The neurobiology of semantic memory. Trends Cogn Sci 2011 Nov;15(11):527-36
Date
10/18/2011Pubmed ID
22001867Pubmed Central ID
PMC3350748DOI
10.1016/j.tics.2011.10.001Scopus ID
2-s2.0-82455162488 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 1302 CitationsAbstract
Semantic memory includes all acquired knowledge about the world and is the basis for nearly all human activity, yet its neurobiological foundation is only now becoming clear. Recent neuroimaging studies demonstrate two striking results: the participation of modality-specific sensory, motor, and emotion systems in language comprehension, and the existence of large brain regions that participate in comprehension tasks but are not modality-specific. These latter regions, which include the inferior parietal lobe and much of the temporal lobe, lie at convergences of multiple perceptual processing streams. These convergences enable increasingly abstract, supramodal representations of perceptual experience that support a variety of conceptual functions including object recognition, social cognition, language, and the remarkable human capacity to remember the past and imagine the future.
Author List
Binder JR, Desai RHAuthor
Jeffrey R. Binder MD Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsBrain
Brain Mapping
Humans
Memory
Neurobiology
Semantics
Verbal Learning