Niharika Jhingan

Monosynaptic connections link functionally similar regions in human cortex

The paper maps human cortical connectivity using es-fMRI and finds that functional similarity, not distance, primarily determines anatomical connections.

A distinct set of brain areas process prosody--the melody of speech

The paper identifies distinct brain areas that process prosody in speech across multiple experiments and participants.

Constructed languages are processed by the same brain mechanisms as natural languages

The paper shows that constructed languages activate the same brain regions as natural languages, suggesting shared cognitive mechanisms regardless of their creation or usage characteristics.

The language network ages well: Preserved topography, lateralization, selectivity, and within-network functional connectivity in older brains

The paper examines age-related changes in the language and executive function networks using fMRI, finding preserved language network function in older adults compared to decline in the executive network.

Linguistic inputs must be syntactically parsable to fully engage the language network

The paper tests whether syntactic parsing is necessary for language comprehension by analyzing brain responses to syntactically ill-formed but semantically plausible and grammatically correct but semantically implausible sentences.