An electrophysiological investigation of discourse coherence in healthy adults

Abstract

This study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate discourse-coherence processing. Because there are scant data on ERP indices of discourse coherence in typical adults, it is important to study a non-clinical population before examining clinical populations. Twelve adults listened to a story with sentences in a coherent versus incoherent order. Sequences of nonsense syllables served as a control. ERPs in the 200–400 ms time window, reflecting phonological and lexical processing, and in the 600–900 ms time window, reflecting later discourse processing for integration, were investigated. Results revealed a right anterior and posterior positivity that was greater for coherent than for incoherent discourse during the 600–900 ms time window. These findings point to an index of discourse coherence and further suggest that ERPs can be used as a clinical tool to study discourse-processing disorders in populations with brain damage, such as aphasia and traumatic brain injury.

• Aphasia
• discourse coherence
• event-related potentials
• lateralized anterior positivity (LAP)

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Benasich lab at Rutgers University, Cecylia Chojnowska, the adults who participated in the study, and Queens College students Judith Schwartz, Gianina Giangrande, and Dawn Lau for assistance with data and reference organization.