Further lesion evidence for the neural basis of conceptual knowledge for persons and other concrete entities

Authors: Tranel, Daniel1; Feinstein, Justin1; Manzel, Kenneth1

Source: Journal of Neuropsychology, Volume 2, Number 1, March 2008 , pp. 301-320(20)

Publisher: British Psychological Society

Key:
Free Content - Free Content
New Content - New Content
Subscribed Content - Subscribed Content
Free Trial Content - Free Trial Content

Abstract:

The neural underpinnings of conceptual knowledge have been studied intensively, but many unanswered questions remain. In a previous study examining recognition of persons, animals, and tools in 116 participants with unilateral brain lesions, we found no instance of a patient who manifested defective recognition in all three categories. We reasoned that the spatial distribution of the lesion loci critical for the appearance of recognition defects for these different categories explained why this `three-way' defect could not be found in patients with unilateral lesions, and we proposed that only a suitable bilateral lesion would be likely to produce such a combined defect. In the study reported here, we tested this hypothesis by investigating recognition performances in 55 participants with bilateral cortical lesions. In support of the hypothesis, nine patients, all of whose lesions included bilateral occipitotemporal and/or temporal cortices, had a three-way recognition impairment (persons, M=18.3%; animals, M=35.7%; tools, M=71.3%; all scores >2 SDs below normal). As expected, bilateral lesions to other neural sectors, for example prefrontal cortices, did not lead to recognition impairments. These findings provide further support for the notion that retrieval of knowledge for concrete entities from different conceptual categories depends on partially segregated neural systems, located in different sectors of occipitotemporal and temporal regions in right and left hemisphere.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1348/174866407X227033

Affiliations: 1: Department of Neurology, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$27.40 plus tax      Refund Policy

 

OR

Back to top

Key:
Free Content - Free Content
New Content - New Content
Subscribed Content - Subscribed Content
Free Trial Content - Free Trial Content
Share this item with others: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
Page Help Click here for Page Help
Shopping cart
Tools
Sign in






Need to register?
Sign up here
Text size: A | A | A | A