Functional links between motor and language systems

Abstract

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied to motor areas in the left language-dominant hemisphere while right-handed human subjects made lexical decisions on words related to actions. Response times to words referring to leg actions (e.g. kick) were compared with those to words referring to movements involving the arms and hands (e.g. pick). TMS of hand and leg areas influenced the processing of arm and leg words differentially, as documented by a significant interaction of the factors Stimulation site and Word category. Arm area TMS led to faster arm than leg word responses and the reverse effect, faster lexical decisions on leg than arm words, was present when TMS was applied to leg areas. TMS-related differences between word categories were not seen in control conditions, when TMS was applied to hand and leg areas in the right hemisphere and during sham stimulation. Our results show that the left hemispheric cortical systems for language and action are linked to each other in a category-specific manner and that activation in motor and premotor areas can influence the processing of specific kinds of words semantically related to arm or leg actions. By demonstrating specific functional links between action and language systems during lexical processing, these results call into question modular theories of language and motor functions and provide evidence that the two systems interact in the processing of meaningful information about language and action.

Differential effects of age-of-acquisition for concrete nouns and action verbs: Evidence for partly distinct representations?

“…As mentioned in the introduction, cortical motor regions are activated during processing of action-related language (Boulenger, Roy, Paulignan, Déprez, Jeannerod & Nazir, in press;Buccino, Riggio, Melli, Binkofski, Gallese & Rizzolatti, 2005;Hauk et al, 2004ab;Oliveri, Finocchiaro, Shapiro, Gangitano, Caramazza, & Pascual-Leone, 2004;Pulvermüller et al, 2005b;Pulvermüller, Hauk, Nikulin, & Ilmoniemi, 2005c;Shtyrov et al, 2004;Tettamanti et al, 2005). In a recent study, we could show that this language-related motor activity is significant to a point that it can interfere with the concurrent execution of overt motor behavior (Boulenger et al, in press).…”

Neural evidence for the interplay between language, gesture, and action: A review

“…Given the limited temporal resolution of the signal measured in fMRI and PET, this possibility cannot be excluded. Pulvermuller, Hauk, Nikulin, and Ilmoniemi (2005) argued against an explanation of their results in terms of mental imagery. To do so they looked at the timing of motor cortex activation to the action verbs.…”

What can autism teach us about the role of sensorimotor systems in higher cognition? New clues from studies on language, action semantics, and abstract emotional concept processing

“…Fourth, overt movement or stimulation of these motor areas has a causal effect on simultaneous processing of specific types of action words. Vice versa, action word processing may impact on specific motor mechanisms, with effects visible in behaviour and in electrophysiological brain recordings 2 Fischer & Zwaan, 2008;Glenberg & Kaschak, 2003;Ibanez et al, 2012;Pulvermü ller, Hauk, Nikulin, & Ilmoniemi, 2005;Rueschemeyer, Lindemann, van Elk, & Bekkering, 2009;Schomers & Pulvermü ller, 2016;Schomers, Kirilina, Weigand, Bajbouj, & Pulvermü ller, 2015;Shebani & Pulvermü ller, 2013). Fifth, and finally, movement disorders and clinical impairments to motor systems are associated with specific processing impairments or abnormalities for action-related words which call on action knowledge in the retrieval of their meaning (Bak & Chandran, 2012;Boulenger et al, 2008;Cardona et al, 2014;Cotelli et al, 2006;García & Ibañez, 2014;Grossman et al, 2008;Kemmerer, 2015;Neininger & Pulvermü ller, 2001Pulvermü ller et al, 2010).…”