The neural correlates of verb and noun processing. A PET study. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The neural correlates of verb and noun processing. A PET study. Perani et al. Brain 1999 Dec;122. The hypothesis that categorical information, distinguishing among grammatical word classes, such as nouns and verbs in the lexical knowledge in the brain, is supported by the observation of aphasic subjects who are selectively impaired in the processing of nouns and verbs. The study of lesion locations has suggested that the left temporal lobe plays a crucial role in processing nouns, while the left frontal lobe is necessary for verbs. We measure regional cerebral activity with PET during tasks requiring reading of concrete and abstract nouns and verbs for lexical decision.

Activation of an extensive network of brain areas, mostly in the left frontal and temporal cortex, which represents the neural correlate of single word processing (lexical-semantic processing of words). Some left hemispheric areas, including the dorsolateral frontal and lateral temporal cortex, were activated only by verbs , while there were no brain areas more active in response to nouns. Additional brain activations for verbs appear to be related to specific semantic content , or associated with the automatic access of syntactic information.

Neuroanatomical models 3 main views that bear some correspondence to the cognitive architectures: 1. On the basis of neuropsychological data, nouns and verbs are represented in at least partially separable neural networks, with noun processing engaging left temporal areas and verb processing engaging left inferior frontal areas 2. Morpho-syntactic processes that apply to the different grammatical classes (verbs and nouns) would be computed by neural networks in close physical proximity to the networks engaged by the semantic content of words 3. No neural separability is assumed for words of different grammatical classes; rather neural separability is assumed for words referring to actions vs. words referring to objects (regardless of their grammatical class). The same shared neural network would be engaged in integration processes for both nouns and verbs. Vigliocco et al. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 35, 2011

Vigliocco et al. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 35, 2011

NEUROPSYCHOLOGY

Evidenze neuropsicologiche: la doppia dissociazione tra nomi e verbi in pazienti con lesioni focali 90 80 70 60 50 Nouns 40 Verbs 30 20 10 0 PR AL Cappa, 1998

Verbs and nouns in lesion studies Tranel et al., 2001

Neuropsychology Verb processing is more demanding than noun processing In the review we argued for greater difficulty in processing verbs than nouns

Neuropsychology

Arevalo et al. 2007

Conclusions The processing of words and pictures: picture-naming (PN), single word reading (WR) and word repetition (WRP). Analysis 1 targeted task and lexical category (noun-verb), revealing worse performance on Picture Naming of verb items for patients. Analysis 2 (hand manipulation and actions), patients displayed relative difficulty with the ‘manipulable’ items These results carry implications for theories of embodiment, lexico-semantic dissociations, and the organization of meaning in the brain .

Object and action naming in early PD 100 90 80 70 60 objects 50 actions 40 30 20 10 0 PD controls Cotelli et al. 2006

According to embodiment, the recruitment of the motor system is necessary to process language material expressing a motor content. Coherently, an impairment of the motor system should affect the capacity to process language items with a motor content Deficts in processing graspable objects and their nouns.

1. These findings provide evidence in favour of embodiment , by supporting a causal link between lesions affecting the motor system and the capacity to process language with a motor content. 2. All suggests that language in the brain is not segregated in terms of grammar items (verbs, nouns) but rather in terms of semantic fields, as embodiment would suggest (Buccino et al., 2016; Vigliocco, Vinson, Druks, Barber, & Cappa, 2011).

Object vs. action naming in ND dementia 40 35 30 25 Objects 20 Actions 15 10 5 0 AD FTD controls Cappa et al., 1998

FTD spectrum • Fronto-temporal degeneration • Frontal variant • Progressive nonfluent aphasia • Semantic dementia • Progressive supranuclear palsy Action-object naming • Corticobasal degeneration 100 90 80 70 60 Noun 50 Verb 40 30 20 10 0 controls CBD PSP NFPA Frontal SD AD Cotelli et al. 2006

Manipulation effect in object/action items 80 70 60 50 Manip 40 Non-manip 30 20 10 35 0 CBD PSP NFPA Fv FTD SD AD 30 25 20 Non manip 15 Manip 10 5 Cotelli et al. 2006 0 CBD PSP

Different mechanisms of impairment, reflecting the anatomical selectivity of the pathological ND process, may be responsible for defective verb and noun processing (i.e. NfPPA agrammatism, morphosyntactic disorder) As for focal lesion studies, a primary factor responsible for dissociations is semantic s: defective action knowledge appears to be a crucial factor in particular in the case of movement disorders Vigliocco et al. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 35, 2011

