We speak in metaphors all the time. Yes, I mean "we" as in everyone, not just the poets and creative writers out there. In fact, much of what we understand about the world is understood in metaphorical terms. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson explain in their work "Metaphors We Live By" that "...metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action". If we take the time to think about it, they're right - metaphors certainly are. the foundation to our house of knowledge (see what I did there?).
Until recently, it was assumed that metaphors were interpreted in the part of our brain that deals with language comprehension. The textbook calls this "Wernicke's Area", located in the superior temporal gyrus, usually in the left cerebral hemisphere.
However, MD, PhD Krish Sathian of Emory University, has just released the results of several studies that show that metaphors can activate the sensory portions of our brains as well. So, when someone says they've had a "rough day", do you feel sandpaper beneath your fingers? Perhaps not, though the same parts of your brain are working in response to both these stimuli. 
I was able to experience this concept firsthand: a friend of mine was recently involved in a longboarding accident, in which his Wernicke's Area was put at high risk. However, he is now able to tell me that, while in the hospital, doctors asked him questions concerning sense-related language (like metaphors), and that he was able to understand the concepts behind these messages. This highlights the role of neural networks in our brains, and can help scientists better understand the importance of these neural networks. So, truthfully, this newfound information may simply be the "tip of the iceberg", the "knock at the door of opportunity", the "window to the truth" behind the complex structure we call the human brain. Exciting, right? I think so too.
Article and information: Quinn Eastwood, "Hearing Metaphors Activates Brain Regions Involved in Sensory Experience" 3 Feb 2012. Medical Xpress; medicalxpress.com
Elleni Paulson; 4256521
This is very cool! I had assumed that metaphors would have primarily dealt with the neural networks which translate language, but it makes sense that we recall the experiences related within the metaphor. When I read a metaphor a visual comparison comes to mind, which is not created by the language comprehension section of the brain, but instead that which houses sensory perception.
Your friend's Wenicke's Area was put at high risk for being injured but he was still able to understand the metaphors? So, it wasn't injured? However, I loved how you used metaphors within your explanations; it added character to your blog and helped convey your overall message. You also helped me understand the concept of neural networks better.
I find that really interesting that other parts of our brain actually activate just from hearing metaphors. It is amazing when you think about it just how many metaphors we use everyday, and we are simply just unaware of them.
This was a fascinating post. I learned even more than I had in class and by reading the book. It makes quite a bit of sense that metaphors originate at times in our sensory areas. Think about how much more we have to learn about the brain. Thank you for the post.
Wow this is a great post! That is very interesting how different parts of the brain are used to understand metaphors. I really enjoyed how you incorporated the pictures into your article as well. They really added to what you were saying.
So, when I tell my friend that I'm "racking my brain" to solve this problem, my friend understands the meaning of the metaphor by the help of Wernicke's area while her brain feels the sense of squeezing at the same time? Interesting.
So, when I tell my friend that I'm "racking my brain" to solve this problem, she understands the meaning of the metaphor by the help of Wernicke's area while her brain feels the sense of squeezing at the same time? Interesting.