CNTNAP2 and language processing in healthy individuals as measured with ERPs

PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e46995. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046995. Epub 2012 Oct 24.

Abstract

The genetic FOXP2-CNTNAP2 pathway has been shown to be involved in the language capacity. We investigated whether a common variant of CNTNAP2 (rs7794745) is relevant for syntactic and semantic processing in the general population by using a visual sentence processing paradigm while recording ERPs in 49 healthy adults. While both AA homozygotes and T-carriers showed a standard N400 effect to semantic anomalies, the response to subject-verb agreement violations differed across genotype groups. T-carriers displayed an anterior negativity preceding the P600 effect, whereas for the AA group only a P600 effect was observed. These results provide another piece of evidence that the neuronal architecture of the human faculty of language is shaped differently by effects that are genetically determined.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Electroencephalography
  • Evoked Potentials*
  • Humans
  • Language*
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / physiology*
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / physiology*
  • Reference Values
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • CNTNAP2 protein, human
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins

Grants and funding

This research was supported by a SPINOZA prize from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) to Peter Hagoort. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.