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Ulanov M, Kopytin G, Bermúdez-Margaretto B, Ntoumanis I, Gorin A, Moiseenko O, Blagovechtchenski E, Moiseeva V, Shestakova A, Jääskeläinen I, Shtyrov Y. Regionally specific cortical lateralization of abstract and concrete verb processing: Magnetic mismatch negativity study. Neuropsychologia 2024; 195:108800. [PMID: 38246413 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108800] [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: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The neural underpinnings of processing concrete and abstract semantics remain poorly understood. Previous fMRI studies have shown that multimodal and amodal neural networks respond differentially to different semantic types; importantly, abstract semantics activates more left-lateralized networks, as opposed to more bilateral activity for concrete words. Due to the lack of temporal resolution, these fMRI results do not allow to easily separate language- and task-specific brain responses and to disentangle early processing stages from later post-comprehension phenomena. To tackle this, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG), a time-resolved neuroimaging technique, in combination with a task-free oddball mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm, an established approach to tracking early automatic activation of word-specific memory traces in the brain. We recorded the magnetic MMN responses in 30 healthy adults to auditorily presented abstract and concrete action verbs to assess lateralization of word-specific lexico-semantic processing in a set of neocortical areas. We found that MMN responses to these stimuli showed different lateralization patterns of activity in the upper limb motor area (BA4) and parts of Broca's area (BA45/BA47) within ∼100-350 ms after the word disambiguation point. Importantly, the greater leftward response lateralization for abstract semantics was due to the lesser involvement of the right-hemispheric homologues, not increased left-hemispheric activity. These findings suggest differential region-specific involvement of bilateral sensorimotor systems already in the early automatic stages of processing abstract and concrete action semantics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxim Ulanov
- HSE University, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Grigory Kopytin
- HSE University, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia
| | - Beatriz Bermúdez-Margaretto
- Universidad de Salamanca, Facultad de Psicología, Departamento de Psicología Básica, Psicobiología y Metodología de Las Ciencias Del Comportamiento, Salamanca, Spain; Instituto de Integración en La Comunidad - INICO, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Ioannis Ntoumanis
- HSE University, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksei Gorin
- HSE University, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olesya Moiseenko
- HSE University, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Victoria Moiseeva
- HSE University, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anna Shestakova
- HSE University, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia
| | - Iiro Jääskeläinen
- HSE University, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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2
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Bechtold L, Cosper SH, Malyshevskaya A, Montefinese M, Morucci P, Niccolai V, Repetto C, Zappa A, Shtyrov Y. Brain Signatures of Embodied Semantics and Language: A Consensus Paper. J Cogn 2023; 6:61. [PMID: 37841669 PMCID: PMC10573703 DOI: 10.5334/joc.237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
According to embodied theories (including embodied, embedded, extended, enacted, situated, and grounded approaches to cognition), language representation is intrinsically linked to our interactions with the world around us, which is reflected in specific brain signatures during language processing and learning. Moving on from the original rivalry of embodied vs. amodal theories, this consensus paper addresses a series of carefully selected questions that aim at determining when and how rather than whether motor and perceptual processes are involved in language processes. We cover a wide range of research areas, from the neurophysiological signatures of embodied semantics, e.g., event-related potentials and fields as well as neural oscillations, to semantic processing and semantic priming effects on concrete and abstract words, to first and second language learning and, finally, the use of virtual reality for examining embodied semantics. Our common aim is to better understand the role of motor and perceptual processes in language representation as indexed by language comprehension and learning. We come to the consensus that, based on seminal research conducted in the field, future directions now call for enhancing the external validity of findings by acknowledging the multimodality, multidimensionality, flexibility and idiosyncrasy of embodied and situated language and semantic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Bechtold
- Institute for Experimental Psychology, Department for Biological Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Samuel H. Cosper
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Anastasia Malyshevskaya
- Centre for Cognition and Decision making, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Russian Federation
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Germany
| | | | | | - Valentina Niccolai
- Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Claudia Repetto
