Color Categorization Independent of Color Naming

Summary: Color is continuous, yet we group colors into discrete categories associated with color names (e.g., yellow, blue). Color categorization is a case in point in the debate on how language shapes human cognition. Evidence suggests that color categorization depends on top-down input from the la...

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Main Authors: Katarzyna Siuda-Krzywicka, Christoph Witzel, Emma Chabani, Myriam Taga, Cécile Coste, Noëlla Cools, Sophie Ferrieux, Laurent Cohen, Tal Seidel Malkinson, Paolo Bartolomeo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-09-01
Series:Cell Reports
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124719310265
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spelling doaj-7e48dc45ff894098995279a516b61a372020-11-25T01:27:29ZengElsevierCell Reports2211-12472019-09-01281024712479.e5Color Categorization Independent of Color NamingKatarzyna Siuda-Krzywicka0Christoph Witzel1Emma Chabani2Myriam Taga3Cécile Coste4Noëlla Cools5Sophie Ferrieux6Laurent Cohen7Tal Seidel Malkinson8Paolo Bartolomeo9Sorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France; Corresponding authorFachbereich 06, Psychologie und Sportwissenschaft, Justus-Liebig-Universität, 35394 Gießen, GermanySorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, FranceNeuroRehabilitation Unit, Department of Health and Nursing, College of Applied Health and Communities, University of East London, London E16 2RD, UKHôpitaux de Saint-Maurice, 94410 Saint Maurice, FranceHôpitaux de Saint-Maurice, 94410 Saint Maurice, FranceHôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, FranceSorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France; Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, FranceSorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, FranceSorbonne Université, Inserm U 1127, CNRS UMR 7225, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, 75013 Paris, France; Corresponding authorSummary: Color is continuous, yet we group colors into discrete categories associated with color names (e.g., yellow, blue). Color categorization is a case in point in the debate on how language shapes human cognition. Evidence suggests that color categorization depends on top-down input from the language system to the visual cortex. We directly tested this hypothesis by assessing color categorization in a stroke patient, RDS, with a rare, selective deficit in naming visually presented chromatic colors, and relatively preserved achromatic color naming. Multimodal MRI revealed a left occipito-temporal lesion that directly damaged left color-biased regions, and functionally disconnected their right-hemisphere homologs from the language system. The lesion had a greater effect on RDS’s chromatic color naming than on color categorization, which was relatively preserved on a nonverbal task. Color categorization and naming can thus be independent in the human brain, challenging the mandatory involvement of language in adult human cognition. : Color categories (e.g., red, yellow) may result from the top-down impact of language on perception. Siuda-Krzywicka et al. describe a patient with impaired color naming, after a stroke disconnects color perception from language. The patient still categorizes colors they could not name, showing robustness of color categorization against impaired linguistic processing. Keywords: brain damage, multimodal MRI, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, optic aphasia for colors, resting-state fMRI, task fMRI, functional connectivity, structural connectivity, white matter tractography, lesion mappinghttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124719310265
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Katarzyna Siuda-Krzywicka
Christoph Witzel
Emma Chabani
Myriam Taga
Cécile Coste
Noëlla Cools
Sophie Ferrieux
Laurent Cohen
Tal Seidel Malkinson
Paolo Bartolomeo
spellingShingle Katarzyna Siuda-Krzywicka
Christoph Witzel
Emma Chabani
Myriam Taga
Cécile Coste
Noëlla Cools
Sophie Ferrieux
Laurent Cohen
Tal Seidel Malkinson
Paolo Bartolomeo
Color Categorization Independent of Color Naming
Cell Reports
author_facet Katarzyna Siuda-Krzywicka
Christoph Witzel
Emma Chabani
Myriam Taga
Cécile Coste
Noëlla Cools
Sophie Ferrieux
Laurent Cohen
Tal Seidel Malkinson
Paolo Bartolomeo
author_sort Katarzyna Siuda-Krzywicka
title Color Categorization Independent of Color Naming
title_short Color Categorization Independent of Color Naming
title_full Color Categorization Independent of Color Naming
title_fullStr Color Categorization Independent of Color Naming
title_full_unstemmed Color Categorization Independent of Color Naming
title_sort color categorization independent of color naming
publisher Elsevier
series Cell Reports
issn 2211-1247
publishDate 2019-09-01
description Summary: Color is continuous, yet we group colors into discrete categories associated with color names (e.g., yellow, blue). Color categorization is a case in point in the debate on how language shapes human cognition. Evidence suggests that color categorization depends on top-down input from the language system to the visual cortex. We directly tested this hypothesis by assessing color categorization in a stroke patient, RDS, with a rare, selective deficit in naming visually presented chromatic colors, and relatively preserved achromatic color naming. Multimodal MRI revealed a left occipito-temporal lesion that directly damaged left color-biased regions, and functionally disconnected their right-hemisphere homologs from the language system. The lesion had a greater effect on RDS’s chromatic color naming than on color categorization, which was relatively preserved on a nonverbal task. Color categorization and naming can thus be independent in the human brain, challenging the mandatory involvement of language in adult human cognition. : Color categories (e.g., red, yellow) may result from the top-down impact of language on perception. Siuda-Krzywicka et al. describe a patient with impaired color naming, after a stroke disconnects color perception from language. The patient still categorizes colors they could not name, showing robustness of color categorization against impaired linguistic processing. Keywords: brain damage, multimodal MRI, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, optic aphasia for colors, resting-state fMRI, task fMRI, functional connectivity, structural connectivity, white matter tractography, lesion mapping
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124719310265
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