Theories of human cognition prominently feature 'Broca's area', which causally contributes to a myriad of mental functions. However, Broca's area is not a monolithic, multipurpose unit - it is structurally and functionally heterogeneous. Some functions engaging (subsets of) this area share neurocognitive resources, whereas others rely on separable circuits. A decade of converging evidence has now illuminated a fundamental distinction between two subregions of Broca's area that likely play computationally distinct roles in cognition: one belongs to the domain-specific 'language network', the other to the domain-general 'multiple-demand (MD) network'. Claims about Broca's area should be (re)cast in terms of these (and other, as yet undetermined) functional components, to establish a cumulative research enterprise where empirical findings can be replicated and theoretical proposals can be meaningfully compared and falsified.

中文翻译：

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布罗卡区不是自然区


人类认知理论的突出特点是“布罗卡区”，它对多种心理功能有因果作用。然而，布罗卡区并不是一个单一的、多用途的单元——它在结构和功能上是异构的。涉及该区域（的子集）的一些功能共享神经认知资源，而其他功能则依赖于可分离的电路。十年来的证据已经阐明了布罗卡区的两个子区域之间的根本区别，这两个子区域可能在认知中发挥着计算上不同的作用：一个属于特定领域的“语言网络”，另一个属于通用领域的“多重需求”（ MD）网络'。关于布罗卡区的主张应该根据这些（以及其他尚未确定的）功能组件进行（重新）铸造，以建立一个累积的研究企业，在该企业中可以复制经验发现，并且可以对理论建议进行有意义的比较和证伪。