Convergent evidence from neuroimaging, computational, and clinical research has shown that the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) is critically involved in two key aspects of semantic cognition: the representation of semantic knowledge, and the executive regulation of this knowledge. Both are necessary for integrating features to understand concepts, and to integrate concepts to understand discourse. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these differential aspects of integration map onto different patterns of ATL connectivity. Specifically, we hypothesized that there are two overlapping modes of functional connectivity of the ATL that each predict distinct aspects of semantic cognition on an individual level. We used a novel analytical approach (connectopic mapping) to identify the first two dominant modes connection topographies (i.e. maps of spatially varying connectivity) in the ATL in 766 participants (Human Connectome Project), and summarized these into 16 parameters that reflect inter-individual differences in their functional organization. If these connection topographies reflect the ATL's functional multiplicity, then we would expect to find a dissociation where one mode (but not the other) correlates with cross-modal matching of verbal and visual information (picture vocabulary naming), and the other (but not the former) correlates with how quickly and accurately relevant semantic information is retrieved (story comprehension). Our analysis revealed a gradient of spatially varying connectivity along the inferior-superior axis, and secondly, an anterior to posterior gradient. Multiple regression analyses revealed a double dissociation such that individual differences in the inferior-superior gradient are predictive of differences in story comprehension, whereas the anterior-posterior gradient maps onto differences in picture vocabulary naming, but not vice versa. These findings indicate that overlapping gradients of functional connectivity in the ATL are related to differential behaviors, which is important for understanding how its functional organization underlies its multiple functions.

中文翻译：

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颞叶前部的重叠连接梯度是语义认知的基础

来自神经影像，计算和临床研究的融合证据表明，前颞叶（ATL）关键地参与了语义认知的两个关键方面：语义知识的表示以及对该知识的执行调节。两者都是集成功能以理解概念和集成概念以理解话语所必需的。在这里，我们测试了以下假设：集成的这些不同方面映射到ATL连接的不同模式。具体来说，我们假设ATL的功能连接存在两种重叠模式，每种模式都可以在单个级别上预测语义认知的不同方面。我们使用一种新颖的分析方法（连通映射）来确定前两个主导模式的连接拓扑（即 在ATL中有766名参与者（人类Connectome项目）在空间上变化的连通性地图），并将它们汇总为16个参数，以反映其功能组织之间的个体差异。如果这些连接拓扑反映了ATL的功能多样性，那么我们期望找到一种解离，其中一种模式（而不是另一种）与语言和视觉信息（图片词汇的命名）的交叉模式匹配相关，而另一种（而不是）前者）与如何快速，准确地检索到相关的语义信息（故事理解）相关。我们的分析揭示了沿上下轴空间变化的连通性的梯度，其次是从前到后的梯度。多元回归分析显示出双重解离，因此上下梯度的个体差异可预测故事理解力的差异，而前后梯度则映射图片词汇命名的差异，反之则不然。这些发现表明，ATL中功能连接的重叠梯度与差异行为有关，这对于理解其功能组织如何构成其多种功能非常重要。