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Updated: May 10, 2026
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Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks
Published on: December 5, 2014
Sensorimotor semantics on the spot: brain activity dissociates between conceptual categories within 150 ms
Rachel L Moseley1, Friedemann Pulvermüller, Yury Shtyrov
1MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK. rachel.moseley@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
Scientific Reports
|June 5, 2013
Summary
Early brain responses to word meaning are faster than previously thought. Action words activate motor areas, while object words activate visual cortex around 150 ms, revealing distinct neural sources.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Semantic processing traditionally linked to late brain responses (350-400 ms).
- Recent studies suggest earlier semantic processing (100-200 ms), but with imprecise methods.
- Need for precise source localization to validate early semantic effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate early, category-specific semantic processing using advanced neuroimaging.
- To compare brain activations for different word categories at early time points.
- To validate the topographical differences in neural sources for semantic processing.
Main Methods:
- High-density magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) recordings.
- Individual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for precise source reconstruction.
- State-of-the-art source localization techniques applied to word stimuli.
Main Results:
- Reliable neurophysiological dissociations between word categories observed bilaterally around 150 ms.
- Action-related words strongly activated frontocentral motor areas.
- Visual object-words preferentially activated occipitotemporal cortex.
Conclusions:
- Different cortical areas are rapidly activated by words with distinct meanings.
- Early semantic processing reflects category-specific information in distinct neural systems.
- Advanced source localization confirms early, topographically distinct semantic brain responses.
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