Investigation of figurative language and motor resonance interaction: evidence from neuromodulation over the motor cortex.

Objective: It is well known that observing actions and understanding sentences with motor actions activates corresponding motor processes in the observer-comprehender. This interaction of primary motor areas between words and phrases that indicate physical movement is defined as motor resonance. While many studies in the literature show that there is a direct relationship between literal expressions containing physical actions and the motor system (Desai et al., 2011; Desai et al., 2010), it is still an ongoing discussion whether expressions containing motor action trigger the motor system when they are used in a figurative context. The current study aimed to address how language and transparency (different types of idiomatic expressions) affect motor resonance in the primary motor cortex. Methods: Twenty-six Spanish and eleven Turkish participants underwent continuous theta burst (CTBs) stimulations to the primary motor cortex (M1) area. Following CTBs applications, participants underwent an Overt Priming Task with Self-Paced Reading task on a PC. Results: Linear mixed effects models analysis revealed a facilitation effect in sentences with literal motor actions. All participants processed transparent idiomatic sentences much faster than opaque idiomatic ones after cTBS application compared to the sham condition. We argue that the facilitation effect in transparent idioms is because the distance between the figurative and literal meaning is much closer in transparent idioms, and literal meanings of transparent idioms included a hand motor verb. Conclusion: Our results confirm the embodied approach, supporting the idea of a functional role of the M1 area for comprehension of motor actions, and we propose novel motor resonance results among different types of idioms. This research was supported by TUBITAK 2219 International Post-Doc Fellowship Program (Project No: 1059B192200694). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]