فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: This study aimed to investigate the qualitative effects of semantic anomalies on event-related potentials (ERPs) in the context of Persian language processing. Comprehending sentences and integrating words in the correct order are crucial aspects of language processing. Understanding how the brain accomplishes this task during reading, writing, and listening is of great importance. Methods: In this experiment, 10 healthy, right-handed, Persian-speaking participants (10 women, 10 men) aged 18-40 were included. Four types of sentences, including control conditions and semantic anomalies, were presented word-by-word on a monitor while EEG was recorded with a 64-channel system. The collected signals were analyzed, and the ERPs components were compared statistically. Results: The presence of a semantic irregularity, specifically an incoherent verb at the end of a sentence, leads to the activation of the N400 component. This component is associated with symmetrical electrode distribution across the anterior, central, and parietal regions of the scalp. On the other hand, when the semantic irregularity in the form of an incoherent verb is positioned in the middle of the sentence, it elicits the production of the P600 component. The corresponding electrodes associated with the P600 component exhibit a distribution that is central, parietal, and left anterior. Conclusion: The findings contribute to our understanding of the relationships between semantic processing and the N400 component, as well as between syntactic processing and the P600 component. The absence of N400 in the presence of semantic irregularities and the presence of P600 in the absence of semantic anomalies align with the dynamics of the language processing system, where distinct processing units interact and communicate independently.