Open AccessPriming words with pictures: Neural correlates of semantic associations in a cross‐modal priming task using fMRI
Author(s) -
Kircher Tilo,
Sass Katharina,
Sachs Olga,
Krach Sören
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.20833
Subject(s) - amodal perception , psychology , priming (agriculture) , neural correlates of consciousness , lexical decision task , modalities , semantic memory , cognitive psychology , stimulus modality , functional magnetic resonance imaging , modality (human–computer interaction) , cognition , neuroscience , audiology , computer science , artificial intelligence , sensory system , medicine , social science , botany , germination , sociology , biology
In our everyday life we process information from different modalities simultaneously with great ease. With the current study we had the following goals: to detect the neural correlates of (1) automatic semantic processing of associates and (2) to investigate the influence of different visual modalities on semantic processing. Stimuli were presented with a short SOA (350 ms) as subjects performed a lexical decision task. To minimize the variance and increase homogeneity within our sample, only male subjects were measured. Three experimental conditions were compared while brain activation was measured with a 3 T fMRI scanner: related word‐pairs (e.g., frame–picture ), unrelated word‐pairs (e.g., frame–car ) as well as word‐nonword pairs (e.g., frame–fubber ). They were presented uni‐ (word ‐word) and cross‐modally (picture–word). Behavioral data revealed a priming effect for cross‐modal and unimodal word‐pairs. On a neural level, the unimodal condition revealed response suppression in bilateral fronto‐parietal regions. Cross‐modal priming led to response suppression within the right inferior frontal gyrus. Common areas of deactivation for both modalities were found in bilateral fronto‐tempo‐parietal regions. These results suggest that the processing of semantic associations presented in different modalities lead to modality‐specific activation caused by early access routes. However, common activation for both modalities refers to a common neural network for semantic processing suggesting amodal processing. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.