Nf PPA FDG PET hypometabolism Perani D personal data Perani personal data

NEUROPHYSIOLOGY

Neurophysiology Comparable topographical distribution for the grammatical class (nouns vs. verbs) and semantic manipulations (sensory vs. motor) in processing of single words Barber et al., 2009

Neurophysiology

Picture Naming

VERB GENERATION

Serial progression of activations is seen at a larger timescale, showing distinct stages of perception, semantic association/selection, and speech production. a “dual ventral stream” model

MRI, fMRI

Behaviour These findings suggest that processing seen graspable objects and written nouns referring to graspable objects similarly modulates the motor system.

These data provide the first direct evidence that listening to sentences that describe actions engages the visuomotor circuits which subserve action execution and observation

Auditory processing of sentences Subjects: 16 right-handed healthy participant fMRI: 1.5 T whole body scanner (GE, Med Sys) Experimental conditions 120 sentences (40 hand, foot, mouth) I am biting an apple, I am grasping the hammer, I am kicking the balloon) 120 baseline “abstract”sentences I appreciate sincerity, I understand the truth

ADDENTO AFFERRO CALCIO MASTICO UNA UN IL IL MELA COLTELLO PALLONE PANE LECCO SPEZZO INFILO SOFFIO 4 s IL IL GLI SUL GELATO PANE ZOCCOLI FUOCO . . . . . . . . . . . . foot mouth mouth hand 20 s CONFONDO RICORDO TEMO ADORO IL LA I L’ FATTO PROVA RICORDI OZIO VALUTO IMMAGINO DESIDERO APPREZZO GLI LA LA LE ERRORI COLLERA GIOIA DOTI . . . . . . . . . . . . t

ADDENTO AFFERRO CALCIO MASTICO UNA UN IL IL MELA COLTELLO PALLONE PANE LECCO SPEZZO INFILO SOFFIO 4 s IL IL GLI SUL GELATO PANE ZOCCOLI FUOCO . . . . . . . . . . . . foot mouth mouth hand 20 s CONFONDO RICORDO TEMO ADORO IL LA I L’ FATTO PROVA RICORDI OZIO VALUTO IMMAGINO DESIDERO APPREZZO GLI LA LA LE ERRORI COLLERA GIOIA DOTI . . . . . . . . . . . . t

ADDENTO AFFERRO CALCIO MASTICO UNA UN IL IL MELA COLTELLO PALLONE PANE LECCO SPEZZO INFILO SOFFIO 4 s IL IL GLI SUL GELATO PANE ZOCCOLI FUOCO . . . . . . . . . . . . foot mouth mouth hand baseline 20 s CONFONDO RICORDO TEMO ADORO IL LA I L’ FATTO PROVA RICORDI OZIO VALUTO IMMAGINO DESIDERO APPREZZO GLI LA LA LE ERRORI COLLERA GIOIA DOTI . . . . . . . . . . . . t

Beyond the basic difference that verbs typically refer to actions and nouns typically refer to objects, other semantic distinctions might play a role as organizing principles within and across word classes. One possible candidate is the notion of manipulation and manipulability, which may modulate the word class dissociation.

METHODS •Task: overt naming •Stimuli: 60 drawings from the UCSD corpus Actions-VERBS Objects-NOUNS non - manipulable manipulable manipulation non-manipulation (matched for frequency, visual complexity, age of acquisition)

Stimuli Objects-NOUNS Actions-VERBS non - manipulable manipulation non-manipulation manipulable mixer fence to tie to jump brush ship to polish to skate

Stimuli characteristics Frequency Age of acquisition 5 4 4 3 VnM log nat freq years VM 3 2 VnM NnM VM NM 2 1 NnM NM 0 1 VnM VM NnM NM VnM VM NnM NM Stimulus type n.s. n.s Stimulus type Response Time 1500 1400 1300 VnM msecs 1200 VM 1100 NnM 1000 NM 900 800 VnM VM NnM NM Stimulus type p< 0.001

Manipulation effect p > .001 Hand >noHand noHand >Hand 10 10 z z 0 0 R L

fMRI we were looking for common activation of nouns and objects, and actions and verbs, representing the canonical and mirror neuron system,respectively “Kugel”, “Ring”, Zylinder” the model weights underlying action-versus-object distinction “fangen”, “nehmen”, “rollen”

fMRI Nouns vs. Verbs Verbs vs. Nouns