Language and motor cortex response to comprehending accidental and intentional action sentences

Kana, Rajesh K.; Ammons, Carla J.; Doss, Constance F.; Waite, Megan E.; Kana, Bhumika; Herringshaw, Abbey J.; Ver Hoef, Lawrence

doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.08.020

Cited by 15Action Observation and SynchronizationNeurobiology of Language and BilingualismLanguage, Metaphor, and Cognition

Language and motor cortex response to comprehending accidental and intentional action sentences

Kana, Rajesh K., Ammons, Carla J., Doss, Constance F., Waite, Megan E., Kana, Bhumika, Herringshaw, Abbey J., Ver Hoef, Lawrence·2015·Neuropsychologia

DOI 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.08.020

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Understanding the meaning of others' actions involves mentally simulating those actions by oneself. Embodied theories of language espouse a prominent role for motor simulation in reading comprehension, especially when words, sentences, or narratives portray everyday actions. Inherent in these actions is the level of agency of the actor. Motor cortex activity in response to processing action verbs has been relatively well-established. What has been less explored, however, are: (1) the neural bases of determining whether an action is intentional or accidental (agency); and (2) whether agency influences level of motor simulation. This functional MRI study investigated how language and motor areas of the brain respond to sentences depicting intentional versus accidental action. 25 healthy adults read a series of sentences in the MRI scanner and determined whether the actions described were accidental or intentional. The main results include: (1) left hemisphere language areas (left inferior frontal gyrus, LIFG; left superior temporal gyrus, LSTG), premotor cortex (PM), and presupplementary motor area (pSMA) were strongly activated by both sentence types; (2) processing accidental action, relative to intentional action, elicited greater activity in LIFG, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), and left amygdala; no statistically significant activity was found in the opposite contrast; and (3) greater percent signal change was observed in LIFG while processing accidental action and in right precentral gyrus for intentional action. The results of this study support language and motor region involvement in action sentence comprehension in accordance with embodiment theories. Additionally, it provides new insight into the linguistic, integrative, and emotional demands of comprehending accidental action, its underlying neural circuitry, and its relationship to intentionality bias: the predisposition to ascribe purpose to action.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.08.020

Cites

44 of 44 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

The precentral gyrus is involved in intentional motor activity.
“Meanwhile, the precentral gyrus is involved in intentional motor activity (Kana et al., 2015).”
From Changes in functional connectivity following treatment with emotion regulation therapy (2019) · cites this paper as Kana et al., 2015

