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Hauptman M, Blank I, Fedorenko E. Non-literal language processing is jointly supported by the language and theory of mind networks: Evidence from a novel meta-analytic fMRI approach. Cortex 2023; 162:96-114. [PMID: 37023480 PMCID: PMC10210011 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Going beyond the literal meaning of language is key to communicative success. However, the mechanisms that support non-literal inferences remain debated. Using a novel meta-analytic approach, we evaluate the contribution of linguistic, social-cognitive, and executive mechanisms to non-literal interpretation. We identified 74 fMRI experiments (n = 1,430 participants) from 2001 to 2021 that contrasted non-literal language comprehension with a literal control condition, spanning ten phenomena (e.g., metaphor, irony, indirect speech). Applying the activation likelihood estimation approach to the 825 activation peaks yielded six left-lateralized clusters. We then evaluated the locations of both the individual-study peaks and the clusters against probabilistic functional atlases (cf. anatomical locations, as is typically done) for three candidate brain networks-the language-selective network (Fedorenko, Behr, & Kanwisher, 2011), which supports language processing, the Theory of Mind (ToM) network (Saxe & Kanwisher, 2003), which supports social inferences, and the domain-general Multiple-Demand (MD) network (Duncan, 2010), which supports executive control. These atlases were created by overlaying individual activation maps of participants who performed robust and extensively validated 'localizer' tasks that selectively target each network in question (n = 806 for language; n = 198 for ToM; n = 691 for MD). We found that both the individual-study peaks and the ALE clusters fell primarily within the language network and the ToM network. These results suggest that non-literal processing is supported by both i) mechanisms that process literal linguistic meaning, and ii) mechanisms that support general social inference. They thus undermine a strong divide between literal and non-literal aspects of language and challenge the claim that non-literal processing requires additional executive resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Hauptman
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
| | - Idan Blank
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Linguistics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Evelina Fedorenko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Program in Speech and Hearing in Bioscience and Technology, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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2
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Koller S, Müller N, Kauschke C. The Elephant in the Room: A Systematic Review of Stimulus Control in Neuro-Measurement Studies on Figurative Language Processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 15:791374. [PMID: 35126074 PMCID: PMC8814624 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.791374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The processing of metaphors and idioms has been the subject of neuroscientific research for several decades. However, results are often contradictory, which can be traced back to inconsistent terminology and stimulus control. In this systematic review of research methods, we analyse linguistic aspects of 116 research papers which used EEG, fMRI, PET, MEG, or NIRS to investigate the neural processing of the two figurative subtypes metaphor and idiom. We critically examine the theoretical foundations as well as stimulus control by performing a systematic literature synthesis according to the PRISMA guidelines. We explicitly do not analyse the findings of the studies but instead focus on four primary aspects: definitions of figurative language and its subtypes, linguistic theory behind the studies, control for factors influencing figurative language processing, and the relationship between theoretical and operational definitions. We found both a lack and a broad variety in existing definitions and operationalisation, especially in regard to familiarity and conventionality. We identify severe obstacles in the comparability and validation potential of the results of the papers in our review corpus. We propose the development of a consensus in fundamental terminology and more transparency in the reporting of stimulus design in the research on figurative language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadine Müller
- Department of German Studies and Arts, Institute of German Linguistics, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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3
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Tikka S, Walia T, Agashe S, Tikka D, Ram D, Das B. Irony comprehension in schizophrenia: Development, content validity and “Known-Groups” validity of an Indian, comic-based, computerized task. ANNALS OF INDIAN PSYCHIATRY 2022. [DOI: 10.4103/aip.aip_89_22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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4
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Neural basis of in-group bias and prejudices: A systematic meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:1214-1227. [PMID: 34715150 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
In-group favoritism and prejudices relate to discriminatory behaviors but, despite decades of research, understanding of their neural correlates has been limited. A systematic coordinate-based meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies (altogether 87 original datasets, n = 2328) was conducted to investigate neural inter-group biases, i.e., responses toward in-group vs. out-group in different contexts. We found inter-group biases in some previously identified brain regions (e.g., the medial prefrontal cortex, insula) but also in many previously non-identified brain regions (e.g., the cerebellum, precentral gyrus). Sub-group analyses indicated that neural correlates of inter-group biases may be mostly context-specific. Regarding different types of group memberships, inter-group bias toward trivial groups was evident only in the cingulate cortex, while inter-group biases toward "real" groups (ethnic, national, or political groups) involved broader sets of brain regions. Additionally, there were heightened neural threat responses toward out-groups' faces and stronger neural empathic responses toward in-groups' suffering. We did not obtain significant publication bias. Overall, the findings provide novel implications for theory and prejudice-reduction interventions.
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Marulanda-Páez E, Igoa-González JM. ‘My daughter is no angel’: impairments in nominal metaphor comprehension by aphasic patients ( ‘Mi hija no es un tesoro’: alteraciones en la comprensión de metáforas nominales en personas con afasia). STUDIES IN PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/02109395.2021.1909247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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6
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Adamczyk P, Jáni M, Ligeza TS, Płonka O, Błądziński P, Wyczesany M. On the Role of Bilateral Brain Hypofunction and Abnormal Lateralization of Cortical Information Flow as Neural Underpinnings of Conventional Metaphor Processing Impairment in Schizophrenia: An fMRI and EEG Study. Brain Topogr 2021; 34:537-554. [PMID: 33973137 PMCID: PMC8195899 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-021-00849-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Figurative language processing (e.g. metaphors) is commonly impaired in schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the neural activity and propagation of information within neural circuits related to the figurative speech, as a neural substrate of impaired conventional metaphor processing in schizophrenia. The study included 30 schizophrenia outpatients and 30 healthy controls, all of whom were assessed with a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) punchline-based metaphor comprehension task including literal (neutral), figurative (metaphorical) and nonsense (absurd) endings. The blood oxygenation level-dependent signal was recorded with 3T MRI scanner and direction and strength of cortical information flow in the time course of task processing was estimated with a 64-channel EEG input for directed transfer function. The presented results revealed that the behavioral manifestation of impaired figurative language in schizophrenia is related to the hypofunction in the bilateral fronto-temporo-parietal brain regions (fMRI) and various differences in effective connectivity in the fronto-temporo-parietal circuit (EEG). Schizophrenia outpatients showed an abnormal pattern of connectivity during metaphor processing which was related to bilateral (but more pronounced at the left hemisphere) hypoactivation of the brain. Moreover, we found reversed lateralization patterns, i.e. a rightward-shifted pattern during metaphor processing in schizophrenia compared to the control group. In conclusion, the presented findings revealed that the impairment of the conventional metaphor processing in schizophrenia is related to the bilateral brain hypofunction, which supports the evidence on reversed lateralization of the language neural network and the existence of compensatory recruitment of alternative neural circuits in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Adamczyk
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland.
