title: Contextual modulation of hippocampal activity during picture naming.
abstract: Picture naming is a standard task used to probe language processes in healthy and impaired speakers. It recruits a broad neural network of language related areas, among which the hippocampus is rarely included. However, the hippocampus could play a role during picture naming, subtending, for example, implicit learning of the links between pictured objects and their names. To test this hypothesis, we recorded hippocampal activity during plain picture naming, without memorization requirement; we further assessed whether this activity was modulated by contextual factors such as repetition priming and semantic interference. Local field potentials recorded from intracerebral electrodes implanted in the healthy hippocampi of epileptic patients revealed a specific and reliable pattern of activity, markedly modulated by repetition priming and semantic context. These results indicate that the hippocampus is recruited during picture naming, presumably in relation to implicit learning, with contextual factors promoting differential hippocampal processes, possibly subtended by different sub-circuitries.
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, Institut des Neurosciences des Systemes, Marseille, France; Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, UMR7290, LPC, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Llorens
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, Institut des Neurosciences des Systemes, Marseille, France; Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, UMR7290, LPC, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: A-S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Dubarry
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, Institut des Neurosciences des Systemes, Marseille, France; AP-HM, Neurophysiologie Clinique, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trébuchon
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, Institut des Neurosciences des Systemes, Marseille, France; AP-HM, Neurophysiologie Clinique, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chauvel
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, UMR7290, LPC, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: F-X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Alario
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Univ, Inserm, Institut des Neurosciences des Systemes, Marseille, France. Electronic address: Catherine.Liegeois-Chauvel@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liégeois-Chauvel
mesh_terms: D004566:Electrodes; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D060865:Repetition Priming / Q000502:physiology; D012660:Semantics; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Implicit learning; Language production; Repetition; SEEG; Semantics