Abstract: Left frontal and temporal brain areas are considered essential for syntactic processing during language comprehension. However, several proposed neural models represent differing views about the mechanisms underlying syntactic processing. Possible reasons for this discrepancy include differences in the manipulation of syntactic processing, the experimental tasks employed, the individual differences of participants, and the differences between languages. Accordingly, to better understand the neural basis of syntactic processing and language comprehension, we suggest that studies which include direct comparisons between languages, tasks, and different aspects of syntactic processing are necessary. Further, the combination of the individual-based functional localization approach and the traditional group analysis can reduce the influence of individual differences between participants. Functional connectivity studies may clarify how these brain areas cooperate with each other and provide an informative picture of syntactic processing.

Key words: syntactic processing, neural mechanism, neuroimaging, language comprehension