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Garello S, Ferroni F, Gallese V, Ardizzi M, Cuccio V. The role of embodied cognition in action language comprehension in L1 and L2. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12781. [PMID: 38834574 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61891-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study we carried out a behavioral experiment comparing action language comprehension in L1 (Italian) and L2 (English). Participants were Italian native speakers who had acquired the second language late (after the age of 10). They performed semantic judgments on L1 and L2 literal, idiomatic and metaphorical action sentences after viewing a video of a hand performing an action that was related or unrelated to the verb used in the sentence. Results showed that responses to literal and metaphorical L1 sentences were faster when the action depicted was related to the verb used rather than when the action depicted was unrelated to the verb used. No differences were found for the idiomatic condition. In L2 we found that all responses to the three conditions were facilitated when the action depicted was related to the verb used. Moreover, we found that the difference between the unrelated and the related modalities was greater in L2 than in L1 for the literal and the idiomatic condition but not for the metaphorical condition. These findings are consistent with the embodied cognition hypothesis of language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefana Garello
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126, Parma, Italy.
| | - Francesca Ferroni
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126, Parma, Italy
| | - Vittorio Gallese
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126, Parma, Italy
- Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Martina Ardizzi
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126, Parma, Italy.
| | - Valentina Cuccio
- Department of Ancient and Modern Civilizations, University of Messina, 98168, Messina, Italy
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Bellini C, Del Maschio N, Gentile M, Del Mauro G, Franceschini R, Abutalebi J. Original language versus dubbed movies: Effects on our brain and emotions. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 253:105424. [PMID: 38815502 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105424] [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: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Converging evidence suggests that emotions are often dulled in one's foreign language. Here, we paired fMRI with a naturalistic viewing paradigm (i.e., original vs. dubbed versions of sad, fun and neutral movie clips) to investigate the neural correlates of emotion perception as a function of native (L1) and foreign (L2) language context. Watching emotional clips in L1 (vs. L2) reflected in activations of anterior temporal cortices involved in semantic cognition, arguably indicating a closer association of emotion concepts with the native language. The processing of fun clips in L1 (vs. L2) reflected in enhanced response of the right amygdala, suggesting a deeper emotional experience of positively valenced stimuli in the L1. Of interest, the amygdala response to fun clips positively correlated with participants' proficiency in the L2, indicating that a higher L2 competence may reduce emotional processing differences across a bilingual's two languages. Our findings are compatible with the view that language provides a context for the construction of emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Bellini
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy.
| | - Nicola Del Maschio
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy.
| | - Marco Gentile
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy.
| | - Gianpaolo Del Mauro
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore MD 21201, United States.
| | - Rita Franceschini
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy.
| | - Jubin Abutalebi
- Centre for Neurolinguistics and Psycholinguistics, Faculty of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy; UiT The Arctic University of Norway, PO Box 6050, Langnes, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway.
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Dang Q, Ma F, Yuan Q, Fu Y, Chen K, Zhang Z, Lu C, Guo T. Processing negative emotion in two languages of bilinguals: Accommodation and assimilation of the neural pathways based on a meta-analysis. Cereb Cortex 2023:7133665. [PMID: 37083264 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have examined the neural mechanisms of negative emotional words, but scarce evidence is available for the interactions among related brain regions from the functional brain connectivity perspective. Moreover, few studies have addressed the neural networks for negative word processing in bilinguals. To fill this gap, the current study examined the brain networks for processing negative words in the first language (L1) and the second language (L2) with Chinese-English bilinguals. To identify objective indicators associated with negative word processing, we first conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis on contrasts between negative and neutral words (including 32 contrasts from 1589 participants) using the activation likelihood estimation method. Results showed that the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), the left amygdala, the left inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), and the left thalamus were involved in processing negative words. Next, these six clusters were used as regions of interest in effective connectivity analyses using extended unified structural equation modeling to pinpoint the brain networks for bilingual negative word processing. Brain network results revealed two pathways for negative word processing in L1: a dorsal pathway consisting of the left IFG, the left mPFC, and the left PCC, and a ventral pathway involving the left amygdala, the left ITG, and the left thalamus. We further investigated the similarity and difference between brain networks for negative word processing in L1 and L2. The findings revealed similarities in the dorsal pathway, as well as differences primarily in the ventral pathway, indicating both neural assimilation and accommodation across processing negative emotion in two languages of bilinguals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinpu Dang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Fengyang Ma
- School of Education, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45219, USA
| | - Qiming Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yongben Fu
- The Psychological Education and Counseling Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Keyue Chen
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Zhaoqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Chunming Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Taomei Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
- Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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Tian L, Chen H, Heikkinen PP, Liu W, Parviainen T. Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Activation in Motor and Language Areas Suggest a Compensatory Role of the Motor Cortex in Second Language Processing. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 4:178-197. [PMID: 37229145 PMCID: PMC10205076 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The involvement of the motor cortex in language understanding has been intensively discussed in the framework of embodied cognition. Although some studies have provided evidence for the involvement of the motor cortex in different receptive language tasks, the role that it plays in language perception and understanding is still unclear. In the present study, we explored the degree of involvement of language and motor areas in a visually presented sentence comprehension task, modulated by language proficiency (L1: native language, L2: second language) and linguistic abstractness (literal, metaphorical, and abstract). Magnetoencephalography data were recorded from 26 late Chinese learners of English. A cluster-based permutation F test was performed on the amplitude of the source waveform for each motor and language region of interest (ROI). Results showed a significant effect of language proficiency in both language and motor ROIs, manifested as overall greater involvement of language ROIs (short insular gyri and planum polare of the superior temporal gyrus) in the L1 than the L2 during 300-500 ms, and overall greater involvement of motor ROI (central sulcus) in the L2 than the L1 during 600-800 ms. We interpreted the over-recruitment of the motor area in the L2 as a higher demand for cognitive resources to compensate for the inadequate engagement of the language network. In general, our results indicate a compensatory role of the motor cortex in L2 understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Tian
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- School of Foreign Languages, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
- Language and Brain Research Centre, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hongjun Chen
- School of Foreign Languages, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
| | - Pyry Petteri Heikkinen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Wenya Liu
- Faculty of Information Technology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Tiina Parviainen
- Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
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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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Di Carlo P, McDonnell B, Vahapoglu L, Good J, Seyfeddinipur M, Kordas K. Public health information for minority linguistic communities. Bull World Health Organ 2022; 100:78-80. [PMID: 35017760 PMCID: PMC8722626 DOI: 10.2471/blt.21.285617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Pierpaolo Di Carlo
- Department of Linguistics, University at Buffalo, 609 Baldy Hall, 14260 Buffalo NY, United States of America (USA)
| | - Bradley McDonnell
- Department of Linguistics, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Mānoa, USA
| | | | - Jeff Good
- Department of Linguistics, University at Buffalo, 609 Baldy Hall, 14260 Buffalo NY, United States of America (USA)
| | - Mandana Seyfeddinipur
- Endangered Languages Documentation Programme, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katarzyna Kordas
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, USA
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Feng Y, Zhou R. Does Embodiment of Verbs Influence Predicate Metaphor Processing in a Second Language? Evidence From Picture Priming. Front Psychol 2021; 12:759175. [PMID: 34803840 PMCID: PMC8595923 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.759175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinct from nominal metaphors, predicate metaphors entail metaphorical abstraction from concrete verbs, which generally involve more action and stronger motor simulation than nouns. It remains unclear whether and how the concrete, embodied aspects of verbs are connected with abstract, disembodied thinking in the brains of L2 learners. Since English predicate metaphors are unfamiliar to Chinese L2 learners, the study of embodiment effect on English predicate metaphor processing may provide new evidence for embodied cognition and categorization models that remain controversial, and offer practical insights into L2 metaphor processing and pedagogy. Hence, we aim to investigate whether the embodiment of verbs, via the activation of sensorimotor information, influences two groups of L2 learners during their comprehension of conventional and novel predicate metaphors. The results show a significant effect of embodiment: a stronger facilitation for novel predicate metaphors in both higher-level and lower-level groups, and a weaker facilitation for conventional predicate metaphors in the lower-level group. The findings demonstrate preliminary evidence for a graded effect of embodiment on predicate metaphors processing, modulated by L2 proficiency and metaphor novelty. The study supports a hybrid view of embodied cognition and reveals that sensorimotor aspects of verbs may be the intermediate entity involved in the indirect categorization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Feng
- School of Foreign Studies, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- Center for Language Cognition and Assessment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rong Zhou
- School of Foreign Studies, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
- Center for Language Cognition and Assessment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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Li Y, Xue YZ, Zhao WT, Li SS, Li J, Xu Y. Correlates of intelligence via resting-state functional connectivity of the amygdala in healthy adults. Brain Res 2020; 1751:147176. [PMID: 33121922 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.147176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Intelligence is a form of advanced cognition that includes reasoning, problem solving, pattern recognition, and establishing relationships among items. The amygdala plays an important role in cognitive processing, but the relationship between amygdalar function and intelligence has rarely been explored directly. Here, we investigated the relationship between resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the amygdala and intelligence test performance in a large sample of healthy adults (N = 197). We found that two pairs of RSFCs were significantly increased in the high IQ group compared with that of the general IQ group. One of these RSFCs consisted of the right amygdala and the right superior parietal lobule, whereas the other RSFC consisted of the right amygdala and the left middle cingulum. In addition, we found that the brain regions in which the strength of RSFC significantly correlated with full IQ (FIQ) were mainly distributed in the parietal and limbic lobes. What's more, a further mediation analysis indicated that the functional connectivity of the right amygdala and the right superior parietal lobule significantly mediated the correlation between comprehension and object assembly, whereas the functional connectivity of the right amygdala and the left middle cingulum mediated the association between similarities and digit symbol. These findings suggest that amygdalar RSFC may reflect individual differences in intelligence and mediate specific relationships among different intellectual abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Li
- Department of Psychiatry, First Hospital /First Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment for Mental Disorder, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yun-Zhen Xue
- Department of Humanities and Social Science, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Wen-Tao Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, First Hospital /First Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment for Mental Disorder, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Sha-Sha Li
- Department of Humanities and Social Science, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Psychiatry, First Hospital /First Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment for Mental Disorder, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yong Xu
- Department of Psychiatry, First Hospital /First Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China; Department of Humanities and Social Science, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China; MDT Center for Cognitive Impairment and Sleep Disorders, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China; Shanxi Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment for Mental Disorder, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
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