The representation of the verb's argument structure as disclosed by fMRI

Abstract

Background: In the composition of an event the verb s argument structure defines the number of participants and their relationships. Previous studies indicated distinct brain responses depending on how many obligatory arguments a verb takes. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study served to verify the neural structures involved in the processing of German verbs with one (e.g. snore ) or three (e.g. gives ) argument structure. Within a silent reading design, verbs were presented either in isolation or with a minimal syntactic context ( snore vs. Peter snores ).<br />Results: Reading of isolated oneargument verbs ( snore ) produced stronger BOLD responses than three-argument verbs ( gives ) in the inferior temporal fusiform gyrus (BA 37) of the left hemisphere, validating<br />previous magnetoencephalographic findings. When presented in context one-argument verbs ( Peter snores ) induced more pronounced activity in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) of the left hemisphere than three-argument verbs ( Peter gives ). Conclusions: In line with previous studies our results corroborate the left temporal lobe as site of representation and the IFG as<br />site of processing of verbs argument structure.