The assessment and analysis of handedness: The Edinburgh inventory
Oldfield, R. C. (1971) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/0028-3932(71)90067-4 · Cited by 35,900 · see citing works
How To Do Things With Words
Austin, J. L. (1975) · doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198245537.001.0001 · Cited by 21,496 · see citing works
AFNI: Software for analysis and visualization of functional magnetic resonance neuroimages
Cox, R. W. (1996) · Computers and Biomedical Research · doi:10.1006/cbmr.1996.0014 · Cited by 10,913 · see citing works
THE MIRROR-NEURON SYSTEM
Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144230 · Cited by 7,433 · see citing works
Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence
Dumont, R., Willis, J. O., Veizel, K., & Zibulsky, J. (2014) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118660584.ese2519 · Cited by 5,547 · see citing works
An automated method for neuroanatomic and cytoarchitectonic atlas-based interrogation of fMRI data sets
Maldjian, J. A., Laurienti, P. J., Kraft, R., & Burdette, J. H. (2003) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00169-1 · Cited by 5,066 · see citing works
The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences
Baron-Cohen, S., & Wheelwright, S. (2004) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1023/b:jadd.0000022607.19833.00 · Cited by 4,093 · see citing works
The amygdala: vigilance and emotion
Davis, M., & Whalen, P. J. (2001) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/sj.mp.4000812 · Cited by 2,882 · see citing works
Moving beyond Kučera and Francis: A critical evaluation of current word frequency norms and the introduction of a new and improved word frequency measure for American English
Brysbaert, M., & New, B. (2009) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/brm.41.4.977 · Cited by 2,821 · see citing works
The Brain's concepts: the role of the Sensory-motor system in conceptual knowledge
Gallese †, V., & Lakoff, G. (2005) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/02643290442000310 · Cited by 2,726 · see citing works
Somatotopic Representation of Action Words in Human Motor and Premotor Cortex
Hauk, O., Johnsrude, I. S., & Friedemann Pulvermüller, A. (2004) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(03)00838-9 · Cited by 2,196 · see citing works
The Neural Basis of Mentalizing
Frith, C. D., & Frith, U. (2006) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2006.05.001 · Cited by 1,855 · see citing works
On Broca, brain, and binding: A new framework
Hagoort, P. (2005) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.07.004 · Cited by 1,411 · see citing works
Integration of word meaning and world knowledge in language comprehension
Hagoort, P., Hald, L., Bastiaansen, M., & Petersson, K. M. (2004) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1095455 · Cited by 1,396 · see citing works
Understanding others' actions and goals by mirror and mentalizing systems: a meta-analysis
Van Overwalle, F., & Baetens, K. (2009) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.06.009 · Cited by 1,329 · see citing works
Words in the brain's language
Pulvermüller, F. (1999) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x9900182x · Cited by 1,284 · see citing works
Grounding conceptual knowledge in modality-specific systems
Barsalou, L. W., Kyle Simmons, W., Barbey, A. K., & Wilson, C. D. (2003) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/s1364-6613(02)00029-3 · Cited by 1,256 · see citing works
Listening to Action-related Sentences Activates Fronto-parietal Motor Circuits
Tettamanti, M., Buccino, G., Saccuman, M. C., Gallese, V., Danna, M., Scifo, P., Fazio, F., Rizzolatti, G., Cappa, S. F., & Perani, D. (2005) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/0898929053124965 · Cited by 1,239 · see citing works
Handbook of Psycholinguistics
(2006) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-369374-7.x5000-7 · Cited by 959 · see citing works
The neural network of motor imagery: An ALE meta-analysis
Hétu, S., Grégoire, M., Saimpont, A., Coll, M., Eugène, F., Michon, P., & Jackson, P. L. (2013) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.03.017 · Cited by 900 · see citing works
The Role of Left Inferior Frontal and Superior Temporal Cortex in Sentence Comprehension: Localizing Syntactic and Semantic Processes
Friederici, A. D. (2002) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/13.2.170 · Cited by 878 · see citing works
Functional links between motor and language systems
Friedemann Pulvermüller, A., Hauk, O., Nikulin, V. V., & Ilmoniemi, R. J. (2005) · European Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.03900.x · Cited by 783 · see citing works
Congruent Embodied Representations for Visually Presented Actions and Linguistic Phrases Describing Actions
Aziz‐Zadeh, L., Wilson, S. M., Rizzolatti, G., & Iacoboni, M. (2006) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2006.07.060 · Cited by 757 · see citing works
Listening to action-related sentences modulates the activity of the motor system: A combined TMS and behavioral study