| | - Martin Jáni
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland.,Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomasz S Ligeza
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Olga Płonka
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
| | - Piotr Błądziński
- Community Psychiatry and Psychosis Research Center, Chair of Psychiatry, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Wyczesany
- Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 6, 30-060, Kraków, Poland
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7
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Mariana B, Carolina L, Valeria A, Bautista EA, Silvia K, Lucía AF. Functional anatomy of idiomatic expressions. Brain Topogr 2021; 34:489-503. [PMID: 33948754 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-021-00843-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Idiomatic expressions (IE) are groups of words whose meaning is different from the sum of its components. Neural mechanisms underlying their processing are still debated, especially regarding lateralization, main structures involved, and whether this neural network is independent from the spoken language. To investigate the neural correlates of IE processing in healthy Spanish speakers.Twenty one native speakers of Spanish were asked to select one of 4 possible meanings for IE or literal sentences. fMRI scans were performed in a 3.0T scanner and processed by SPM 12 comparing IE vs. literal sentences. Laterality indices were calculated at the group level. IE activated a bilateral, slightly right-sided network comprising the pars triangularis and areas 9 and 10. In the left hemisphere (LH): the pars orbitalis, superior frontal, angular and fusiform gyrus. In the right hemisphere (RH): anterior insula, middle frontal, and superior temporal gyrus. This network reveals the importance of the RH, besides traditional LH areas, to comprehend IE. This agrees with the semantic coding model: the LH activates narrow semantic fields choosing one single meaning and ignoring others, and the RH detects distant semantic relationships, activating diffuse semantic fields. It is also in line with the configuration hypothesis: both meanings, literal and figurative, are executed simultaneously, until the literal meaning is definitively rejected and the figurative one is accepted. Processing IE requires the activation of fronto-temporal networks in both hemispheres. The results concur with previous studies in other languages, so these networks are independent from the spoken language. Understanding these mechanisms sheds light on IE processing difficulties in different clinical populations and must be considered when planning resective surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bendersky Mariana
- Living Anatomy Laboratory, 3rd Normal Anatomy Department, School of Medicine, Buenos Aires University, Paraguay 2155, Buenos Aires, Argentina. .,ENyS (Studies in Neurosciences and Complex Systems), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), National University A. Jauretche (UNAJ), El Cruce Hospital Néstor Kirchner, Avenue Calchaquí 5402, Florencio Varela, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Lomlomdjian Carolina
- ENyS (Studies in Neurosciences and Complex Systems), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), National University A. Jauretche (UNAJ), El Cruce Hospital Néstor Kirchner, Avenue Calchaquí 5402, Florencio Varela, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Department of Neurology, Hospital Austral, Pilar, Argentina
| | - Abusamra Valeria
- School of Philosophy and Literature, National Scientific and Technical Research Council-Argentina (CONICET), Buenos Aires University, Puan 480, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Elizalde Acevedo Bautista
- ENyS (Studies in Neurosciences and Complex Systems), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), National University A. Jauretche (UNAJ), El Cruce Hospital Néstor Kirchner, Avenue Calchaquí 5402, Florencio Varela, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Faculty of Biomedical Science, Austral University, Mariano Acosta 1611, Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,IIMT (Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional), CONICET-Austral University, Derqui-Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Kochen Silvia
- ENyS (Studies in Neurosciences and Complex Systems), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), National University A. Jauretche (UNAJ), El Cruce Hospital Néstor Kirchner, Avenue Calchaquí 5402, Florencio Varela, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alba-Ferrara Lucía
- ENyS (Studies in Neurosciences and Complex Systems), National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), National University A. Jauretche (UNAJ), El Cruce Hospital Néstor Kirchner, Avenue Calchaquí 5402, Florencio Varela, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Faculty of Biomedical Science, Austral University, Mariano Acosta 1611, Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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8
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Joue G, Boven L, Willmes K, Evola V, Demenescu LR, Hassemer J, Mittelberg I, Mathiak K, Schneider F, Habel U. Metaphor processing is supramodal semantic processing: The role of the bilateral lateral temporal regions in multimodal communication. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 205:104772. [PMID: 32126372 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 01/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents an fMRI study on healthy adult understanding of metaphors in multimodal communication. We investigated metaphors expressed either only in coverbal gestures ("monomodal metaphors") or in speech with accompanying gestures ("multimodal metaphors"). Monomodal metaphoric gestures convey metaphoric information not expressed in the accompanying speech (e.g. saying the non-metaphoric utterance, "She felt bad" while dropping down the hand with palm facing up; here, the gesture alone indicates metaphoricity), whereas coverbal gestures in multimodal metaphors indicate metaphoricity redundant to the speech (e.g. saying the metaphoric utterance, "Her spirits fell" while dropping the hand with palm facing up). In other words, in monomodal metaphors, gestures add information not spoken, whereas the gestures in multimodal metaphors can be redundant to the spoken content. Understanding and integrating the information in each modality, here spoken and visual, is important in multimodal communication, but most prior studies have only considered multimodal metaphors where the gesture is redundant to what is spoken. Our participants watched audiovisual clips of an actor speaking while gesturing. We found that abstract metaphor comprehension recruited the lateral superior/middle temporal cortices, regardless of the modality in which the conceptual metaphor is expressed. These results suggest that abstract metaphors, regardless of modality, involve resources implicated in general semantic processing and are consistent with the role of these areas in supramodal semantic processing as well as the theory of embodied cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Joue
- Human Technology Center, RWTH Aachen University, Theaterplatz 14, 52056 Aachen, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Linda Boven
- School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Klaus Willmes
- Section Neuropsychology, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Vito Evola
- Human Technology Center, RWTH Aachen University, Theaterplatz 14, 52056 Aachen, Germany; Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology, Dahlmannstraße 2, 53113 Bonn, Germany; Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, New University of Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Liliana R Demenescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Julius Hassemer
- Human Technology Center, RWTH Aachen University, Theaterplatz 14, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Irene Mittelberg
- Human Technology Center, RWTH Aachen University, Theaterplatz 14, 52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - Klaus Mathiak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany; JARA, Translational Brain Medicine, 52425 Jülich, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Center Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
| | - Frank Schneider
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, School of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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Feature Uncertainty Predicts Behavioral and Neural Responses to Combined Concepts. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4900-4912. [PMID: 32404347 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2926-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The cognitive and neural structure of conceptual knowledge affects how concepts combine in language and thought. Examining the principles by which individual concepts (e.g., diamond, baseball) combine into more complex phrases (e.g., "baseball diamond") can illuminate not only how the brain combines concepts but also the key ingredients of conceptual structure. Here we specifically tested the role of feature uncertainty in the modulation of conceptual brightness evoked by adjective-noun combinations (e.g., "dark diamond") in male and female human subjects. We collected explicit ratings of conceptual brightness for 45 noun concepts and their "dark" and "light" combinations, resulting in a measure reflecting the degree of conceptual brightness modulation in each noun concept. Feature uncertainty was captured in an entropy measure, as well as in a predictive Bayesian model of feature modulation. We found that feature uncertainty (i.e., entropy) and the Bayesian model were both strong predictors of these behavioral effects. Using fMRI, we observed the neural responses evoked by the concepts and combinations in a priori ROIs. Feature uncertainty predicted univariate responses in left inferior frontal gyrus, and multivariate responses in left anterior temporal lobe were predicted by degree of conceptual brightness modulation. These findings suggest that feature uncertainty is a key ingredient of conceptual structure, and inform cognitive neuroscience theories of conceptual combination by highlighting the role of left inferior frontal gyrus and left anterior temporal lobe in the process of flexible feature modulation during comprehension of complex language.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The meaning of a word depends on the words surrounding it. The challenge of understanding how flexible meaning emerges in language can be simplified by studying adjective-noun phrases. We tested whether the uncertainty of a feature (i.e., brightness) in a given noun concept (e.g., diamond) influences how the adjective and noun concepts combine. We analyzed feature uncertainty using two probabilistic measures, and found that feature uncertainty predicted people's explicit interpretations of adjective-noun phrases (e.g., "dark diamond"). Using fMRI, we found that combined concepts evoked responses in left inferior frontal gyrus and left anterior temporal lobe that related to our measures of feature modulation and uncertainty. These findings reveal the cognitive and neural processes supporting conceptual combination and complex language use.
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Novellino F, López ME, Vaccaro MG, Miguel Y, Delgado ML, Maestu F. Association Between Hippocampus, Thalamus, and Caudate in Mild Cognitive Impairment APOEε4 Carriers: A Structural Covariance MRI Study. Front Neurol 2019; 10:1303. [PMID: 31920926 PMCID: PMC6933953 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.01303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Although, the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype is widely recognized as one of the most important risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) development, the neural mechanisms by which the ε4 allele promotes the AD occurring remain under debate. The aim of this study was to evaluate neurobiological effects of the APOE-genotype on the pattern of the structural covariance in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects. Methods: We enrolled 95 MCI subjects and 49 healthy controls. According to APOE-genotype, MCI subjects were divided into three groups: APOEε4 non-carriers (MCIε4-/-, n = 55), APOEε4 heterozygous carriers (MCIε4+/-, n = 31), and APOEε4 homozygous carriers (MCIε4+/+, n = 9) while all controls were APOEε4 non-carriers. In order to explore their brain structural pattern, T1-weighted anatomical brain 1.5-T MRI scans were collected. A whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed, and all significant regions (p < 0.05 family-wise error, whole brain) were selected as a region of interest for the structural covariance analysis. Moreover, in order to evaluate the progression of the disease, a clinical follow-up was performed for 2 years. Results: The F-test showed in voxel-based morphometry analysis a strong overall difference among the groups in the middle frontal and temporal gyri and in the bilateral hippocampi, thalami, and parahippocampal gyri, with a grading in the atrophy in these latter three structures according to the following order: MCIε4+/+ > MCIε4+/- > MCIε4-/- > controls. Structural covariance analysis revealed a strong structural association between the left thalamus and the left caudate and between the right hippocampus and the left caudate (p < 0.05 family-wise error, whole brain) in the MCIε4 carrier groups (MCIε4+/+ > MCIε4+/-), whereas no significant associations were observed in MCIε4-/- subjects. Of note, the 38% of MCIs enrolled in this study developed AD within 2 years of follow-up. Conclusion: This study improves the knowledge on neurobiological effect of APOE ε4 in early pathophysiological phenomena underlying the MCI-to-AD evolution, as our results demonstrate changes in the structural association between hippocampal formation and thalamo-striatal connections occurring in MCI ε4 carriers. Our results strongly support the role of subcortical structures in MCI ε4 carriers and open a clinical window on the role of these structures as early disease markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiana Novellino
- Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, National Research Council, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - María Eugenia López
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Madrid, Spain
- Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Yus Miguel
- Radiology Department, San Carlos Clinical Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Luisa Delgado
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Maestu
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Laboratory of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, Madrid, Spain
- Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
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11
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Powell JL, Furlong J, de Bézenac CE, O'Sullivan N, Corcoran R. The Pragmatics of Pragmatic Language and the Curse of Ambiguity: An fMRI Study. Neuroscience 2019; 418:96-109. [PMID: 31473276 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.08.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In pragmatic language, there is an intentional distinction between the literal meaning of what is said, and what the speaker actually means. Previous neuroimaging investigations of pragmatic language have contrasted it with literal language; however, such contrasts may have been confounded by the higher levels of ambiguity in pragmatic language. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare pragmatic sentences (specifically requiring the interpretation of nonliteral meaning in the form of hints) with unintentionally ambiguous scenarios. Analysis showed that ambiguous language activated brain areas recognized to play a role in generating a theory of mind (ToM) that have previously been argued to support understanding of pragmatic language, specifically medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and temporoparietal junction (TPJ). In contrast, the pragmatic scenarios drew on anterior temporal, superior parietal lobule, in addition to precuneus. While no effect of gender was found for unintentionally ambiguous stimuli, females showed greater activity than males within mPFC and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for pragmatic scenarios - regions thought to be involved in cognitive and affective empathy, respectively. Findings suggest that while areas underpinning ToM are sufficient to support meaning derivation in the context of ambiguity, reasoning about pragmatic intent is more reliant on access to self-referential memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne L Powell
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University/, UK; Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool/, UK; Liverpool Magnetic Resonance Imaging Centre (LiMRIC), University of Liverpool/, UK.
