Data from: Intrinsic functional connectivity delineates transmodal language functions

Communication involves the translation of sensory information (e.g., heard
words) into abstract concepts according to abstract rules (e.g., the
meaning of those words). Accordingly, using language involves an interplay
between unimodal brain areas that process sensory information and
transmodal areas that respond to linguistic input regardless of the input
modality (e.g., reading sentences vs. listening to speech). Previous work
has shown that intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC), when performed
within individuals, can delineate a distributed language network that
overlaps in detail with regions activated by a reading task. The network
was widely distributed across multiple brain regions, recapitulating an
organization that is characteristic of association cortex, and which
suggests that the distributed language network serves transmodal, not
unimodal, functions. Here, we tested whether the distributed language
network encapsulates transmodal functions by assessing its degree of
overlap with two language tasks, one auditory (i.e., listening to speech)
and one visual (i.e., reading sentences). The results show that the
distributed language network aligns well with regions activated by both
tasks, supporting a transmodal function. Further, the boundaries of the
distributed language network along the lateral temporal cortex serve as a
good proxy for the division between transmodal language and auditory
functions: presentation of sounds (i.e., filtered, incomprehensible
speech) evoked activity that was largely outside of the distributed
language network but closely followed the network boundaries. These
findings support that individualized iFC estimates can delineate the
division between sensory-linked and abstract linguistic functions. We
conclude that within-individual iFC may be viable for language mapping in
individuals with aphasia who cannot perform language tasks in the scanner.