We've updated our Privacy Policy to make it clearer how we use your personal data. We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. You can read our Cookie Policy here.

Advertisement

Speeding up comprehension with grasping actions

Listen with
Speechify
0:00
Register for free to listen to this article
Thank you. Listen to this article using the player above.

Want to listen to this article for FREE?

Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.

Read time: 2 minutes

Researchers discover a catalyzer for cognition -


Privatdozent Dr. Dirk Koester and his colleagues report the findings of their discovery of a catalyzer for cognition in the journal PLoS One. According to the researchers, the method could offer an approach for new therapies, such as treating stroke patients.


See Also: Study investigates the significance of the vestibular system for optimization of motor coordination


"[The] latest theories in cognitive science research hypothesize that our memory also records physical sensations as part of the words stored," says Dirk Koester, who works in the Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) research group Neurocognition, Action and Biomechanics at Bielefeld University led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Schack.


"Similar to an entry in a reference book, the brain records a word like 'whisk', associating it with concepts such as 'inanimate' and 'kitchen device.' In addition to this, the brain connects the word to one's own experience—how a whisk feels, for instance, and that a spinning motion is related to it," he says.


In their new study conducted with 28 participants, Koester and his colleagues lend support for the thesis of the embodiment of knowledge.



With their new method, Privatdozent Dr. Dirk Koester and his colleagues show how grasping movements speed up the word comprehension. Credit: CITEC/Bielefeld University
 

Koester explains the central finding of their study: "When the study participants had to grasp an object while reading, their brain processed parts of the meaning of the words earlier than in previous studies in which words were evaluated without something being gripped."


Learn More: ‘Connector hubs’ are the champions of brain coordination


The participants sat in front of a computer screen, where three cubes were lying next to each other on the tabletop: one about the size of an apple, one the size of a table tennis ball, and one the size of a dice. On the screen behind the cubes, three white fields were displayed. Words then appeared in one of the fields on the screen—sometimes made-up words, sometimes real ones. When a pseudo-word such as "whask" was displayed, the participants did not have to do anything. But if a real noun like "orange" appeared, they were supposed to grip the cube corresponding to that respective field. An EEG electrode cap recorded brain activity, allowing the researchers to then evaluate how the word was processed.


As demonstrated in previous studies, it takes the brain a third of a second to process a word. "In our study, however, we were able to show that comprehension can already begin much earlier, after just a tenth of a second—if a grasping action is required," explains Koester. This study not only provides evidence that the brain has a common control center for language and movement, but "it also shows that our brain's processing steps shift very quickly and adjust to current tasks—in this case, the task of grasping something while reading."


Read Next: LocoMouse: Innovative tool sheds light on motor deficits


Koester believes that the findings from this study could also be used in the future for various therapies, such as treatments for aphasia, a language disorder that can occur after a stroke in which one's ability to comprehend or formulate words is impaired or lost.


"Similar as in our experiment, patients could practice words they cannot access by indicating not only verbally but also with grip movements to show they recognize a word. In short, motor training," explains Koester. "As such, one's knowledge of words would be strengthened through the 'back door' of motor control."


Note: Material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.


Bielefeld University   press release


Publication

Koester D, Schack T. Action Priority: Early Neurophysiological Interaction of Conceptual and Motor Representations.   PLoS One, Published December 14 2016. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165882