Abstract In syntactic and rhythmic structure, universal rules group elements hierarchically and asymmetrically. In syntax, the operation ‘merge’ is theorized to combine elements in phrasal structures, with one element governing the other, recursively, to form sentences. In rhythm, a similar asymmetric hierarchy of beats is proposed in the Generative Theory of Tonal Music. Just like syntactic processing, assigning beats into rhythmic strings, ‘beat induction,’ is automatic and subconscious. Merge and beat induction assign structure not only to grammatical phrases, but also to inherently unstructured sequences. Prompted by overlapping neural support for the processing of both language and music, this study tested whether the process of assigning asymmetric binarity has a domain-general neural substrate. Structurally comparable syntactic and rhythmic stimuli were presented in a functional MRI experiment, with region-of-interest analyses focusing on core regions of the language network, inferior frontal and posterior superior temporal cortex. Results support prior research suggesting overlap in brain regions responsible for both rhythmic and syntactic processing, specifically in the inferior frontal operculum. However, the function of these regions for syntactic and rhythmic input is likely different, as syntactic and rhythmic grammaticality were not processed symmetrically within each region. These results suggest that the left inferior frontal operculum and the posterior superior temporal gyrus are domain general in their overall cortical roles, yet domain-specific in the type of processes they support within the domains of syntactic and rhythmic processing.

中文翻译：

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作为认知普遍性的不对称二元性：句法结构的节奏

摘要 在句法和韵律结构中，通用规则按层次和不对称的方式对元素进行分组。在语法中，“合并”操作被理论化为组合短语结构中的元素，一个元素控制另一个元素，递归地形成句子。在节奏方面，音调音乐的生成理论中提出了类似的不对称节拍层次结构。就像句法处理一样，将节拍分配到有节奏的弦乐中，“节拍感应”是自动和潜意识的。合并和节拍归纳不仅为语法短语分配结构，还为固有的非结构化序列分配结构。在语言和音乐处理的重叠神经支持的提示下，本研究测试了分配非对称二元性的过程是否具有领域通用神经基础。在功能性 MRI 实验中呈现了结构上可比较的句法和节奏刺激，感兴趣区域分析侧重于语言网络的核心区域、额下和后上颞叶皮层。结果支持先前的研究表明负责节奏和句法处理的大脑区域重叠，特别是在下额叶盖中。然而，这些区域对于句法和韵律输入的功能可能不同，因为句法和韵律语法在每个区域内没有对称处理。这些结果表明，左侧额下鳃盖和颞上回在其整体皮质作用中具有普遍性，