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
| | - Ana Zappa
- Laboratoire parole et langage, Aix-Marseille Université, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Centre for Cognition and Decision making, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Russian Federation
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
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Banks B, Connell L. Multi-dimensional sensorimotor grounding of concrete and abstract categories. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210366. [PMID: 36571121 PMCID: PMC9791484 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic categories, and the concepts belonging to them, have commonly been defined by their relative concreteness, that is, their reliance on perception. However, sensorimotor grounding must be regarded as going beyond the basic five senses and incorporate a multi-dimensional variety of perceptual and action experience. We present a series of exploratory analyses examining the sensorimotor grounding of participant-produced member concepts for 117 categories, spanning concrete (e.g. animal and furniture) and highly abstract (e.g. unit of time and science) categories. We found that both concrete and abstract categories are strongly grounded in multi-dimensional sensorimotor experience. Both domains were dominated by vision and, to a lesser extent, head movements, but concrete categories were more grounded in touch and hand-arm action, while abstract categories were more grounded in hearing and interoception. Importantly, this pattern of grounding was not uniform, and subdomains of concrete (e.g. ingestibles, animates, natural categories and artefacts) and abstract (e.g. internal, social and non-social) categories were grounded in different profiles of sensorimotor experience. Overall, these findings suggest that the distinction between abstract and concrete categories is not as clearcut as ontological assumptions might suggest, and that the strength and diversity of sensorimotor grounding in abstract categories must not be underestimated. This article is part of the theme issue 'Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briony Banks
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Fylde College, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YF, UK
| | - Louise Connell
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Fylde College, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YF, UK.,Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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Bayram M, Palluel-Germain R, Lebon F, Durand E, Harquel S, Perrone-Bertolotti M. Motor imagery training to improve language processing: What are the arguments? Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:982849. [PMID: 36816506 PMCID: PMC9929469 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.982849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies showed that motor expertise was found to induce improvement in language processing. Grounded and situated approaches attributed this effect to an underlying automatic simulation of the motor experience elicited by action words, similar to motor imagery (MI), and suggest shared representations of action conceptualization. Interestingly, recent results also suggest that the mental simulation of action by MI training induces motor-system modifications and improves motor performance. Consequently, we hypothesize that, since MI training can induce motor-system modifications, it could be used to reinforce the functional connections between motor and language system, and could thus lead to improved language performance. Here, we explore these potential interactions by reviewing recent fundamental and clinical literature in the action-language and MI domains. We suggested that exploiting the link between action language and MI could open new avenues for complementary language improvement programs. We summarize the current literature to evaluate the rationale behind this novel training and to explore the mechanisms underlying MI and its impact on language performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariam Bayram
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | | | - Florent Lebon
- Laboratoire INSERM U1093 Cognition, Action, et Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Université de Bourgogne, Faculté des Sciences du Sport (UFR STAPS), Dijon, France,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Edith Durand
- Département d’Orthophonie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvain Harquel
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics (CNP) and Brain Mind Institute (BMI), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, France,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France,*Correspondence: Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti,
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De Marco D, De Stefani E, Vecchiato G. Embodying Language through Gestures: Residuals of Motor Memories Modulate Motor Cortex Excitability during Abstract Words Comprehension. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:7734. [PMID: 36298083 PMCID: PMC9610064 DOI: 10.3390/s22207734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
