Brain processing of proper names

Abstract

Proper names are of practical importance for verbal communication. For instance, they are indispensable for transmission of autobiographical information concerning a person. Recent studies have revealed that proper names are neuropsychologically and anatomically processed in a manner that differs from the processing of common nouns. The current review described proper names, which are labels attached to referents, as being without semantic meaning. The clinical data are presented regarding comprehension and retrieval of people's names, and memory of their unique properties. The validity of a cognitive neuropsychological model of people's name processing is also evaluated. The review suggests that after the initial memory consolidation of a name and a person by the left hemisphere's hippo/parahippocampus, the memory become established in the adjoining fusiform gyrus. Consequently, it is hypothesized that the fusiform gyrus forms a processing network for people's names with the temporal pole and postero temporo/occipital lobe. The research on geographical names, topographical names, and therapeutic approaches for deficits of proper names is also reviewed.