A domain-general basal ganglia mechanism for inhibitory control during language comprehension

Wessel, J. R.; Choo, Y.; Tabasi, F.; Soh, C.; Sanchez-Melendez, H.; Zhang, Q.; Uc, E. R.; Chalkley, N.; Greenlee, J.; Hendrickson, K.

doi:10.64898/2026.11.02.763720

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.11.02.763720

A domain-general basal ganglia mechanism for inhibitory control during language comprehension

Wessel, J. R.·Choo, Y.·Tabasi, F.·Soh, C.·Sanchez-Melendez, H.·Zhang, Q.·Uc, E. R.·Chalkley, N.·Greenlee, J.·Hendrickson, K.

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Abstract

Whether controlled language processing involves domain-general or language-specific neural circuits is subject of controversial debate. We tested whether the inhibitory control of linguistic activity shares a common neural process with motor inhibition in twenty humans undergoing intra- and extracranial neural field potential recordings and deep-brain stimulation. Engaging motor and linguistic inhibition simultaneously resulted in a significant behavioral cost, suggesting a shared underlying neural process. Indeed, neural decoders trained during motor inhibition were able to decode linguistic inhibition and vice versa. Depth-electrode recordings from the subthalamic nucleus (STN), a key basal ganglia area for inhibitory control, showed increased {beta}-band (13-30 Hz) activity during both linguistic and motor inhibition. Finally, disrupting the STN via deep-brain stimulation impaired behavioral and neural signatures of both linguistic and motor inhibition. Together, these findings show that the inhibitory control of language and movement share a domain-general mechanism implemented via the subthalamic nucleus of the basal ganglia.

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Wessel, J. R., Choo, Y., Tabasi, F., Soh, C., Sanchez-Melendez, H., Zhang, Q., Uc, E. R., Chalkley, N., Greenlee, J., Hendrickson, K.. 2026-11-03. A domain-general basal ganglia mechanism for inhibitory control during language comprehension. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.11.02.763720

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