Shared neural correlates for building phrases in signed and spoken language

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Linguistics
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Sign languages exhibit complex structures similar to spoken languages.
• Neurobiological underpinnings of real-time linguistic structure construction in sign versus speech are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if the same neurobiology supports online linguistic structure construction in both sign and spoken languages.
• To compare brain activity during the production of simple two-word phrases in signers and speakers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized magnetoencephalography (MEG) to record brain activity in signers and speakers.
• Presented identical pictures to both groups, who then produced semantically equivalent two-word phrases in their respective modalities.
• Focused on the production of minimal two-word phrases to control linguistic stimuli.

Main Results:

• Phrase building in both signers and speakers engaged overlapping left anterior temporal and ventromedial cortices.
• Similar timing of neural activation was observed in both groups, despite differences in articulators.
• The findings indicate shared neural networks for linguistic planning across modalities.

Conclusions:

• The neurobiological similarity between sign and spoken language processing extends beyond basic lateralization.
• A common fronto-temporal network is involved in planning structured linguistic expressions, irrespective of modality.
• This suggests a shared neural basis for the cognitive mechanisms underlying language production.