Anterior temporal cortex and semantic memory: reconciling findings from neuropsychology and functional imaging.
Studies of semantic impairment arising from brain disease suggest that the anterior temporal lobes are critical for semantic abilities in humans; yet activation of these regions is rarely reported in functional imaging studies of healthy controls performing semantic tasks. Here, we combined neuropsychological and PET functional imaging data to show that when healthy subjects identify concepts at a specific level, the regions activated correspond to the site of maximal atrophy in patients with relatively pure semantic impairment. The stimuli were color photographs of common animals or vehicles, and the task was category verification at specific (e.g., robin), intermediate (e.g., bird), or general (e.g., animal) levels. Specific, relative to general, categorization activated the antero-lateral temporal cortices bilaterally, despite matching of these experimental conditions for difficulty. Critically, in patients with atrophy in precisely these areas, the most pronounced deficit was in the retrieval of specific semantic information.
Rogers
Timothy T
TT
MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, England, USA. ttrogers@wisc.edu
Hocking
Julia
J
Noppeney
Uta
U
Mechelli
Andrea
A
Gorno-Tempini
Maria Luisa
ML
Patterson
Karalyn
K
Price
Cathy J
CJ
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011930:Reaction Time; D012660:Semantics; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology