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Fluorescence image of a neuron labeled for synapses (green) and cell structure (magenta).

·October 31, 2013·2 min read

Gene Found to Foster Synapse Formation in the Brain

A gene implicated in human speech disorders and epilepsy is also required for vocalization and synapse formation in mice, researchers discover.

The image shows a chart of the activity in the hemispheres, as described in the caption.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 18, 2013·3 min read

Learning Dialects Shapes Brain Areas That Process Spoken Language

Researchers find the pitch-accent in words pronounced in standard Japanese activates different brain hemispheres depending on whether the listener speaks standard Japanese or one of the regional dialects.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 17, 2013·2 min read

Bird Study Finds Key Information About Human Speech-Language Development

Researchers show how two molecules regulate a gene implicated in speech and language impairments, as well as ASD.

The image shows a teacher in the 1940's with a student.

Featured Neurology

·October 15, 2013·2 min read

Teachers More Likely to Have Progressive Speech and Language Disorders

Researchers discover an unusual occupational hazard for teachers. Progressive speech and language problems are more prevalent in those who teach than those with Alzheimer's disease.

This is the MRI scan associated with the article.

Featured Psychology

·October 9, 2013·2 min read

Poetry is Like Music to the Mind

A new neuroimaging study helps researchers map the different way the brain responds to poetry and prose.

The image shows the researchers looking over data.

Featured Neuroscience

·October 8, 2013·3 min read

Brain Anatomy and Language in Young Children

Studying the neurodevelopment in young children acquiring language skills, researchers found larger myelin structures were already in place.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 27, 2013·2 min read

Brain Processes ‘Big’ Words Faster Than ‘Small’ Words

Words which refer to 'big', abstract things are processed more quickly by the brain than 'smaller' words, a new study suggests.

The image shows a head with question marks surrounding it.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 13, 2013·3 min read

Grammar Errors? The Brain Detects Them Even When You Are Unaware

Researchers discover people detect and process grammatical errors with no conscious awareness of doing so.

The image shows a child with ASD identifying words from a flash card.

Autism Featured

·March 4, 2013·3 min read

Speech Emerges in Children with Autism and Severe Language Delay at Greater Rate Than Previously Thought

A new study reveals 70 percent of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, and who have a history of severe language delay, achieved fluent speech by the age of eight.

Two brain images are shown side by side with Wernicke's area highlighted.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 16, 2013·3 min read

Research Reveals How the Human Brain Adapts to Injury

Scientists used a new combination of neural imaging methods to discover how the human brain adapts to injury. The research shows that when one brain area loses functionality, a back-up team of secondary brain areas immediately activates, replacing not only the unavailable area but also its confederates.

Psychology

·October 15, 2012·3 min read

Language is Shaped by Brain’s Desire for Clarity and Ease

Using an artificial language in a carefully controlled laboratory experiment, researchers found that many changes to language are simply the brain's way of ensuring that communication is as precise and concise as possible.

Featured Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·September 18, 2012·3 min read

Theory: Music Underlies Language Acquisition

Contrary to the prevailing theories that music and language are cognitively separate or that music is a byproduct of language, theorists at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) advocate that music underlies the ability to acquire language.