Congruent Embodied Representations for Visually Presented Actions and Linguistic Phrases Describing Actions

Abstract

The thesis of embodied semantics holds that conceptual representations accessed during linguistic processing are, in part, equivalent to the sensory-motor representations required for the enactment of the concepts described . Here, using fMRI, we tested the hypothesis that areas in human premotor cortex that respond both to the execution and observation of actions-mirror neuron areas -are key neural structures in these processes. Participants observed actions and read phrases relating to foot, hand, or mouth actions. In the premotor cortex of the left hemisphere, a clear congruence was found between effector-specific activations of visually presented actions and of actions described by literal phrases. These results suggest a key role of mirror neuron areas in the re-enactment of sensory-motor representations during conceptual processing of actions invoked by linguistic stimuli.

Subliminal display of action words interferes with motor planning: A combined EEG and kinematic study

“…In line with our previous results (see also Pulvermüller et al, 2005a), the observed cross-talk between language and motor processes further emerged early following verb onset. Since words were displayed in the second half of the preparatory period, which is known to engage both premotor and primary motor cortex (Ball et al, 1999;Cui et al, 1999), our results are also consistent with neuroimaging studies that show activity in motor and premotor cortex during processing of action-related words or sentences (Aziz-Zadeh et al, 2006;Hauk et al, 2004;Tettamanti et al, 2005). Note that, in the present study, action verbs and concrete nouns differed both on action-relatedness and grammatical class.…”

“…Two major models, the first based on Hebbian learning (Pulvermüller, 1996(Pulvermüller, , 2001(Pulvermüller, , 2005 and the second on the existence of the "mirror neuron system" (Fadiga & Craighero, 2004;Gallese & Lakoff, 2005;Rizzolatti & Arbib, 1998;Rizzolatti et al, 2001), suggest that processing of action words relies on activation of the motor programs used to perform, observe or simulate the actions referred to by words, either because of correlation learning (Pulvermüller, 2005) or because of a predisposition for imitation learning (Rizzolatti & Arbib, 1998). Evidence for such shared representations between word processing and sensory-motor information is provided by a large range of empirical data (Aziz-Zadeh et al, 2006;Boulenger et al, 2006;Boulenger et al, in press;Buccino et al, 2005;Glenberg & Kaschack, 2002;Glover et al, 2004;Hauk et al, 2004;Nazir et al, in press;Oliveri et al, 2004;Pulvermüller et al, 2005ab;Tettamanti et al, 2005;Zwaan & Taylor, 2006;see Fischer & Zwaan, in press, for a recent review). fMRI studies, for instance, have demonstrated somatotopic activation of motor and premotor cortices during processing of words or sentences referring to actions performed with arm, face or leg (AzizZadeh et al, 2006;Hauk et al, 2004;Tettamanti et al, 2005).…”

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

“…Thus, although there was some mu suppression throughout the whole coherent action sentence, we observed maximal mu suppression only when the action verb and the noun converged onto a concrete action. These results are in line with some embodiment theories, which claim that motor-related activation is context-dependent rather than purely lexical (Aziz-Zadeh et al, 2006;Boulenger et al, 2009;Schuil et al, 2013;Taylor et al, 2008). The fact that mu suppression effects were delayed until the second noun in the congruent action vs congruent perceptive contrast could indicate that understanding congruent perceptive sentences also elicits activation of motor assemblies, and only at the end of the congruent action sentence enough motor activation has been accumulated (mu suppression) to make the difference between the two conditions emerge sufficiently strongly to be detectable at the scalp.…”

“…Using abstract language as a contrasting condition for exploring motor related activity in action language is a common strategy in neuroimaging studies (Aziz-Zadeh et al, 2006;Tettamanti et al, 2005), and has also been used in a previous study of mu rhythm modulation (Moreno et al, 2013). In the latter study we also found strong evidence, based on mu suppression, that action language activates motor networks, whereas abstract language does not.…”

“…Neuroimaging studies have reported activations in the motor and premotor brain regions during the comprehension of action-related language. Some of these studies found motor activation when people process action verbs presented in isolation (Hauk and Pulvermüller, 2004;Pulvermüller, 1996;Pulvermüller et al, 2005;Rizzolatti and Luppino, 2001), and others have found similar motor activation when people process action-related sentences (Aziz-Zadeh et al, 2006;Moody and Gennari, 2010;Raposo et al, 2009;Tettamanti et al, 2005;Urrutia et al, 2012;De Vega et al, 2014).…”