Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Language and Cognition

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

Language Development

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...

Lateralization

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.

Language

Language

Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Alpha rhythms in the left auditory cortex set the speed limit for speech comprehension.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Nucleus-level thalamic organization anchors multimodal signatures of thalamocortical maturation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Complementary predictive value of electromagnetic source imaging and hemodynamic responses in epilepsy surgery: A quantitative spatial analysis.

Epilepsia·2026

Same author

The intrinsic cortical geometry of reading.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Multiscale characterization of the human claustrum from histology to MRI.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Sex-related structural alterations across common epilepsies: a worldwide ENIGMA study.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 29, 2025

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Physical distance to sensory-motor landmarks predicts language function.

Xiuyi Wang^1,2, Katya Krieger-Redwood², Meichao Zhang²

¹CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.

Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)

|September 6, 2022

Summary

Cortical regions near sensory-motor areas support auditory processing, while distant regions support word meaning. This study links brain activation to physical distance from sensory landmarks, revealing functional organization principles.

Keywords:

default mode network geodesic distance gradient language

More Related Videos

Practical Methodology of Cognitive Tasks Within a Navigational Assessment

Practical Methodology of Cognitive Tasks Within a Navigational Assessment

Published on: June 1, 2015

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 29, 2025

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Practical Methodology of Cognitive Tasks Within a Navigational Assessment

Practical Methodology of Cognitive Tasks Within a Navigational Assessment

Published on: June 1, 2015

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroimaging

Background:

Auditory language comprehension involves diverse cortical regions.
Some regions are near sensory-motor landmarks, others are distant.
The "tethering hypothesis" suggests proximity to input regions enhances sensory processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if functional MRI (fMRI) responsiveness relates to physical distance from sensorimotor landmarks.
To explore how this relationship differs for regions supporting sensory vs. semantic aspects of language.

Main Methods:

Task-based functional MRI (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
Individual differences in activation were correlated with geodesic distance to primary sensorimotor landmarks.
Analysis focused on auditory, language, and default mode network parcels.

Main Results:

Auditory network parcels showed stronger activation with decreased distance to the transverse temporal sulcus.
Language and default mode network parcels showed increased activation with greater distance from sensorimotor landmarks.
These opposing relationships highlight functional differentiation based on proximity to sensory-motor regions.

Conclusions:

Physical distance from sensorimotor regions is a key organizing principle for cortical functional differentiation.
Proximity supports sensory processing fidelity, while separation supports semantic memory aspects of language.
Findings align with the principal gradient of intrinsic cortical connectivity.