Long-range neural synchronization supports fast and efficient reading: EEG correlates of processing expected words in sentences

► EEG reports of anticipatory effects before 200 ms, while reading sentences, are mixed. ► This could depend on the type of linguistic relations among words across a sentence. ► Here, early ERP effects ~ 120 ms emerged for associative, but not semantic, relations. ► Different frontal-occipital PLV synchronizations emerged before reading target words. ► Theta-range PLV effects correlated with subsequent early (~ 120 ms) evoked activity.