Abstract
BackgroundBehavioral studies have provided evidence for an action–sentence compatibility effect (ACE) that suggests a coupling of motor mechanisms and action-sentence comprehension. When both processes are concurrent, the action sentence primes the actual movement, and simultaneously, the action affects comprehension. The aim of the present study was to investigate brain markers of bidirectional impact of language comprehension and motor processes.Methodology/Principal FindingsParticipants listened to sentences describing an action that involved an open hand, a closed hand, or no manual action. Each participant was asked to press a button to indicate his/her understanding of the sentence. Each participant was assigned a hand-shape, either closed or open, which had to be used to activate the button. There were two groups (depending on the assigned hand-shape) and three categories (compatible, incompatible and neutral) defined according to the compatibility between the response and the sentence. ACEs were found in both groups. Brain markers of semantic processing exhibited an N400-like component around the Cz electrode position. This component distinguishes between compatible and incompatible, with a greater negative deflection for incompatible. Motor response elicited a motor potential (MP) and a re-afferent potential (RAP), which are both enhanced in the compatible condition.Conclusions/SignificanceThe present findings provide the first ACE cortical measurements of semantic processing and the motor response. N400-like effects suggest that incompatibility with motor processes interferes in sentence comprehension in a semantic fashion. Modulation of motor potentials (MP and RAP) revealed a multimodal semantic facilitation of the motor response. Both results provide neural evidence of an action-sentence bidirectional relationship. Our results suggest that ACE is not an epiphenomenal post-sentence comprehension process. In contrast, motor-language integration occurring during the verb onset supports a genuine and ongoing brain motor-language interaction.
Highlights
Actions, such as gestures or emotional body language, are finely intertwined with language during natural speech
How does the brain produce such interactions? do subtle aspects of movement, such as hand-shape in a limb action during language processing, imply motorlanguage interactions in the brain? Our study looked for specific action-sentence compatibility effect (ACE) by examining motor and semantic processes indexed by Event Related Potentials (ERPs)
Regarding groups results (Figure 2), a group6category interaction was significant (F (2, 48) = 10.57, p,0.001). Both groups seemed to elicit an action–sentence compatibility effect (ACE), this was more accentuated in the CHG
Summary
Actions, such as gestures or emotional body language, are finely intertwined with language during natural speech. If the opposite gesture is performed (e.g., stretched the hands) during the same sentence, the overall meaning of the speech may appear incongruent. It appears that our brains couple motor and semantic processes together towards a specific significance. Behavioral studies have provided evidence for an action–sentence compatibility effect (ACE) that suggests a coupling of motor mechanisms and action-sentence comprehension. When both processes are concurrent, the action sentence primes the actual movement, and simultaneously, the action affects comprehension. The aim of the present study was to investigate brain markers of bidirectional impact of language comprehension and motor processes
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