From hand to mouth: Verb embodiment in action naming

Abstract

Introduction: A growing body of research suggests that the conceptual representations of actions are partly grounded in motor representations and, therefore, rely on the motor cortex for processing (Pulvermuller, 2005). This embodiment theory further suggests that lesions to motor areas of the brain may lead to action-verb processing deficits in aphasia (Arevalo et al., 2007). Research on embodiment has typically considered verb processing, not production. In the present fMRI study, we investigated whether lexical retrieval of action verbs in overt speech production involves motor areas that are associated with these verbs.