Verb Semantics modulates neural activity in the left Lateral Temporal Cortex

Here we show that the implicit processing of telicity, dynamicity and agentivity differentially modulate neural activity across different brain clusters and, in particular, within lMTG. We found that selectivity for state and telic verbs identified the most anterior and the most posterior portion of lMTG, respectively. Furthermore, dynamicity and agentivity modulated brain responses in parietal and ventral extrastriate regions. The role of each property was clearly isolated, as the stimuli were specifically controlled for and the task design covertly assessed the representation of those properties. Different event types are differentially mapped based on their semantic representation and, in particular, lMTG represents conceptual semantic properties of verbs: specifically, that kind of conceptual information which is relevant to morphosyntax, that is, telicity, stativity and agentivity, that, unlike referential semantic features, and independently of them, govern morphosyntax in a specified way.