Abstract
Current literature supports the notion that the recognition of objects, when visually presented, is sub-served by neural structures different from those responsible for the semantic processing of their nouns. However, embodiment foresees that processing observed objects and their verbal labels should share similar neural mechanisms. In a combined behavioral and MEG study, we compared the modulation of motor responses and cortical rhythms during the processing of graspable natural objects and tools, either verbally or pictorially presented. Our findings demonstrate that conveying meaning to an observed object or processing its noun similarly modulates both motor responses and cortical rhythms; being natural graspable objects and tools differently represented in the brain, they affect in a different manner both behavioral and MEG findings, independent of presentation modality. These results provide experimental evidence that neural substrates responsible for conveying meaning to objects overlap with those where the object is represented, thus supporting an embodied view of semantic processing.
Highlights
Semantics refers to our capacity to attribute meaning to the events and entities that we experience during our lifespan and organize in a symbolic system
Our findings demonstrate that conveying meaning to an observed object or processing its noun modulates both motor responses and cortical rhythms; being natural graspable objects and tools differently represented in the brain, they affect in a different manner both behavioral and MEG findings, independent of presentation modality
response times (RTs) were calculated as the interval between cue onset and the EMG onset. repeated measures ANOVA (rmANOVA) on RTs showed a main effect of Category (F(1,14) = 22.18, MSE = 27,093.8, p < 0.001)
Summary
Semantics refers to our capacity to attribute meaning to the events and entities (such as objects, words, feelings, and so on) that we experience during our lifespan and organize in a symbolic system. Manipulative actions (such as power and precision grips, simple actions like key pressing used in the present study to provide motor responses, up to reach-to-grasp actions) devoted to interact with natural objects are represented in the dorsodorsal stream, while actions for use (such as to grasp the hammer to drive the nails) are represented in the dorso-ventral one, which seems accountable for the processing of sensorimotor information based on long-term object representation [28,29,30] Despite this different representation, current literature claims that the recognition of an object is subserved by the ventral stream as described by pivotal studies [22] including some specific temporal areas (e.g., lateral occipital temporal cortex, anterior and inferotemporal regions). Involved, at the same time, in the semantic processing of the natural graspable objects, we expected a weaker suppression of beta rhythm, in parallel with slowing down of motor responses, during the processing of this object category as compared to tools, regardless of the presentation modality
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