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Updated: May 24, 2026

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition
Published on: July 13, 2019
Ultra-rapid access to words in the brain
Lucy J MacGregor1, Friedemann Pulvermüller, Maarten van Casteren
1MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Rd., Cambridge, UK. lucy.macgregor@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
Human brain processes spoken language extremely rapidly. Researchers discovered the earliest brain signature of word recognition, occurring just 50 milliseconds after speech information becomes available, aiding survival.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Rapid information processing is crucial for survival in dynamic environments.
- Spoken language is a primary tool for human information exchange.
- The precise speed of neuronal mechanisms in speech comprehension remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal dynamics of neuro-lexical processing.
- To identify the earliest neural signatures of word recognition in the human brain.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of neuromagnetic brain activity (MEG).
- Presentation of psycholinguistically and acoustically matched words and pseudowords.
- Comparison of cortical activation patterns between real words and pseudowords.
Main Results:
- An ultra-early dissociation in cortical activation was observed between words and pseudowords.
- This neural dissociation emerged approximately 50 milliseconds after relevant acoustic information became available.
- This represents the earliest reported brain signature for lexical processing.
Conclusions:
- The human brain processes spoken words with remarkable speed.
- This rapid neuro-lexical processing may confer an evolutionary advantage for spoken language.
- Understanding these early neural mechanisms is key to comprehending speech processing.
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