Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic Space
Mechanisms for retrieving basic knowledge in the human mind are still unknown. Exploration is usually represented by cognitive units, i.e., concepts, linked together by associative relationships forming semantic networks. However, understanding how humans navigate such networks remains elusive, beca...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Complexity |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6398407 |
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| _version_ | 1849306297401344000 |
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| author | Barbara Benigni Monica Dallabona Elena Bravi Stefano Merler Manlio De Domenico |
| author_facet | Barbara Benigni Monica Dallabona Elena Bravi Stefano Merler Manlio De Domenico |
| author_sort | Barbara Benigni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mechanisms for retrieving basic knowledge in the human mind are still unknown. Exploration is usually represented by cognitive units, i.e., concepts, linked together by associative relationships forming semantic networks. However, understanding how humans navigate such networks remains elusive, because the underlying topology of concepts cannot be observed directly, and only functional representations are accessible. Here, we overcome those limitations and show that the hypothesis of an underlying, latent geometry characterizing the human mind is plausible. We characterize this geometry by means of adequate descriptors for exploring and navigating dynamics, demonstrating that they can capture the differences between healthy subjects and patients at different stages of dementia. Our results provide the first fundamental step to develop a new unifying conceptual and computational framework that can be used to support the assessment of neurodegenerative diseases from language and semantic memory retrieval tasks, as well as helping develop targeted nonpharmacological therapies to maintain residual cognitive capacity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2e13482a0f494d309549cee00891e5a7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1099-0526 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Complexity |
| spelling | doaj-art-2e13482a0f494d309549cee00891e5a72025-08-20T03:55:07ZengWileyComplexity1099-05262021-01-01202110.1155/2021/6398407Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic SpaceBarbara Benigni0Monica Dallabona1Elena Bravi2Stefano Merler3Manlio De Domenico4Department of Information Engineering and Computer ScienceDepartment of Mental HealthDepartment of Mental HealthDPCS, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Via Sommarive 18CoMuNe Lab, Fondazione Bruno KesslerMechanisms for retrieving basic knowledge in the human mind are still unknown. Exploration is usually represented by cognitive units, i.e., concepts, linked together by associative relationships forming semantic networks. However, understanding how humans navigate such networks remains elusive, because the underlying topology of concepts cannot be observed directly, and only functional representations are accessible. Here, we overcome those limitations and show that the hypothesis of an underlying, latent geometry characterizing the human mind is plausible. We characterize this geometry by means of adequate descriptors for exploring and navigating dynamics, demonstrating that they can capture the differences between healthy subjects and patients at different stages of dementia. Our results provide the first fundamental step to develop a new unifying conceptual and computational framework that can be used to support the assessment of neurodegenerative diseases from language and semantic memory retrieval tasks, as well as helping develop targeted nonpharmacological therapies to maintain residual cognitive capacity.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6398407 |
| spellingShingle | Barbara Benigni Monica Dallabona Elena Bravi Stefano Merler Manlio De Domenico Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic Space Complexity |
| title | Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic Space |
| title_full | Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic Space |
| title_fullStr | Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic Space |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic Space |
| title_short | Navigating Concepts in the Human Mind Unravels the Latent Geometry of Its Semantic Space |
| title_sort | navigating concepts in the human mind unravels the latent geometry of its semantic space |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/6398407 |
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