CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Cereb Cortex. 2018 Aug 1;28(8):2699-2710. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhx148.
Neuroimaging studies have consistently indicated that semantic processing involves a brain network consisting of multimodal cortical regions distributed in the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes. However, little is known about how semantic information is organized and processed within the network. Some recent studies have indicated that sensory-motor semantic information modulates the activation of this network. Other studies have indicated that this network responds more to social semantic information than to other information. Using fMRI, we collectively investigated the brain activations evoked by social and sensory-motor semantic information by manipulating the sociality and imageability of verbs in a word comprehension task. We detected 2 subgroups of brain regions within the network showing sociality and imageability effects, respectively. The 2 subgroups of regions are distinct but overlap in bilateral angular gyri and adjacent middle temporal gyri. A follow-up analysis of resting-state functional connectivity showed that dissociation of the 2 subgroups of regions is partially associated with their intrinsic functional connectivity differences. Additionally, an interaction effect of sociality and imageability was observed in the left anterior temporal lobe. Our findings indicate that the multimodal cortical semantic network has fine subdivisions that process and integrate social and sensory-motor semantic information.
神经影像学研究一直表明，语义处理涉及一个由分布在额叶、顶叶和颞叶的多模态皮质区域组成的脑网络。然而，关于语义信息在网络内是如何组织和处理的，人们知之甚少。一些最近的研究表明，感觉运动语义信息调节着这个网络的激活。其他研究表明，与其他信息相比，这个网络对社会语义信息的反应更为敏感。我们使用 fMRI 通过在词汇理解任务中操纵动词的社会性和形象性，共同研究了社会和感觉运动语义信息引起的大脑激活。我们在网络中检测到分别显示社会性和形象性效应的 2 个脑区亚组。这 2 个脑区亚组是不同的，但在双侧角回和相邻的颞中回重叠。对静息状态功能连接性的后续分析表明，这 2 个脑区亚组的分离部分与其内在功能连接性差异有关。此外，在左颞叶前区观察到社会性和形象性的交互效应。我们的研究结果表明，多模态皮质语义网络具有精细的细分，用于处理和整合社会和感觉运动语义信息。
