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

描述(申请人提供)：概念性(“语义”)知识是语言和思维的重要组成部分。这一复杂系统在许多常见的神经和精神疾病中的崩溃，包括中风、痴呆症、颞叶癫痫和精神分裂症，对生活质量有毁灭性的影响。了解这些信息是如何组织的，在大脑中是如何表现的，并受到神经病理学的影响是研究的一个主要重点。在过去的二十年里，人们对那些认为知觉-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。这些理论表明，概念性知识是“具体化的”，或者说直接依赖于感觉-运动系统。这样的理论是有争议的，因为它们与旧的观点形成对比，旧的观点认为概念是抽象的、无规律的和象征性的，并在大脑的感觉-运动系统之外实现。概念知识的经验论提出了几个基本问题：(1)感觉-运动系统和概念之间的联系的性质是什么？涉及到感觉-运动系统的哪些组成部分，以及在处理哪些类型的知识？(2)概念系统和知觉/行为系统之间的关系是仅限于联系，还是必不可少的？感觉-运动系统对于概念加工是必要的，还是它们被激活(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？回答这些问题不仅对于理解这一重要系统的性质具有重要意义，而且对于加深对概念障碍患者所经历的缺陷的理解也具有重要意义，这是开发知情和有效的康复治疗的关键一步。这项拟议的研究将使用最先进的方法，包括功能磁共振成像(FMRI)、经颅磁刺激(TMS)以及对完好和脑损伤人群的行为研究，研究感觉-运动系统在健康和受损大脑中的概念加工中的作用。前三个具体目标是阐明感觉-运动系统在语言处理中的牵连程度，检验从体现理论的较强和较弱版本中得出的预测。目标4和目标5解决中心性问题，对理解相关表情所需的感觉-运动信息的程度提供强有力的测试。具体目的是：(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)考察空间和时间的概念表征；(4)研究感觉-运动记忆对概念表征的影响；(5)研究运动系统病理患者的概念性知识。 公共卫生相关性：在许多常见的神经和精神疾病中，大脑概念系统的崩溃，包括中风、痴呆症、颞叶癫痫和精神分裂症，对生活质量有毁灭性的影响。了解这些信息是如何组织的，在大脑中是如何表现的，并受到神经病理学的影响是研究的一个主要重点。拟议中的项目将开始回答一些基本问题，如语言在多大程度上具有感觉-运动基础，以及大脑损伤导致的语言障碍是否部分是由于这些神经系统的损伤。回答这些问题不仅对于理解这一重要系统的性质具有重要意义，而且对于加深对概念障碍患者所经历的缺陷的理解也具有重要意义，这是开发知情和有效的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.