RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Enhancing Motor Brain Activity Improves Memory for Action Language: A tDCS Study
A1 Vitale, Francesca
A1 Padrón González, Iván
A1 Avenanti, Alessio
A1 Vega Rodríguez, Manuel de
K1 action language
K1 embodied cognition
K1 memory
K1 motor cortex
K1 transcranial direct current stimulation
AB The embodied cognition approach to linguistic meaning posits that action language understanding is grounded insensory–motor systems. However, evidence that the human motor cortex is necessary for action language memory ismeager. To address this issue, in two groups of healthy individuals, we perturbed the left primary motor cortex (M1) bymeans of either anodal or cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), before participants had to memorize listsof manual action and attentional sentences. In each group, participants received sham and active tDCS in two separatesessions. Following anodal tDCS (a-tDCS), participants improved the recall of action sentences compared with sham tDCS.No similar effects were detected following cathodal tDCS (c-tDCS). Both a-tDCS and c-tDCS induced variable changes inmotor excitability, as measured by motor-evoked potentials induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation. Remarkably,across groups, action-specific memory improvements were positively predicted by changes in motor excitability. Weprovide evidence that excitatory modulation of the motor cortex selectively improves performance in a task requiringcomprehension and memory of action sentences. These findings indicate that M1 is necessary for accurate processing oflinguistic meanings and thus provide causal evidence that high-order cognitive functions are grounded in the humanmotor system.
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/35598
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/35598
LA en
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 15-jun-2024