TY - JOUR
T1 - Creating metaphors
T2 - The neural basis of figurative language production
AU - Benedek, Mathias
AU - Beaty, Roger
AU - Jauk, Emanuel
AU - Koschutnig, Karl
AU - Fink, Andreas
AU - Silvia, Paul J.
AU - Dunst, Beate
AU - Neubauer, Aljoscha C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a grant from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) : P23914 . The authors are grateful to Michael Achtner, Philip Brandner, Alexandra Lipfert, Jürgen Pretsch, and Martin Wammerl for their help in this study.
PY - 2014/4/15
Y1 - 2014/4/15
N2 - Neuroscience research has thoroughly studied how nonliteral language is processed during metaphor comprehension. However, it is not clear how the brain actually creates nonliteral language. Therefore, the present study for the first time investigates the neural correlates of metaphor production. Participants completed sentences by generating novel metaphors or literal synonyms during functional imaging. Responses were spoken aloud in the scanner, recorded, and subsequently rated for their creative quality. We found that metaphor production was associated with focal activity in predominantly left-hemispheric brain regions, specifically the left angular gyrus, the left middle and superior frontal gyri-corresponding to the left dorsomedial prefrontal (DMPFC) cortex-and the posterior cingulate cortex. Moreover, brain activation in the left anterior DMPFC and the right middle temporal gyrus was found to linearly increase with the creative quality of metaphor responses. These findings are related to neuroscientific evidence on metaphor comprehension, creative idea generation and episodic future thought, suggesting that creating metaphors involves the flexible adaptation of semantic memory to imagine and construct novel figures of speech. Furthermore, the left DMPFC may exert executive control to maintain strategic search and selection, thus facilitating creativity of thought.
AB - Neuroscience research has thoroughly studied how nonliteral language is processed during metaphor comprehension. However, it is not clear how the brain actually creates nonliteral language. Therefore, the present study for the first time investigates the neural correlates of metaphor production. Participants completed sentences by generating novel metaphors or literal synonyms during functional imaging. Responses were spoken aloud in the scanner, recorded, and subsequently rated for their creative quality. We found that metaphor production was associated with focal activity in predominantly left-hemispheric brain regions, specifically the left angular gyrus, the left middle and superior frontal gyri-corresponding to the left dorsomedial prefrontal (DMPFC) cortex-and the posterior cingulate cortex. Moreover, brain activation in the left anterior DMPFC and the right middle temporal gyrus was found to linearly increase with the creative quality of metaphor responses. These findings are related to neuroscientific evidence on metaphor comprehension, creative idea generation and episodic future thought, suggesting that creating metaphors involves the flexible adaptation of semantic memory to imagine and construct novel figures of speech. Furthermore, the left DMPFC may exert executive control to maintain strategic search and selection, thus facilitating creativity of thought.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.12.046
DO - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.12.046
M3 - Article
C2 - 24384149
AN - SCOPUS:84893531410
VL - 90
SP - 99
EP - 106
JO - NeuroImage
JF - NeuroImage
SN - 1053-8119
ER -