title: Where in the brain is nonliteral language? A coordinate-based meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies.
abstract: An increasing number of studies have investigated non-literal language, including metaphors, idioms, metonymy, or irony, with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, key questions regarding its neuroanatomy remain controversial. In this work, we used coordinate-based activation-likelihood estimations to merge available fMRI data on non-literal language. A literature search identified 38 fMRI studies on non-literal language (24 metaphor studies, 14 non-salient stimuli studies, 7 idiom studies, 8 irony studies, and 1 metonymy study). Twenty-eight studies with direct comparisons of non-literal and literal studies were included in the main meta-analysis. Sub-analyses for metaphors, idioms, irony, salient metaphors, and non-salient metaphors as well as studies on sentence level were conducted. Studies reported 409 activation foci, of which 129 (32%) were in the right hemisphere. These meta-analyses indicate that a predominantly left lateralised network, including the left and right inferior frontal gyrus; the left, middle, and superior temporal gyrus; and medial prefrontal, superior frontal, cerebellar, parahippocampal, precentral, and inferior parietal regions, is important for non-literal expressions.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Tuebingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany. Alexander.Rapp@med.uni-tuebingen.de
authors: Alexander M
authors: AM
authors: Rapp
authors: Dorothee E
authors: DE
authors: Mutschler
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Erb
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D063369:Knowledge Discovery; D007802:Language; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*