认知与发展心理学研究室知识库

概念语义系统是人类核心知识系统，是众多认知功能的基础。概念语义系统中，概念之间相互联结形成不同的语义关系，建构成有组织的知识体系。其中类别关系和主题关系是两种非常重要的语义关系。类别关系是基于相似特征建立的关系，主题关系是基于共现的事件或场景建立的关系。此前有研究考察了类别关系与主题关系加工的认知神经机制并取得了不同的结果。主要以脑损伤病人为研究对象的研究提出的双中心理论（dual-hub account）认为，颞叶前部（anterior temporal lobe，ATL）是加工类别关系的主要脑区，颞顶联合区（temporo-parietal junction，TPJ）包括颞中回后部（posterior middle temporal gyrus，pMTG）和角回（angular gyrus，AG）是加工主题关系的主要脑区。而受控语义认知框架理论（controlled semantic cognition，CSC）则认为这两类语义关系的表征都与 ATL 相关，pMTG 和额下回（inferior frontal gyrus，IFG）主要负责语义加工中的灵活控制。由此可见，类别关系与主题关系加工的认知神经机制仍需要进一步考察。同时，已有的相关研究主要是基于成年人被试，其概念语义系统相对稳定，但语义加工能力具有很强发展性，特别是对于儿童青少年，随着年龄的增长，语义系统也会不断丰富。以往关于儿童、青少年语义关系加工的脑影像研究较少，且并未明确区分类别关系和主题关系。因此，本研究从发展的角度，以儿童青少年及成人为研究对象，采用静息态功能连接分析和元分析的方法探究类别关系与主题关系加工及其随年龄发展的认知神经机制。研究一对健康成人类别关系与主题关系的脑成像研究进行了元分析，从统计学的角度探索类别关系与主题关系加工的认知神经机制。通过文献检索和筛选， 最终有 19 篇文献被纳入元分析。分析结果发现：类别关系加工主要激活了IFG、 枕上回（supraoccipital gyrus，SOG）以及梭状回（fusiform gyrus，FG）；主题关系加工主要激活了pMTG、颞上回后部（posterior superior temporal gyrus，pSTG）。类别关系与主题关系在 IFG、pMTG 有共同的激活。研究二探究支持儿童与青少年类别关系与主题关系加工的脑功能连接，以及 这些脑功能连接随着年龄的增长会发生怎样的变化。我们收集了215名 6~18 岁 儿童与青少年词汇判断任务的行为数据与静息态脑影像数据。

研究一对健康成人类别关系与主题关系的脑成像研究进行了元分析，从统计学的角度探索类别关系与主题关系加工的认知神经机制。通过文献检索和筛选，最终有 19 篇文献被纳入元分析。分析结果发现：类别关系加工主要激活了IFG、 枕上回（supraoccipital gyrus，SOG）以及梭状回（fusiform gyrus，FG）；主题关系加工主要激活了pMTG、颞上回后部（posterior superior temporal gyrus，pSTG）。类别关系与主题关系在IFG、pMTG 有共同的激活。

研究二探究支持儿童与青少年类别关系与主题关系加工的脑功能连接，以及这些脑功能连接随着年龄的增长会发生怎样的变化。我们收集了215 名 6~18 岁 儿童与青少年词汇判断任务的行为数据与静息态脑影像数据。在研究一元分析以 及前人研究的基础上，选取了 IFG、ATL 和 AG 三个与语言加工密切相关的脑区为种子点。研究发现：在 ATL 和 IFG 两个种子点的分析结果中，类别与年龄交 互作用显著，主要表现在 ATL 与双侧枕叶外侧功能连接强度在不同年龄段中存在差异，IFG与右侧 pMTG、右侧颞下回后部（posterior inferior temporal gyrus， pITG）功连接强度在不同年龄段中存在差异，进一步分析发现在 6 ~ 9 岁年龄段中，类别启动效应越好，功能连接强度越强，而在 10~18 岁年龄段中，类别启动 效应越好，功能连接强度越弱。将显著的脑区与七个主要脑网络进行重叠分析发现，这些脑区基本均属于额顶控制网络。