| | - Joe Furlong
- Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool/, UK; Liverpool Magnetic Resonance Imaging Centre (LiMRIC), University of Liverpool/, UK
| | - Christophe E de Bézenac
- Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool/, UK; Liverpool Magnetic Resonance Imaging Centre (LiMRIC), University of Liverpool/, UK
| | | | - Rhiannon Corcoran
- Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool/, UK; Liverpool Magnetic Resonance Imaging Centre (LiMRIC), University of Liverpool/, UK
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12
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Zucker L, Mudrik L. Understanding associative vs. abstract pictorial relations: An ERP study. Neuropsychologia 2019; 133:107127. [PMID: 31279832 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
One of the most remarkable human abilities is extracting relations between objects, words or ideas - a process that underlies perception, learning and reasoning. Yet, perhaps due to its complexity, surprisingly little is known about the neural basis of this fundamental ability. Here, we examined EEG waveforms evoked by different types of relations, conveyed by pairs of images. Subjects were presented with the pairs, that were either associatively related, abstractly related or unrelated, and judged if they were related or not. Evidence for a gradual modulation of the amplitude of the N400 and late negativity was found, such that unrelated pairs elicited the most negative amplitude, followed by abstractly-related pairs and lastly associatively-related ones. However, this was confined to first encounter with the pairs, and a different, more dichotomous pattern was observed when the pairs were viewed for the second time. Then, no difference was found between associatively and abstractly related pairs, while both differed from unrelated pairs. Notably, when the pairs were sequentially presented, this pattern was found mostly in right electrodes, while it appeared both in left and right sites during simultaneous presentation of the pairs. This suggests that while two different mechanisms may be involved in generating predictions about an upcoming related/unrelated stimulus, online processing of associative and abstract semantic relations might be mediated by a single mechanism. Our results further support claims that the N400 component indexes multiple cognitive processes that overlap in time, yet not necessarily in neural generators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leemor Zucker
- Sagol School for Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, POB 39040, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Liad Mudrik
- Sagol School for Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, POB 39040, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel; School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, POB 39040, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
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Dove G. Language as a disruptive technology: abstract concepts, embodiment and the flexible mind. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 373:rstb.2017.0135. [PMID: 29915003 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that cognition is embodied and grounded. Abstract concepts, though, remain a significant theoretical challenge. A number of researchers have proposed that language makes an important contribution to our capacity to acquire and employ concepts, particularly abstract ones. In this essay, I critically examine this suggestion and ultimately defend a version of it. I argue that a successful account of how language augments cognition should emphasize its symbolic properties and incorporate a view of embodiment that recognizes the flexible, multimodal and task-related nature of action, emotion and perception systems. On this view, language is an ontogenetically disruptive cognitive technology that expands our conceptual reach.This article is part of the theme issue 'Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy Dove
- Department of Philosophy, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
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Briggs RG, Pryor DP, Conner AK, Nix CE, Milton CK, Kuiper JK, Palejwala AH, Sughrue ME. The Artery of Aphasia, A Uniquely Sensitive Posterior Temporal Middle Cerebral Artery Branch that Supplies Language Areas in the Brain: Anatomy and Report of Four Cases. World Neurosurg 2019; 126:e65-e76. [PMID: 30735868 DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2019.01.159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arterial disruption during brain surgery can cause devastating injuries to wide expanses of white and gray matter beyond the tumor resection cavity. Such damage may occur as a result of disrupting blood flow through en passage arteries. Identification of these arteries is critical to prevent unforeseen neurologic sequelae during brain tumor resection. In this study, we discuss one such artery, termed the artery of aphasia (AoA), which when disrupted can lead to receptive and expressive language deficits. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of all patients undergoing an awake craniotomy for resection of a glioma by the senior author from 2012 to 2018. Patients were included if they experienced language deficits secondary to postoperative infarction in the left posterior temporal lobe in the distribution of the AoA. The gross anatomy of the AoA was then compared with activation likelihood estimations of the auditory and semantic language networks using coordinate-based meta-analytic techniques. RESULTS We identified 4 patients with left-sided posterior temporal artery infarctions in the distribution of the AoA on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. All 4 patients developed substantial expressive and receptive language deficits after surgery. Functional language improvement occurred in only 2/4 patients. Activation likelihood estimations localized parts of the auditory and semantic language networks in the distribution of the AoA. CONCLUSIONS The AoA is prone to blood flow disruption despite benign manipulation. Patients seem to have limited capacity for speech recovery after intraoperative ischemia in the distribution of this artery, which supplies parts of the auditory and semantic language networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert G Briggs
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Dillon P Pryor
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Andrew K Conner
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Cameron E Nix
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Camille K Milton
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Joseph K Kuiper
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Ali H Palejwala
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Michael E Sughrue
- Department of Neurosurgery, Prince of Wales Private Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
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A Quantitative Meta-analysis of Neuroimaging Studies of Pragmatic Language Comprehension: In Search of a Universal Neural Substrate. Neuroscience 2018; 395:60-88. [PMID: 30414881 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 10/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Pragmatics may be defined as the ability to communicate by expressing and recognizing intentions. The objective of this meta-analysis was to identify neural substrates for comprehension of pragmatic content in general, as well as the differences between pragmatic forms, and to describe if there is differential recruitment of brain areas according to natural language. This meta-analysis included 48 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies that reported pragmatic versus literal language contrasts. The pragmatic forms were speech acts, metaphors, idioms, and irony. Effect Size-Signed Differential Mapping software was used to calculate the mean for all contrasts as well as for each pragmatic form, and make comparisons among all forms. Due to variations in pragmatic content configuration such as natural language, stimulus modality, and writing systems, these variations were also analyzed with subgroups' analyses. The analyses found a highly reproducible bilateral fronto-temporal and medial prefrontal cortex network for pragmatic comprehension. Each pragmatic form showed a specific convergence pattern within this bilateral network. Natural language analyses showed that fronto-temporal regions were recruited by Germanic languages, while only left frontal areas were recruited by Romance languages, and right medial prefrontal cortex by Japanese. In conclusion, pragmatic language comprehension involves classical language areas in bilateral perisylvian regions, along with the medial prefrontal cortex, an area involved in social cognition. Together, these areas could represent the "pragmatic language network". Nonetheless, when proposing a universal neural substrate for all forms of pragmatic language, the diversity among studies in terms of pragmatic form, and configuration, must be taken into consideration.
