articleJournal of Cognitive NeuroscienceMay 28, 2005Closed access

Distinct Brain Systems for Processing Concrete and Abstract Concepts

JRJeffrey R. BinderCWChris WestburyKMK.A. McKiernanETEdward T. PossingDADavid A. Medler

Medical College of Wisconsin · University of Alberta

PubMed
Indexed incrossrefpubmed

Abstract

Behavioral and neurophysiological effects of word imageability and concreteness remain a topic of central interest in cognitive neuroscience and could provide essential clues for understanding how the brain processes conceptual knowledge. We examined these effects using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants identified concrete and abstract words. Relative to nonwords, concrete and abstract words both activated a left-lateralized network of multimodal association areas previously linked with verbal semantic processing. Areas in the left lateral temporal lobe were equally activated by both word types, whereas bilateral regions including the angular gyrus and the dorsal prefrontal…

Citation impact

674
total citations
FWCI
8.42
Percentile
100%
References
67
Citations per year

Authors

5

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Concreteness
  • Psychology
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Semantic memory
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging
  • Association (psychology)
  • Angular gyrus
  • Cognition
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Quality Education
No related works found for this paper.

Funding