Abstract concepts like mental state concepts lack a physical referent, which can be directly perceived. Classical theories therefore claim that abstract concepts require amodal representations detached from experiential brain systems. However, grounded cognition approaches suggest an involvement of modal experiential brain regions in the processing of abstract concepts. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated the relation of the processing of abstract mental state concepts to modal experiential brain systems in a fine-grained fashion. Participants performed lexical decisions on abstract mental state as well as on verbal association concepts as control category. Experiential brain systems related to the processing of mental states, generating verbal associations, automatic speech as well as hand and lip movements were determined by corresponding localizer tasks. Processing of abstract mental state concepts neuroanatomically overlapped with activity patterns associated with processing of mental states, generating verbal associations, automatic speech and lip movements. Hence, mental state concepts activate the mentalizing brain network, complemented by perceptual-motor brain regions involved in simulation of visual or action features associated with social interactions, linguistic brain regions as well as face-motor brain regions recruited for articulation. The present results provide compelling evidence for the rich grounding of abstract mental state concepts in experiential brain systems related to mentalizing, verbal communication and mouth action.

中文翻译：

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抽象概念的经验基础：抽象心理状态概念的处理涉及涉及心智化、自动言语和嘴唇运动的大脑区域

像精神状态概念这样的抽象概念缺乏可以直接感知的物理指称。因此，经典理论认为，抽象概念需要与经验性大脑系统分离的非模态表征。然而，扎根认知方法表明模态体验大脑区域参与抽象概念的处理。在目前的功能磁共振成像研究中，我们以细粒度的方式研究了抽象精神状态概念的处理与模式体验大脑系统的关系。参与者对抽象心理状态以及作为控制类别的言语联想概念进行词汇决策。与心理状态处理、生成语言关联、自动语音以及手和嘴唇运动相关的体验性大脑系统是由相应的定位器任务确定的。抽象精神状态概念的处理在神经解剖学上与精神状态处理、产生言语联想、自动言语和嘴唇运动相关的活动模式重叠。因此，精神状态概念激活了心智化大脑网络，并辅之以参与模拟与社交互动相关的视觉或动作特征的知觉运动大脑区域、语言大脑区域以及为清晰度而招募的面部运动大脑区域。目前的结果提供了令人信服的证据，证明抽象精神状态概念在与心智化、言语交流和嘴部动作相关的体验性大脑系统中具有丰富的基础。