Conceptual and Perceptual Dimensions of Word Meaning Are Recovered Rapidly and in Parallel during Reading

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Valentina BorghesaniManuela Piazza

Abstract

A single word (the noun "elephant") encapsulates a complex multidimensional meaning, including both perceptual ("big", "gray", "trumpeting") and conceptual ("mammal", "can be found in India") features. Opposing theories make different predictions as to whether different features (also conceivable as dimensions of the semantic space) are stored in similar neural regions and recovered with similar temporal dynamics during word reading. In this magnetoencephalography study, we tracked the brain activity of healthy human participants while reading single words varying orthogonally across three semantic dimensions: two perceptual ones (i.e., the average implied real-world size and the average strength of association with a prototypical sound) and a conceptual one (i.e., the semantic category). The results indicate that perceptual and conceptual representations are supported by partially segregated neural networks: Whereas visual and auditory dimensions are encoded in the phase coherence of low-frequency oscillations of occipital and superior temporal regions, respectively, semantic features are encoded in the power of low-frequency oscillations of anterior temporal and inferior parietal areas. However, despite the differences, these...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 14, 2020·Brain : a Journal of Neurology·Valentina BorghesaniSrikantan S Nagarajan
Feb 27, 2021·NeuroImage·Simone ViganòManuela Piazza

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