Does embodied cognition allow a better management of neurological diseases? A review on the link between cognitive language processing and motor function. Issue 6 (2nd November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Naro, Antonino; Maggio, Maria Grazia; Latella, Desiree; La Rosa, Gianluca; Sciarrone, Francesca; Manuli, Alfredo; Calabrò, Rocco Salvatore
• Is Part Of: Applied neuropsychology. Volume 29:Issue 6(2022)
• Page Start: 1646
• Page End: 1657
• Publication Date: 2022-11-02
• Subjects: Embodied cognition (EC) -- language processing -- mirror neuron system (MNS) -- neurological diseases -- virtual reality (VR); Neuropsychology -- Periodicals; Cognition disorders -- Periodicals; Brain -- Diseases -- Diagnosis -- Periodicals; Brain -- Imaging -- Periodicals; Brain -- Diseases -- Treatment -- Periodicals; Diagnostic Imaging -- Periodicals; Neuropsychological Tests -- Periodicals; Adult; 616.8
• DOI: 10.1080/23279095.2021.1890595
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2327-9095

Abstract

Abstract: Embodied cognition (EC) refers to the interplay occurring in thinking among individual's sensorimotor capacities (i.e., the ability of the body to respond to its senses with movement), the body itself, and the environment. The aim of the present narrative review is to provide an overall understanding of whether and how motor training could lead to language recovery, consistently with EC theories (action-perception cycle, mirror neuron systems –MNS–, and embodied semantics). We therefore reviewed the works dealing with EC in terms of the link between language processing, mirror neuron system (MNS), and motor function, evaluating the potential clinical implications for better managing neurological deficits. Connections between body and mind were found, as body states influence cognitive functions, such as perception and reasoning, as well as language processing, especially in neurological disorders. In fact, abnormalities in "embodied language" were found in movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, negatively affecting patients' rehabilitation outcomes. Understanding the link between language processing and motor outcomes is fundamental in the rehabilitation field, given that EC can be targeted to improve patients' functional recovery and quality of life.