scholarly journals How do blind people represent rainbows? Disentangling components of conceptual representations

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ella Striem-Amit ◽  
Xiaoying Wang ◽  
Yanchao Bi ◽  
Alfonso Caramazza
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Medial Dorsal ◽  
Sensory Features ◽  
Pattern Similarity ◽  
Temporal Pole ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
The Brain

AbstractHow do we represent information that has no sensory features? How are abstract concepts like “freedom”, devoid of external perceptible referents, represented in the brain? To address the role of sensory information in the neural representation of concepts, we investigated how people born blind process concepts whose referents are imperceptible to them because of their visual nature (e.g. “rainbow”, or “red”). We find that the left dorsal anterior temporal lobe (ATL) shows preference both to typical abstract concepts (“freedom”) and to concepts whose referents are not sensorially-available to the blind (“rainbow”), as compared to partially sensorially-perceptible referents (e.g. “rain”). Activation pattern similarity in dorsal ATL is related to the sensorial-accessibility ratings of the concepts in the blind. Parts of inferior-lateral aspects of ATL and the temporal pole responded preferentially to abstract concepts devoid of any external referents (“freedom”) relative to imperceptible objects, in effect distinguishing between object and non-object concepts. The medial ATL showed a preference for concrete concepts (“cup”), along with a preference for partly perceptible items to the blind (“rain”, as compared with “rainbow”), indicating this region’s role in representing concepts with sensory referents beyond vision. The findings point to a new division of labor among medial, dorsal and lateral aspects of ATL in representing different properties of object and non-object concepts.

scholarly journals Boundaries to grounding abstract concepts

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1752) ◽  
pp. 20170132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Pecher ◽  
René Zeelenberg
Keyword(s):  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Concept Representation ◽  
Motor Processing ◽  
Image Schemas ◽  
Sensory Motor ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Concrete Representations ◽  
Processing Language

Grounded theories of cognition claim that concept representation relies on the systems for perception and action. The sensory-motor grounding of abstract concepts presents a challenge for these theories. Some accounts propose that abstract concepts are indirectly grounded via image schemas or situations. Recent research, however, indicates that the role of sensory-motor processing for concrete concepts may be limited, providing evidence against the idea that abstract concepts are grounded via concrete concepts. Hybrid models that combine language and sensory-motor experience may provide a more viable account of abstract and concrete representations. We propose that sensory-motor grounding is important during acquisition and provides structure to concepts. Later activation of concepts relies on this structure but does not necessarily involve sensory-motor processing. Language is needed to create coherent concepts from diverse sensory-motor experiences. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain’.

scholarly journals Abstract Concepts in Grounded Cognition

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lakens
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Grounded Cognition ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Auditory Space ◽  
Conceptual Processing ◽  
Conceptual Thought ◽  
Cognitive Revolution ◽  
Perceptual Characteristics

In the present dissertation, I examine the role of sensory information for abstract conceptual thought. In Chapter 1, the central assumptions in grounded approaches to cognition are introduced and contrasted with more traditional views on the representation of concepts expressed by cognitive researchers since the cognitive revolution in psychology. The three empirical chapters of this thesis focus on how morality, time, and valence are grounded in perceptual symmetry, left-right auditory space, and brightness, respectively. Together, these chapters show that perceptual information influences abstract conceptual processing, even for highly abstract concepts that lack perceptual characteristics.

EXPRESS: Articulatory suppression delays processing of abstract words: the role of inner speech

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110536
Author(s):  
Chiara Fini ◽  
Gian Daniele Zannino ◽  
Matteo Orsoni ◽  
Giovanni Augusto Carlesimo ◽  
Mariagrazia Benassi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Articulatory Suppression ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Inner Speech ◽  
Dominant Hand ◽  
Conceptual Representation ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Single Object ◽  
Abstract Words ◽  
Concrete Concepts

