1
|
Ibáñez A, Kühne K, Miklashevsky A, Monaco E, Muraki E, Ranzini M, Speed LJ, Tuena C. Ecological Meanings: A Consensus Paper on Individual Differences and Contextual Influences in Embodied Language. J Cogn 2023; 6:59. [PMID: 37841670 PMCID: PMC10573819 DOI: 10.5334/joc.228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Embodied theories of cognition consider many aspects of language and other cognitive domains as the result of sensory and motor processes. In this view, the appraisal and the use of concepts are based on mechanisms of simulation grounded on prior sensorimotor experiences. Even though these theories continue receiving attention and support, increasing evidence indicates the need to consider the flexible nature of the simulation process, and to accordingly refine embodied accounts. In this consensus paper, we discuss two potential sources of variability in experimental studies on embodiment of language: individual differences and context. Specifically, we show how factors contributing to individual differences may explain inconsistent findings in embodied language phenomena. These factors include sensorimotor or cultural experiences, imagery, context-related factors, and cognitive strategies. We also analyze the different contextual modulations, from single words to sentences and narratives, as well as the top-down and bottom-up influences. Similarly, we review recent efforts to include cultural and language diversity, aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and brain disorders, as well as bilingual evidence into the embodiment framework. We address the importance of considering individual differences and context in clinical studies to drive translational research more efficiently, and we indicate recommendations on how to correctly address these issues in future research. Systematically investigating individual differences and context may contribute to understanding the dynamic nature of simulation in language processes, refining embodied theories of cognition, and ultimately filling the gap between cognition in artificial experimental settings and cognition in the wild (i.e., in everyday life).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agustín Ibáñez
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California, US
- Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Dublin, Ireland, IE
| | - Katharina Kühne
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, DE
| | - Alex Miklashevsky
- Potsdam Embodied Cognition Group, Cognitive Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, DE
| | - Elisa Monaco
- Laboratory for Cognitive and Neurological Sciences, Department of Neuroscience and Movement Science, Faculty of Science and Medicine, University of Fribourg, CH
| | - Emiko Muraki
- Department of Psychology & Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, CA
| | | | | | - Cosimo Tuena
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, IT
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cervetto S, Birba A, Pérez G, Amoruso L, García AM. Body into Narrative: Behavioral and Neurophysiological Signatures of Action Text Processing After Ecological Motor Training. Neuroscience 2022; 507:52-63. [PMID: 36368604 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Embodied cognition research indicates that sensorimotor training can influence action concept processing. Yet, most studies employ isolated (pseudo)randomized stimuli and require repetitive single-effector responses, thus lacking ecological validity. Moreover, the neural signatures of these effects remain poorly understood. Here, we examined whether immersive bodily training can modulate behavioral and functional connectivity correlates of action-verb processing in naturalistic narratives. The study involved three phases. First, in the Pre-training phase, 32 healthy persons listened to an action text (rich in movement descriptions) and a non-action text (focused on its characters' perceptual and mental processes), completed comprehension questionnaires, and underwent resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. Second, in the four-day Training phase, half the participants completed an exergaming intervention (eliciting full-body movements for 60 min a day) while the remaining half played static videogames (requiring no bodily engagement other than button presses). Finally, in the Post-training phase, all participants repeated the Pre-training protocol with different action and non-action texts and a new EEG session. We found that exergaming selectively reduced action-verb outcomes and fronto-posterior functional connectivity in the motor-sensitive ∼ 10-20 Hz range, both patterns being positively correlated. Conversely, static videogame playing yielded no specific effect on any linguistic category and did not modulate functional connectivity. Together, these findings suggest that action-verb processing and key neural correlates can be focally influenced by full-body motor training in a highly ecological setting. Our study illuminates the role of situated experience and sensorimotor circuits in action-concept processing, addressing calls for naturalistic insights on language embodiment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Cervetto
- Departamento de Educación Física y Salud, Instituto Superior de Educación Física, Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustina Birba
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gonzalo Pérez
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucía Amoruso
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), San Sebastian, Spain; Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Adolfo M García
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Global Brain Health Institute, University of California San Francisco, CA, United States; Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Does the involvement of motor cortex in embodied language comprehension stand on solid ground? A p-curve analysis and test for excess significance of the TMS and tDCS evidence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104834. [PMID: 36037977 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
According to the embodied cognition view, comprehending action-related language requires the participation of sensorimotor processes. A now sizeable literature has tested this proposal by stimulating (with TMS or tDCS) motor brain areas during the comprehension of action language. To assess the evidential value of this body of research, we exhaustively searched the literature and submitted the relevant studies (N = 43) to p-curve analysis. While most published studies concluded in support of the embodiment hypothesis, our results suggest that we cannot yet assert beyond reasonable doubt that they explore real effects. We also found that these studies are quite underpowered (estimated power < 30%), which means that a large percentage of them would not replicate if repeated identically. Additional tests for excess significance show signs of publication bias within this literature. In sum, extant brain stimulation studies testing the grounding of action language in the motor cortex do not stand on solid ground. We provide recommendations that will be important for future research on this topic.