结合以上两个研究，我们发现类别关系和主题关系加工的认知神经机制会随着个体的发展而产生变化。主要表现在认知控制相关脑区与语言加工相关脑区之间的功能连接强度会发生变化，儿童时期语义加工更加依赖控制网络与语言网络之间的交互，随着年龄的增长，语义系统趋于成熟，这种依赖逐渐减弱。当个体的概念语义系统相对稳定之后，类别关系加工主要依赖感知加工相关脑区，主题关系加工主要依赖动作或空间加工相关脑区，而 IFG 和 pMTG 这两个语义控制脑区对于二者的加工同样重要。综上，本论文以多种分析方法，揭示了类别关系和主题关系加工及其随龄发展的认知神经机制，对于理解概念表征具有重要理论意义，同时，对于大语言模型的发展以及语言教学也具有一定的启示。

Semantic or conceptual system is a core knowledge system for humans and serves as the foundation for a multitude of cognitive functions. Within the conceptual semantic system, concepts are interconnected to form various semantic relations, constructing an organized knowledge system. Among these, taxonomic relation and thematic relation are two very important types of semantic relations. Taxonomic relation is based on similar features, and thematic relation is based on co-occurrence of concepts in events or scenarios. Existing studies examining the cognitive neural basis of taxonomic and thematic relations processing have obtained different results. The dual-hub account proposed mainly based on research on brain-injured patients believes that the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) is the main brain area for the taxonomic relations. The temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) includes the posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG) and the angular gyrus (AG) is the key brain region for thematic relations. According to the controlled semantic cognition theory (CSC), the processing of these two types of semantic relations is mainly completed in the ATL, while the pMTG and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) are mainly related to semantic control. Therefore, the cognitive neural mechanism of taxonomic and thematic relations processing still needs further investigation. At the same time, existing relevant research is mainly based on adult subjects whose conceptual system is relatively stable. However, semantic processing ability is highly developmental, especially for children and adolescents. As age increases, the semantic system will also continue to become richer. There has been relatively few neuroimaging studies on semantic relations processing in children and adolescents, especially without a clear distinction between taxonomic and thematic relations. Therefore, from a developmental perspective, our study, taking children, adolescents and adults as the research subjects, aims to further investigate neural correlates of the two semantic relations processing and its age-related development by performing resting-state functional connectivity analysis and meta-analysis.

Study1 conducted a meta-analysis of brain imaging studies in healthy adults to statistically explore the cognitive neural mechanisms of taxonomic relation and thematic relation processing. Literature search and screening resulted in 19 papers being included in the meta-analysis. The results revealed that taxonomic relation had greater activation in the IFG, supraoccipital gyrus, and fusiform gyrus, whereas thematic relation had activation mainly in the pMTG and posterior superior temporal gyrus. The two semantic relations commonly activated IFG and pMTG.

Study 2 explored the key brain functional connections that support the processing of taxonomic relation and thematic relation in children and adolescents, and how these brain functional connections change with age. We collected behavioral data and resting-state brain imaging data from 215 subjects aged 6 to 18 years. Three brain regions, IFG, ATL and AG, which are closely related to language processing, were selected as seed sites for the study. Combining the behavioral data with the resting state data, we found that there was a significant interaction between taxonomic relation and age, which was manifested in the functional connectivity between the ATL and the lateral occipital lobes bilaterally, and the functional connectivity between the IFG and the right pMTG and pITG. Further analysis revealed that in the age group of 6-9 years, the better the taxonomic priming effect, the stronger the functional connectivity, whereas in the age group of 10-18 years, the better the taxonomic priming effect, the weaker the functional connectivity. An overlapping analysis of the obtained brain areas over seven major brain networks found that they mainly belong to the frontoparietal control network.

In summary, we found that the cognitive neural mechanisms of taxonomic relation and thematic relation processing will change with individual development, which is mainly manifested in the changes in the strength of the functional connectivity between cognitive control brain regions and language processing brain regions. Semantic processing is more dependent on the interaction between the control network and language network in childhood, and this dependence gradually diminishes as the semantic system matures with age. After the conceptual system is relatively stabilized, taxonomic relation processing relies mainly on perceptual brain regions, thematic relation processing relies mainly on action- or scene-related brain regions. And the two semantic control brain regions, IFG and pMTG, are equally important for the processing of both semantic relations. All in all, by taking various analytical methods, the current research revealed the cognitive neural mechanisms underpinning the processing of taxonomic and thematic relations, which has important theoretical significance for understanding conceptual representation and also has certain implications for the development of large language model and language teaching.