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Motor Neuron Disease as a model for embodied cognition: the relationship
between motor and cognitive impairment
Supervisor: Dr Thomas H Bak
Recent discoveries in molecular biology and genetics, including the identification of
the C9ORF72 gene causing Motor Neuron Disease (MND) as well as frontotemporal
dementia have highlighted the close relationship between motor and cognitive aspects
of the disease. Indeed, changes in behaviour, cognition and language have been
observed in MND patients. In particular, selective impairments in the processing of
verbs as well as abstract concepts of actions have been described in MND (Bak &
Chandran 2012), interestingly in connection with the pathological changes in Broca’s
area of the brain, known to be crucially important for language (Bak et al 2001). Such
observations are of crucial importance for the intensely debated theory of embodied
cognition (Bak 2013).
Since MND is usually characterised by a focal onset, affecting one topographic area
(bulbar region, upper or lower limbs), one could expect that early in the disease
course MND will be associated with selective impairments of verbs and actions
connected specifically to mouth, hand and legs. Such an association would provide
the strongest possible support for the idea of embodied cognition.
This project, with its interdisciplinary character, will be of interest to students from a
wide range of backgrounds including neuroscience, medicine and psychology.
References
Bak TH, O'Donovan DG, Xuereb JH, Boniface S, Hodges JR (2001) Selective
impairment of verb processing associated with pathological changes in the Brodmann
areas 44 and 45 in the motor neurone disease / dementia / aphasia syndrome. Brain,
124, 103-120.
Bak TH, Chandran S (2012) What wires together, fires together: Verbs, Actions and
Neurodegeneration in Motor Neuron Disease. Cortex, 48, 936-944.
Bak TH (in press) The neuroscience of action semantics in neurodegenerative brain
diseases. Current Opinion in Neurology.