Neurophysiological measures of covert semantic processing in neurotypical adolescents actively ignoring spoken sentence inputs: A high-density event-related potential (ERP) study
biorxiv(2024)
摘要
Language comprehension requires semantic processing of individual words and their context within a sentence. Well-characterized event-related potential (ERP) components (the N400 and late positivity component (LPC/P600)) provide neuromarkers of semantic processing, and are robustly evoked when semantic errors are introduced into sentences. These measures are useful for evaluating semantic processing in clinical populations, but it is not known whether they can be evoked in more severe neurodevelopmental disorders where explicit attention to the sentence inputs cannot be objectively assessed (i.e., when sentences are passively listened to). We evaluated whether N400 and LPC/P600 could be detected in adolescents who were explicitly ignoring sentence inputs. Specifically, it was asked whether explicit attention to spoken inputs was required for semantic processing, or if a degree of automatic processing occurs when the focus of attention is directed elsewhere? High-density ERPs were acquired from twenty-two adolescents (7-12 years), under two experimental conditions: 1) individuals actively determined whether the final word in a sentence was congruent or incongruent with sentence context, or 2) passively listened to background sentences while watching a video. When sentences were ignored, N400 and LPC/P600 were robustly evoked to semantic errors, albeit with reduced amplitudes and protracted/delayed latencies. Statistically distinct topographic distributions during passive versus active paradigms pointed to distinct generator configurations for semantic processing as a function of attention. Covert semantic processing continues in neurotypical adolescents when explicit attention is withdrawn from sentence inputs. As such, this approach could be used to objectively investigate semantic processing in populations with communication deficits.
### Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
* ### Abbreviations List
ASD
: Autism Spectrum Disorder
mvASD
: Minimally Verbal Autism Spectrum Disorder
CMS
: Common Mode Sense
DISS
: Global Dissimilarity Index
DOC
: Disorders of Consciousness
EEG
: Electroencephalography
ERP
: Event Related Potential
GFP
: Global Field Power
GEV
: Global Explained Variance
ICA
: Independent Component Analysis
LPC
: Late Positivity Component
NT
: Neurotypical
RP
: Recognition Potential
SEM
: Standard Error Mean
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