Buccino, G., Riggio, L., Melli, G., Binkofski, F., Gallese, V., & Rizzolatti, G. (2005) · Cognitive Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2005.02.020 · Cited by 717 · see citing works
The Neural Mechanisms of Speech Comprehension: fMRI studies of Semantic Ambiguity
Rodd, J. M., Davis, M. H., & Johnsrude, I. S. (2005) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhi009 · Cited by 622 · see citing works
A systematic review and quantitative appraisal of fMRI studies of verbal fluency: role of the left inferior frontal gyrus
Costafreda, S. G., Fu, C. H. Y., Lee, L., Everitt, B., Brammer, M. J., & David, A. S. (2006) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.20221 · Cited by 496 · see citing works
Brain Signatures of Meaning Access in Action Word Recognition
Friedemann Pulvermüller, A., Юрьевич, Ш. Ю., & Ilmoniemi, R. J. (2005) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/0898929054021111 · Cited by 440 · see citing works
Processing Abstract Language Modulates Motor System Activity
Glenberg, A. M., Sato, M., Cattaneo, L., Riggio, L., Palumbo, D., & Buccino, G. (2008) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1080/17470210701625550 · Cited by 432 · see citing works
The amygdala central nucleus and appetitive Pavlovian conditioning: lesions impair one class of conditioned behavior
Gallagher, M., Graham, P., & Holland, P. (1990) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.10-06-01906.1990 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
What Does the Frontomedian Cortex Contribute to Language Processing: Coherence or Theory of Mind?
Ferstl, E. C., & von Cramon, D. Y. (2002) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1006/nimg.2002.1247 · Cited by 270 · see citing works
Behavioral patterns and lesion sites associated with impaired processing of lexical and conceptual knowledge of actions
Kemmerer, D. L., Rudrauf, D., Manzel, K., & Tranel, D. (2010) · Cortex · doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2010.11.001 · Cited by 268 · see citing works
It’s no accident: Our bias for intentional explanations
Rosset, E. (2008) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2008.07.001 · Cited by 235 · see citing works
A brain perspective on language mechanisms: from discrete neuronal ensembles to serial order
Friedemann Pulvermüller, A. (2002) · Progress in Neurobiology · doi:10.1016/s0301-0082(02)00014-x · Cited by 206 · see citing works
The uncertainty of it all
Whalen, P. J. (2007) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2007.08.016 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Mentalizing under Uncertainty: Dissociated Neural Responses to Ambiguous and Unambiguous Mental State Inferences
Jenkins, A. C., & Mitchell, J. P. (2010) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp109 · Cited by 183 · see citing works
Neuroimaging Contributions to the Understanding of Discourse Processes
Mason, R. A., & Just, M. A. (2006) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-012369374-7/50020-1 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
Perception, action, and word meanings in the human brain: the case from action verbs
Bedny, M., & Caramazza, A. (2011) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06013.x · Cited by 136 · see citing works
On sense and reference: Examining the functional neuroanatomy of referential processing
Nieuwland, M. S., Petersson, K. M., & Berkum, J. J. A. V. (2007) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.05.048 · Cited by 105 · see citing works
The Role of the Theory‐of‐Mind Cortical Network in the Comprehension of Narratives
Mason, R. A., & Just, M. A. (2009) · Language and Linguistics Compass · doi:10.1111/j.1749-818x.2008.00122.x · Cited by 98 · see citing works
The influence of rTMS over prefrontal and motor areas in a morphological task: Grammatical vs. semantic effects
Gerfo, E. L., Oliveri, M., Torriero, S., Salerno, S., Koch, G., & Caltagirone, C. (2007) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.10.012 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Predicting and memorizing observed action: Differential premotor cortex involvement
Stadler, W., Schubotz, R. I., von Cramon, D. Y., Springer, A., Graf, M., & Prinz, W. (2010) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.20949 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Lexicons, Contexts, Events, and Images: Commentary on Elman (2009) From the Perspective of Dual Coding Theory
Paivio, A., & Sadoski, M. (2010) · Cognitive Science · doi:10.1111/j.1551-6709.2010.01146.x · Cited by 24 · see citing works
2½‐Year‐Old Children Use Animacy and Syntax to Learn a New Noun
Childers, J. B., & Echols, C. H. (2004) · Infancy · doi:10.1207/s15327078in0501_5 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“How to do things with Words”: Role of motor cortex in semantic representation of action words
Kana, R. K., Blum, E. R., Ladden, S. L., & Hoef, L. V. (2012) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2012.09.006 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Self-citation