There is a debate about whether abstract semantics could be represented in a motor domain as concrete language. A contextual association with a motor schema (action or gesture) seems crucial to highlighting the motor system involvement. The present study with transcranial magnetic stimulation aimed to assess motor cortex excitability changes during abstract word comprehension after conditioning word reading to a gesture execution with congruent or incongruent meaning. Twelve healthy volunteers were engaged in a lexical-decision task responding to abstract words or meaningless verbal stimuli. Motor cortex (M1) excitability was measured at different after-stimulus intervals (100, 250, or 500 ms) before and after an associative-learning training where the execution of the gesture followed word processing. Results showed a significant post-training decrease in hand motor evoked potentials at an early processing stage (100 ms) in correspondence to words congruent with the gestures presented during the training. We hypothesized that traces of individual semantic memory, combined with training effects, induced M1 inhibition due to the redundancy of evoked motor representation. No modulation of cortical excitability was found for meaningless or incongruent words. We discuss data considering the possible implications in research to understand the neural basis of language development and language rehabilitation protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doriana De Marco
- Istituto di Neuroscienze, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 43125 Parma, Italy
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy
| | - Elisa De Stefani
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry-NPIA District of Scandiano, AUSL of Reggio Emilia, 42019 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Vecchiato
- Istituto di Neuroscienze, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 43125 Parma, Italy
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Parma, 43125 Parma, Italy
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6
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Johari K, Riccardi N, Malyutina S, Modi M, Desai RH. HD-tDCS of primary and higher-order motor cortex affects action word processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:959455. [PMID: 36248688 PMCID: PMC9556667 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.959455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The contribution of action-perception systems of the brain to lexical semantics remains controversial. Here, we used high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) in healthy adults to examine the role of primary (left hand motor area; HMA) and higher-order (left anterior inferior parietal lobe; aIPL) action areas in action-related word processing (action verbs and manipulable nouns) compared to non-action-related control words (non-action verbs and non-manipulable nouns). We investigated stimulation-related effects at three levels of semantic processing: subliminal, implicit, and explicit. Broadly, we found that stimulation of HMA and aIPL resulted in relative facilitation of action-related language processing compared to non-action. HMA stimulation facilitated action verb processing in subliminal and implicit task contexts, suggesting that HMA helps represent action verbs even in semantically shallow tasks. HMA stimulation also facilitated manipulable noun comprehension in an explicit semantic task, suggesting that HMA contributes to manipulable noun comprehension when semantic demands are high. aIPL stimulation facilitated both manipulable noun and action verb processing during an implicit task. We suggest that both HMA and aIPL play a functional role in action semantics. HMA plays a general role in the semantics of actions and manipulable objects, while aIPL is important only when visuo-motor coordination is required for the action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Johari
- Human Neurophysiology & Neuromodulation Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Nicholas Riccardi
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | | | - Mirage Modi
- Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Rutvik H. Desai
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
- Institute for Mind and Brain, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
- *Correspondence: Rutvik H. Desai
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7
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Does the involvement of motor cortex in embodied language comprehension stand on solid ground? A p-curve analysis and test for excess significance of the TMS and tDCS evidence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104834. [PMID: 36037977 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104834] [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: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
According to the embodied cognition view, comprehending action-related language requires the participation of sensorimotor processes. A now sizeable literature has tested this proposal by stimulating (with TMS or tDCS) motor brain areas during the comprehension of action language. To assess the evidential value of this body of research, we exhaustively searched the literature and submitted the relevant studies (N = 43) to p-curve analysis. While most published studies concluded in support of the embodiment hypothesis, our results suggest that we cannot yet assert beyond reasonable doubt that they explore real effects. We also found that these studies are quite underpowered (estimated power < 30%), which means that a large percentage of them would not replicate if repeated identically. Additional tests for excess significance show signs of publication bias within this literature. In sum, extant brain stimulation studies testing the grounding of action language in the motor cortex do not stand on solid ground. We provide recommendations that will be important for future research on this topic.