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Ardila A, Bernal B, Rosselli M. Executive Functions Brain System: An Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-analytic Study. Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2018; 33:379-405. [PMID: 28961762 DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acx066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and objective To characterize commonalities and differences between two executive functions: reasoning and inhibitory control. Methods A total of 5,974 participants in 346 fMRI experiments of inhibition or reasoning were selected. First level analysis consisted of Analysis of Likelihood Estimation (ALE) studies performed in two pooled data groups: (a) brain areas involved in reasoning and (b) brain areas involved in inhibition. Second level analysis consisted of two contrasts: (i) brain areas involved in reasoning but not in inhibition and (ii) brain areas involved in inhibition but not in reasoning. Lateralization Indexes were calculated. Results Four brain areas appear as the most critical: the dorsolateral aspect of the frontal lobes, the superior parietal lobules, the mesial aspect of the premotor area (supplementary motor area), and some subcortical areas, particularly the putamen and the thalamus. ALE contrasts showed significant differentiation of the networks, with the reasoning > inhibition-contrast showing a predominantly leftward participation, and the inhibition > reasoning-contrast, a clear right advantage. Conclusion Executive functions are mediated by sizable brain areas including not only cortical, but also involving subcortical areas in both hemispheres. The strength of activation shows dissociation between the hemispheres for inhibition (rightward) and reasoning (leftward) functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Ardila
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Byron Bernal
- Department of Radiology/Brain Institute, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Monica Rosselli
- Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL, USA
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Pomp J, Bestgen AK, Schulze P, Müller CJ, Citron FMM, Suchan B, Kuchinke L. Lexical olfaction recruits olfactory orbitofrontal cortex in metaphorical and literal contexts. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 179:11-21. [PMID: 29482170 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The investigation of specific lexical categories has substantially contributed to advancing our knowledge on how meaning is neurally represented. One sensory domain that has received particularly little attention is olfaction. This study aims to investigate the neural representation of lexical olfaction. In an fMRI experiment, participants read olfactory metaphors, their literal paraphrases, and literal olfactory sentences. Regions of interest were defined by a functional localizer run of odor processing. We observed activation in secondary olfactory areas during metaphorical and literal olfactory processing, thus extending previous findings to the novel source domain of olfaction. Previously reported enhanced activation in emotion-related areas due to metaphoricity could not be replicated. Finally, no primary olfactory cortex was found active during lexical olfaction processing. We suggest that this absence is due to olfactory hedonicity being crucial to understand the meaning of the current olfactory expressions. Consequently, the processing of olfactory hedonicity recruits secondary olfactory areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Pomp
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany; Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Fliednerstrasse 21, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Anne-Kathrin Bestgen
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Patrick Schulze
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Christina J Müller
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany; International Psychoanalytic University, Stromstrasse 1, 10555 Berlin, Germany
| | - Francesca M M Citron
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Fylde College, Lancaster LA1 4YF, UK
| | - Boris Suchan
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Lars Kuchinke
- Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany; International Psychoanalytic University, Stromstrasse 1, 10555 Berlin, Germany
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Abstract
An extensive program of research in the past 2 decades has focused on the role of modal sensory, motor, and affective brain systems in storing and retrieving concept knowledge. This focus has led in some circles to an underestimation of the need for more abstract, supramodal conceptual representations in semantic cognition. Evidence for supramodal processing comes from neuroimaging work documenting a large, well-defined cortical network that responds to meaningful stimuli regardless of modal content. The nodes in this network correspond to high-level "convergence zones" that receive broadly crossmodal input and presumably process crossmodal conjunctions. It is proposed that highly conjunctive representations are needed for several critical functions, including capturing conceptual similarity structure, enabling thematic associative relationships independent of conceptual similarity, and providing efficient "chunking" of concept representations for a range of higher order tasks that require concepts to be configured as situations. These hypothesized functions account for a wide range of neuroimaging results showing modulation of the supramodal convergence zone network by associative strength, lexicality, familiarity, imageability, frequency, and semantic compositionality. The evidence supports a hierarchical model of knowledge representation in which modal systems provide a mechanism for concept acquisition and serve to ground individual concepts in external reality, whereas broadly conjunctive, supramodal representations play an equally important role in concept association and situation knowledge.
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Solomon SH, Thompson-Schill SL. Finding features, figuratively. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2017; 174:61-71. [PMID: 28738219 PMCID: PMC5637521 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2016] [Revised: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 07/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Object concepts refer to unique clusters of properties that can be selectively activated or inhibited depending on what information is currently relevant. This conceptual "stretching" enables limitless new meanings to be generated, and figurative language provides a useful framework in which to study this conceptual flexibility. Here we probe the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the comprehension of novel metaphors as a means of understanding the conceptual flexibility inherent to language processing more generally. We show that novel metaphor comprehension involves the activation or inhibition of conceptual properties that are either relevant or irrelevant to the metaphor, and that left inferior frontal gyrus is recruited in this process, supporting a role for this region in the fine-tuning of conceptual meaning. Our results are consistent with a flexible, compositional account of conceptual structure in which semantic control mechanisms operate over conceptual properties during figurative language comprehension in order to create context-dependent meaning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah H Solomon
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology, 425 S. University Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018, United States.
| | - Sharon L Thompson-Schill
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology, 425 S. University Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018, United States
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20
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Yi YG, Kim DY, Shim WH, Oh JY, Kim SH, Kim HS. Neural correlates of Korean proverb processing: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Brain Behav 2017; 7:e00829. [PMID: 29075575 PMCID: PMC5651399 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Korean language is based on a syntactic system that is different from other languages. This study investigated the processing area of the Korean proverb in comparison with the literal sentence using functional magnetic resonance imaging. In addition, the effect of opacity and transparency of proverbs on the activation pattern, when familiarity is set to the same condition, was also examined. METHODS The experimental stimuli included 36 proverbs and 18 literal sentences. A cohort of 15 healthy participants silently read each sentence for 6 s. A total of 18 opaque proverbs, 18 transparent proverbs, and 18 literal sentences were presented pseudo-randomly in one of three predesigned sequences. RESULTS Compared with the literal sentences, a significant activation pattern was observed in the left hemisphere, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, in association with the proverbs. Compared with the transparent proverbs, opaque proverbs elicited more activation in the right supramarginal gyrus and precuneus. CONCLUSIONS Our study confirmed that the left inferior frontal gyrus mediates the retrieval and/or selection of semantic knowledge in the Korean language. The present findings indicated that the right precuneus and the right supramarginal gyrus may be involved in abstract language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Gyoung Yi
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Seoul National University Hospital Jongno-gu, Seoul Korea
| | - Dae Yul Kim
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Asan Medical Center Songpa-gu Seoul Korea
| | - Woo Hyun Shim
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology University of Ulsan College of Medicine Korea
| | - Joo Young Oh
- Asan Institute for Life Science Asan Medical Center University of Ulsan College of Medicine Seoul Korea
| | - Sung Hyun Kim
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Asan Medical Center Songpa-gu Seoul Korea
| | - Ho Sung Kim
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology University of Ulsan College of Medicine Korea
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de Almeida RG, Riven L, Manouilidou C, Lungu O, Dwivedi VD, Jarema G, Gillon B. The Neuronal Correlates of Indeterminate Sentence Comprehension: An fMRI Study. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:614. [PMID: 28066204 PMCID: PMC5168646 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Sentences such as The author started the book are indeterminate because they do not make explicit what the subject (the author) started doing with the object (the book). In principle, indeterminate sentences allow for an infinite number of interpretations. One theory, however, assumes that these sentences are resolved by semanticcoercion, a linguistic process that forces the noun book to be interpreted as an activity (e.g., writing the book) or by a process that interpolates this activity information in the resulting enriched semantic composition. An alternative theory, pragmatic, assumes classical semantic composition, whereby meaning arises from the denotation of words and how they are combined syntactically, with enrichment obtained via pragmatic inferences beyond linguistic-semantic processes. Cognitive neuroscience studies investigating the neuroanatomical and functional correlates of indeterminate sentences have shown activations either at the ventromedial pre-frontal cortex (vmPFC) or at the left inferior frontal gyrus (L-IFG). These studies have supported the semantic coercion theory assuming that one of these regions is where enriched semantic composition takes place. Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we found that indeterminate sentences activate bilaterally the superior temporal gyrus (STG), the right inferior frontal gyrus (R-IFG), and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), more so than control sentences (The author wrote the book). Activation of indeterminate sentences exceeded that of anomalous sentences (…drank the book) and engaged more left- and right-hemisphere areas than other sentence types. We suggest that the widespread activations for indeterminate sentences represent the deployment of pragmatic-inferential processes, which seek to enrich sentence content without necessarily resorting to semantic coercion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Levi Riven
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Christina Manouilidou
- Department of Comparative and General Linguistics, University of Ljubljana Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ovidiu Lungu
- Unité de Neuroimagerie Fonctionnelle, Institute Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Veena D Dwivedi
- Department of Applied Linguistics, Brock University St. Catharines, ON, Canada
| | - Gonia Jarema
- Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Brendan Gillon
- Department of Linguistics, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
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Ehlen F, Vonberg I, Tiedt HO, Horn A, Fromm O, Kühn AA, Klostermann F. Thalamic deep brain stimulation decelerates automatic lexical activation. Brain Cogn 2016; 111:34-43. [PMID: 27816778 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Revised: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) is a therapeutic option for patients with essential tremor. Despite a generally low risk of side effects, declines in verbal fluency (VF) have previously been reported. OBJECTIVES We aimed to specify effects of VIM-DBS on major cognitive operations needed for VF task performance, represented by clusters and switches. Clusters are word production spurts, thought to arise from automatic activation of associated information pertaining to a given lexical field. Switches are slow word-to-word transitions, presumed to indicate controlled operations for stepping from one lexical field to another. PATIENTS & METHODS Thirteen essential tremor patients with VIM-DBS performed verbal fluency tasks in their VIM-DBS ON and OFF conditions. Clusters and switches were formally defined by mathematical criteria. All results were compared to those of fifteen healthy control subjects, and significant OFF-ON-change scores were correlated to stimulation parameters. RESULTS Patients produced fewer words than healthy controls. DBS ON compared to DBS OFF aggravated this deficit by prolonging the intervals between words within clusters, whereas switches remained unaffected. This stimulation effect correlated with more anterior electrode positions. CONCLUSION VIM-DBS seems to influence word output dynamics during verbal fluency tasks on the level of word clustering. This suggests a perturbation of automatic lexical co-activation by thalamic stimulation, particularly if delivered relatively anteriorly. The findings are discussed in the context of the hypothesized role of the thalamus in lexical processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicitas Ehlen
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Hindenburgdamm 30, 12000 Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Vonberg
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Hindenburgdamm 30, 12000 Berlin, Germany
| | - Hannes O Tiedt
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Hindenburgdamm 30, 12000 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Horn
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Motor Neuroscience Group, Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK), Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany; Laboratory for Brain Network Imaging and Modulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ortwin Fromm
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Hindenburgdamm 30, 12000 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea A Kühn
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Motor Neuroscience Group, Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK), Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Klostermann
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF), Hindenburgdamm 30, 12000 Berlin, Germany.
