title: Visual imagery while reading concrete and abstract Japanese kanji words: an fMRI study.
abstract: Neuroimaging studies have investigated differences in neural correlates between abstract and concrete concepts but this has not been done with Japanese participants. Concrete words have higher imageability than abstract words, such that they elicit more visual imagery. The present study used functional MRI to investigate brain activity of Japanese participants (N=16) during generation of visual images for written concrete or abstract Japanese kanji words. Concrete words elicited significantly more activation than abstract words in the left middle frontal gyrus (LMFG), bilateral superior frontal gyrus, and left fusiform gyrus (LFG). Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses were performed to assess LMFG and LFG functional connections. LMFG activity was accompanied by increased functional interaction with the left superior parietal lobule (LSPL), and LFG activity was accompanied by increased functional interaction with the LMFG. This finding suggests that the LMFG plays an important role in visual imagery, with interactions between this region and both the LSPL and LFG.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan; Matsuda Hospital, 4-13-7 Midori, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-0005, Japan.
authors: Atsuko
authors: A
authors: Hayashi
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
authors: Yasumasa
authors: Y
authors: Okamoto
authors: Otemon Gakuin University Faculty of Psychology, 2-1-15 Nishiai, Ibaraki City, Osaka 567-8502, Japan.
authors: Shinpei
authors: S
authors: Yoshimura
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
authors: Atsuo
authors: A
authors: Yoshino
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
authors: Shigeru
authors: S
authors: Toki
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.
authors: Hidehisa
authors: H
authors: Yamashita
authors: Matsuda Hospital, 4-13-7 Midori, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-0005, Japan.
authors: Fumio
authors: F
authors: Matsuda
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Graduate School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan. Electronic address: yamawaki@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
authors: Shigeto
authors: S
authors: Yamawaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D007564:Japan; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Abstract; Concrete; Imageability; Kanji word; fMRI