A designated odor-language integration system in the human brain.

摘要: Odors are surprisingly difficult to name, but the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is poorly understood. In experiments using event-related potentials (ERPs) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated physiological basis of odor naming with a paradigm where olfactory visual object cues were followed by target words that either matched or mismatched cue. We hypothesized word processing would not only be affected its semantic congruency preceding cue, also depend on cue modality (olfactory visual). Performance was slower less precise when linking corresponding than picture. The ERP index incongruity (N400), reflected in comparison nonmatching versus matching words, more constrained posterior electrode sites lasted longer odor-cue (vs picture-cue) trials. parallel, fMRI cross-adaptation right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) left anterior temporal lobe (ATL) observed response preceded cues, cues. Time-series plots demonstrated increased activity OFC ATL at onset itself, habituation after nonmatching) word, suggesting predictive perceptual representations these regions already established before delivery deliberation word. Together, our findings underscore modality-specific anatomy physiology identification human brain.