What can autism teach us about the role of sensorimotor systems in higher cognition? New clues from studies on language, action semantics, and abstract emotional concept processing

Moseley, Rachel; Pulvermüller, Friedemann

doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2017.11.019

Cited by 46 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 473 publications

(667 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Important clues for the relevance of motor mechanisms for emotion semantics come from autistic persons with motor dysfunction and deficits in expressing their emotions. These subjects show concordant processing abnormalities for action- and emotion-related words; when processing abstract emotion words such as ‘love’ and ‘disgust’, they do not activate their motor system and their degree of underactivity in the motor system indicates their level of autistic traits [ 18 ]. The relationship between motor underactivity and conceptual-linguistic abnormalities is consistent with the proposal that the cortical motor system and the action-related information it processes are essential for semantic grounding of abstract emotion-related symbols.…”

Section: Aboutness and Grounding Of Abstract Wordsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The case of CAUSE: neurobiological mechanisms for grounding an abstract concept

Pulvermüller

2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How can we understand causal relationships and how can we understand words such as ‘cause’? Some theorists assume that the underlying abstract concept is given to us, and that perceptual correlation provides the relevant hints towards inferring causation from perceived real-life events. A different approach emphasizes the role of actions and their typical consequences for the emergence of the concept of causation and the application of the related term. A model of causation is proposed that highlights the family resemblance between causal actions and postulates that symbols are necessary for binding together the different partially shared semantic features of subsets of causal actions and their goals. Linguistic symbols are proposed to play a key role in binding the different subsets of semantic features of the abstract concept. The model is spelt out at the neuromechanistic level of distributed cortical circuits and the cognitive functions they carry. The model is discussed in light of behavioural and neuroscience evidence, and questions for future research are highlighted. In sum, taking causation as a concrete example, I argue that abstract concepts and words can be learnt and grounded in real-life interaction, and that the neurobiological mechanisms realizing such abstract semantic grounding are within our grasp.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain'.

show abstract

Section: Aboutness and Grounding Of Abstract Wordsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, more research is needed to address such claims. One pathway is offered by deprived populations, for example autistic people who typically suffer from an early deficit in motor abilities and, surprisingly, concordant semantic conceptual processing abnormalities (see earlier discussion and [ 18 ]).…”

Section: Evidence and Outlookmentioning

confidence: 99%

The case of CAUSE: neurobiological mechanisms for grounding an abstract concept

Pulvermüller

2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The authors concluded that “motor deficits are a potential core feature of ASD” (p. 1237), and that interventions should focus on improving (gross) motor skills. More recently, Moseley and Pulvermüller (2018) proposed a neurobiologically inspired model of suboptimal action-perception integration in ASD. According to these authors, ASD is characterized by a whole range of subtle motor control deficits (including postural instability), which may ultimately hamper normal cognitive and social development, for example, because there is less opportunity to explore and interact with the environment (see also Morris et al, 2015 ).…”

Section: Balance Control In Asdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, Moseley and Pulvermüller (2018) argued that circuits in the brain linking perceptual information and action form the cornerstones (carriers) of higher mental functioning, such as cognition and emotion. In ASD, this link is not fully developed, leading to “disembodied” pathways for information processing.…”

Section: Theoretical Outlook and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The review of Moseley and Pulvermüller (2018) is worthwhile, as it tries to put EC on a solid neuroscientific basis (especially the mirror neuron system), thereby clarifying how an underdeveloped central nervous system may be responsible for a wide range of behavioral symptoms in ASD. We concur with Donnellan et al (2013) , who view behavior (both normal and aberrant) as emerging through a dynamical interaction between body, brain, and environment, against the backdrop of individual developmental and maturational trajectories.…”

Section: Theoretical Outlook and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Balance Performance in Autism: A Brief Overview

Stins

Emck

2018

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Children with autism not only have limited social and communicative skills but also have motor abnormalities, such as poor timing and coordination of balance. Moreover, impaired gross motor skills hamper participation with peers. Balance control is interesting from a cognitive science perspective, since it involves a complex interplay between information processing, motor planning, and timing and sequencing of muscle movements. In this paper, we discuss the background of motor problems in children with autism, focusing on how posture is informed by sensory information processing. We also discuss the neurobiological basis of balance problems, and how this is related to anxiety in this group. We then discuss possible avenues for treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, especially as regards movement-related interventions. Finally, we present a theoretical outlook and discuss whether some of the symptoms in ASD can be understood from an embodied cognition perspective.

show abstract

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

Salo

Ferrari

2018

Developmental Psychobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is growing evidence that activation of the motor system during observation of actions, a phenomenon first observed in non‐human primates, underlies action understanding and even communication. This review (a) examines the evidence on motor system activity as an underlying neural correlate of action understanding; (b) reviews the theoretical and empirical work linking action understanding and the development of communication, with a specific focus on the role that gestures play as an intermediary; and (c) discusses the research on and existing opportunities for understanding the link between the motor system and communication in both humans and non‐human primates, through the lens of action perception. Bringing together findings and perspectives from developmental social cognition in both humans and non‐human primates and applying recent neuroscientific perspectives will help to elucidate the processes underlying the ability to understand and communicate with others.

show abstract

What can autism teach us about the role of sensorimotor systems in higher cognition? New clues from studies on language, action semantics, and abstract emotional concept processing

Cited by 46 publications

References 473 publications

The case of CAUSE: neurobiological mechanisms for grounding an abstract concept

The case of CAUSE: neurobiological mechanisms for grounding an abstract concept

Balance Performance in Autism: A Brief Overview

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

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About