Compared to concrete concepts, like “book”, abstract concepts expressed by words like “justice” are more detached from sensorial experiences, even though they are also grounded in sensorial modalities. Abstract concepts lack a single object as referent and are characterized by higher variability both within and across participants. According to the Word as Social Tool (WAT) proposal, owing to their complexity, abstract concepts need to be processed with the help of inner language. Inner language can namely help participants to re-explain to themselves the meaning of the word, to keep information active in working memory, and to prepare themselves to ask information from more competent people. While previous studies have demonstrated that the mouth is involved during abstract concepts’ processing, both the functional role and the mechanisms underlying this involvement still need to be clarified. We report an experiment in which participants were required to evaluate whether 78 words were abstract or concrete by pressing two different pedals. During the judgment task, they were submitted, in different blocks, to a baseline, an articulatory suppression, and a manipulation condition. In the last two conditions, they had to repeat a syllable continually and to manipulate a softball with their dominant hand. Results showed that articulatory suppression slowed down the processing of abstract more than that of concrete words. Overall results confirm the WAT proposal’s hypothesis that abstract concepts processing involves the mouth motor system and specifically inner speech. We discuss the implications for current theories of conceptual representation.

scholarly journals Genetic approaches to the investigation of serotonergic neuron functions in animals

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-455
Author(s):  
U. S. Drozd ◽  
E. V. Shaburova ◽  
N. N. Dygalo
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Serotonergic System ◽  
Serotonergic Neurons ◽  
Neurotransmitter Systems ◽  
New Therapeutic Approaches ◽  
Serotonin System ◽  
The Brain

The serotonergic system is one of the most important neurotransmitter systems that take part in the regulation of vital CNS functions. The understanding of its mechanisms will help scientists create new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of mental and neurodegenerative diseases and find out how this neurotransmitter system interacts with other parts of the brain and regulates their activity. Since the serotonergic system anatomy and functionality are heterogeneous and complex, the best tools for studying them are based on manipulation of individual types of neurons without affecting neurons of other neurotransmitter systems. The selective cell control is possible due to the genetic determinism of their functions. Proteins that determine the uniqueness of the cell type are expressed under the regulation of cell-specific promoters. By using promoters that are specific for genes of the serotonin system, one can control the expression of a gene of interest in serotonergic neurons. Here we review approaches based on such promoters. The genetic models to be discussed in the article have already shed the light on the role of the serotonergic system in modulating behavior and processing sensory information. In particular, genetic knockouts of serotonin genes sert, pet1, and tph2 promoted the determination of their contribution to the development and functioning of the brain. In addition, the review describes inducible models that allow gene expression to be controlled at various developmental stages. Finally, the application of these genetic approaches in optogenetics and chemogenetics provided a new resource for studying the functions, discharge activity, and signal transduction of serotonergic neurons. Nevertheless, the advantages and limitations of the discussed genetic approaches should be taken into consideration in the course of creating models of pathological conditions and developing pharmacological treatments for their correction.

scholarly journals Interoception: the forgotten modality in perceptual grounding of abstract and concrete concepts

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1752) ◽  
pp. 20170143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Connell ◽  
Dermot Lynott ◽  
Briony Banks
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Conceptual Content ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Perceptual Modalities ◽  
Five Senses ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
Taste And Smell ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Emotion Concepts

Conceptual representations are perceptually grounded, but when investigating which perceptual modalities are involved, researchers have typically restricted their consideration to vision, touch, hearing, taste and smell. However, there is another major modality of perceptual information that is distinct from these traditional five senses; that is, interoception, or sensations inside the body. In this paper, we use megastudy data (modality-specific ratings of perceptual strength for over 32 000 words) to explore how interoceptive information contributes to the perceptual grounding of abstract and concrete concepts. We report how interoceptive strength captures a distinct form of perceptual experience across the abstract–concrete spectrum, but is markedly more important to abstract concepts (e.g. hungry , serenity ) than to concrete concepts (e.g. capacity , rainy ). In particular, interoception dominates emotion concepts, especially negative emotions relating to fear and sadness , moreso than other concepts of equivalent abstractness and valence. Finally, we examine whether interoceptive strength represents valuable information in conceptual content by investigating its role in concreteness effects in word recognition, and find that it enhances semantic facilitation over and above the traditional five sensory modalities. Overall, these findings suggest that interoception has comparable status to other modalities in contributing to the perceptual grounding of abstract and concrete concepts. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain'.

Contribution of proprioception for calibrating and updating the motor space

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Bard ◽  
Michelle Fleury ◽  
Normand Teasdale ◽  
Jacques Paillard ◽  
Vincent Nougier
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frames ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Force Production ◽  
Movement Control ◽  
Spatial Reference Frames ◽  
Proprioceptive Afferents ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Prismatic Adaptation ◽  
Central Level

The absence of muscular proprioception, whether at a segmental or at a central level, impairs performance in several ways. The contribution of proprioception to movement control and learning is not easily dissociated from that of other sources of sensory information (e.g., vision). Therefore, the rare clinical cases of extensive neuropathy, depriving the brain massively and permanently of its presumed main sources of dynamogenic information from skin and muscles, are of very special interest. Two such patients and controls were tested in experiments investigating (i) force production, (ii) amplitude coding, (iii) spatial reference frames in pointing, and (iv) prismatic adaptation. Overall, our results highlight the key role of proprioceptive afferents for calibrating the spatial motor frame of reference, and the powerful substitutive properties of the central nervous system.Key words: proprioception, deafferentation, space calibration, motor control.

scholarly journals Embryonic Brain’s Spontaneous Activity Promote Synesthesia?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Shashi Kiran Reddy ◽  
Georg Northoff
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Neural Connectivity ◽  
Neural Pathway ◽  
Sensory Maps ◽  
The Brain

Antón-Bolaños et al. (2019) report a newly identified neural pathway mechanism, where the patterned spontaneous activity regulates the excitability of a neural network essential for the formation and maintenance of functional sensory maps in the brain. Findings from the study suggest that the patterned spontaneous activity prevalent during the embryonic development of the brain; at the early stages of innervation to the cortex, contributes to the formation of these sensory maps. Synesthesia is a neural phenomenon caused by the unusual links between sensory information, where synesthetic subjects demonstrate atypical functional and neural connectivity caused by the differences in cortical wiring during brain development. So, based on the findings from Antón-Bolaños et al. (2019), one can anticipate the role of spontaneous activity in promoting synesthetic condition. Thus, it will be interesting to study, if the intrinsic spontaneous activity influences the differential cortical wiring and the formation of sensory maps in synesthesia.

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

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Nicola Del Maschio ◽  
Davide Fedeli ◽  
Gioacchino Garofalo ◽  
Giovanni Buccino
Keyword(s):  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Physical World ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Broca’S Region ◽  
Complex Motor ◽  
Concrete Concepts ◽  
Motor Representations ◽  
Better Than

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.

scholarly journals The case of CAUSE: neurobiological mechanisms for grounding an abstract concept

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1752) ◽  
pp. 20170129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedemann Pulvermüller
Keyword(s):  
Real Life ◽  
Family Resemblance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Abstract Concept ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
The Brain

How can we understand causal relationships and how can we understand words such as ‘cause’? Some theorists assume that the underlying abstract concept is given to us, and that perceptual correlation provides the relevant hints towards inferring causation from perceived real-life events. A different approach emphasizes the role of actions and their typical consequences for the emergence of the concept of causation and the application of the related term. A model of causation is proposed that highlights thefamily resemblancebetween causal actions and postulates that symbols are necessary forbinding together the different partially shared semantic features of subsetsof causal actions and their goals. Linguistic symbols are proposed to play a key role in binding the different subsets of semantic features of the abstract concept. The model is spelt out at the neuromechanistic level of distributed cortical circuits and the cognitive functions they carry. The model is discussed in light of behavioural and neuroscience evidence, and questions for future research are highlighted. In sum, taking causation as a concrete example, I argue that abstract concepts and words can be learnt and grounded in real-life interaction, and that the neurobiological mechanisms realizing such abstract semantic grounding are within our grasp.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain'.

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