Do not resonate with actions: sentence polarity modulates cortico-spinal excitability during action-related sentence reading.
BACKGROUND: Theories of embodied language suggest that the motor system is differentially called into action when processing motor-related versus abstract content words or sentences. It has been recently shown that processing negative polarity action-related sentences modulates neural activity of pr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2011-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3037953?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1828878897460019200 |
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| author | Marco Tullio Liuzza Matteo Candidi Salvatore Maria Aglioti |
| author_facet | Marco Tullio Liuzza Matteo Candidi Salvatore Maria Aglioti |
| author_sort | Marco Tullio Liuzza |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BACKGROUND: Theories of embodied language suggest that the motor system is differentially called into action when processing motor-related versus abstract content words or sentences. It has been recently shown that processing negative polarity action-related sentences modulates neural activity of premotor and motor cortices. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We sought to determine whether reading negative polarity sentences brought about differential modulation of cortico-spinal motor excitability depending on processing hand-action related or abstract sentences. Facilitatory paired-pulses Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (pp-TMS) was applied to the primary motor representation of the right-hand and the recorded amplitude of induced motor-evoked potentials (MEP) was used to index M1 activity during passive reading of either hand-action related or abstract content sentences presented in both negative and affirmative polarity. Results showed that the cortico-spinal excitability was affected by sentence polarity only in the hand-action related condition. Indeed, in keeping with previous TMS studies, reading positive polarity, hand action-related sentences suppressed cortico-spinal reactivity. This effect was absent when reading hand action-related negative polarity sentences. Moreover, no modulation of cortico-spinal reactivity was associated with either negative or positive polarity abstract sentences. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that grammatical cues prompting motor negation reduce the cortico-spinal suppression associated with affirmative action sentences reading and thus suggest that motor simulative processes underlying the embodiment may involve even syntactic features of language. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T09:15:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-45a3a8fa64fd4b87b70560061b473620 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T09:15:49Z |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-45a3a8fa64fd4b87b70560061b4736202022-12-21T23:52:50ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032011-01-0162e1685510.1371/journal.pone.0016855Do not resonate with actions: sentence polarity modulates cortico-spinal excitability during action-related sentence reading.Marco Tullio LiuzzaMatteo CandidiSalvatore Maria AgliotiBACKGROUND: Theories of embodied language suggest that the motor system is differentially called into action when processing motor-related versus abstract content words or sentences. It has been recently shown that processing negative polarity action-related sentences modulates neural activity of premotor and motor cortices. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We sought to determine whether reading negative polarity sentences brought about differential modulation of cortico-spinal motor excitability depending on processing hand-action related or abstract sentences. Facilitatory paired-pulses Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (pp-TMS) was applied to the primary motor representation of the right-hand and the recorded amplitude of induced motor-evoked potentials (MEP) was used to index M1 activity during passive reading of either hand-action related or abstract content sentences presented in both negative and affirmative polarity. Results showed that the cortico-spinal excitability was affected by sentence polarity only in the hand-action related condition. Indeed, in keeping with previous TMS studies, reading positive polarity, hand action-related sentences suppressed cortico-spinal reactivity. This effect was absent when reading hand action-related negative polarity sentences. Moreover, no modulation of cortico-spinal reactivity was associated with either negative or positive polarity abstract sentences. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that grammatical cues prompting motor negation reduce the cortico-spinal suppression associated with affirmative action sentences reading and thus suggest that motor simulative processes underlying the embodiment may involve even syntactic features of language.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3037953?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Marco Tullio Liuzza Matteo Candidi Salvatore Maria Aglioti Do not resonate with actions: sentence polarity modulates cortico-spinal excitability during action-related sentence reading. PLoS ONE |
| title | Do not resonate with actions: sentence polarity modulates cortico-spinal excitability during action-related sentence reading. |
| title_full | Do not resonate with actions: sentence polarity modulates cortico-spinal excitability during action-related sentence reading. |
| title_fullStr | Do not resonate with actions: sentence polarity modulates cortico-spinal excitability during action-related sentence reading. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do not resonate with actions: sentence polarity modulates cortico-spinal excitability during action-related sentence reading. |
| title_short | Do not resonate with actions: sentence polarity modulates cortico-spinal excitability during action-related sentence reading. |
| title_sort | do not resonate with actions sentence polarity modulates cortico spinal excitability during action related sentence reading |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3037953?pdf=render |
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