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Lin N, Zhang X, Wang X, Wang S. The organization of the semantic network as reflected by the neural correlates of six semantic dimensions. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 250:105388. [PMID: 38295716 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Multiple sensory-motor and non-sensory-motor dimensions have been proposed for semantic representation, but it remains unclear how the semantic system is organized along them in the human brain. Using naturalistic fMRI data and large-scale semantic ratings, we investigated the overlaps and dissociations between the neural correlates of six semantic dimensions: vision, motor, socialness, emotion, space, and time. Our findings revealed a more complex semantic atlas than what is predicted by current neurobiological models of semantic representation. Brain regions that are selectively sensitive to specific semantic dimensions were found both within and outside the brain networks assumed to represent multimodal general and/or abstract semantics. Overlaps between the neural correlates of different semantic dimensions were mainly found inside the default mode network, concentrated in the left anterior superior temporal gyrus and angular gyrus, which have been proposed as two connector hubs that bridge the multimodal experiential semantic system and the language-supported semantic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiaohan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems, Institute of Automation, CAS, Beijing, China; School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuyi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shaonan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems, Institute of Automation, CAS, Beijing, China; School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Johari K, Tabari F, Desai RH. Right frontal HD-tDCS reveals causal involvement of time perception networks in temporal processing of concepts. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16658. [PMID: 37789056 PMCID: PMC10547783 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43416-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence suggests that perceptual and action related features of concepts are grounded in the corresponding sensory-motor networks in the human brain. However, less is known about temporal features of event concepts (e.g., a lecture) and whether they are grounded in time perception networks. We examined this question by stimulating the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC)-a part of time perception network-using HD-tDCS and subsequently recording EEG while participants performed semantic and time perception tasks. Semantic tasks were composed of event noun duration judgment (EDur), object noun size judgement (OSize), event (EVal) and object noun valence judgement. In the time perception task, participants judged the durations of pure tones. Results showed that cathodal stimulation accelerated responses for time perception task and decreased the magnitude of global field power (GFP) compared to sham stimulation. Semantic tasks results revealed that cathodal, but not sham, stimulation significantly decreased GFP for EDur relative to OSize, and to EVal. These findings provide first causal evidence that temporal features of event words are grounded in the rDLPFC as part of the temporal cognition network and shed light on the conceptual processing of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Johari
- Human Neurophysiology and Neuromodulation Laboratory, Department of Communication Science and Disorders, Louisiana State University, 86 Hatcher Hall, Field House Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.
| | - Fatemeh Tabari
- Human Neurophysiology and Neuromodulation Laboratory, Department of Communication Science and Disorders, Louisiana State University, 86 Hatcher Hall, Field House Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
| | - Rutvik H Desai
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
- Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
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Kemmerer D. Grounded Cognition Entails Linguistic Relativity: Response to Commentators. Top Cogn Sci 2023; 15:698-708. [PMID: 37534415 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, I respond to eight commentaries on my target article called "Grounded cognition entails linguistic relativity: A neglected implication of a major semantic theory." The commentaries span a broad range of disciplines and perspectives. I have organized my response around the following topics: (1) an introductory synopsis of my main argument; (2) grounded versus amodal theories of concepts; (3) language-specific versus language-independent concepts; (4) language, culture, and cognition; (5) language itself as a source of conceptual grounding; (6) abstract concepts, linguistic relativity, and contextual and individual variability; (7) word meanings as language-specific predictions; and (8) some final remarks about the importance of cross-linguistic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kemmerer
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University
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Johari K, Lai VT, Riccardi N, Desai RH. Temporal features of concepts are grounded in time perception neural networks: An EEG study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 237:105220. [PMID: 36587493 PMCID: PMC10100101 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Experimental evidence suggests that modality-specific concept features such as action, motion, and sound partially rely on corresponding action/perception neural networks in the human brain.Little is known, however, about time-related features of concepts. We examined whether temporal features of concepts recruit networks that subserve time perception in the brain in an EEG study using event and object nouns. Results showed significantly larger ERPs for event duration vs object size judgments over right parietal electrodes, a region associated with temporal processing. Additionally, alpha/beta (10-15 Hz) neural oscillation showed a stronger desynchronization for event duration compared to object size in the right parietal electrodes. This difference was not seen in control tasks comparing event vs object valence, suggesting that it is not likely to reflect a general difference between event and object nouns. These results indicate that temporal features of words may be subserved by time perception circuits in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Johari
- Human Neurophysiology and Neuromodulation Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Vicky T Lai
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Nicholas Riccardi
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Rutvik H Desai
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA; Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
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Abstract
concepts can potentially be represented using metaphorical mappings to concrete domains. This view predicts that when linguistic metaphors are processed, they will invoke sensory-motor simulations. Here, I examine evidence from neuroimaging and lesion studies that addresses whether metaphors in language are embodied in this manner. Given the controversy in this area, I first outline some criteria by which the quality of neuroimaging and lesion studies might be evaluated. I then review studies of metaphors in various sensory-motor domains, such as action, motion, texture, taste, and time, and examine their strengths and weaknesses. Studies of idioms are evaluated next. I also address some neuroimaging studies that can speak to the question of metaphoric conceptual organization without explicit use of linguistic metaphors. I conclude that the weight of the evidence suggests that metaphors are indeed grounded in sensory-motor systems. The case of idioms is less clear, and I suggest that they might be grounded in a qualitatively different manner than metaphors at higher levels of the action hierarchy. While metaphors are unlikely to explain all aspects of abstract concept representation, for some specific abstract concepts, there is also nonlinguistic neural evidence for metaphoric conceptual organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rutvik H Desai
- Department of Psychology, Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Discovery I Building, Rm 227, 915 Greene St, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA.
