Neuroimaging of Metaphor Processing

描述(由申请人提供)：隐喻和其他比喻语言在语言中频繁出现，并能对对象、人或事件进行简洁而生动的描述。理解比喻语言的失败可能会对语言的理解和产出产生巨大影响，并可能导致社会孤立和自尊下降。即使大脑损伤没有导致失语症，比喻语言处理也可能受到损害。尽管比喻语言在人类交际中的重要性，但大多数语言研究都集中在字面语言上，导致对支持比喻语言的神经基础的了解有限。临床、行为和神经成像研究支持右脑参与隐喻加工。然而，是否是隐喻本身吸引了右脑的参与，还是其他因素在比喻-字面维度上的共同变化引发了右脑的参与，这一问题仍存在争议。分级突显假说提出，当加工低突显的语言时，右脑重新招募；当加工高突显的语言时，左脑重新招募。影响显著和半球招募的两个因素是语义关联性和语境。本研究的第一个目标是利用功能磁共振成像(FMRI)通过操纵隐喻和字面句子中的新颖性来研究语义关联性对大脑半球招募的影响。熟悉的短语，由于其共同出现的性质，可以在词典中建立密切的语义关系。相比之下，新奇的短语需要概念的动态整合。语义关联性将通过检查熟悉的和新奇的隐喻，以及包含宾语的典型和创新用法的句子来操纵。本研究的第二个目标是使用功能磁共振成像来研究在隐喻和文字语言加工过程中，语境对大脑半球招募的影响。上下文可以提供便于后续文本处理的框架。通过在隐喻和字面句子中添加相关和不相关的句子语境来操纵突显。 公共卫生相关性：通过提高我们对隐喻处理和语言的神经基础的基本知识，公共卫生将从拟议的研究中受益。这项研究将有助于我们理解和治疗患有特定语言障碍的儿童和因脑损伤而导致后天语言障碍的成人。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Metaphors, and other figurative language, occur frequently in language and can provide a succinct and vivid description of an object, person, or event. Failures in understanding figurative language can have a dramatic impact on language comprehension and production, and can lead to social isolation and decreased self-esteem. Even when brain injuries do not result in aphasia, figurative language processing can be impaired. Despite the importance of figurative language in human communication, most language research focuses on literal language, resulting in a limited understanding of the neural foundation that supports figurative language. Clinical, behavioral, and neuro imaging research support right hemisphere involvement in metaphor processing. However, there is debate over whether it is metaphors per se that engage the right hemisphere or if other factors that co-vary along the figurative-literal dimension elicit right hemisphere engagement. The Graded Salience Hypothesis proposes right hemisphere recruitment when processing language that is low in salience, and left hemisphere recruitment when processing language that is high in salience. Two factors that may influence salience and hemispheric recruitment are semantic relatedness and context. The first goal of this proposal is to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the influence of semantic relatedness on hemispheric recruitment by manipulating novelty in metaphors and literal sentences. Familiar phrases, by nature of their common occurrence can establish close semantic relationships in the lexicon. In contrast, novel phrases require dynamic integration of concepts. Semantic relatedness will be manipulated by examining familiar and novel metaphors, and sentences containing typical and innovative uses of objects. The second goal of this proposal is to use fMRI to investigate the influence of context on hemispheric recruitment during metaphor and literal language processing. Context can provide a framework which facilitates the processing of subsequent text. Salience will be manipulated by adding related and unrelated sentential context to metaphors and literal sentences. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Public health will benefit from the proposed research by improving our basic knowledge of the neural foundations of metaphor processing and language in general. This research will facilitate our ability to understand and treat children with specific language impairments and adults with acquired language impairments that result from brain damage.