The neural architecture of pragmatic processing

语言理解不仅仅需要解码话语的字面意思： 我们的解释是有力地塑造了我们的知识的意图的发言者， 语言和社会背景，以及我们的一般世界知识。这种利用扬声器 意图和背景知识超越句子的字面意思是指 作为“语用学”，是交际成功的核心。语用缺陷的特点是 许多发育障碍，如自闭症谱系障碍或社交障碍， 通常出现在获得性额叶或右半球 由于中风、头部损伤或退化造成的损害。鉴于成功的沟通是关键 对于我们建立个人和职业关系的能力，至关重要的是要建立有效的 为患有交流障碍的个人提供诊断和治疗。一个 理解语用处理的神经和认知机制是一个重要的问题。 必要的先决条件。 在fMRI中使用功能强大的功能定位方法，并遵循当前的 标准的可重复性和透明的科学，我们在这里建议系统地检查 三个通信相关网络的贡献-语言网络，社会网络 认知网络，执行功能网络-语用推理， 这些网络之间的互动，通过传统的基于任务的协同组合， 范式（目标1），自然主义认知范式（目标2和3），以及动态网络 建模（目标3）。在目标1中，我们检查了语言，社会和执行方面的反应 网络对幽默、隐喻、白色谎言等语用现象的影响。在目标2中， 检查我们每个目标网络中与刺激相关的活动， 自然语言材料。在目标3中，我们使用动态网络建模来检查 语言处理过程中网络之间的相互作用。这项工作将深刻影响 i）基础科学，通过提供关键的相对重要性的丰富表征， 网络，他们之间的劳动分工，以及他们的相互作用的性质，和ii）临床 实践，提供了坚实的理论框架和坚实的经验基础， 理解交流障碍。总之，这项研究将揭示新的关键光 的神经结构的语用推理，并奠定了基础，为今后的工作， 探讨不同成因的语用障碍中交际失败的本质。

Language comprehension entails more than simply decoding the literal meaning of an utterance: our interpretation is powerfully shaped by our knowledge of the intent of the speaker, the linguistic and social context, and our general world knowledge. This ability to exploit speaker intent and background knowledge to go beyond the literal meaning of the sentence is referred to as “pragmatics”, and is at the core of communicative success. Pragmatic deficits characterize numerous developmental disorders, like autism spectrum disorders or Social Communication Disorder, and commonly arise in individuals with acquired frontal lobe or right hemisphere damage due to stroke, head injury, or degeneration. Given that successful communication is key to our ability to form personal and professional relationships, it is critical to develop effective diagnostics and treatments for individuals suffering from communication disorders. An understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms that underlie pragmatic processing is an essential prerequisite. Using a powerful functional localization approach in fMRI and adhering to the current standards of reproducible and transparent science, we here propose to systematically examine the contributions of three communication-relevant networks – the language network, the social cognition network, and the executive-function network – to pragmatic reasoning, and the interactions among these networks through a synergistic combination of traditional task-based paradigms (Aim 1), naturalistic cognition paradigms (Aims 2 and 3), and dynamic network modeling (Aim 3). In Aim 1, we examine the responses in the language, social, and executive networks to diverse pragmatic phenomena, like humor, metaphor, and white lies. In Aim 2, we examine stimulus-related activity in each of our target networks during the processing of rich naturalistic linguistic materials. And in Aim 3, we use dynamic network modeling to examine the interactions between networks during linguistic processing. This work will profoundly impact both i) basic science, by providing a rich characterization of the relative importance of the key networks, the division of labor among them, and the nature of their interactions, and ii) clinical practice, by providing a solid theoretical framework and a robust empirical foundation for understanding disorders of communication. In summary, this research will shed new critical light on the neural architecture of pragmatic reasoning and lay the foundation for future work aimed at probing the nature of communicative failures in pragmatic disorders of diverse etiologies.