Predictive processing in the parietal, temporal, frontal, and sensory cortex allows us to anticipate future meanings to maximize the efficiency of language comprehension, with the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) thought to be situated toward the top of a predictive hierarchy. Although the regions underpinning this fundamental brain function are well-documented, it remains unclear how they interact to achieve efficient comprehension. To this end, we recorded functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 22 participants (11 males) while they comprehended sentences presented part by part, in which we manipulated the constraint provided by sentential contexts on upcoming semantic information. Using this paradigm, we examined the connectivity patterns of bilateral TPJ and IFG during anticipatory phases (i.e., before the onset of targets) and integration phases (i.e., after the onset of targets). When upcoming semantic content was highly predictable in strong constraint contexts, both the left TPJ and bilateral IFG showed stronger visual coupling, while the right TPJ showed stronger connectivity with regions within control, default mode, and visual networks, including the IFG, parahippocampal gyrus, posterior cingulate, and fusiform gyrus. These connectivity patterns were weaker when predicted semantic content appeared, in line with predictive coding theory. Conversely, for less-predictable content, these connectivity patterns were stronger during the integration phase. Overall, these results suggest that both top-down semantic prediction and bottom-up integration during predictive processing are supported by flexible coupling of frontoparietal regions with control, memory, and sensory systems.

顶叶、颞叶、额叶和感觉皮层的预测处理使我们能够预测未来的含义，以最大限度地提高语言理解的效率，其中颞顶叶交界处 （TPJ） 和额下回 （IFG） 被认为位于预测层次结构的顶部。尽管支撑这种基本大脑功能的区域有据可查，但目前尚不清楚它们如何相互作用以实现有效理解。为此，我们记录了 22 名参与者（11 名男性）的功能磁共振成像 （fMRI），同时他们理解了逐部分呈现的句子，其中我们操纵了感知上下文对即将到来的语义信息提供的约束。使用这个范式，我们检查了双侧 TPJ 和 IFG 在预期阶段（即目标开始之前）和整合阶段（即目标开始之后）的连接模式。当即将到来的语义内容在强约束上下文中高度可预测时，左侧 TPJ 和双侧 IFG 都显示出更强的视觉耦合，而右侧 TPJ 与控制、默认模式和视觉网络（包括 IFG、海马旁回、后扣带回和梭形回）中的区域表现出更强的连接性。当预测的语义内容出现时，这些连接模式较弱，这与预测编码理论一致。相反，对于不太可预测的内容，这些连接模式在集成阶段更强。总体而言，这些结果表明，额顶区域与控制、记忆和感觉系统的灵活耦合支持预测过程中的自上而下的语义预测和自下而上的整合。