Ulrich Martin, Kiefer Markus, Bongartz Walter, Grön Georg, Hoenig Klaus
Department of Psychiatry, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Klingenberg Institute for Clinical Hypnosis, Konstanz, Germany.
PLoS One. 2015 Apr 29;10(4):e0123686. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123686. eCollection 2015.
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a primed visual lexical decision task, we investigated the neural and functional mechanisms underlying modulations of semantic word processing through hypnotic suggestions aimed at altering lexical processing of primes. The priming task was to discriminate between target words and pseudowords presented 200 ms after the prime word which was semantically related or unrelated to the target. In a counterbalanced study design, each participant performed the task once at normal wakefulness and once after the administration of hypnotic suggestions to perceive the prime as a meaningless symbol of a foreign language. Neural correlates of priming were defined as significantly lower activations upon semantically related compared to unrelated trials. We found significant suggestive treatment-induced reductions in neural priming, albeit irrespective of the degree of suggestibility. Neural priming was attenuated upon suggestive treatment compared with normal wakefulness in brain regions supporting automatic (fusiform gyrus) and controlled semantic processing (superior and middle temporal gyri, pre- and postcentral gyri, and supplementary motor area). Hence, suggestions reduced semantic word processing by conjointly dampening both automatic and strategic semantic processes.
在一项启动视觉词汇判断任务中，我们使用功能磁共振成像技术，研究了通过旨在改变启动词词汇加工的催眠暗示来调节语义词加工的神经和功能机制。启动任务是区分在与目标词语义相关或不相关的启动词之后200毫秒呈现的目标词和伪词。在一项平衡的研究设计中，每位参与者在正常清醒状态下执行该任务一次，在接受催眠暗示将启动词视为外语的无意义符号后再执行一次。启动的神经关联被定义为与不相关试验相比，语义相关试验中的激活显著降低。我们发现，尽管与暗示性程度无关，但催眠治疗仍能显著降低神经启动效应。与正常清醒状态相比，在支持自动（梭状回）和受控语义加工（颞上回和颞中回、中央前回和中央后回以及辅助运动区）的脑区，催眠治疗后神经启动效应减弱。因此，暗示通过共同抑制自动和策略性语义过程，减少了语义词加工。
