A fMRI study of the processing of classifiers in modern Chinese

Objective:To explore the relative functional area of dealing classifiers and potential difference in various functional area by investigating the activation of brain when it deals with quantitative words. Methods:Eighteen healthy volunteers were asked to perform a nominal and verbal classifiers semantic decision tasks (to be wrong or to be right) during fMRI scanning in order to compare the difference in extent of different cerebal activation. Results:The major activating brain regions for nominal classifiers:left and right middle frontal gyrus,left inferior frontal gyrus,left and right cingulate gyrus,left and right cuneus,precuneus,left and right angular gyrus,left and right inferior temporal gyrus,left middle temporal gyral,lingual gyral,right cerebellar. The major activating brain regions for verbal classifiers:left and right middle temporal gyral,left and right inferior temporal,left and right cingulate gyrus,left and right basilar nucleus,left and right angular gyrus,left and right middle frontal gyrus,left inferior frontal,left insula,left and right cerebellar. Conclusion:The major activating brain regions for nominal and verbal classifiers are same. There is some difference in extent of cerebal activation. However,they all need co-ordinated operation of each functional regions on both cerebal hemisphere.