What matters is the underlying experience: Similar motor responses during processing observed hand actions and hand‐related verbs

Abstract

It is well‐accepted that processing observed actions involves at some extent the same neural mechanisms responsible for action execution. More recently, it has been forwarded that also the processing of verbs expressing a specific motor content is subserved by the neural mechanisms allowing individuals to perform the content expressed by that linguistic material. This view is also known as embodiment and contrasts with a more classical approach to language processing that considers it as amodal. In the present study, we used a go/no‐go paradigm, in which participants were requested to respond to real words and pictures and refrain from responding when presented stimuli were pseudowords and scrambled images. Real stimuli included pictures depicting hand‐ and foot‐related actions and verbs expressing hand‐ and foot‐related actions. We, therefore, directly compared the modulation of hand motor responses during the observation of actions and the presentation of verbs, expressing actions in the same category. The results have shown that participants gave slower hand motor responses during the observation of hand actions and the processing of hand‐related verbs as than observed foot actions and related verbs. These findings support embodiment showing that whatever the modality of presentation (observed action or verb), the modulation of hand motor responses was similar, thus suggesting that processing seen actions and related verbs shares common mechanisms most likely involving the motor system and the underlying motor experience.

Grasping the semantic of actions: a combined behavioral and MEG study

“…Participants in the experiment were required to perform a go/no-go task in which they had to respond to words and pictures that represented actions involving either hands or feet, and to refrain from responding when presented stimuli were pseudowords (i.e., built by substituting one consonant and one vowel in two distinct syllables of each verb) or scrambled images (see also, Garofalo et al, 2022 ), during MEG signals acquisition. Participants had to respond with a flexion of the hand and reaction times (RTs) were collected.…”

“…A still open question is related to the degree of overlap among action execution, understanding of actions visually presented, and understanding of actions verbally described. In a very recent behavioral study of our group (Garofalo et al, 2022), the interference effect was found during the processing of visually presented actions (i.e., pictures depicting hand-and foot-related actions) and actions verbally described (i.e., verbs expressing hand-and foot-related actions). The results of a go/no-go task revealed that when hand actions and hand-related verbs were presented, hand motor responses were slower than when foot actions and foot-related-verbs were presented.…”

“…In humans, the neural structures implicated in the execution and understanding of observed actions also appear involved in the understanding and processing of action-related language (Vigliocco et al, 2011 ; Marino et al, 2014 ; Borghi and Riggio, 2015 ; Buccino et al, 2016 , 2018 ; García and Ibáñez, 2016 ; Sakreida et al, 2016 ; Zhang et al, 2016 ; Horoufchin et al, 2018 ; Garofalo et al, 2022 ; Visani et al, 2022 ). In this respect, accumulating empirical evidence suggested that the sensorimotor and even emotional systems involved in experiencing the content expressed by verbal material are causally involved in understanding the content of that linguistic stuff (Pulvermüller, 2002 , 2010 ; Barsalou, 2008 ; Fischer and Zwaan, 2008 ; Gallese, 2008 ; Jirak et al, 2010 ; Buccino et al, 2016 ).…”

“…The aim of the current study was to investigate the neurophysiological underpinnings of the interference effect using oscillatory Magnetoencephalography (MEG) analysis to study Beta band power suppression. The MEG signals were recorded while the participants carried out the same go/no-go task used in a previous study (Garofalo et al, 2022 ). We expected a replica of the behavioral results and, according to the hypothesis of competition of neuronal resources (Buccino et al, 2005 ; de Vega et al, 2013 ), a weaker ERD in both visual and verbal presentation of hand-related actions and verbs as compared to foot-related actions and verbs.…”

Motor imagery and action-observation in neurorehabilitation: A study protocol in Parkinson's disease patients

“…In more general terms, experimental evidence supports the notion that the neural substrates involved in action execution are recruited whenever actions are re-enacted, like for example in motor imagery or even during dreams with motor content ( 5 ). In recent times, it has been proposed an action re-enactment also during the processing of action related language, that is verbs typically describing an action ( 6 , 7 ). The notion of action re-enactment, based on visual stimuli or on an internal mental rehearse of an action in the absence of overt movements, has recently inspired the use of the action-observation treatment and the motor imagery practice as neurocognitive rehabilitation strategies.…”