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8
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Wang Y, Ji Q, Zhou C, Wang Y. Brain mechanisms linking language processing and open motor skill training. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:911894. [PMID: 35992938 PMCID: PMC9386041 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.911894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the discovery of a distributed language and motor functional network, surprisingly few studies have explored whether language processing is related to motor skill training. To address this issue, the present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare whole-brain activation between nonexperts and experts in table tennis, an open skill sport in which players make rapid decisions in response to an ever-changing environment. Whole-brain activation was assessed in 30 expert table tennis players with more than 7 years’ experience and 35 age-matched nonexpert college students while they performed both a size and a semantic judgment task of words presented on a monitor. Compared with nonexperts, expert table tennis players showed greater activation in the left middle occipital gyrus and right precuneus while judging the size of the words versus during baseline fixation. They also showed greater activation in the left lingual gyrus during the semantic judgment task versus during baseline fixation. Our findings indicate that the visual regions engaged in language processing are associated with open motor skill training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixuan Wang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingchun Ji
- Department of Physical Education, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenglin Zhou
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yingying Wang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Yingying Wang,
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9
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Xu S, Yang Q, Chen M, Deng P, Zhuang R, Sun Z, Li C, Yan Z, Zhang Y, Jia J. Capturing Neuroplastic Changes after iTBS in Patients with Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Pilot fMRI Study. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11111451. [PMID: 34827450 PMCID: PMC8615629 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is a high-efficiency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigm that has been applied to post-stroke aphasia (PSA). However, its efficacy mechanisms have not been clarified. This study aimed to explore the immediate effects of iTBS of the primary motor cortex (M1) of the affected hemisphere, on the functional activities and connectivity of the brains of PSA patients. A total of 16 patients with aphasia after stroke received iTBS with 800 pulses for 300 s. All patients underwent motor, language, and cognitive assessments and resting-state functional MRI scans immediately before and after the iTBS intervention. Regional, seed-based connectivity, and graph-based measures were used to test the immediate functional effects of the iTBS intervention, including the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), degree centrality (DC), and functional connectivity (FC) of the left M1 area throughout the whole brain. The results showed that after one session of iTBS intervention, the fALFF, DC, and FC values changed significantly in the patients' brains. Specifically, the DC values were significantly higher in the right middle frontal gyrus and parts of the left parietal lobe (p < 0.05), while fALFF values were significantly lower in the right medial frontal lobe and parts of the left intracalcarine cortex (p < 0.05), and the strength of the functional connectivity between the left M1 area and the left superior frontal gyrus was reduced (p < 0.05). Our findings provided preliminary evidences that the iTBS on the ipsilesional M1 could induce neural activity and functional connectivity changes in the motor, language, and other brain regions in patients with PSA, which may promote neuroplasticity and functional recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Xu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; (S.X.); (Q.Y.); (M.C.)
| | - Qing Yang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; (S.X.); (Q.Y.); (M.C.)
| | - Mengye Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; (S.X.); (Q.Y.); (M.C.)
| | - Panmo Deng
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Jingan District Central Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China;
| | - Ren Zhuang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Changzhou Dean Hospital, Changzhou 213000, China;
| | - Zengchun Sun
- Sichuan Bayi Rehabilitation Center, Affiliated Sichuan Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital of Chengdu University of TCM, Chengdu 610075, China;
| | - Chong Li
- Faculty of Sport and Science, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200040, China;
| | - Zhijie Yan
- The Third Affiliated Hospital, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China;
| | - Yongli Zhang
- Institute of Rehabilitation, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou 350122, China;
| | - Jie Jia
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; (S.X.); (Q.Y.); (M.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-136-1172-2357
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10
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Johari K, Riccardi N, Malyutina S, Modi M, Desai RH. HD-tDCS over motor cortex facilitates figurative and literal action sentence processing. Neuropsychologia 2021; 159:107955. [PMID: 34252418 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The extent to which action and perception systems of the brain are involved in semantic comprehension remains controversial. Whether figurative language, such as metaphors and idioms, is grounded in sensory-motor systems is especially contentious. Here, we used high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) in healthy adults to examine the role of the left-hemisphere motor cortex during the comprehension of action sentences, relative to comprehension of sentences with visual verbs. Action sentences were divided into three types: literal, metaphoric, or idiomatic. This allowed us to ask whether processing of action verbs used in figurative contexts relies on motor cortex. The results revealed that action sentence comprehension response times were facilitated relative to the visual sentence control. Significant interaction relative to visual sentences was observed for literal, metaphoric, and idiomatic action sentences with HD-tDCS of the motor cortex. These results suggest that the left motor cortex is functionally involved in action sentence comprehension. Furthermore, this involvement exists when the action content of the sentences is figurative, for both idiomatic and metaphoric cases. The results provide evidence for functional links between conceptual and action systems of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Johari
