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

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...

Network Function of a Circuit

Network Function of a Circuit

Frequency response analysis in electrical circuits provides vital insights into a circuit's behavior as the frequency of the input signal changes. The transfer function, a mathematical tool, is instrumental in understanding this behavior. It defines the relationship between phasor output and input and comes in four types: voltage gain, current gain, transfer impedance, and transfer admittance. The critical components of the transfer function are the poles and zeros.

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...

Protein Networks

Protein Networks

Neuronal Communication

Neuronal Communication

Neurons, the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, communicate through complex electrochemical signals that underpin all cognitive and bodily functions. This communication is primarily facilitated by a process involving the generation and propagation of an action potential along the axon of the neuron. When the internal electrical charge of a neuron surpasses a certain threshold, an action potential is triggered. This rapid change in voltage travels swiftly along the axon to the...

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.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Acceptability and Implementation of a Primary Care Health Check for Autistic People: Findings From Evaluation Questionnaires and Interviews.

Autism : the international journal of research and practice·2026

Same author

Sign language narrative reveals universal and modality-specific features of cortical timescale hierarchy.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Ex-situ machine perfusion across the organs; shared principles and transferable knowledge from clinical trials.

Transplantation reviews (Orlando, Fla.)·2026

Same author

Shaping the Future of AI in Organ Transplantation: Position Paper of the European Society for Organ Transplantation.

Transplant international : official journal of the European Society for Organ Transplantation·2026

Same author

Time to Death and Donation After Circulatory Death Kidney Transplant Outcomes: Opportunities for Improved Utilization in the United States.

Clinical transplantation·2026

Same author

Artificial intelligence in surgical care within low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review of development, validation, and deployment.

EClinicalMedicine·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2025

Augmenting Large Language Models via Vector Embeddings to Improve Domain-Specific Responsiveness

Augmenting Large Language Models via Vector Embeddings to Improve Domain-Specific Responsiveness

Published on: December 6, 2024

Contribution of the language network to the comprehension of Python programming code.

Yun-Fei Liu¹, Colin Wilson², Marina Bedny¹

¹Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins Universtiy, 232 Ames Hall, 3400 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

Brain and Language

|February 22, 2024

Summary

The brain's language network helps understand programming languages like Python. Specific areas in the lateral temporal cortex can decode code structures, suggesting a role in initial program comprehension.

More Related Videos

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Published on: December 14, 2012

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning

Published on: January 29, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 2, 2025

Augmenting Large Language Models via Vector Embeddings to Improve Domain-Specific Responsiveness

Augmenting Large Language Models via Vector Embeddings to Improve Domain-Specific Responsiveness

Published on: December 6, 2024

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

Published on: December 14, 2012

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effect of Induced Emotion on Grammar Learning

Published on: January 29, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Computational Linguistics

Background:

The perisylvian language network's role in programming language comprehension is debated.
Previous studies suggest limited involvement of language areas, focusing instead on executive functions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether the lateral temporal (LT) language cortex encodes programming language structures.
To determine if the language network contributes to the initial processing of code.

Main Methods:

Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Decoding of Python programming constructs (for-loops vs. if-conditionals) based on brain activity.
Searchlight analysis to pinpoint regions of interest.

Main Results:

A linear support vector machine (SVM) successfully decoded for-loops from if-conditionals using activity in the LT language cortex.
Decoding accuracy was highest within the LT language cortex compared to other brain regions.
Decoding success was linked to compositional program properties, not just keywords.

Conclusions:

The LT language cortex plays a role in representing programming language syntax and structure.
The language system may form initial "surface meaning" representations of code.
These representations likely inform higher-level reasoning networks for algorithmic processing.