Neural substrates of narrative comprehension and memory

Abstract

When reading a narrative, comprehension and retention of information benefit considerably from the use of situation models -coherent representations of the characters, locations, and activities described in the text. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the neural mechanisms supporting situation model processing. Participants read blocks of sentences that were either unrelated to one another or formed coherent narratives. A timecourse-based approach was used to identify regions that differentiated narrative-level comprehension from sentence-level comprehension. Most brain regions that showed modulation of activation during narrative-level comprehension were also modulated to a lesser extent during sentence-level comprehension, suggesting a shared reliance on general coherence-building mechanisms. However, tentative evidence was found for narrativespecific activation in dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Additional analyses identified spatiotemporally distinct neural contributions to situation model processing, with posterior parietal regions supporting situation model construction and frontotemporal regions supporting situation model maintenance. Finally, a set of subsequent memory analyses demonstrated that the boost in comprehension and memory performance observed for coherent materials was attributable to the use of integrative situation models rather than lower-level differences in sentence-level or word-level encoding. These results clarify the functional contributions of distinct brain systems to situation model processing and their mapping onto existing psychological models of narrative comprehension.

Topographic maps of multisensory attention

“…There is converging evidence that this network participates in attending to internal stimuli or narrative and constructing a multifaceted representation of "self." Narrative-specific activation has been observed in the precuneus (20), medial prefrontal cortex (21,22), and temporoparietal junction (22). Default mode regions show time variation with narrative stimuli (23).…”

Cognitive Literary Studies: Current Themes and New Directions

“…Furthermore, neuroimaging research is helping us understand the neural underpinnings of reading stories (see Ferstl and von Cramon 2007; Ferstl, Rinck, and von Cramon 2005;Xu et al 2005;Yarkoni, Speer, and Zacks 2008;Speer et al 2009)5 and viewing films (see Hasson et al 2004Hasson et al , 2008 Kauppi et al 2010; Zacks et al 2010). Additionally, the fMRI research on theory of mind (see Mar and Oatley 2011), an important line of inquiry in the field of social cognitive neuroscience, often makes use of stories and cartoons as part…”

“…She examines the neural substrates of the absence or presence of a writer's muses: writer's block and the drive to write. Aaron Mishara, a neuropsychologist, follows a similar path by looking at how the writing process and literary texts can help to elucidate cognitive and neural mechanisms (this volume), while Irving Massey in The Neural Imagination (2009) focuses on the contributions of neuroscience to aesthetics by offering a comparison between neuroscien tific and humanistic approaches to the study of the arts.Furthermore, neuroimaging research is helping us understand the neural underpinnings of reading stories (see Ferstl and von Cramon 2007; Ferstl, Rinck, and von Cramon 2005;Xu et al 2005;Yarkoni, Speer, and Zacks 2008;Speer et al 2009)5 and viewing films (see Hasson et al 2004Hasson et al , 2008 Kauppi et al 2010; Zacks et al 2010). Additionally, the fMRI research on theory of mind (see Mar and Oatley 2011), an important line of inquiry in the field of social cognitive neuroscience, often makes use of stories and cartoons as part…”

Enfoque cognitivo para la comprensión de narraciones: una mirada desde la psicología discursiva y el modelo de indexación de eventos

“…Desde el enfoque cognitivo y en especial del procesamiento del discurso, la comprensión de la narración ha sido ampliamente estudiada, la forma en que las personas comprenden narraciones o historias simples (Johson-Laird, 1983;McKoon & Ratcliff, 1992;Sanford & Garrod, 1981;Van Dijk & Kintsch, 1983;Yarkoni, Speer & Zacks, 2008;Zwaan, Langston & Graesser, 1995;Zwan, Magliano & Graesser, 1995;.…”

“…Dicha representación juega un papel fundamental no solo en la comprensión de la narración, sino también en su recuerdo, ya que, según lo planteado por estos investigadores, es desde este 'modelo de situación' que las personas extraemos nuestros recuerdos de lo leído (Yarkoni et al, 2008). Sin embargo, pese a que se reconoce la construcción e importancia fundamental de dicho nivel representacional durante la comprensión de narraciones, su naturaleza exacta y en consecuencia, la de la información contenida en él, es todavía materia de discusión (Graesser & WiemerHasting, 1999;Therriault & Rinck, 2007).…”