In this episode, host Garrett Oyama, MS, CCC-SLP, sits down with MIT cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Evelina (Ev) Fedorenko, PhD, to explore what brain imaging reveals about how language is processed in the brain and why it matters for clinical practice.
Dr. Fedorenko shares insights from her groundbreaking research using tools like fMRI and intracranial recordings to map the brain’s core language network. Her findings show that this network is reliably located across individuals and closely connected with cognitive systems such as memory and attention.
She also discusses why the traditional distinction between syntax and semantics may not hold up neurologically, and how grammatical knowledge may instead emerge from meaningful language use. It’s a compelling conversation with practical implications for how we understand and support language development.
Dr. Fedorenko shares insights from her groundbreaking research using tools like fMRI and intracranial recordings to map the brain’s core language network. Her findings show that this network is reliably located across individuals and closely connected with cognitive systems such as memory and attention.
She also discusses why the traditional distinction between syntax and semantics may not hold up neurologically, and how grammatical knowledge may instead emerge from meaningful language use. It’s a compelling conversation with practical implications for how we understand and support language development.
