Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026
08:05
Testing Tactile Masking between the Forearms
Published on: February 10, 2016
Metaphorically feeling: comprehending textural metaphors activates somatosensory cortex
Simon Lacey1, Randall Stilla, K Sathian
1Department of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Brain and Language
|February 7, 2012
Summary
Metaphor comprehension is grounded in physical experience. Brain imaging reveals that processing textural metaphors activates texture-specific sensory areas, supporting this perceptual grounding.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Linguistics
- Psychology
Background:
- Conceptual metaphor theory posits that abstract concepts are understood via physical experiences.
- Sensory cortices process object properties distinctly, enabling investigation of metaphor processing.
- Understanding how metaphors are processed in the brain is key to cognitive science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if metaphor processing recruits domain-specific sensory cortex.
- To investigate the neural basis of perceptually grounded metaphors.
- To examine the role of somatosensory cortex in processing textural metaphors.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
- Participants processed sentences containing textural metaphors and matched literal sentences.
- Brain activation patterns in the somatosensory cortex were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Activation in texture-selective somatosensory cortex was observed when processing textural metaphors.
- This activation was significantly higher compared to processing literal sentences.
- Findings indicate a specific neural response to metaphorical texture descriptions.
Conclusions:
- Metaphor comprehension is perceptually grounded in sensory experiences.
- The somatosensory cortex plays a role in processing metaphors related to physical properties like texture.
- This research supports embodied cognition theories of language understanding.
Related Concept Videos
01:33Somatosensation
The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
01:23Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...
01:11Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
01:27Tactile and Chemical Senses
Tactile senses encompass touch, temperature, and pain, each mediated by specific receptors. Touch receptors detect mechanical energy or pressure against the skin. Sensory fibers from these receptors enter the spinal cord and relay information to the brain stem. Here, most fibers cross over to the opposite side of the brain. The touch information then moves to the thalamus, which projects a map of the body's surface onto the somatosensory areas of the parietal lobes in the cerebral cortex. This...
01:27Synesthesia
Synesthesia is a remarkable condition where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. People with synesthesia experience a blending or crossing of their senses, such as sight and sound, leading to cross-modal sensations. In this condition, the stimulation of one sense, such as hearing a number or musical note, triggers an experience of another sense, like sensing a specific color, taste, or smell. People...
01:14Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.