# MEG Evidence That Modality-Independent Conceptual Representations Encode Visual but Not Lexical Representations

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.10916 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.10916/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 18 Dec 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Agentic Learner with Grow-and-Refine Multimodal Semantic Memory](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.21678/) (2025)
- [OmniGCD: Abstracting Generalized Category Discovery for Modality Agnosticism](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.14762/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The semantic knowledge stored in our brains can be accessed from different stimulus modalities. For example, a picture of a cat and the word "cat" both engage similar conceptual representations. While existing research has found evidence for modality-independent representations, their content remains unknown. Modality-independent representations could be abstract, or they might be perceptual or even lexical in nature. We used a novel approach combining word/picture cross-condition decoding with neural network classifiers that learned latent modality-independent representations from MEG data. We then compared these representations to models representing semantic, sensory, and lexical features. Results show that modality-independent representations are not strictly amodal; rather, they also contain visual representations. There was no evidence that lexical properties contributed to the representation of modality-independent concepts. These findings support the notion that perceptual processes play a fundamental role in encoding modality-independent conceptual representations. Conversely, lexical representations did not appear to partake in modality-independent semantic knowledge.