Differential impairments of upper and lower limb movements influence action verb processing in Parkinson disease

Altered resting‐state functional connectivity of the putamen and internal globus pallidus is related to speech impairment in Parkinson's disease

“…The dorsal angular gyrus, which corresponds to our present findings, has been proposed as functional subdivision involved in searching for semantic information (Seghier, Fagan, & Price, 2010) and bottom‐up semantic processing (Whitney, Grossman, & Kircher, 2009). Semantic processing difficulties have been documented in PD, even in the absence of dementia or cognitive impairment (Boulenger et al., 2008; Roberts et al., 2017; Rodriguez‐Ferreiro, Menendez, Ribacoba, & Cuetos, 2009; Signorini & Volpato, 2006). As longitudinal changes in UPDRS Part III speech impairment scores have been shown to correlate with impaired semantic verbal fluency in PD (Gago et al., 2009), it is possible that elevated connectivity between left GPi and bilateral angular gyrus reflects differences in semantic processing between PDN and PDSI groups.…”

Are Action Concept Deficits Embodied in a Topographic Manner in Adults with Cerebral Palsy?

“…The ECH also predicts that damage to the relevant motor systems should result in circumscribed deficits in action knowledge processing (Hickok, 2010;Mahon & Caramazza, 2008). Evidence to support deficits in action verb processing due to impaired motor function comes from studies of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson's disease (PD) (Bak, Donovan, Xuereb, Boniface, & Hodges, 2001;Boulenger et al, 2008;Daniele et al, 2013;Hickok, 2010;Roberts et al, 2017). Thus, individuals with ALS, a condition caused by a decay of motor neurons, have more difficulty naming and comprehending verbs than nouns (Bak et al, 2001;Hickok, 2010).…”

“…PD individuals, who suffer from muscle rigidity, tremors, and gait abnormalities due to degradation of their dopaminergic system, also show evidence of a semantic motor effect (Boulenger et al, 2008;Roberts et al, 2017 Participants responded with a keypress if the presented word referred to either a physical or mental action, or refrained from responding if it did not. As predicted by the ECH, PD individuals with greater upper limb impairments took longer to respond to upper-limb than to lower-limb verbs or control words (Boulenger et al, 2008;Roberts et al, 2017), showing again that their motor impairments predicted their language impairments.…”

“…First of all, these conditions are most commonly reported in senior individuals, who are likely to experience negative effects of aging on cognition. Secondly, ALS and Parkinson's are also known to have effects well beyond the motor system including higher-order cognitive dysfunction (Boulenger et al, 2008;Hickok, 2010;Roberts et al, 2017). Therefore, in studies with ALS and Parkinson's individuals, it is not possible to state conclusively that the verb processing deficiency is attributable solely to motor system dysfunction.…”

“…In summary, there is a vast amount of evidence suggesting that motor concepts and linguistic concepts are embodied in both able-bodied individuals (Buccino et al, 2005;Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002;Willems et al, 2017), and superiorly abled athletes (Beilock, 2008;Calvo-Merino et al, 2005;Holt & Beilock, 2006;Lyons et al, 2010;Ong et al, 2014;Tomasino et al, 2012). Although multiple studies have used PD or ALS as a disease model for exploring theories of grounded cognition relative to action semantics (Bak et al, 2001;Boulenger et al, 2008;Daniele et al, 2013;Kemmerer, Miller, MacPherson, Huber, & Tranel, 2013;Kemmerer, Rudrauf, Manzel, & Tranel, 2012;Roberts et al, 2017), these studies have their limitations. First of all, these conditions are most commonly reported in senior individuals, who are likely to experience negative effects of aging on cognition.…”