THE INVOLVEMENT OF SUBCORTICAL GREY MATTER IN GRAMMATICAL PROCESSING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Since the emergence of new neuroimaging techniques, involvement of the subcortex in language processing has been demonstrated more accurately. However, the precise language function of the subcortical grey matter structures still remains disputed. The goal of this review is to map the current knowledge on the involvement of subcortical grey matter structures specifically in grammatical processing. We considered experimental studies demonstrating subcortical grey matter involvement in healthy adults, studies in patients with a neurodegenerative disorder involving subcortical grey matter, and in patients with subcortical grey matter lesions. The results of 60 studies indicate that the basal ganglia, thalamus and cerebellum are all involved in at least one modality of grammatical processing. This review suggests caudate nucleus involvement in grammatical modalities requiring more cognitive resources, putaminal involvement in more basic grammatical processing and cerebellar involvement in grammatical tasks requiring manipulation.

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