Task-Dependent Functional and Effective Connectivity during Conceptual Processing

Abstract

Conceptual knowledge is central to cognition. Previous neuroimaging research indicates that conceptual processing involves both modality-specific perceptual-motor areas and multimodal convergence zones. For example, our previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study revealed that both modality-specific and multimodal regions respond to sound and action features of concepts in a task-dependent fashion (Kuhnke P, Kiefer M, Hartwigsen G. 2020b. Task-dependent recruitment of modality-specific and multimodal regions during conceptual processing. Cereb Cortex. 30:3938–3959.). However, it remains unknown whether and how modality-specific and multimodal areas interact during conceptual tasks. Here, we asked 1) whether multimodal and modality-specific areas are functionally coupled during conceptual processing, 2) whether their coupling depends on the task, 3) whether information flows top-down, bottom-up or both, and 4) whether their coupling is behaviorally relevant. We combined psychophysiological interaction analyses with dynamic causal modeling on the fMRI data of our previous study. We found that functional coupling between multimodal and modality-specific areas strongly depended on the task, involved both top-down and bottom-up information flow, and predicted conceptually guided behavior. Notably, we also found coupling between different modality-specific areas and between different multimodal areas. These results suggest that functional coupling in the conceptual system is extensive, reciprocal, task-dependent, and behaviorally relevant. We propose a new model of the conceptual system that incorporates task-dependent functional interactions between modality-specific and multimodal areas.

Task modulation of spatiotemporal dynamics in semantic brain networks: an EEG/MEG study

“…We compared this task with a semantic decision (SD) task which explicitly required participants to retrieve specific semantic information about the words (such as "Is it something edible with a distinctive odour?"). This 'task differences' approach (Chen et al, 2015(Chen et al, , 2013Kuhnke et al, 2021Kuhnke et al, , 2020 employs a high-level baseline, providing a powerful way to identify specific changes with greater semantic processing, such as the particular timing of differences. By presenting the same stimuli in two different tasks we can assess the effect of demanding semantic processing over and above the effect of presenting meaningful stimuli.…”

The role of the angular gyrus in semantic cognition – A synthesis of five functional neuroimaging studies

“…Under this view, the same brain region can have multiple different functions by virtue of being connected to different regions in different tasks (Bassett and Sporns 2017). Indeed, the AG exhibits particularly flexible functional connectivity in different cognitive tasks (Chai et al 2016; Kuhnke et al 2021). The AG seems to be involved in both domain-general task-difficulty-related processes and domainspecific semantic processes.…”

“…This view is supported by the AG’s location at the junction between several sensory-motor processing streams (e.g., somatomotor, auditory, visual; Seghier 2013; Binder and Fernandino 2015; Margulies et al 2016). Moreover, the AG shows extensive structural (Hagmann et al 2008; Bonner and Price 2013) and functional (Tomasi and Volkow 2011; Kuhnke et al 2021) connectivity with various sensory-motor cortices. Crucially, functional neuroimaging studies indicate that AG activity increases with the amount of semantic information that can be extracted from a given input (Binder 2016).…”

“…However, the lateral ATL was engaged for abstract semantic information (i.e., words vs. pseudowords). In a follow-up study (Kuhnke et al 2021), left AG was functionally coupled with auditory brain regions during sound feature retrieval, and with somatomotor regions during action feature retrieval. This suggests that left AG guides the retrieval of task-relevant semantic features via flexible coupling with different sensory-motor cortices.…”

Establishing a Role of the Semantic Control Network in Social Cognitive Processing: A Meta-analysis of Functional Neuroimaging Studies

“…The first system is representational in nature and supports the acquisition and long-term storage of conceptual-level knowledge about objects, people, abstract concepts, and events. The anterior temporal cortices act as a central, supramodal semantic store through interaction with modality-specific and lower-order heteromodal association cortices (Binney et al, 2010;Kuhnke et al, 2021;Lambon Ralph et al, 2017;Patterson et al, 2007;Pobric et al, 2010). The second system, the semantic control system, modulates activation of semantic knowledge to bring to the fore aspects of conceptual information that are relevant to the situational context or the task at hand while inhibiting irrelevant aspects (Chiou et al, 2018;Jefferies, 2013;Lambon Ralph et al, 2017).…”