ABSTRACT
How is meaning created and attributed in the brain? We review evidence supporting the existence of two dissociable dimensions of meaning attribution, each modulated by a different neurochemical pathway. Salience attribution is related to dopaminergic function, while the attribution of meaning in the semantic sense is modulated by serotonergic function. These conclusions are supported by pharmacological interventions using dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists, as well as drugs with high affinity for serotonin 2A receptors, known as psychedelics. Moreover, they are consistent with the symptomatology of psychiatric disorders hypothesized to emerge from specific neurochemical abnormalities, such as schizophrenia. These lines of research incarnate and inform the cross-disciplinary ethos of neurosemiotics.
