constraints on current theorizing about control hierarchies and the PFC.

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