The posterior middle temporal gyrus serves as a hub in syntactic comprehension: A model on the syntactic neural network.

Neuroimaging studies have revealed a distributed neural network involving multiple fronto-temporal regions that are active during syntactic processing. Here, we investigated how these regions work collaboratively to support syntactic comprehension by examining the behavioral relevance of the global functional integration of the syntax network (SN). We found that individuals with a stronger resting-state within-network integration in the left posterior middle temporal gyrus (lpMTG) were better at syntactic comprehension. Furthermore, the pair-wise functional connectivity between the lpMTG and the Broca's area, the middle frontal gyrus, and the angular and supramarginal gyri was positively correlated with participants' syntactic processing ability. In short, our study reveals the behavioral significance of intrinsic functional integration of the SN in syntactic comprehension, and provides empirical evidence for the hub-like role of the lpMTG. We proposed a neural model for syntactic comprehension highlighting the hub of the SN and its interactions with other regions in the network.