Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 18, 2026
06:07
Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
Published on: May 15, 2019
9.0K
The Neural Network for Sign Language Comprehension
Brennan Terhune-Cotter1, Karen Emmorey2
1Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University, University of California, San Diego, California, USA.
Language and Linguistics Compass
|September 11, 2025
Summary
Sign language comprehension involves visual processing in the occipital lobe and temporal regions, activating language networks similar to spoken language processing. This highlights shared and modality-specific brain pathways for language.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Sign languages utilize visual-manual articulators, contrasting with spoken languages' vocal-auditory modality.
- This difference impacts neural processing, necessitating a review of sign language comprehension networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the neural network underlying sign language comprehension.
- To delineate the processing stages from visual input to sentence parsing.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on sign language neuroscience.
- Analysis of brain regions involved in visual processing, phonological representation, and semantic-syntactic construction.
Main Results:
- Visual sign decoding occurs in occipital and posterior temporal regions.
- Sign-based phonological and lexical-semantic representations are formed in temporal and parietal regions.
- Higher-level semantic-syntactic processing involves a frontotemporal network overlapping with spoken language networks.
Conclusions:
- Sign language comprehension recruits a network with both visual-specific and supramodal components.
- Further research should explore functional roles within specific brain regions for sign language processing.
Keywords:
bilingualismcognitive science of languagedeafnessneurolinguisticsperceptionsign language comprehensionsupramodal languagevariationMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:10Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language
3.5K
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 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...
3.5K
01:25Neural Circuits
2.7K
Neural circuits and neuronal pools are two of the main structures found in the nervous system. Neural circuits are networks of neurons that work together to carry out a specific task or process. They consist of interconnected neurons and glial cells, which provide structural and metabolic support.
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
Neuronal pools are collections of nerve cells with similar functions and interact through chemical and electrical signals. These pools include both interneurons (the central neural circuit nodes that...
2.7K
01:28Neuronal Communication
3.1K
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...
3.1K
01:22Neurons as Communicators of the Brain
3.0K
Neurons, the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, function as the primary transmitters of information throughout the body. Their ability to communicate through electrical and chemical signals is vital for every bodily function, from regulating the heartbeat to processing complex thoughts. Each neuron has three main components: the cell body (soma), dendrites, and an axon, each specialized to facilitate swift and efficient neural communication.
Cell Body
The cell body, also known...
Cell Body
The cell body, also known...
3.0K
01:10Introduction to the Sign Test
1.3K
The sign test is an important tool in nonparametric statistics, offering a straightforward yet effective method for analyzing matched pairs, nominal data, or hypotheses concerning the median of a population. It transforms data points into positive or negative signs, avoiding the need for assumptions about data distribution and instead focusing on the direction of change. It is particularly valuable when data does not conform to the normal distribution requirements of many parametric tests. For...
1.3K
01:30Assembly of Signaling Complexes
6.5K
Multiprotein signaling complexes are formed in a dynamic process involving protein-protein interactions at the cytoplasmic domain of transmembrane receptors or enzymatic and non-enzymatic proteins associated with the receptor. These complexes ensure the activation and propagation of intracellular signals that regulate cell functions.
Interaction domains in cell signaling
Interaction domains recognize exposed features of their binding partners containing post-translationally modified sequences,...
Interaction domains in cell signaling
Interaction domains recognize exposed features of their binding partners containing post-translationally modified sequences,...
6.5K