- Human Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Nicholas Riccardi
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | | | - Mirage Modi
- Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 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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11
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Shtyrov Y, Filippova M, Blagovechtchenski E, Kirsanov A, Nikiforova E, Shcherbakova O. Electrophysiological Evidence of Dissociation Between Explicit Encoding and Fast Mapping of Novel Spoken Words. Front Psychol 2021; 12:571673. [PMID: 33746814 PMCID: PMC7969714 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.571673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Existing behavioral, neuropsychological and functional neuroimaging data suggest that at least two major cognitive strategies are used for new word learning: fast mapping (FM) via context-dependent inference and explicit encoding (EE) via direct instruction. However, these distinctions remain debated at both behavioral and neurophysiological levels, not least due to confounds related to diverging experimental settings. Furthermore, the neural dynamics underpinning these two putative processes remain poorly understood. To tackle this, we designed a paradigm presenting 20 new spoken words in association with pictures in either FM or EE settings, closely matched for auditory and visual features and overall task demands. We tested word acquisition using a range of behavioral measures as well as passive event-related potential (ERP) responses, an established measure of word memory trace activation, and compared brain activity elicited by novel FM and EE words before and after the learning session. Behavioral data obtained in free recall, recognition and semantic word-picture matching tasks indicated successful acquisition of new words after just 10 exposures. Crucially, we found no behavioral evidence of different acquisition outcomes between FM and EE learning. ERP data, which exhibited the main response peaks at ~170, 250, and 520 ms, also indicated successful learning, with statistically different responses between novel and familiar words present only before, but not after the training, suggesting rapid formation of new neural memory circuits matching in activation those for previously known words. Furthermore, already at the earliest peak, we found different topographic distributions for the two learning types, with left-lateralized FM dynamics, suggestive of core language system involvement, and more diffuse activity for EE items, possibly suggesting the role of attention/executive control network. A similar effect also manifested later, at ~520 ms. Our data suggest that while both EE and FM learning can be successful for rapid word acquisition at the behavioral level, the diverging electrophysiological patterns suggest a dissociation between the neural systems underpinning these learning strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Margarita Filippova
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia.,Department of General Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Evgeni Blagovechtchenski
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Alexander Kirsanov
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Elizaveta Nikiforova
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Olga Shcherbakova
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia.,Department of General Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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12
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Barsalou LW. Challenges and Opportunities for Grounding Cognition. J Cogn 2020; 3:31. [PMID: 33043241 PMCID: PMC7528688 DOI: 10.5334/joc.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
According to the grounded perspective, cognition emerges from the interaction of classic cognitive processes with the modalities, the body, and the environment. Rather than being an autonomous impenetrable module, cognition incorporates these other domains intrinsically into its operation. The Situated Action Cycle offers one way of understanding how the modalities, the body, and the environment become integrated to ground cognition. Seven challenges and opportunities are raised for this perspective: (1) How does cognition emerge from the Situated Action Cycle and in turn support it? (2) How can we move beyond simply equating embodiment with action, additionally establishing how embodiment arises in the autonomic, neuroendocrine, immune, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and integumentary systems? (3) How can we better understand the mechanisms underlying multimodal simulation, its functions across the Situated Action Cycle, and its integration with other representational systems? (4) How can we develop and assess theoretical accounts of symbolic processing from the grounded perspective (perhaps using the construct of simulators)? (5) How can we move beyond the simplistic distinction between concrete and abstract concepts, instead addressing how concepts about the external and internal worlds pattern to support the Situated Action Cycle? (6) How do individual differences emerge from different populations of situational memories as the Situated Action Cycle manifests itself differently across individuals? (7) How can constructs from grounded cognition provide insight into the replication and generalization crises, perhaps from a quantum perspective on mechanisms (as exemplified by simulators).
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence W. Barsalou
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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