Gateway to syntax: On the neural origins of the left anterior negativity and their functional implications

The neural origins of the Left Anterior Negativity (LAN) component of the Event-Related brain Potentials (ERP) have never been directly probed although this information is of the highest interest for a comprehensive view of the neural foundation of language. The LAN emerges specifically after morpho...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martín-Loeches Garrido, Manuel, Sommer, Werner, Jiménez Ortega, Laura, Espuny, Francisco Javier, Rubianes Méndez, Miguel Alejandro, Casado Martínez, María Del Pilar
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/129583
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/129583
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:159.95
Syntax Processing
Language
Left Anterior Negativity (LAN)
Neural Sources
Neuropsicología
Psicología cognitiva
Lingüística
61 Psicología
Descripción
Sumario:The neural origins of the Left Anterior Negativity (LAN) component of the Event-Related brain Potentials (ERP) have never been directly probed although this information is of the highest interest for a comprehensive view of the neural foundation of language. The LAN emerges specifically after morphosyntactic violations and is affected by both linguistic and extralinguistic, non-syntactic information. Here, we explored the neural sources of the LAN by analyzing data from three previously published ERP data sets obtained from canonical morphosyntactic violation conditions. The neuroelectric source analyses were based on LAN data from N=76 participants and comprised two distributed source algorithms: sLORETA (standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography), and CLARA (classical LORETA analysis recursively applied), and a discrete dipole model (BESA, brain electrical source analysis). The results indicate that the most acceptable candidate as primary neural source of the LAN is the left frontal operculum (LFO), though the right FO might also be implicated. Considering its location, functions and connections, we speculate that the FO may be monitoring articulatory (morphological or morphophonological) predictions during language comprehension. The direct links between the FO and the anterior temporal pole might also account for nonlinguistic influences on the LAN.