Brain dynamics in the comprehension of action-related language. A time-frequency analysis of mu rhythms

Abstract

a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f oArticle history: Accepted 2 January 2015 Available online 9 January 2015 Keywords:Mu rhythms Beta rhythms Embodied meaning Action language Perceptive language EEG mu rhythms (8-13 Hz) recorded at fronto-central electrodes are generally considered as markers of motor cortical activity in humans, because they are modulated when participants perform an action, when they observe another's action or even when they imagine performing an action. In this study, we analyzed the time-frequency (TF) modulation of mu rhythms while participants read action language ("You will cut the strawberry cake"), abstract language ("You will doubt the patient's argument"), and perceptive language ("You will notice the bright day"). The results indicated that mu suppression at fronto-central sites is associated with action language rather than with abstract or perceptive language. Also, the largest difference between conditions occurred quite late in the sentence, while reading the first noun, (contrast Action vs. Abstract), or the second noun following the action verb (contrast Action vs. Perceptive). This suggests that motor activation is associated with the integration of words across the sentence beyond the lexical processing of the action verb. Source reconstruction localized mu suppression associated with action sentences in premotor cortex (BA 6). The present study suggests (1) that the understanding of action language activates motor networks in the human brain, and (2) that this activation occurs online based on semantic integration across multiple words in the sentence.

EEG beta-power changes reflect motor involvement in abstract action language processing

“…The presentation of action related stimuli (both verbal and visual) induced significant power suppression in comparison to abstract language stimuli. In a second study by Moreno et al (2015), n o b-related (13-20 Hz) language effect could be observed, whereas l-power (6-13 Hz) got reduced during action sentence comprehension. However, the brange chosen in the second study differed from the range analyzed in the first study and comprised both b 1 -and b 2 -frequencies.…”

“…Further, b-oscillations are very sensitive towards dissociation between concrete and abstract concepts (Weiss & Müller, 2013;Weiss & Rappelsberger, 1996. Recently, in the context of the embodied language theory, studies revealed that power decreases in the b-as well as the l-band are correlated with the processing of concrete action related language (Alemanno et al, 2012;Fargier et al, 2012;Moreno, de Vega, & León, 2013;Moreno et al, 2015;van Elk, van Schie, Zwaan, & Bekkering, 2010). This finding strongly sup-ports the theory of embodiment, which, in the case of language processing, indicates that understanding linguistic input requires a mental neural simulation of respective sensorimotor information in somatosensory and motor areas (Barsalou, 1999(Barsalou, , 2008Gallese & Lakoff, 2005;Glenberg & Kaschak, 2003; for a review see also Buccino, Colagè, Gobbi, & Bonaccorso, 2016).…”

The power of neural oscillations to inform sentence comprehension: A linguistic perspective

“…They found that the modulation (suppression) of mu and beta rhythms was similar in response to action sentences and videos and wasn't present for abstract sentences. In a follow‐up study, Moreno et al () tested the extent to which motor areas are activated during the comprehension of abstract ( You will doubt the patient's argument , translated from Spanish), perceptual ( You will notice the bright day ), and action ( You will cut the strawberry cake ) language. They found larger mu suppression in sentences with action and perception verbs compared to abstract sentences.…”

“…The results showed larger mu and beta desynchronization in animal contexts compared to human contexts, thus arguing for the latter proposal. Further evidence comes from studies by Moreno et al (2013) and Moreno et al (2015). Moreno et al (2013) compared mu and beta suppression in response to action sentences, abstract sentences, and action videos.…”

The role of the motor system in action understanding and communication: Evidence from human infants and non‐human primates

“…Using behavioral measures of motor activity (e.g., grip force and posture changes), listening to action‐related verbs in sentences induces motor activity (da Silva, Labrecque, Caromano, Higgins, & Frak, ; Shiller et al, ), and however, this may be modulated by semantic context (Aravena et al, ). Studies using fMRI, TMS, MEG, and the EEG mu rhythm have found activation of the motor system when adults process (hear or read) verbs or phrases about actions (Di Cesare, Errante, Marchi, & Cuccio, ; Egorova, Shtyrov, & Pulvermüller, ; Hauk, Johnsurde, & Pulvermüller, ; Moreno et al, ; Moreno, de Vega, & León, ) or while decoding degraded speech sounds (d'Ausilio, Bufalari, Salmas, & Fadiga, ). Indeed, there is evidence that the motor system is functionally linked to representing action‐related language (Vukovic, Feurra, Shpektor, Myachykov, & Shtyrov, ), and some studies have also found left‐hemisphere specificity for the action‐language link (e.g., Pulvermüller, Hauk, Nikulin, & Ilmoniemi, ).…”