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Hemispheric involvement in the processing of Chinese idioms: An fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 2016; 87:12-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Abstract
The primary motor cortex (M1) is traditionally implicated in voluntary movement control. In order to test the hypothesis that there is a functional topography of M1 activation in studies where it has been implicated in higher cognitive tasks we performed activation-likelihood-estimation (ALE) meta-analyses of functional neuroimaging experiments reporting M1 activation in relation to six cognitive functional categories for which there was a sufficient number of studies to include, namely motor imagery, working memory, mental rotation, social/emotion/empathy, language, and auditory processing. The six categories activated different sub-sectors of M1, either bilaterally or lateralized to one hemisphere. Notably, the activations found in the M1 of the left or right hemisphere detected in our study were unlikely due to button presses. In fact, all contrasts were selected in order to eliminate M1 activation due to activity related to the finger button press. In addition, we identified the M1 sub-region of Area 4a commonly activated by 4/6 categories, namely motor imagery and working memory, emotion/empathy, and language. Overall, our findings lend support to the idea that there is a functional topography of M1 activation in studies where it has been found activated in higher cognitive tasks and that the left Area 4a can be involved in a number of cognitive processes, likely as a product of implicit mental simulation processing.
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Ehlen F, Vonberg I, Kühn AA, Klostermann F. Effects of thalamic deep brain stimulation on spontaneous language production. Neuropsychologia 2016; 89:74-82. [PMID: 27267813 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 04/18/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The thalamus is thought to contribute to language-related processing, but specifications of this notion remain vague. An assessment of potential effects of thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) on spontaneous language may help to delineate respective functions. For this purpose, we analyzed spontaneous language samples from thirteen (six female / seven male) patients with essential tremor treated with DBS of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) in their respective ON vs. OFF conditions. Samples were obtained from semi-structured interviews and examined on multidimensional linguistic levels. In the VIM-DBS ON condition, participants used a significantly higher proportion of paratactic as opposed to hypotactic sentence structures. This increase correlated negatively with the change in the more global cognitive score, which in itself did not change significantly. In conclusion, VIM-DBS appears to induce the use of a simplified syntactic structure. The findings are discussed in relation to concepts of thalamic roles in language-related cognitive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicitas Ehlen
- Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Isabelle Vonberg
- Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrea A Kühn
- Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Department of Neurology, Motor Neuroscience Group, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabian Klostermann
- Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany.
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Schneider S, Wagels L, Haeussinger FB, Fallgatter AJ, Ehlis AC, Rapp AM. Haemodynamic and electrophysiological markers of pragmatic language comprehension in schizophrenia. World J Biol Psychiatry 2015; 16:398-410. [PMID: 25816925 DOI: 10.3109/15622975.2015.1019359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The present study aimed at investigating neurophysiological markers of language perception in schizophrenia using simultaneous near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and event-related potentials (ERPs), which have been proven to be useful for studying language processing abilities in psychiatric patients. The study shall help to integrate previous findings from ERP and fMRI studies on figurative language comprehension in schizophrenia and elucidate how electrophysiological and haemodynamic markers of language processing are related. METHODS Twenty-two healthy subjects and 22 schizophrenia patients judged 120 sentences regarding their meaningfulness. Phrases were literal, metaphoric, or meaningless. EEG-fNIRS signals were recorded throughout the entire experiment. RESULTS Schizophrenia patients showed deficient and delayed sentence comprehension. Both the early N400 and left-hemispheric activation during language comprehension were altered in patients. Correlation analyses showed that metaphor-related ERPs were strongly linked to haemodynamic cortical activity in healthy subjects, but not in patients. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate group differences in cortical electrophysiological and haemodynamic activation that represent rather general impairments in the processing of complex language. Simultaneous EEG/NIRS applications are useful to depict these neural markers and to investigate their relationship. Future studies are needed to clarify the nature of respective anomalies and their potential as putative neural markers in schizophrenia research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Schneider
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Lisa Wagels
- b Department of Psychiatry , Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University of Aachen , Aachen , Germany
| | - Florian B Haeussinger
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Andreas J Fallgatter
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Ann-Christine Ehlis
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
| | - Alexander M Rapp
- a Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tuebingen , Tuebingen , Germany
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O'Sullivan N, Davis P, Billington J, Gonzalez-Diaz V, Corcoran R. "Shall I compare thee": The neural basis of literary awareness, and its benefits to cognition. Cortex 2015; 73:144-57. [PMID: 26409018 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Revised: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to explore the neural and cognitive basis of literary awareness in 24 participants. The 2×2 design explored the capacity to process and derive meanings in complex poetic and prosaic texts that either did or did not require significant reappraisal during reading. Following this, participants rated each piece on its 'poeticness' and the extent to which it prompted a reappraisal of meaning during reading, providing subjective measures of poetic recognition and the need to reappraise meaning. The substantial shared variance between these 2 subjective measures provided a proxy measure of literary awareness, which was found to modulate activity in regions comprising the central executive and saliency networks. We suggest that enhanced literary awareness is related to increased flexibility of internal models of meaning, enhanced interoceptive awareness of change, and an enhanced capacity to reason about events. In addition, we found that the residual variance in the measure of poetic recognition modulated right dorsal caudate activity, which may be related to tolerance of uncertainty. These findings are consistent with evidence that relates reading to improved mental wellbeing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noreen O'Sullivan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health, & Society, University of Liverpool, UK
| | - Philip Davis
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health, & Society, University of Liverpool, UK
| | - Josie Billington
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health, & Society, University of Liverpool, UK
| | - Victorina Gonzalez-Diaz
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health, & Society, University of Liverpool, UK
| | - Rhiannon Corcoran
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health, & Society, University of Liverpool, UK.
