Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

Proficiency-Dependent and Dynamic Reorganization of Brain Networks During Children's Second Language Learning

This study shows that children's second language vocabulary learning is better captured by EEG topography and global field dynamics than by the N400 amplitude, with proficiency-dependent changes observed.

Mapping the functional differentiation and interactions among the inferior, medial frontal and posterior temporal cortex in semantic control

This study investigates the functional roles and interactions of the left inferior frontal gyrus, posterior middle temporal gyrus, and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex in semantic control using fMRI and TMS.

Semantic reasoning takes place largely outside the language network

The paper identifies brain regions outside the language network involved in semantic processing of both linguistic and pictorial stimuli using fMRI experiments.

Frontal Vulnerability vs. Temporal Resilience within the core Language Network : Neuro-compensatory mechanisms underline differential language aging trajectories

The paper investigates age-related changes in language abilities using neuroimaging and behavioral data, finding that language comprehension remains stable while production declines, with frontal vulnerability and temporal resilience in the core language network.

Language usage modulates the neural mechanisms ofselective attention in bilinguals

This study shows that language usage in bilinguals modulates neural mechanisms of selective attention, with active users showing better inhibitory control against interference.

Predictive Neural Signals during Natural Mandarin Speech Comprehension

This study investigates predictive neural signals during Mandarin speech comprehension, finding prediction occurs across multiple linguistic levels but not at the phonemic level.

Neural recordings of continuous speech reveal robust signatures of prediction in second language learners of English

The paper uses MEG to compare speech prediction in native and second language learners, finding similar neural responses across multiple linguistic levels.

The Roads Not Taken: The Neural Dynamics of Lexical Alternatives During Free Language Production

The paper investigates neural dynamics of lexical alternatives during speech production using electrocorticography and language models, finding three principles of how these alternatives are represented in the brain.

Distinctive Functionality of Semantic Hubs: Evidence from Semantic Dementia

This study investigates the functional roles of semantic hubs in semantic dementia using behavioral and neuroimaging data, revealing specialized contributions of the left ATL, FFG, and pMTG to semantic processing.

Language comprehension functionally modulates first-order relay thalamic nuclei

The paper demonstrates specific thalamic nucleus activation during language processing tasks using fMRI in human participants.

Diverse ways of holding verbal information in mind revealed with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: Individual differences in left anterior parietal cortex

The paper uses fMRI and TMS to show individual differences in how left anterior parietal cortex supports verbal short-term memory, with some relying more on semantic than phonological processing.

Individual-level contextual alignment and aperiodic slope reveal improved comprehension of unexpected language

The paper investigates how alignment to context and aperiodic slope influence comprehension of unexpected language, finding that lower alignment and steeper aperiodic slope improve understanding of surprising stories.

A neurophysiological alignment metric reveals a supportive role of unexpected stimuli in naturalistic language comprehension

The paper investigates how alignment between internal predictive models and external context affects comprehension of unexpected information in language processing.

SIGNAL: Dataset for Semantic and Inferred Grammar Neurological Analysis of Language

The paper introduces SIGNAL, a dataset of sentences with grammatical and semantic variations used for EEG experiments to study language processing.

Attentional engagement with target and distractor streams predicts speech comprehension in multitalker environments

This study shows that neural tracking of attended speech features predicts comprehension, while ignored stream tracking correlates with performance in multitalker environments.

Temporal coding of conceptual distances in the human language area

The paper shows that semantic distances between concepts are encoded in the temporal frequency of EEG oscillations in the left language region, not in amplitude, and reveals concept-based processing over feature-based processing.

Reaching for domain-general syntax: Sentence processing and tool-use reach-to-grasp share neural patterns in the basal ganglia

The paper shows that neural patterns in the basal ganglia during sentence comprehension and tool-use reach-to-grasp are similar, suggesting shared hierarchical processing for language and action.

Hierarchical dynamic coding coordinates speech comprehension in the brain

This study proposes and tests the Hierarchical Dynamic Coding (HDC) hypothesis, showing how the brain maintains and updates a language hierarchy during speech comprehension.

Harry Potter meets Markov: Neural event representation in the reading network during narrative processing

The paper uses a Hidden Markov Model to identify neural events during reading of Harry Potter, revealing hierarchical event structures and alignment with human and automated annotations in specific brain regions.

Decoding state specific connectivity during speech production and perception

The paper decodes behavioral states during speech production and perception using functional connectivity from ECoG data, achieving 73.9% accuracy in classifying states.

The Neural Consequences of Semantic Composition

This study investigates how semantic composition affects neural representations, finding shifts in visual system patterns and distinct network activations for relational vs. attributive composition.

Optimizing Language Model Embeddings to Voxel Activity Improves Brain Activity Predictions

This study shows optimizing language model embeddings for individual brain voxels improves prediction accuracy of brain activity during reading.

Functional Specialization for Language Processing in Inferior Frontal Regions During Early Childhood: Evidence from functional near-infrared spectroscopy individual functional channels of interest approach

The paper uses fNIRS and a novel fCOI approach to show early language specialization in the left inferior frontal gyrus in toddlers, with right hemisphere selectivity emerging only in adults.

Manipulating syntax without taxing working memory: MEG correlates of syntactic dependencies in a Verb-Second language

The paper investigates neural correlates of syntactic dependencies in a Verb-Second language using MEG, finding increased responses in left fronto-temporal regions for sentences compared to list-controls.

In the words of others: ERP evidence of speaker-specific phonological prediction

The paper investigates speaker-specific phonological prediction by analyzing ERP responses to predictable and unpredictable words spoken by native and foreign-accented speakers.

Beyond the Anterior Temporal Lobe: Domain-Related Degeneration of Cortical Language Network Dynamics in Semantic Dementia

This study identifies domain-specific language network degeneration in semantic dementia using a meta-networking framework, showing progressive atrophy beyond the anterior temporal lobe and its impact on language function.

A common representational code for event and object concepts in the brain

The paper investigates how object and event concepts are represented in the brain using fMRI data, finding they share a common representational code based on perceptual and emotional features.

The Disruption and Normalization of Cortical Language Network Dynamics After Post-Stroke White Matter Disconnection

This study examines how language network dynamics change after stroke, showing initial disruptions that normalize over time with recovery.

Comparative multivariate decoding adjudicates theories of semantic representation in the anterior temporal lobes and the rest of the cortex

The paper uses comparative multivariate decoding to evaluate theories of semantic representation in the anterior temporal lobes and other brain regions, finding domain-general vector-space codes in these areas.

Evaluating scientific theories as predictive models in language neuroscience

This paper introduces QA encoding models that convert qualitative language theories into interpretable brain response predictors, outperforming baselines in fMRI and ECoG data.