The associative-semantic network for words and pictures: effective connectivity and graph analysis.
Explicit associative-semantic processing of words and pictures activates a distributed set of brain areas that has been replicated across a wide range of studies. We applied graph analysis to examine the structure of this network. We determined how the left ventral occipitotemporal transition zone (vOT) was connected to word-specific areas. A modularity analysis discerned four communities: one corresponded to the classical perisylvian language system, including superior temporal sulcus (STS), middle temporal gyrus (GTm) and pars triangularis of the inferior frontal gyrus (GFi), among other nodes. A second subsystem consisted of vOT and anterior fusiform gyrus along with hippocampus and intraparietal sulcus. The two subsystems were linked through a unique connection between vOT and GTm, which were hubs with a high betweenness centrality compared to STS and GFi which had a high local clustering coefficient. Graph analysis reveals novel insights into the structure of the network for associative-semantic processing.
Laboratory for Cognitive Neurology, University of Leuven, Belgium; Neurology Department, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: Rik.Vandenberghe@uz.kuleuven.ac.be.
Rik
R
Vandenberghe
Yu
Y
Wang
Natalie
N
Nelissen
Mathieu
M
Vandenbulcke
Thijs
T
Dhollander
Stefan
S
Sunaert
Patrick
P
Dupont
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012660:Semantics; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*