Journal
NEUROREPORT
Volume 24, Issue 12, Pages 646-651Publisher
LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS
DOI: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e3283631467
Keywords
event-related potentials; N400; semantic embodiment; transcranial magnetic stimulation
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Funding
- European Research Council [ERC-SG-209704]
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Reading action verbs is associated with activity in the motor cortices involved in performing the corresponding actions. Here, we present new evidence that the motor cortex is involved in semantic processing of bodily action verbs. In contrast to previous studies, we used a direct, nonbehavioural index of semantic processing after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Participants saw pairs of hand-related (e.g. to grab-to point) or mouth-related (e.g. to speak-to sing) verbs, whereas semantic priming was assessed using event-related potentials. Presentation of the first verb coincided with rTMS over the participant's cortical-left hand area and event-related brain potentials were analysed time-locked to the presentation onset of the second verb. Semantic integration - indexed by the N400 brain potential - was impaired for hand-related but not for mouth-related verb pairs after rTMS. This finding provides strong evidence that the motor cortex is involved in semantic encoding of action verbs, and supports the embodied semantics' hypothesis.
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