Our brains constantly have to deal with spoken word in a variety of forms on a daily basis. Whether it’s on TV, the radio, or as we talk to family, friends, and co-workers, this language information is being continuously processed without us even realizing. But what is actually going on inside our brains as this information is being conveyed to us? How is able to cope with all of this?
To give us a better understanding of the answer to this question, a group of scientists have created a map that represents how the brain deciphers spoken language and how each word is grouped within the brain. It also disproves the belief that language is only relevant in the left hemisphere of the brain. Previous studies focused on the use of single words or phrases to understand the semantics in the brain, but Jack Gallant, a neuroscientist at UC Berkley, had different ideas.
He and lead author, Alex Huth, wanted to understand how our brains were able to map out a more natural story than just simply a bunch of words thrown together. Their study involved having seven participants listen to The Moth Radio Hour (a storytelling program) for a few hours. As each participant listened, any changes in blood flow and volume caused by neuron activity within the brain was monitored by an fMRI machine. This allowed the scientists to see which parts of the brain lit up and at what point.
After they had recorded the results, they analyzed them to understand which words corresponded to the lit up areas of the brain. They also used their findings to create a model that could predict rain activity depending on what words the person heard. With all the information gathered from the seven participants, the researchers were able to create a brain atlas, as both a 3D model and an interactive version too.
What the researchers found during the study is that the meanings of words are spread across the cerebral cortex in both hemispheres of the brain in more than 100 different areas. Different regions of the brain are associated with certain meanings of words. But, there is still more research to be done, and the brain map is not a definitive one as only tested seven individuals, who all spoke English, and all came from the same part of the world. So, the results could be quite different for someone living in Australia or China.
Still, the study provides great insight into the working of the brain and how we associated word meanings. It also gives researchers a foundation to work with in better understanding how the brain changes after injuries such as stroke or in disorders such as dyslexia or autism. Gallant says, “In neuroscience, we know a lot about the anatomy of the brain, down to single synapses, but what we really want to know about is the function.” He feels that this is the key to really understanding the brain, and with further research, hopefully, we will get there.
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