Flagged first, then by citations

Sorted by citations

Changes in functional connectivity following treatment with emotion regulation therapy
Scult, M. A., Fresco, D. M., Gunning, F. M., Liston, C., Seeley, S. H., García, E., & Mennin, D. S. (2019) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00010 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
“Meanwhile, the precentral gyrus is involved in intentional motor activity (Kana et al., 2015).”
Background
Made by Mistake: When Mistakes Increase Product Preference
Reich, T., Kupor, D. M., & Smith, R. (2017) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1093/jcr/ucx089 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Disrupted Interhemispheric Synchrony in Default Mode Network Underlying the Impairment of Cognitive Flexibility in Late-Onset Depression
Hou, Z., Sui, Y., Song, X., & Yuan, Y. (2016) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2016.00230 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Role of medial premotor areas in action language processing in relation to motor skills
Courson, M., Macoir, J., & Tremblay, P. (2017) · Cortex · doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2017.08.002 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Increased links between language and motor areas: A proof-of-concept study on resting-state functional connectivity following Personalized Observation, Execution and Mental imagery therapy in chronic aphasia
Durand, E. D., Masson‐Trottier, M., Sontheimer, A., & Ansaldo, A. I. (2021) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105659 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Neural correlates of embodied action language processing: a systematic review and meta-analytic study
Giacobbe, C., Raimo, S., Cropano, M., & Santangelo, G. (2022) · Brain Imaging and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s11682-022-00680-3 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Neural circuits activated by error amplification and haptic guidance training techniques during performance of a timing-based motor task by healthy individuals
Milot, M.-H., Marchal–Crespo, L., Beaulieu, L., Reinkensmeyer, D. J., & Cramer, S. C. (2018) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-018-5365-5 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Fine motor skills and their link to receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, and narrative language skills
Winter, R. E., Stoeger, H., & Suggate, S. P. (2024) · First Language · doi:10.1177/01427237241233084 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Gross, Fine and Visual-Motor Skills in Children with Language Disorder, Speech Sound Disorder and Their Combination
Varuzza, C., D’Aiello, B., Lazzaro, G., Quarin, F., Rose, P. D., Bergonzini, P., Menghini, D., Marini, A., & Vicari, S. (2022) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci13010059 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Role of Sensorimotor Cortex in Gestural-Verbal Integration
Hayek, D., Flöel, A., & Antonenko, D. (2018) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00482 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Association of homotopic areas in the right hemisphere with language deficits in the short term after tumor resection
Fang, S., Weng, S., Li, L., Guo, Y., Fan, X., Zhang, Z., Jiang, T., & Wang, Y. (2022) · Journal of neurosurgery · doi:10.3171/2022.9.jns221475 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Neural networks of action language embodiment: An EEG source-space connectivity study
Sze, S. S. L. (2026) · Journal of Neurolinguistics · doi:10.1016/j.jneuroling.2026.101321 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Speaking with the hands—fine motor skills, language, and the role of gestures
Winter, R. E., Stoeger, H., & Suggate, S. P. (2026) · British Journal of Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjdp.70062
A neuroscientific stance on poetry and its clinical application
Volpara, G., & Nani, A. (2026) · Journal of Poetry Therapy · doi:10.1080/08893675.2026.2718792
Hand motor information affects conceptual representation without altering its structure: a food concept study
Liu, S., Zhu, Y., Marmolejo‐Ramos, F., Wang, J., & Wang, R. (2026) · Journal of Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1080/20445911.2026.2726279

Action Sentences Activate Sensory Motor Regions in the Brain Independently of Their Status of Reality
de Vega, M., León, I., Hernandez-Cabrera, J. A., Valdés, M., Padrón, I., & Ferstl, E. C. (2014) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_00559 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Cerebral Cortex doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp115 Activation of Sensory--Motor Areas in Sentence Comprehension
Desai, R. H., Binder, J. R., Conant, L. L., & Seidenberg, M. S. (2016)
Sentential Context Modulates the Involvement of the Motor Cortex in Action Language Processing: An fMRI Study
Schuil, K. D. I., Smits, M., & Zwaan, R. A. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00100 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Activation of Sensory-Motor Areas in Sentence Comprehension
Desai, R. H., Binder, J. R., Conant, L. L., & Seidenberg, M. S. (2009) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhp115 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Advance Access publication June 22, 2009 Activation of Sensory--Motor Areas in Sentence Comprehension
Desai, R. H., Binder, J. R., Conant, L. L., & Seidenberg, M. S. (2016)

Authors: Kana, R. K., Ammons, C. J., Doss, C. F., Waite, M. E., Kana, B., Herringshaw, A. J., & Ver Hoef, L.
Affiliations: University of Alabama at Birmingham (US)
Corresponding author: Kana, Rajesh K.
ORCID: Kana, Rajesh K.
Ammons, Carla J.
Herringshaw, Abbey J.
Venue: Neuropsychologia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2015-10
Volume: 77
Pages: 158-164
ISSN: 0028-3932 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.08.020
OpenAlex: W1123008624
Cited by: 15
References: 44
Citations by year: 2026: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1
FWCI: 2.73
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Neuropsychologia (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders: UAB Department of Psychology Faculty
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Language, Metaphor, and Cognition
Keywords: intentional action, accidental actions, agency, motor simulation, embodied language, motor cortex, left inferior frontal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, action verbs, reading comprehension
MeSH terms: Adolescent, Adult, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Female, Humans, Language Tests, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Photic Stimulation, Reading, Comprehension, Young Adult

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Language and motor cortex response to comprehending accidental and intentional action sentences

Abstract

Integrity signals

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Cites

Cited by

Related

Record

About these checks