Sensory-Motor Systems and Conceptual Processing in the Healthy and Impaired Brain

描述（由申请人提供）：概念（“语义”）知识是语言和思维的重要组成部分。在许多常见的神经和精神疾病中，包括中风、痴呆、颞叶癫痫和精神分裂症，这一复杂系统的崩溃对生活质量产生了毁灭性的影响。了解这些信息是如何组织的，在大脑中的代表，并受到神经病理学的影响是研究的一个主要焦点。在过去的二十年里，人们对那些认为感知运动体验和语言之间存在密切联系的理论重新产生了兴趣。这些理论认为，概念知识是“体现”，或直接依赖于，感觉运动系统。这些理论是有争议的，因为它们与旧的观点形成鲜明对比，旧的观点认为概念是抽象的，非模态的，符号化的，并且在大脑的感觉运动系统之外实现。概念知识的发展理论提出了几个基本问题：（1）感觉运动系统与概念之间的联系的本质是什么？感觉-运动系统的哪些组成部分参与其中，以及处理哪些类型的知识？(2)概念系统和感知/行动系统之间的关系是仅限于联想，还是必不可少的？感觉-运动系统是概念加工所必需的吗？或者它们被激活（如最近的神经成像研究所见）仅仅是因为它们与概念高度相关？提出这些问题不仅对理解这一重要系统的性质具有重要意义，而且对更深入地了解概念障碍患者所经历的缺陷也具有重要意义，这是制定知情和有效康复治疗的关键一步。拟议的研究将检查感觉运动系统在健康和受损大脑的概念处理中的作用，使用最先进的方法，包括功能性磁共振成像（fMRI），经颅磁刺激（TMS）以及对完整和脑损伤人群的行为研究。前三个具体目标是阐明感觉-运动系统在语言处理中的影响程度，测试来自较强和较弱版本的体验性理论的预测。目标4和5解决了中心性问题，提供了强有力的测试，在何种程度上需要的感觉运动信息理解相关的表达。具体目标是：（1）研究感觉-运动经验和视角在概念加工中的作用;（2）研究感觉-运动系统与抽象语言的关系;（3）检查空间和时间的概念表征;（4）研究感觉-运动经颅磁刺激对概念表征的影响;（5）研究运动系统病理患者的概念知识。 公共卫生相关性：在许多常见的神经和精神疾病中，包括中风、痴呆、颞叶癫痫和精神分裂症，大脑中概念系统的崩溃对生活质量有着毁灭性的影响。了解这些信息是如何组织的，在大脑中的代表，并受到神经病理学的影响是研究的一个主要焦点。拟议中的项目将开始回答有关语言在多大程度上具有感觉运动基础的基本问题，以及大脑损伤引起的语言障碍是否部分是由于这些神经系统的损伤。提出这些问题不仅对理解这一重要系统的性质具有重要意义，而且对更深入地了解概念障碍患者所经历的缺陷也具有重要意义，这是制定知情和有效康复治疗的关键一步。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Conceptual ("semantic") knowledge is an essential component of language and thinking. The breakdown of this complex system in many common neurological and psychiatric disorders, including stroke, dementia, temporal lobe epilepsy, and schizophrenia, has a devastating impact on quality of life. Understanding how this information is organized, represented in the brain, and affected by neuropathology is a major focus of research. In the last two decades, there has been a resurgence of interest in theories that suggest a close tie between perceptual-motor experience and language. These theories suggest that conceptual knowledge is "embodied," or directly relies on, sensory-motor systems. Such theories are controversial because they contrast with the older view that concepts are abstract, amodal, and symbolic, and implemented outside the brain's sensory-motor systems. Embodied theories of conceptual knowledge raise several fundamental questions: (1) What is the nature of the association between sensory-motor systems and concepts? Which components of the sensory-motor systems are involved, and in processing which types of knowledge? (2) Is the relationship between conceptual and perception/action systems limited to association, or is it essential? Are sensory-motor systems necessary for conceptual processing, or are they activated (as seen in recent neuroimaging studies) only because they are highly associated with concepts? Answering these questions has critical implications not only for understanding the nature of this vital system, but also for developing a deeper understanding of the deficits experienced by patients with conceptual impairments, a critical step in developing informed and effective rehabilitation therapies. The proposed research will examine the role of sensory-motor systems in conceptual processing in both the healthy and the impaired brain, using state-of-the-art methods including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and behavioral studies of intact and brain-injured populations. The first three specific aims are concerned with elucidating the extent to which sensory-motor systems are implicated in language processing, testing predictions derived from stronger and weaker versions of the Embodiment theory. Aims 4 and 5 address the issue of centrality, providing strong tests of the extent to which sensory-motor information is required for comprehending relevant expressions. The specific aims are: (1) to study the role of sensory-motor experience and perspective in conceptual processing, (2) study the relationship between sensory-motor systems and abstract language, (3) to examine the conceptual representation of space and time, (4) to study the effects of sensory-motor TMS on conceptual representations, and (5) to study conceptual knowledge in patients with motor system pathology. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The breakdown of the conceptual system in the brain in many common neurological and psychiatric disorders, including stroke, dementia, temporal lobe epilepsy, and schizophrenia, has a devastating impact on quality of life. Understanding how this information is organized, represented in the brain, and affected by neuropathology is a major focus of research. The proposed project will begin to answer essential questions about the degree to which language has a sensory-motor basis, and whether language impairments due to brain injury arise in part because of damage to these neural systems. Answering these questions has critical implications not only for understanding the nature of this vital system, but also for developing a deeper understanding of the deficits experienced by patients with conceptual impairments, a critical step in developing informed and effective rehabilitation therapies.