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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 20, 2025

Closed-loop Neuro-robotic Experiments to Test Computational Properties of Neuronal Networks

Closed-loop Neuro-robotic Experiments to Test Computational Properties of Neuronal Networks

Published on: March 2, 2015

Dual coding of knowledge in the human brain.

¹State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

|September 12, 2021

Summary

The human brain may use two systems to store knowledge: one from sensory experiences and another from language. This research suggests language-derived knowledge is represented in the brain

Keywords:

dual coding knowledge language semantics symbolic

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Psychology

Background:

Neurocognitive models of knowledge often emphasize sensory embodiment, where knowledge stems from sensory/motor experiences.
Representing world knowledge through language, as in artificial intelligence, has been a less explored area in neurocognition.
Establishing neural correlates for disembodied, symbolic knowledge systems has been challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the neural basis of knowledge representation in the human brain.
To explore the existence and location of non-sensory, language-derived knowledge.
To propose a dual-coding framework for neural knowledge representation.

Main Methods:

Examined knowledge about visual properties (e.g., color) in individuals with visual deprivation.
Utilized neuroimaging techniques to identify brain regions involved in knowledge processing.
Compared neural activity patterns related to sensory-derived versus language-derived knowledge.

Main Results:

Provided compelling evidence for non-sensory, language-derived knowledge representation.
Identified the dorsal anterior temporal lobe and extended language network as key areas for this representation.
Found evidence supporting both sensory-derived and language-derived knowledge systems.

Conclusions:

The human brain utilizes a dual-coding system for knowledge, integrating sensory and language-based information.
Language plays a crucial role in forming abstract knowledge representations, independent of direct sensory experience.
This framework advances our understanding of how the brain encodes and processes information about the world.