title: Shared neural processes support semantic control and action understanding.
abstract: Executive-semantic control and action understanding appear to recruit overlapping brain regions but existing evidence from neuroimaging meta-analyses and neuropsychology lacks spatial precision; we therefore manipulated difficulty and feature type (visual vs. action) in a single fMRI study. Harder judgements recruited an executive-semantic network encompassing medial and inferior frontal regions (including LIFG) and posterior temporal cortex (including pMTG). These regions partially overlapped with brain areas involved in action but not visual judgements. In LIFG, the peak responses to action and difficulty were spatially identical across participants, while these responses were overlapping yet spatially distinct in posterior temporal cortex. We propose that the co-activation of LIFG and pMTG allows the flexible retrieval of semantic information, appropriate to the current context; this might be necessary both for semantic control and understanding actions. Feature selection in difficult trials also recruited ventral occipital-temporal areas, not implicated in action understanding.
authors: Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK.
authors: James
authors: J
authors: Davey
authors: Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK.
authors: Shirley-Ann
authors: SA
authors: Rueschemeyer
authors: Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK.
authors: Alison
authors: A
authors: Costigan
authors: Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK.
authors: Nik
authors: N
authors: Murphy
authors: Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK.
authors: Katya
authors: K
authors: Krieger-Redwood
authors: Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK.
authors: Glyn
authors: G
authors: Hallam
authors: Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK. Electronic address: beth.jefferies@york.ac.uk.
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Jefferies
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D032882:Comprehension / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D012660:Semantics; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Action; Control; Executive; Semantic; fMRI