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Ribolsi M, Feyaerts J, Vanheule S. Metaphor in psychosis: on the possible convergence of Lacanian theory and neuro-scientific research. Front Psychol 2015; 6:664. [PMID: 26089805 PMCID: PMC4452801 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Starting from the theories of leading psychiatrists, like Kraepelin and de Clérambault, the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901–1981) formulated an original theory of psychosis, focusing on the subject and on the structuring role of language. In particular, he postulated that language makes up the experience of subjectivity and that psychosis is marked by the absence of a crucial metaphorization process. Interestingly, in contemporary psychiatry there is growing empirical evidence that schizophrenia is characterized by abnormal interpretation of verbal and non-verbal information, with a great difficulty to put such information in the appropriate context. Neuro-scientific contributions have investigated this difficulty suggesting the possibility of interpreting schizophrenia as a semiotic disorder which makes the patients incapable of understanding the figurative meaning of the metaphoric speech, probably due to a dysfunction of certain right hemisphere areas, such as the right temporoparietal junction and the right superior/middle temporal gyrus. In this paper we first review the Lacanian theory of psychosis and neuro-scientific research in the field of symbolization and metaphoric speech. Next, we discuss possible convergences between both approaches, exploring how they might join and inspire one another. Clinical and neurophysiological research implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Ribolsi
- Clinica Psichiatrica, Dipartimento di Medicina dei Sistemi, Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata , Rome, Italy ; Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Neuroscience Department, "Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù", Research Hospital , Rome, Italy
| | - Jasper Feyaerts
- Department of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
| | - Stijn Vanheule
- Department of Psychoanalysis and Clinical Consulting, Ghent University , Ghent, Belgium
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Bartczak M, Bokus B. Cognitive representations (Metaphorical Conceptualizations) of past, future, joy, sadness and happiness in depressive and non-depressive subjects: cognitive distortions in depression at the level of notion. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2015; 44:159-185. [PMID: 24510583 PMCID: PMC4357654 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-014-9286-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to see if and how the intensity of depression correlates with the cognitive representation of notions, and if any influence is reversed during remission. The cognitive representation indices used were the valence and number of metaphors produced for a notion. Three adult groups took part: persons with depression ([Formula: see text]), persons in remission ([Formula: see text]), and a control group ([Formula: see text]). Five notions were considered: PAST, FUTURE, JOY, SADNESS, and HAPPINESS. The Questionnaire of the Metaphorical Conceptualization of a Notion was used. The results showed that (a) depressive subjects did not have problems with metaphorical processing, (b) depressive subjects demonstrated strong interpretational negativism, (c) subjects during remission did not present distorted conceptual processing. The results are discussed in the context of theories of automatic metaphor processing, and conceptions of cognitive depressive distortions, in tasks requiring effort and substantial involvement of cognitive resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlena Bartczak
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Stawki 5/7, 00-183 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Barbara Bokus
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Stawki 5/7, 00-183 Warsaw, Poland
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Ianni GR, Cardillo ER, McQuire M, Chatterjee A. Flying under the radar: figurative language impairments in focal lesion patients. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:871. [PMID: 25404906 PMCID: PMC4217389 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the prevalent and natural use of metaphor in everyday language, the neural basis of this powerful communication device remains poorly understood. Early studies of brain-injured patients suggested the right hemisphere plays a critical role in metaphor comprehension, but more recent patient and neuroimaging studies do not consistently support this hypothesis. One explanation for this discrepancy is the challenge in designing optimal tasks for brain-injured populations. As traditional aphasia assessments do not assess figurative language comprehension, we designed a new metaphor comprehension task to consider whether impaired metaphor processing is missed by standard clinical assessments. Stimuli consisted of 60 pairs of moderately familiar metaphors and closely matched literal sentences. Sentences were presented visually in a randomized order, followed by four adjective-noun answer choices (target + three foil types). Participants were instructed to select the phrase that best matched the meaning of the sentence. We report the performance of three focal lesion patients and a group of 12 healthy, older controls. Controls performed near ceiling in both conditions, with slightly more accurate performance on literal than metaphoric sentences. While the Western Aphasia Battery (Kertesz, 1982) and the objects and actions naming battery (Druks and Masterson, 2000) indicated minimal to no language difficulty, our metaphor comprehension task indicated three different profiles of metaphor comprehension impairment in the patients’ performance. Single case statistics revealed comparable impairment on metaphoric and literal sentences, disproportionately greater impairment on metaphors than literal sentences, and selective impairment on metaphors. We conclude our task reveals that patients can have selective metaphor comprehension deficits. These deficits are not captured by traditional neuropsychological language assessments, suggesting overlooked communication difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geena R Ianni
- Section on Neurocircuitry, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eileen R Cardillo
- Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marguerite McQuire
- Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Anjan Chatterjee
- Department of Neurology, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Obert A, Gierski F, Calmus A, Portefaix C, Declercq C, Pierot L, Caillies S. Differential bilateral involvement of the parietal gyrus during predicative metaphor processing: an auditory fMRI study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2014; 137:112-119. [PMID: 25193417 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2014.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2014] [Revised: 07/24/2014] [Accepted: 08/01/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Despite the growing literature on figurative language processing, there is still debate as to which cognitive processes and neural bases are involved. Furthermore, most studies have focused on nominal metaphor processing without any context, and very few have used auditory presentation. We therefore investigated the neural bases of the comprehension of predicative metaphors presented in a brief context, in an auditory, ecological way. The comprehension of their literal counterparts served as a control condition. We also investigated the link between working memory and verbal skills and regional activation. Comparisons of metaphorical and literal conditions revealed bilateral activation of parietal areas including the left angular (lAG) and right inferior parietal gyri (rIPG) and right precuneus. Only verbal skills were associated with lAG (but not rIPG) activation. These results indicated that predicative metaphor comprehension share common activations with other metaphors. Furthermore, individual verbal skills could have an impact on figurative language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Obert
- C2S Laboratory (EA6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France.
| | - Fabien Gierski
- C2S Laboratory (EA6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France; Adult Psychiatry Department, Robert Debré Hospital, Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - Arnaud Calmus
- C2S Laboratory (EA6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sébastopol Hospital, Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - Christophe Portefaix
- Imaging Department, Maison Blanche Hospital, Reims University Hospital, Reims, France; CReSTIC Laboratory (EA 3804), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - Christelle Declercq
- C2S Laboratory (EA6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - Laurent Pierot
- Imaging Department, Maison Blanche Hospital, Reims University Hospital, Reims, France
| | - Stéphanie Caillies
- C2S Laboratory (EA6291), University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
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Argyriou P, Byfield S, Kita S. Semantics is crucial for the right-hemisphere involvement in metaphor processing: Evidence from mouth asymmetry during speaking. Laterality 2014; 20:191-210. [DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2014.951654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Mossaheb N, Aschauer HN, Stoettner S, Schmoeger M, Pils N, Raab M, Willinger U. Comprehension of metaphors in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Compr Psychiatry 2014; 55:928-37. [PMID: 24556517 DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Revised: 11/29/2013] [Accepted: 12/31/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metaphors, mainly proverbs and idiomatic expressions of ordinary life are commonly used as a model for concretism. Previous studies have shown impaired metaphor comprehension in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders compared to either psychiatric or non-psychiatric control subject. The aim of this study was to detect possible quantitative differences in figurative processing between patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and healthy controls. METHODS In order to analyse possible dissociations of different aspects of figurative speech, a range of metaphor tasks was used to distinguish between recognition of familiar metaphors, paraphrasing the meaning of the latter and generating novel metaphors: we used a standard proverb test for conventional metaphors consisting of a multiple-choice and a paraphrasing task, and the Metaphoric Triads Test for the assessment of novel metaphors. We included 40 patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and 43 healthy control subjects. RESULTS Our results showed that patients had impaired figurative speech processing regarding novel and conventional metaphors. Associations with cognitive functions were detected. Performance on the paraphrasing task was associated with the severity of negative symptoms. CONCLUSION We conclude that patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders do exhibit impairments in the recognition and paraphrasing of conventional and the generation of novel metaphors and that some cognitive domains as well the extent of negative symptoms might be associated with these deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilufar Mossaheb
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Medical University Vienna, Austria; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Biological Psychiatry, Medical University Vienna, Austria.
