The neural correlates of noun and verb processing

Aim of this paper is to review the neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies dealing with the neural correlates of noun and verb processing. Available evidence indicates that, while the left temporal neocortex plays a crucial role in all tasks involving lexical-semantic processing, additional regions of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are recruited during the processing of words related to actions. This anatomo-clinical correlation, related to object and action naming, is found in many instances of `verb-noun' dissociation reported in the neuropsychological literature. More recent investigations, which use a wider range of verb categories, and attempt to take into account other dimensions related to the verb-noun distinction, are starting to contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the observed neurological dissociation. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.