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Cited by 407Neurobiology of Language and BilingualismFace Recognition and PerceptionAction Observation and Synchronization

Distinct neural systems subserve person and object knowledge

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Mitchell, Jason P., Heatherton, Todd F., Macrae, C. Neil·2002·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.232395699PMC PMC137574
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Abstract

Studies using functional neuroimaging and patient populations have demonstrated that distinct brain regions subserve semantic knowledge for different classes of inanimate objects (e.g., tools, musical instruments, and houses). What this work has yet to consider, however, is how conceptual knowledge about people may be organized in the brain. In particular, is there a distinct functional neuroanatomy associated with person knowledge? By using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we measured neural activity while participants made semantic judgments about people or objects. A unique pattern of brain activity was associated with person judgments and included brain regions previously implicated in other aspects of social-cognitive functioning: medial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal cortex, intraparietal sulcus, and fusiform gyrus. These regions were generally marked by relatively little change from baseline brain activity for person judgments along with significant deactivations for object judgments. Together, these findings support the notion that person knowledge may be functionally dissociable from other classes of semantic knowledge within the brain.

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  • Modulations in lateral parietal regions frequently appear as negative deflections.

    “Although modulations in lateral parietal regions frequently appear as such negative deflections (Gusnard and Raichle 2001;Raichle et al. 2001;Mitchell et al. 2002), Saxe and her colleagues have generally reported that their theory-ofmind stories produce positive-going ''activations'' in RTPJ.”

    From Activity in Right Temporo-Parietal Junction is Not Selective for Theory-of-Mind (2008) · cites this paper as Mitchell et al. 2002

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Mitchell, J. P., Heatherton, T. F., & Macrae, C. N.
Affiliations
Dartmouth College (US)
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2002-11-04
Volume
99
Issue
23
Pages
15238-15243
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.232395699
PMC
PMC137574
OpenAlex
W2129717800
Cited by
407
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 22
FWCI
7.04
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (F31 NH65053)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (F31MH065053)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
Keywords
person knowledge, object knowledge, semantic knowledge, functional dissociation, medial prefrontal cortex, superior temporal cortex, intraparietal sulcus, fusiform gyrus, social cognition, semantic judgment, brain deactivation
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Brain, Brain Mapping, Female, Humans, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Models, Neurological, Nerve Net, Thermodynamics, Knowledge

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