In the current article, a graph theoretical approach is adopted in order to study associative-semantic processing: a large number of mental nodes with a vast number of possible functional connections. In other words, the experimental part focuses on the study of regions activated both for words and pictures which involve the left ventral occipitotemporal transition zone (vOT), or else, the junction between left ventral occipital and posterior inferior temporal cortex. Thirty-three adults took part, aged between 54 and 89 years old. Stimuli were projected onto a screen in front of the participants’ eyes and fMRIs were conducted at the same time. The task involved an associative-semantic versus visuo-perceptual judgment: pictures versus printed words. According to the findings, the vOT system functions as an ‘amplifier’ of inner representations of perceptual units. Moreover vOT promotes conscious perception and enhancing access of these units to other cognitive systems, e.g. involved in episodic memory in accordance with research by Van Doren et al. (2010, 2012).