A study of brain activity during syntactic processing of Japanese EFL learners : Data obtained from NIRS and MRI measurement

在这项研究中，我们使用功能性脑成像技术（如fNIRS和fMRI）测量了日语使用者在句法处理过程中的大脑布洛卡区活动模式。在我们的实验中，我们使用日语作为母语，英语作为母语为日语的人的外语。本实验中使用的刺激句包括自包“-self”或他/她自己等暗喻。有一种假设认为，在处理一个带有类比的句子时，需要对其句子结构进行分析，从而导致大脑布洛卡区被激活。用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）观察到，在日语句子的类比处理过程中，布洛卡区血流量有所增加。其他数据，特别是在英语作为外语处理过程中获得的数据，也在分析之中。

In this study, we measure the Broca's-area brain activity patterns of Japanese speakers during syntactic processing using functional brain imaging such as fNIRS and fMRI. In our experiments, we use Japanese as a native language, and English as a foreign language of Japanese native speakers. The stimulus sentences in our experiment include anaphors such as zibun '-self' or himself/herself. It is assumed that processing of a sentence with an anaphor involves an analysis of its sentence structure and, accordingly causes brain activation in Broca's area. Some increase in blood flow within Broca's area was observed during processing of Japanese sentences with anaphor through use of fMRI. Other data, especially obtained during processing of English as a foreign language, have been under analysis.