Embodiment of sleep-related words: Evidence from event-related potentials

Abstract

AbstractOur thoughts can influence sleep, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. According to the theory of “embodied cognition,” the semantic content of cognitive processes is represented by multimodal networks in the brain, which include body‐related functions. Such multimodal representations could offer a mechanism, which explains mutual influences between cognition and sleep. Here we tested whether sleep‐related words are represented in multimodal networks by examining the effect of congruent versus incongruent body positions on word processing during wakefulness. We experimentally manipulated the body position of 66 subjects (19–40 years old) between standing upright and lying down. Sleep‐ and activity‐related words were presented around the individual speech recognition threshold. Our results show that word processing was facilitated in congruent body positions (sleep words: lying down and activity words: standing upright) compared with incongruent body positions, as indicated by a reduced N400 in the congruent condition with the lowest volume. In addition, early sensory components of the ERP (N180 and P280) were enhanced, suggesting that words were also acoustically better understood in a congruent body position. However, the difference in ERPs did not translate to differences on a behavioral level. Our results support the prediction of embodied processing of sleep‐ and activity‐related words. Body position potentially induces a pre‐activation of multimodal networks, thereby enhancing access to the semantic concepts of words related to current body position. The link between semantic meaning and body‐related function could be a key element in explaining the influences of cognitive processing on sleep.

Autoren

Mareike J Hülsemann
Björn Rasch

DOI

10.1111/psyp.13824

eISSN

1469-8986

ISSN

0048-5772

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

8

Zeitschrift

Psychophysiology

Sprache

en

Online publication date

2021

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2021

Status

Published

Herausgeber

Wiley

Herausgeber URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13824

Datum der Datenerfassung

2023

Titel

Embodiment of sleep‐related words: Evidence from event‐related potentials

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

58

Data source: Crossref

Abstract

Our thoughts can influence sleep, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. According to the theory of "embodied cognition," the semantic content of cognitive processes is represented by multimodal networks in the brain, which include body-related functions. Such multimodal representations could offer a mechanism, which explains mutual influences between cognition and sleep. Here we tested whether sleep-related words are represented in multimodal networks by examining the effect of congruent versus incongruent body positions on word processing during wakefulness. We experimentally manipulated the body position of 66 subjects (19-40 years old) between standing upright and lying down. Sleep- and activity-related words were presented around the individual speech recognition threshold. Our results show that word processing was facilitated in congruent body positions (sleep words: lying down and activity words: standing upright) compared with incongruent body positions, as indicated by a reduced N400 in the congruent condition with the lowest volume. In addition, early sensory components of the ERP (N180 and P280) were enhanced, suggesting that words were also acoustically better understood in a congruent body position. However, the difference in ERPs did not translate to differences on a behavioral level. Our results support the prediction of embodied processing of sleep- and activity-related words. Body position potentially induces a pre-activation of multimodal networks, thereby enhancing access to the semantic concepts of words related to current body position. The link between semantic meaning and body-related function could be a key element in explaining the influences of cognitive processing on sleep.

Addresses

Division of Cognitive Biopsychology and Methods, Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.

Autoren

Mareike J Hülsemann
Björn Rasch

DOI

10.1111/psyp.13824

eISSN

1540-5958

Externe Identifier

PubMed Identifier: 33942324
PubMed Central ID: PMC8365768

Funding acknowledgements

European Research Council: 677875

Open access

true

ISSN

0048-5772

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

8

Zeitschrift

Psychophysiology

Schlüsselwörter

Humans
Electroencephalography
Speech Perception
Psycholinguistics
Sleep
Evoked Potentials
Supine Position
Adult
Female
Male
Young Adult
Standing Position

Sprache

eng

Medium

Print-Electronic

Online publication date

2021

Open access status

Open Access

Paginierung

e13824

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2021

Status

Published

Publisher licence

CC BY-NC-ND

Datum der Datenerfassung

2021

Titel

Embodiment of sleep-related words: Evidence from event-related potentials.

Sub types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
research-article
Journal Article

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

58

Files

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/psyp.13824 https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC8365768?pdf=render

Data source: Europe PubMed Central

Abstract

Our thoughts can influence sleep, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. According to the theory of "embodied cognition," the semantic content of cognitive processes is represented by multimodal networks in the brain, which include body-related functions. Such multimodal representations could offer a mechanism, which explains mutual influences between cognition and sleep. Here we tested whether sleep-related words are represented in multimodal networks by examining the effect of congruent versus incongruent body positions on word processing during wakefulness. We experimentally manipulated the body position of 66 subjects (19-40 years old) between standing upright and lying down. Sleep- and activity-related words were presented around the individual speech recognition threshold. Our results show that word processing was facilitated in congruent body positions (sleep words: lying down and activity words: standing upright) compared with incongruent body positions, as indicated by a reduced N400 in the congruent condition with the lowest volume. In addition, early sensory components of the ERP (N180 and P280) were enhanced, suggesting that words were also acoustically better understood in a congruent body position. However, the difference in ERPs did not translate to differences on a behavioral level. Our results support the prediction of embodied processing of sleep- and activity-related words. Body position potentially induces a pre-activation of multimodal networks, thereby enhancing access to the semantic concepts of words related to current body position. The link between semantic meaning and body-related function could be a key element in explaining the influences of cognitive processing on sleep.

Date of acceptance

2021

Autoren

Mareike J Hülsemann
Björn Rasch

Autoren-URL

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33942324

DOI

10.1111/psyp.13824

eISSN

1469-8986

Externe Identifier

PubMed Central ID: PMC8365768

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

8

Zeitschrift

Psychophysiology

Schlüsselwörter

N400
auditory word categorization
embodied cognition
language perception
multimodal representation
Adult
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials
Female
Humans
Male
Psycholinguistics
Sleep
Speech Perception
Standing Position
Supine Position
Young Adult

Sprache

eng

Country

United States

Paginierung

e13824

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2021

Status

Published

Datum, an dem der Datensatz öffentlich gemacht wurde

2022

Titel

Embodiment of sleep-related words: Evidence from event-related potentials.

Sub types

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

58

Data source: PubMed

Embodiment of sleep-related words: Evidence from event-related potentials

Files

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