This project proposes three series of fMRI brain imaging studies to investigate high-level conceptual processes in text comprehension, particularly the comprehension of metaphor, irony, and causality. The operating characteristics of the cortical networks that underlie such processing are multifaceted, including the specification of which cortical areas activate, the time courses of their activation, and the patterns of synchronization across areas. The brain activation characteristics will be related to the underlying cognitive processes and to measures of behavioral performance, integrating the two levels of explanation. In particular, the studies will have the following specific aims, among others: ? To characterize the brain activation during the comprehension of novel, dynamically computed metaphors, in contrast to frozen metaphors (e.g. information highway) that are retrieved from memory, and in contrast to literal sentences that have no figurative meaning. 1- To determine the role of visual and auditory imagery in figurative language comprehension. 2- To examine how prosodic cues like a sarcastic tone are processed in the auditory comprehension of irony. 3- To determine how information about the emotional state of a speaker (e.g. jocular, bitter) is used to interpret an ironical utterance. 4- To examine how the relation between two events described in a text is computed, depending on whether the events are related by physical causality, social causality, serial order, or verb-based information. 5- To determine how causal connectives like Therefore affect the processing of causal relations between events described in a text. Finally, an overarching aim is to construct a common computational model within the theoretical framework that accounts for as many of the brain activation and behavioral findings as possible, postulating as small a number of plausible underlying mechanisms as possible. The research will provide tools for assessing patients with brain damage to parts of the language system and provide a basis for future therapies.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH029617-24
Application #
7321686
Study Section
Language and Communication Study Section (LCOM)
Program Officer
Rossi, Andrew
Project Start
1991-09-30
Project End
2009-11-30
Budget Start
2007-12-01
Budget End
2008-11-30
Support Year
24
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$159,523
Indirect Cost
Name
Carnegie-Mellon University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
052184116
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Just, Marcel Adam; Pan, Lisa; Cherkassky, Vladimir L et al. (2017) Machine learning of neural representations of suicide and emotion concepts identifies suicidal youth. Nat Hum Behav 1:911-919
Just, Marcel Adam; Wang, Jing; Cherkassky, Vladimir L (2017) Neural representations of the concepts in simple sentences: Concept activation prediction and context effects. Neuroimage 157:511-520
Bauer, Andrew James; Just, Marcel Adam (2017) A brain-based account of ""basic-level"" concepts. Neuroimage 161:196-205
Chase, Henry W; Segreti, Anna Maria; Keller, Timothy A et al. (2017) Alterations of functional connectivity and intrinsic activity within the cingulate cortex of suicidal ideators. J Affect Disord 212:78-85
Schipul, Sarah E; Just, Marcel Adam (2016) Diminished neural adaptation during implicit learning in autism. Neuroimage 125:332-341
Damarla, Saudamini Roy; Cherkassky, Vladimir L; Just, Marcel Adam (2016) Modality-independent representations of small quantities based on brain activation patterns. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1296-307
Kana, Rajesh K; Maximo, Jose O; Williams, Diane L et al. (2015) Aberrant functioning of the theory-of-mind network in children and adolescents with autism. Mol Autism 6:59
Mason, Robert A; Prat, Chantel S; Just, Marcel Adam (2014) Neurocognitive brain response to transient impairment of Wernicke's area. Cereb Cortex 24:1474-84
Buchweitz, Augusto; Mason, Robert A; Meschyan, Gayane et al. (2014) Modulation of cortical activity during comprehension of familiar and unfamiliar text topics in speed reading and speed listening. Brain Lang 139:49-57
Just, Marcel Adam; Cherkassky, Vladimir L; Buchweitz, Augusto et al. (2014) Identifying autism from neural representations of social interactions: neurocognitive markers of autism. PLoS One 9:e113879

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