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Spatial and Frequency Differences of Neuromagnetic Activities Between the Perception of Open- and Closed-class Words

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Abstract

The present study investigated the spatial and frequency differences of neuromagnetic activities between the perception of open- and closed-class words by using a 275-channel whole head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system. Two groups of words, 110 open-class and 110 closed-class, were presented visually and auditorily simultaneously. The data of 12 healthy subjects were analyzed with synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM) which can identify the frequency-dependent volumetric distribution of evoked magnetic fields (EMFs). Both vocabulary classes elicited spectral power changes in the left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca’s area) and left posterior-superior temporal gyrus (Wernicke’s area) within 70–120 Hz. However, the open-class words elicited event-related desynchronization (ERD) while the closed-class words elicited event-related synchronization (ERS) in the two areas within 70–120 Hz. In addition, the open-class words also elicited ERS in the right inferior frontal gyrus, right middle frontal gyrus and right inferior parietal lobe within 1–8 Hz, but the closed-class words only elicited ERD in the right inferior frontal gyrus within 1–8 Hz. Furthermore, there were ERD in the right posterior-superior temporal gyrus within 120–200 Hz for the open-class words, but not for the closed-class words. These results indicate that open- and closed-class words are processed differently in the brain, not only in the anatomical substrates, but also in the frequency range of neuromagnetic activity.

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Acknowledgements

The present study was supported by a Trustee Grant from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MEG Center, Division of Neurology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, MLC 2015, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45229-3039, USA

    Yingying Wang, Jing Xiang, Rupesh Kotecha, Jennifer Vannest, Yinhong Liu, Douglas Rose, Mark Schapiro & Ton Degrauw

  2. Department of Neurology, Beijing Hospital, Ministry of Health, 1 Dahua Road, Beijing, 100730, China

    Yinhong Liu

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  1. Yingying Wang
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  2. Jing Xiang
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  3. Rupesh Kotecha
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  4. Jennifer Vannest
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  5. Yinhong Liu
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  6. Douglas Rose
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  7. Mark Schapiro
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  8. Ton Degrauw
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Correspondence to Yingying Wang.

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Wang, Y., Xiang, J., Kotecha, R. et al. Spatial and Frequency Differences of Neuromagnetic Activities Between the Perception of Open- and Closed-class Words. Brain Topogr 21, 75–85 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-008-0060-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-008-0060-7

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