| | - Harald N Aschauer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Biological Psychiatry, Medical University Vienna, Austria
| | | | | | - Nicole Pils
- Department of Neurology, Medical University Vienna, Austria; Landesklinikum Thermenregion Baden, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic medicine, Baden bei Wien, Austria
| | - Monika Raab
- Department of Neurology, Medical University Vienna, Austria; SMZ Baumgartner Hoehe, Otto Wagner Hospital, Department of Substance abuse, Vienna, Austria
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Klepousniotou E, Gracco VL, Pike GB. Pathways to lexical ambiguity: fMRI evidence for bilateral fronto-parietal involvement in language processing. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2014; 131:56-64. [PMID: 24183467 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2013.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2013] [Accepted: 06/19/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Numerous functional neuroimaging studies reported increased activity in the pars opercularis and the pars triangularis (Brodmann's areas 44 and 45) of the left hemisphere during the performance of linguistic tasks. The role of these areas in the right hemisphere in language processing is not understood and, although there is evidence from lesion studies that the right hemisphere is involved in the appreciation of semantic relations, no specific anatomical substrate has yet been identified. This event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study compared brain activity during the performance of language processing trials in which either dominant or subordinate meaning activation of ambiguous words was required. The results show that the ventral part of the pars opercularis both in the left and the right hemisphere is centrally involved in language processing. In addition, they highlight the bilateral co-activation of this region with the supramarginal gyrus of the inferior parietal lobule during the processing of this type of linguistic material. This study, thus, provides the first evidence of co-activation of Broca's region and the inferior parietal lobule, succeeding in further specifying the relative contribution of these cortical areas to language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterini Klepousniotou
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Centre for Research on Language, Mind, and Brain, McGill University, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8, Canada.
| | - Vincent L Gracco
- Centre for Research on Language, Mind, and Brain, McGill University, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8, Canada; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, 1266 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC H3G 1A8, Canada
| | - G Bruce Pike
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Centre for Research on Language, Mind, and Brain, McGill University, 3640 de la Montagne, Montreal, QC H3G 2A8, Canada
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Forgács B, Lukács A, Pléh C. Lateralized processing of novel metaphors: disentangling figurativeness and novelty. Neuropsychologia 2014; 56:101-9. [PMID: 24418155 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2012] [Revised: 10/09/2013] [Accepted: 01/04/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
One of the intriguing and sometimes controversial findings in figurative language research is a right-hemisphere processing advantage for novel metaphors. The current divided visual field study introduced novel literal expressions as a control condition to assess processing novelty independent of figurativeness. Participants evaluated word pairs belonging to one of the five categories: (1) conventional metaphorical, (2) conventional literal, (3) novel metaphorical, (4) novel literal, and (5) unrelated expressions in a semantic decision task. We presented expressions without sentence context and controlled for additional factors including emotional valence, arousal, and imageability that could potentially influence hemispheric processing. We also utilized an eye-tracker to ensure lateralized presentation. We did not find the previously reported right-hemispherical processing advantage for novel metaphors. Processing was faster in the left hemisphere for all types of word pairs, and accuracy was also higher in the right visual field - left hemisphere. Novel metaphors were processed just as fast as novel literal expressions, suggesting that the primary challenge during the comprehension of novel expressions is not a serial processing of salience, but perhaps a more left hemisphere weighted semantic integration. Our results cast doubt on the right-hemisphere theory of metaphors, and raise the possibility that other uncontrolled variables were responsible for previous results. The lateralization of processing of two word expressions seems to be more contingent on the specific task at hand than their figurativeness or saliency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bálint Forgács
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Department of Cognitive Science, Egry József utca 1, T building, V. 506, 1111 Budapest, Hungary; Central European University (CEU), Department of Cognitive Science, Frankel Leó út 30-34, 1023 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Agnes Lukács
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Department of Cognitive Science, Egry József utca 1, T building, V. 506, 1111 Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Csaba Pléh
- Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Department of Cognitive Science, Egry József utca 1, T building, V. 506, 1111 Budapest, Hungary; Eszterházy Károly College, Doctoral School of Education, Eszterházy tér 1, 3300 Eger, Hungary.
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36
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She runs, the road runs, my mind runs, bad blood runs between us: Literal and figurative motion verbs: An fMRI study. Neuroimage 2013; 83:361-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Revised: 05/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Cieślicka AB. Do nonnative language speakers chew the fat and spill the beans with different brain hemispheres? Investigating idiom decomposability with the divided visual field paradigm. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2013; 42:475-503. [PMID: 23161392 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-012-9232-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore possible cerebral asymmetries in the processing of decomposable and nondecomposable idioms by fluent nonnative speakers of English. In the study, native language (Polish) and foreign language (English) decomposable and nondecomposable idioms were embedded in ambiguous (neutral) and unambiguous (biasing figurative meaning) context and presented centrally, followed by laterally presented target words related to the figurative meaning of the idiom or literal meaning of the last word of the idiom. The target appeared either immediately at sentence offset (Experiment 1), or 400 ms (Experiment 2) after sentence offset. Results are inconsistent with the Idiom Decomposition Hypothesis (Gibbs et al. in Mem Cogn 17:58-68, 1989a; J Mem Lang 28:576-593, 1989b) and only partially consistent with the idea of the differential cerebral involvement in processing (non)decomposable idioms [the Fine/Coarse Coding Theory, Beeman (Right hemisphere language comprehension: perspectives from cognitive neuroscience, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ, 1998)]. A number of factors, rather than compositionality per se, emerge as crucial in determining idiom processing, such as language status (native vs. nonnative), salience, or context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna B Cieślicka
- Department of Psychology and Communication, Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Boulevard, Laredo, TX, 78041-1900, USA,
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Noonan KA, Jefferies E, Visser M, Lambon Ralph MA. Going beyond Inferior Prefrontal Involvement in Semantic Control: Evidence for the Additional Contribution of Dorsal Angular Gyrus and Posterior Middle Temporal Cortex. J Cogn Neurosci 2013; 25:1824-50. [PMID: 23859646 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 309] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Semantic cognition requires a combination of semantic representations and executive control processes to direct activation in a task- and time-appropriate fashion [Jefferies, E., & Lambon Ralph, M. A. Semantic impairment in stroke aphasia versus semantic dementia: A case-series comparison. Brain, 129, 2132–2147, 2006]. We undertook a formal meta-analysis to investigate which regions within the large-scale semantic network are specifically associated with the executive component of semantic cognition. Previous studies have described in detail the role of left ventral pFC in semantic regulation. We examined 53 studies that contrasted semantic tasks with high > low executive requirements to determine whether cortical regions beyond the left pFC show the same response profile to executive semantic demands. Our findings revealed that right pFC, posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) and dorsal angular gyrus (bordering intraparietal sulcus) were also consistently recruited by executively demanding semantic tasks, demonstrating patterns of activation that were highly similar to the left ventral pFC. These regions overlap with the lesions in aphasic patients who exhibit multimodal semantic impairment because of impaired regulatory control (semantic aphasia)—providing important convergence between functional neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies of semantic cognition. Activation in dorsal angular gyrus and left ventral pFC was consistent across all types of executive semantic manipulation, regardless of whether the task was receptive or expressive, whereas pMTG activation was only observed for manipulation of control demands within receptive tasks. Second, we contrasted executively demanding tasks tapping semantics and phonology. Our findings revealed substantial overlap between the two sets of contrasts within left ventral pFC, suggesting this region underpins domain-general control mechanisms. In contrast, we observed relative specialization for semantic control within pMTG as well as the most ventral aspects of left pFC (BA 47), consistent with our proposal of a distributed network underpinning semantic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krist A. Noonan
- 1Research Institute for the Care of Older People, Bath, UK
- 2University of Manchester
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Varga E, Simon M, Tényi T, Schnell Z, Hajnal A, Orsi G, Dóczi T, Komoly S, Janszky J, Füredi R, Hamvas E, Fekete S, Herold R. Irony comprehension and context processing in schizophrenia during remission--a functional MRI study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2013; 126:231-242. [PMID: 23867921 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2013.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2012] [Revised: 05/03/2013] [Accepted: 05/26/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Schizophrenic patients have Theory of Mind (ToM) deficits even during remission, but it is yet unknown whether this could be influenced. We examined the neural correlates of irony understanding in schizophrenic patients, as an indicator of ToM capacity, and evaluated how linguistic help inserted into the context phase could affect irony comprehension. Schizophrenic patients in remission and healthy controls were subjected to event-related functional MRI scanning while performing irony, 'irony with linguistic help', and control tasks. Patients understood irony significantly worse than healthy controls. The patients showed stronger brain activity in the parietal and frontal areas in the early phase of irony task, however the healthy controls exhibited higher activation in frontal, temporal and parietal regions in the latter phase of the irony task. Interestingly the linguistic help not only improved the patients' ToM performance, but it also evoked similar activation pattern to healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Varga
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University of Pécs, Hungary
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Murphy P, Shallice T, Robinson G, MacPherson SE, Turner M, Woollett K, Bozzali M, Cipolotti L. Impairments in proverb interpretation following focal frontal lobe lesions. Neuropsychologia 2013; 51:2075-86. [PMID: 23850600 PMCID: PMC4020551 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2013.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2012] [Revised: 05/16/2013] [Accepted: 06/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The proverb interpretation task (PIT) is often used in clinical settings to evaluate frontal "executive" dysfunction. However, only a relatively small number of studies have investigated the relationship between frontal lobe lesions and performance on the PIT. We compared 52 patients with unselected focal frontal lobe lesions with 52 closely matched healthy controls on a proverb interpretation task. Participants also completed a battery of neuropsychological tests, including a fluid intelligence task (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices). Lesions were firstly analysed according to a standard left/right sub-division. Secondly, a finer-grained analysis compared the performance of patients with medial, left lateral and right lateral lesions with healthy controls. Thirdly, a contrast of specific frontal subgroups compared the performance of patients with medial lesions with patients with lateral frontal lesions. The results showed that patients with left frontal lesions were significantly impaired on the PIT, while in patients with right frontal lesions the impairments approached significance. Medial frontal patients were the only frontal subgroup impaired on the PIT, relative to healthy controls and lateral frontal patients. Interestingly, an error analysis indicated that a significantly higher number of concrete responses were found in the left lateral subgroup compared to healthy controls. We found no correlation between scores on the PIT and on the fluid intelligence task. Overall our results suggest that specific regions of the frontal lobes contribute to the performance on the PIT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Murphy
- National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Box 37 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
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41
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Hart J, Maguire MJ, Motes M, Mudar RA, Chiang HS, Womack KB, Kraut MA. Semantic memory retrieval circuit: role of pre-SMA, caudate, and thalamus. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2013; 126:89-98. [PMID: 22964132 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2012.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2011] [Revised: 07/06/2012] [Accepted: 08/13/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We propose that pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA)-thalamic interactions govern processes fundamental to semantic retrieval of an integrated object memory. At the onset of semantic retrieval, pre-SMA initiates electrical interactions between multiple cortical regions associated with semantic memory subsystems encodings as indexed by an increase in theta-band EEG power. This starts between 100-150 ms after stimulus presentation and is sustained throughout the task. We posit that this activity represents initiation of the object memory search, which continues in searching for an object memory. When the correct memory is retrieved, there is a high beta-band EEG power increase, which reflects communication between pre-SMA and thalamus, designates the end of the search process and resultant in object retrieval from multiple semantic memory subsystems. This high beta signal is also detected in cortical regions. This circuit is modulated by the caudate nuclei to facilitate correct and suppress incorrect target memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hart
- Berman Laboratory for Learning and Memory, Center for BrainHealth, Dallas, TX 75235, USA.
