Grasping and Manipulation: Neural Bases and Anatomical Circuitry in Humans

Errante, Antonino; Ziccarelli, Settimio; Mingolla, Gloria P.; Fogassi, Leonardo

doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.01.028

Cited by 18 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 138 publications

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“…On these grounds, rather than coding abstract concepts in a purely propositional format [ 44 , 52 , 56 , 62 , 94 , 117 , 119 ], we put forward that this region codes for the complexity of sensorimotor experiences (unchained from the use of specific objects and contexts) in which abstract concepts are grounded. Different from abstract concepts, language expressing concrete contents activates more strongly parieto-frontal circuits known to be involved in coding the pragmatic and perceptual features of an object and the motor aspects to interact with them [ 105 , 108 , 150 , 151 , 152 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

et al. 2021

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The neural mechanisms subserving the processing of abstract concepts remain largely debated. Even within the embodiment theoretical framework, most authors suggest that abstract concepts are coded in a linguistic propositional format, although they do not completely deny the role of sensorimotor and emotional experiences in coding it. To our knowledge, only one recent proposal puts forward that the processing of concrete and abstract concepts relies on the same mechanisms, with the only difference being in the complexity of the underlying experiences. In this paper, we performed a meta-analysis using the Activation Likelihood Estimates (ALE) method on 33 functional neuroimaging studies that considered activations related to abstract and concrete concepts. The results suggest that (1) concrete and abstract concepts share the recruitment of the temporo-fronto-parietal circuits normally involved in the interactions with the physical world, (2) processing concrete concepts recruits fronto-parietal areas better than abstract concepts, and (3) abstract concepts recruit Broca’s region more strongly than concrete ones. Based on anatomical and physiological evidence, Broca’s region is not only a linguistic region mainly devoted to speech production, but it is endowed with complex motor representations of different biological effectors. Hence, we propose that the stronger recruitment of this region for abstract concepts is expression of the complex sensorimotor experiences underlying it, rather than evidence of a purely linguistic format of its processing.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

et al. 2021

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“…A so fine developed ability seems to have its neural basis in the left IPL that appears as a specific sector only evolved in humans, distinct from monkey grasping regions [ 54 , 101 ]. Within the dorsal stream, this area is referred to as ventro-dorsal sector [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 102 ]. A further consideration that supports the notion that the use of tools is exclusive for humans comes from clinical neurology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Semantics of Natural Objects and Tools in the Brain: A Combined Behavioral and MEG Study

et al. 2022

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Current literature supports the notion that the recognition of objects, when visually presented, is sub-served by neural structures different from those responsible for the semantic processing of their nouns. However, embodiment foresees that processing observed objects and their verbal labels should share similar neural mechanisms. In a combined behavioral and MEG study, we compared the modulation of motor responses and cortical rhythms during the processing of graspable natural objects and tools, either verbally or pictorially presented. Our findings demonstrate that conveying meaning to an observed object or processing its noun similarly modulates both motor responses and cortical rhythms; being natural graspable objects and tools differently represented in the brain, they affect in a different manner both behavioral and MEG findings, independent of presentation modality. These results provide experimental evidence that neural substrates responsible for conveying meaning to objects overlap with those where the object is represented, thus supporting an embodied view of semantic processing.

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“…On the contralateral side, the role of the cerebellum in the upwards transmission of information may be via the dentate nucleus of the cerebellar hemisphere. Efferent axons from the dentate nucleus enter the contralateral motor cortex after passing through the thalamus [ 24 ]. On the ipsilateral side, the pathway through which cerebellar rTMS functions may originate from the cerebellar parietal nucleus, which is in contact with components of the central pattern generator (CPG) in the brainstem [ 23 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Frequency Cerebellar rTMS Improves the Swallowing Function of Patients with Dysphagia after Brainstem Stroke

et al. 2022

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Objective. To explore the efficacy of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the swallowing motor area of the cerebellum in patients with dysphagia after brainstem stroke. Methods. A total of 36 patients with dysphagia after brainstem stroke were recruited and divided into 3 groups. Before stimulation, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to determine the swallowing dominant cerebellar hemisphere and the representation of the mylohyoid muscle. The three groups of patients received bilateral cerebellar sham stimulation, dominant cerebellar rTMS + contralateral sham stimulation, or bilateral cerebellar rTMS. The stimulus plan for each side was 10 Hz, 80% resting movement threshold (rMT), 250 pulses, 1 s per stimulus, and 9 s intervals. Sham rTMS was performed with the coil held at 90° to the scalp. The changes in the motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and the clinical swallowing function scales of the patients after stimulation were compared among the three groups. Results. 34 patients were finally included for statistical analysis. The scores of penetration aspiration scale (PAS) and functional dysphagia scale (FDS) of the patients after 2 weeks of rTMS in the unilateral stimulation group and bilateral stimulation group were better than that in the sham stimulation group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. The increase in the MEP amplitude of the cerebral hemisphere in the bilateral stimulation group was higher than that in the other two groups, and the increase in the MEP amplitude in the unilateral stimulation group was higher than that in sham stimulation group. There was no correlation between the improvement in patients’ clinical swallowing function (PAS scores and FDS scores) and the increase in MEP amplitude in either the unilateral stimulation group or the bilateral stimulation group. Conclusion. High-frequency rTMS in the cerebellum can improve swallowing function in PSD patients and increase the excitability of the representation of swallowing in the bilateral cerebral hemispheres. Compared with unilateral cerebellar rTMS, bilateral stimulation increased the excitability of the cerebral swallowing cortex more significantly, but there was no significant difference in clinical swallowing function.

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Grasping and Manipulation: Neural Bases and Anatomical Circuitry in Humans

Cited by 18 publications

References 138 publications

Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

Evidence for the Concreteness of Abstract Language: A Meta-Analysis of Neuroimaging Studies

The Semantics of Natural Objects and Tools in the Brain: A Combined Behavioral and MEG Study

High-Frequency Cerebellar rTMS Improves the Swallowing Function of Patients with Dysphagia after Brainstem Stroke

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