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Oscillatory neurobiomarkers for syntactic encoding during sentence planning
Poster Session A, Wednesday, September 30, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm, Wangari Maathai
Zhaoqian Yue1, Shuning Tang2, Mingchuan Yang3, Guang Yang1, Peisong Yan4, Dongwei Li2, Angela D. Friederici5, Luyao Chen1; 1The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2Beijing Normal University, 3The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4Fudan University, 5Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Constructing well-structured sentences from preverbal messages is a core computational feat of human language production. Current proposals converge on the view that this structure building is orchestrated by neural oscillations, yet the specific neural dynamics tracking the incremental generation of hierarchical structures during sentence planning remain poorly understood. Here, we employed a cued-delay picture description task using abstract geometric stimuli to isolate syntactic computation from conceptual and articulatory confounds. During this task, participants were required to formulate sentences containing center-embedded relative clauses. Using scalp electroencephalography (EEG) and multivariate pattern classification, we revealed that native speakers formed robust, sustained syntactic complexity representations during sentence planning. We then analyzed oscillatory dynamics at the scalp and source levels, as well as source-level functional connectivity, demonstrating that such representational stability was underpinned by theta oscillations and their phase synchronization across a specialized left-lateralized frontotemporal network. We further examined whether theta oscillations also serve as a sensitive index of syntactic encoding in second language (L2) learners and found that theta trajectories consistently distinguished the two groups: in contrast to the robust native pattern, L2 learners exhibited delayed and transient syntactic complexity representations, recruiting a compensatory bilateral fronto-posterior network. Notably, theta activity flexibly tracked the subjective syntactic computational load specific to each group and significantly correlated with behavioral performance. Together, these results provide a multi-level account of sentence planning, establishing theta oscillations as critical neurobiomarkers that signal the temporal integration of syntactic hierarchical structure and index syntactic encoding efficiency across linguistic experiences.
Topic Areas: Syntax and Combinatorial Semantics, Language Production