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Yin CH, Yang FPG. The Effects of Working Memory Capacity in Metaphor and Metonymy Comprehension in Mandarin-English Bilinguals' Minds: An fMRI Study. Brain Sci 2022; 12:633. [PMID: 35625020 PMCID: PMC9139067 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050633] [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: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the role of working memory capacity (WMC) in metaphoric and metonymic processing in Mandarin-English bilinguals' minds. It also explored the neural correlations between metaphor and metonymy computations. We adopted an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) design, which consisted of 21 English dialogic sets of stimuli and 5 conditions: systematic literal, circumstantial literal, metaphor, systematic metonymy, and circumstantial metonymy, all contextualized in daily conversations. Similar fronto-temporal networks were found for the figurative language processing patterns: the superior temporal gyrus (STG) for metaphorical comprehension, and the inferior parietal junction (IPJ) for metonymic processing. Consistent brain regions have been identified in previous studies in the homologue right hemisphere of better WMC bilinguals. The degree to which bilateral strategies that bilinguals with better WMC or larger vocabulary size resort to is differently modulated by subtypes of metonymies. In particular, when processing circumstantial metonymy, the cuneus (where putamen is contained) is activated as higher-span bilinguals filter out irrelevant information, resorting to inhibitory control use. Cingulate gyrus activation has also been revealed in better WMC bilinguals, reflecting their mental flexibility to adopt the subjective perspective of critical figurative items with self-control. It is hoped that this research provides a better understanding of Mandarin-English bilinguals' English metaphoric and metonymic processing in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Hsin Yin
- Department of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
| | - Fan-Pei Gloria Yang
- Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
- Center for Cognition and Mind Sciences, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
- Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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Abstract
Thinking about what the senses cannot grasp is one of the hallmarks of human cognition. We argue that "intangible abstracta" are represented differently from other products of abstraction, that goal-derived categorization supports their learning, and that they are grounded also in internalized linguistic and social interaction. We conclude by suggesting different ways in which abstractness contributes to cement group cohesion.
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Kulkova ES, Fischer MH. Idioms in the World: A Focus on Processing. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1155. [PMID: 31178789 PMCID: PMC6543904 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elena S. Kulkova
- *Correspondence: Elena S. Kulkova ; orcid.org/0000-0002-2145-8956
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Wang J, Cherkassky VL, Just MA. Predicting the brain activation pattern associated with the propositional content of a sentence: Modeling neural representations of events and states. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:4865-4881. [PMID: 28653794 PMCID: PMC6867144 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Revised: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Even though much has recently been learned about the neural representation of individual concepts and categories, neuroimaging research is only beginning to reveal how more complex thoughts, such as event and state descriptions, are neurally represented. We present a predictive computational theory of the neural representations of individual events and states as they are described in 240 sentences. Regression models were trained to determine the mapping between 42 neurally plausible semantic features (NPSFs) and thematic roles of the concepts of a proposition and the fMRI activation patterns of various cortical regions that process different types of information. Given a semantic characterization of the content of a sentence that is new to the model, the model can reliably predict the resulting neural signature, or, given an observed neural signature of a new sentence, the model can predict its semantic content. The models were also reliably generalizable across participants. This computational model provides an account of the brain representation of a complex yet fundamental unit of thought, namely, the conceptual content of a proposition. In addition to characterizing a sentence representation at the level of the semantic and thematic features of its component concepts, factor analysis was used to develop a higher level characterization of a sentence, specifying the general type of event representation that the sentence evokes (e.g., a social interaction versus a change of physical state) and the voxel locations most strongly associated with each of the factors. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4865-4881, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Psychology Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Vladimir L Cherkassky
- Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Psychology Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Marcel Adam Just
- Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, Psychology Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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