The association of nonverbal predictability and brain activation was examin
ed using functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans. Participants rega
rded four squares displayed horizontally across a screen and counted the in
cidence of a particular color. A repeating spatial sequence with varying le
vels of predictability was embedded within a random color presentation. Bot
h Wernicke's area and its right homolog displayed a negative correlation wi
th temporal predictability, and this effect was independent of individuals'
conscious awareness of the sequence. When individuals were made aware of t
he underlying sequential predictability, a widespread network of cortical r
egions displayed activity that correlated with the predictability. Consciou
s processing of predictability resulted in a positive correlation to activi
ty in right prefrontal cortex but a negative correlation in posterior parie
tal cortex. These results suggest that conscious processing of predictabili
ty invokes a large-scale cortical network, but independently of awareness,
Wernicke's area processes predictive events in time and may not be exclusiv
ely associated with language.