Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

3.4K
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...
3.4K
Auditory Pathway01:15

Auditory Pathway

7.0K
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking...
7.0K
Lobes of the Cerebrum01:22

Lobes of the Cerebrum

4.0K
The cerebral cortex, a critical structure of the brain, is intricately divided into two hemispheres, each consisting of four distinct lobes: occipital, temporal, frontal, and parietal. These lobes function cooperatively to regulate various cognitive and sensory functions, forming the basis of our complex neural capabilities.
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are the command center of our brain, controlling personality, intelligence, and voluntary muscle movements....
4.0K
Lateralization01:28

Lateralization

949
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.
949
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

696
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.
696
Hearing01:31

Hearing

56.4K
When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
56.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Effectiveness of pegylated interferon-α combined with antiretroviral therapy on HIV reservoir clearance in acute HIV infection: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial at a tertiary infectious disease hospital in Beijing, China.

BMJ open·2026
Same author

Biphasic Dose-Response and Mechanism Analysis of Vanillic Acid from <i>Larix gmelinii</i> on <i>Neofusicoccum laricinum</i>.

International journal of molecular sciences·2026
Same author

On the speed of conscious perception: how soon is now?

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

Effects of social support and type D personality, with serial mediation by psychological resilience and positive coping styles - a cross-sectional study: Subjective well-being in hemodialysis patients.

Medicine·2026
Same author

Human intracranial signal stability tracks anatomical accuracy after electrode reimplantation.

Journal of neural engineering·2026
Same author

A Fine-grained Spatiotemporal ECoG Dataset during Speech Perception in Tonal Language.

Scientific data·2026
Same journal

Daily briefing: 'Cyborg' cockroaches breathe underwater with printed suit.

Nature·2026
Same journal

China boosts prestigious grants for young scientists - will it ease competition?

Nature·2026
Same journal

Incoming US science academy chief vows to 'double down' on research.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Author Correction: Synthesis of enantioenriched atropisomers by biocatalytic deracemization.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Electrodeposited self-assembled molecules for perovskite photovoltaics.

Nature·2026
Same journal

Neutrino's nursery found: the 'Shadow Blaster'.

Nature·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology
05:38

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Published on: June 29, 2021

2.8K

Shared and language-specific phonological processing in the human temporal lobe.

Ilina Bhaya-Grossman1,2,3, Matthew K Leonard1,2,3, Yizhen Zhang1,2

  • 1Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Nature
|November 19, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Brain activity for native and foreign languages is similar in foundational sound processing. However, the brain uniquely enhances native language processing for word structure and sound patterns, showing experience-dependent learning in the superior temporal gyrus.

More Related Videos

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

16.9K
Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
09:09

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Published on: September 27, 2024

785

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 10, 2026

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology
05:38

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Published on: June 29, 2021

2.8K
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
06:34

Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations

Published on: July 1, 2015

16.9K
Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody
09:09

Foreign Accent and Forensic Speaker Identification in Voice Lineups: The Influence of Acoustic Features Based on Prosody

Published on: September 27, 2024

785

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Linguistics
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Human vocal tracts produce a limited set of speech sounds, yet thousands of diverse languages exist.
  • Language acquisition relies on extensive auditory experience within specific linguistic contexts.
  • The brain mechanisms distinguishing experience-dependent from experience-independent speech processing are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the brain processes native versus unfamiliar foreign languages.
  • To identify neural correlates of experience-dependent language processing in the brain.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded high-density cortical activity in adults listening to native and foreign languages.
  • Analyzed neural responses in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) for acoustic-phonetic features, word boundaries, and sequence statistics.
  • Examined bilingual participants to confirm language-specific encoding within the same neural populations.

Main Results:

  • Both native and foreign languages evoked similar cortical responses in the STG for basic acoustic-phonetic processing.
  • Native language listening showed enhanced neural encoding in the STG for word boundaries, word frequency, and language-specific sound sequences.
  • Bilinguals demonstrated this enhanced encoding for both their languages in the same STG neural populations.

Conclusions:

  • The superior temporal gyrus (STG) plays a crucial role in both shared acoustic-phonetic processing and experience-dependent language specialization.
  • Neural processing of language dynamically integrates universal speech features with language-specific information.
  • This study highlights the brain's plasticity in adapting to linguistic experience at both acoustic and higher-level processing stages.