Most cognitive models of apraxia assume that impaired tool use results from a deficit occurring at the conceptual level, which contains dedicated information about tool use, namely, semantic and action tool knowledge. Semantic tool knowledge contains information about the prototypical use of familiar tools, such as function (e.g., a hammer and a mallet share the same purpose) and associative relations (e.g., a hammer goes with a nail). Action tool knowledge contains information about how to manipulate tools, such as hand posture and kinematics. The present review aimed to better understand the neural correlates of action and semantic tool knowledge, by focusing on activation, stimulation and patients’ studies (left brain-damaged patients). We found that action and semantic tool knowledge rely upon a large brain network including temporal and parietal regions. Yet, while action tool knowledge calls into play the intraparietal sulcus, function relations mostly involve the anterior and posterior temporal lobe. Associative relations engaged the angular and the posterior middle temporal gyrus. Moreover, we found that hand posture and kinematics both tapped into the inferior parietal lobe and the lateral occipital temporal cortex, but no region specificity was found for one or the other representation. Our results point out the major role of both posterior middle temporal gyrus and inferior parietal lobe for action and semantic tool knowledge. They highlight the common and distinct brain networks involved in action and semantic tool networks and spur future directions on this topic.

大多数失用症认知模型假设工具使用受损是由于概念层面的缺陷造成的，概念层面包含有关工具使用的专用信息，即语义和动作工具知识。语义工具知识包含有关熟悉工具的原型使用的信息，例如功能（例如，锤子和木槌具有相同的目的）和关联关系（例如，锤子与钉子相配）。动作工具知识包含有关如何操作工具的信息，例如手部姿势和运动学。本综述旨在通过关注激活、刺激和患者研究（左脑损伤患者），更好地理解动作和语义工具知识的神经相关性。我们发现动作和语义工具知识依赖于一个包括颞叶和顶叶区域的大型大脑网络。然而，虽然动作工具知识会调用顶内沟，但功能关系主要涉及前颞叶和后颞叶。关联关系涉及角回和颞中回。此外，我们发现手部姿势和运动学都涉及下顶叶和外侧枕叶颞叶皮层，但没有发现一种或另一种表现的区域特异性。我们的结果指出了颞中后回和顶下叶对动作和语义工具知识的主要作用。他们突出了行动和语义工具网络中涉及的共同和独特的大脑网络，并激发了该主题的未来发展方向。