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# Deeper insights into semantic relations: An fMRI study of part-whole and functional associations

## Details

**Authors** Muehlhuas et al.

**Year** 2014

**Publisher** Brain & Language

**Discipline** Neuroscience

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2014.01.003) 
10.1016/j.bandl.2014.01.003

## In authors' words

### What they set out to do (purpose)

To use the fMRI method to explore part-whole and functional associations.

### What they found (results)

Analysis of average response time between and among the three types of relationships, found no significant difference among them. When looking at the relationship between the functional tests to the part-whole tests, there was a small amount of activation in the right parahippocampal complex, which is known for being the location in the brain where scenes are encoded. When the pattern is reversed (part-whole tests to functional tests) they found activation patterns in the left supramarginal gyrus and the right inferior temporal sulcus.

## Commentary

### In short

While more research is needed, this is the first definitive evidence of part-whole Systems being structurally visible in the brain.

### In more detail

Muehlhuas et. al. 2014 used fMRI studies to demonstrate the neural basis for part-whole and other categorical relationships that could potentially be distinguished. In their experiment, 22 healthy adults were tested by analyzing picture/word combinations in three categories “(1) 45 functionally related picture–word pairs, e.g., flute-note, (2) 51 part-whole related picture–word pairs, e.g., bike-handlebars, and (3) 96 unrelated picture–word pairs, e.g., bench-plug.” In addition, all pictured objects were labelled with their names to ensure there was no “false-naming” occurring.

As participants matched the word pairs their brains were analyzed with the fMRI machine. They did 192 trials of each of the three categories while in the fMRI. Analysis of average response time between and among the three types of relationships, found no significant difference among them. They wrote, “To test the hypothesis that fine-grained associations are organized by distinct features (intrinsic versus extrinsic) with characteristic neural activation patterns, t-contrasts between functional and part-whole relations were conducted to identify the brain regions that are involved in the relative processing of part-whole versus functional associations.” This did not lead to a conclusive result, however, when looking at the relationship between the functional tests to the part-whole tests, there was a small amount of activation in the location in the brain where scenes are encoded. When the pattern is reversed (part-whole tests to functional tests) they found activation patterns in the regions that are involved with perceptual details, but further research needs to be done; this is the first definitive evidence of part-whole Systems being structurally visible in the brain. Research into categorization explores common usage of the Systems part-whole pattern. This shows that humans and animals successfully categorize and make part-whole systems, and provides the scientific community an inkling into where the innate Systems pattern is located neurologically.

**Patterns it shows** S

**How to cite this** Muehlhuas et al. (2014). Deeper insights into semantic relations: An fMRI study of part-whole and functional associations. Brain & Language.