Abstract: The study was performed to explore the neural basis about semantics by fMRI, with a better-controlled experimental design which considered both modalities and category in one study and toke the typical questions of semantic retrieval as cognitive task. It was found that the pattern of brain activation (including the activation in left fusiform) evoked by different types of semantic information was very similar at its extent and peak value. Moreover, with a strict statistical threshold, no brain areas specifically related to the retrieval of either categorical or modality information was found. Results suggested that human semantic system be undifferentiated by category or modality at the neural level and the activation of visual imagery of a concrete object may go with the retrieval of its any information. And what’s more, the activation of BA9 observed in this study corroborate and extend the claim that there may be important difference in cortical organization of English and Chinese.

Key words: semantic knowledge, fMRI, neural representations