Collapse
|
4
|
Miranda M, Campo CG, Birba A, Neely A, Hernandez FDT, Faure E, Costa GR, Ibáñez A, García A. An action-concept processing advantage in a patient with a double motor cortex. Brain Cogn 2022; 156:105831. [PMID: 34922210 PMCID: PMC9944406 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Patients with atrophy in motor brain regions exhibit selective deficits in processing action-related meanings, suggesting a link between movement conceptualization and the amount of regional tissue. Here we examine such a relation in a unique opposite model: a rare patient with a double cortex (due to subcortical band heterotopia) in primary/supplementary motor regions, and no double cortex in multimodal semantic regions. We measured behavioral performance in action- and object-concept processing as well and resting-state functional connectivity. Both dimensions involved comparisons with healthy controls. Results revealed preserved accuracy in action and object categories for the patient. However, unlike controls, the patient exhibited faster performance for action than object concepts, a difference that was uninfluenced by general cognitive abilities. Moreover, this pattern was accompanied by heightened functional connectivity between the bilateral primary motor cortices. This suggests that a functionally active double motor cortex may entail action-processing advantages. Our findings offer new constraints for models of action semantics and motor-region function at large.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Miranda
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina,Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional (INCyT), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Cecilia Gonzalez Campo
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina,Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustina Birba
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina,Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina,Latin American Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandra Neely
- Latin American Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Evelyng Faure
- Department of Radiology, Clínica las Condes, Santiago, Chile,Advanced Epilepsy Center, Clínica las Condes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Gonzalo Rojas Costa
- Department of Radiology, Clínica las Condes, Santiago, Chile,Advanced Epilepsy Center, Clínica las Condes, Santiago, Chile,Health Innovation Center, Clínica las Condes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina,Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina,Latin American Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile,Global Brain Health Institute, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, California, and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Adolfo García
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Global Brain Health Institute, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Borgomaneri S, de Vega M. Editorial: “Neuromodulation of Language, Cognition and Emotion”. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020136. [PMID: 35203900 PMCID: PMC8869998 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromodulation can be defined as the alteration of brain activity by delivering physical stimuli to a specific neural region [...]
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Borgomaneri
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.B.); (M.d.V.)
| | - Manuel de Vega
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
- Correspondence: (S.B.); (M.d.V.)
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Structural and functional motor-network disruptions predict selective action-concept deficits: Evidence from frontal lobe epilepsy. Cortex 2021; 144:43-55. [PMID: 34637999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Built on neurodegenerative lesions models, the disrupted motor grounding hypothesis (DMGH) posits that motor-system alterations selectively impair action comprehension. However, major doubts remain concerning the dissociability, neural signatures, and etiological generalizability of such deficits. Few studies have compared action-concept outcomes between disorders affecting and sparing motor circuitry, and none has examined their multimodal network predictors via data-driven approaches. Here, we first assessed action- and object-concept processing in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), patients with posterior cortex epilepsy (PCE), and healthy controls. Then, we examined structural and functional network signatures via diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state connectivity measures. Finally, we used these measures to predict behavioral performance with an XGBoost machine learning regression algorithm. Relative to controls, FLE (but not PCE) patients exhibited selective action-concept deficits together with structural and functional abnormalities along motor networks. The XGBoost model reached a significantly large effect size only for action-concept outcomes in FLE, mainly predicted by structural (cortico-spinal tract, anterior thalamic radiation, uncinate fasciculus) and functional (M1-parietal/supramarginal connectivity) motor networks. These results extend the DMGH, suggesting that action-concept deficits are dissociable markers of frontal/motor (relative to posterior) disruptions, directly related to the structural and functional integrity of motor networks, and traceable beyond canonical movement disorders.
Collapse
|
7
|
Cardona JF, Grisales-Cardenas JS, Trujillo-Llano C, Diazgranados JA, Urquina HF, Cardona S, Torres A, Torres LA, Gonzalez LM, Jaramillo T, Cediel J, Oñate-Cadena N, Mateus-Ferro G, Marmolejo-Ramos F. Semantic Memory and Lexical Availability in Parkinson's Disease: A Statistical Learning Study. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:697065. [PMID: 34393760 PMCID: PMC8361833 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.697065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes a progressive impairment in motor and cognitive functions. Although semantic fluency deficits have been described in PD, more specific semantic memory (SM) and lexical availability (LA) domains have not been previously addressed. Here, we aimed to characterize the cognitive performance of PD patients in a set of SM and LA measures and determine the smallest set of neuropsychological (lexical, semantic, or executive) variables that most accurately classify groups. Thirty early-stage non-demented PD patients (age 35–75, 10 females) and thirty healthy controls (age 36–76, 12 females) were assessed via general cognitive, SM [three subtests of the CaGi battery including living (i.e., elephant) and non-living things (i.e., fork)], and LA (eliciting words from 10 semantic categories related to everyday life) measures. Results showed that PD patients performed lower than controls in two SM global scores (picture naming and naming in response to an oral description). This impairment was particularly pronounced in the non-living things subscale. Also, the number of words in the LA measure was inferior in PD patients than controls, in both larger and smaller semantic fields, showing a more inadequate recall strategy. Notably, the classification algorithms indicated that the SM task had high classification accuracy. In particular, the denomination of non-living things had a classification accuracy of ∼80%. These results suggest that frontostriatal deterioration in PD leads to search strategy deficits in SF and the potential disruption in semantic categorization. These findings are consistent with the embodied view of cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan F Cardona
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Johan S Grisales-Cardenas
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Catalina Trujillo-Llano
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Jesús A Diazgranados
- Centro Médico de Atención Neurológica "Neurólogos de Occidente", Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Hugo F Urquina
- Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Sebastián Cardona
- Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Alejandra Torres
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Liliana A Torres
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Lina M Gonzalez
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Tania Jaramillo
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | - Judith Cediel
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia.,Centro de Investigación en Neurociencia Clínica y Comportamental (CINCCO), Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Colombia
| | | | - Geral Mateus-Ferro
- Departamento de Lenguas, Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos
- Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| |
Collapse
|