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42
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Llano DA. Functional imaging of the thalamus in language. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2013; 126:62-72. [PMID: 22981716 PMCID: PMC4836874 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2012.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2011] [Revised: 06/09/2012] [Accepted: 06/22/2012] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Herein, the literature regarding functional imaging of the thalamus during language tasks is reviewed. Fifty studies met criteria for analysis. Two of the most common task paradigms associated with thalamic activation were generative tasks (e.g. word or sentence generation) and naming, though activation was also seen in tasks that involve lexical decision, reading and working memory. Typically, thalamic activation was seen bilaterally, left greater than right, along with activation in frontal and temporal cortical regions. Thalamic activation was seen with perceptually challenging tasks, though few studies rigorously correlated thalamic activation with measures of attention or task difficulty. The peaks of activation loci were seen in virtually all thalamic regions, with a bias towards left-sided and midline activation. These analyses suggest that the thalamus may be involved in processes that involve manipulations of lexical information, but point to the need for more systematic study of the thalamus using language tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Llano
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, USA.
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Mashal N, Vishne T, Laor N, Titone D. Enhanced left frontal involvement during novel metaphor comprehension in schizophrenia: evidence from functional neuroimaging. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2013; 124:66-74. [PMID: 23291493 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2012.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2011] [Revised: 11/18/2012] [Accepted: 11/19/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The neural basis involved in novel metaphor comprehension in schizophrenia is relatively unknown. Fourteen people with schizophrenia and fourteen controls were scanned while they silently read novel metaphors, conventional metaphors, literal expressions, and meaningless word-pairs. People with schizophrenia showed reduced comprehension of both novel and conventional metaphors. Furthermore, while controls showed enhanced brain activation in right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for novel metaphors versus meaningless word-pairs, people with schizophrenia showed an over-activation of left IFG and middle frontal gyrus (MFG). Direct comparison between the groups revealed greater activation in left precuneus for both novel metaphors and literal expressions vs. baseline for individuals with schizophrenia. Direct comparison for novel metaphors vs. literal expressions also revealed increased activation for individuals with schizophrenia in left MFG. These results suggest that the inefficient processing of novel metaphors in schizophrenia involves compensatory recruitment of additional brain regions that include the left MFG and left precuneus.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Mashal
- School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
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Forgács B, Bohrn I, Baudewig J, Hofmann MJ, Pléh C, Jacobs AM. Neural correlates of combinatorial semantic processing of literal and figurative noun noun compound words. Neuroimage 2012; 63:1432-42. [PMID: 22836179 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2011] [Revised: 06/08/2012] [Accepted: 07/15/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
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Rapp AM, Mutschler DE, Erb M. Where in the brain is nonliteral language? A coordinate-based meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Neuroimage 2012; 63:600-10. [PMID: 22759997 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2011] [Revised: 06/15/2012] [Accepted: 06/18/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M Rapp
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
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46
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Bohrn IC, Altmann U, Jacobs AM. Looking at the brains behind figurative language—A quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on metaphor, idiom, and irony processing. Neuropsychologia 2012; 50:2669-83. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2012] [Revised: 05/28/2012] [Accepted: 07/10/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Yang J. The role of the right hemisphere in metaphor comprehension: a meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Hum Brain Mapp 2012; 35:107-22. [PMID: 22936560 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.22160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2011] [Revised: 06/12/2012] [Accepted: 06/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of the right hemisphere (RH) in metaphor comprehension is still controversial. Numerous neuroimaging studies have found that conventionality, sentential context, and task demand can influence the involvement of the RH in metaphor processing. The current meta-analysis used foci from 17 original functional magnetic resonance imaging studies to identify what factors modulate the involvement of the RH in metaphor processing. Activation likelihood estimation was used for quantification. We focused on the contrast of metaphorical meaning processing versus literal meaning processing and calculated the meta-analysis effects when (1) metaphorical meaning is conventional, (2) metaphorical meaning is novel, (3) metaphorical and literal meaning are presented in words, (4) metaphorical and literal meaning are presented in sentential context, (5) task is valence judgment, and (6) task is semantic relatedness judgment. The results indicated that the RH only showed significant effects in metaphor processing when the metaphorical meaning is novel, when metaphorical meaning is presented in sentential context, and when the task is semantic relatedness judgment. The effects were located in right fronto-temporal regions, including inferior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, insula, superior temporal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus. These results suggest that conventionality, contextual complexity, and task demand can modulate the effect of figurativeness and influence the involvement of RH in metaphor comprehension. The main role of the RH in metaphor processing is related with activating broad semantic fields and integrating concepts that may have distant semantic relations, and hence provide support for the view that the RH is responsible for processing coarse semantic information in language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York
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Shibata M, Toyomura A, Motoyama H, Itoh H, Kawabata Y, Abe JI. Does simile comprehension differ from metaphor comprehension? A functional MRI study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2012; 121:254-260. [PMID: 22534570 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2012.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2011] [Revised: 03/17/2012] [Accepted: 03/22/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Since Aristotle, people have believed that metaphors and similes express the same type of figurative meaning, despite the fact that they are expressed with different sentence patterns. In contrast, recent psycholinguistic models have suggested that metaphors and similes may promote different comprehension processes. In this study, we investigated the neural substrates involved in the comprehension of metaphor and simile using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate whether simile comprehension differs from metaphor comprehension or not. In the metaphor and simile sentence conditions, higher activation was seen in the left inferior frontal gyrus. This result suggests that the activation in both metaphor and simile conditions indicates similar patterns in the left frontal region. The results also suggest that similes elicit higher levels of activation in the medial frontal region which might be related to inference processes, whereas metaphors elicit more right-sided prefrontal activation which might be related to figurative language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Midori Shibata
- Department of Psychology, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
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Chou TL, Lee SH, Hung SM, Chen HC. The role of inferior frontal gyrus in processing Chinese classifiers. Neuropsychologia 2012; 50:1408-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2011] [Revised: 12/19/2011] [Accepted: 02/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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50
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Distinction between the literal and intended meanings of sentences: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study of metaphor and sarcasm. Cortex 2012; 48:563-83. [PMID: 21333979 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2011.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2010] [Revised: 10/15/2010] [Accepted: 01/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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