Lab set up to explore the science of language

A laboratory in Abu Dhabi has been set up to explore the science of language, with an MEG machine part of the laboratory products  available to researchers.

Magnetoencephalography MEG machines are non-invasive brain scanners which can detect minute magnetic fluctuations from neural reactions in the brain with extreme sensitivity and at millisecond resolution, an expert says. This will be used at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) inaugurated a Neuroscience of Language Laboratory which is setting out with a remit to better understand brain activity associated with various cognitive processes.

The researchers will be looking to advance scientific knowledge on how humans neurologically process language, starting at the basics of constructing words and exploring neurological activity right through to how we construct sentences.

Dr Alec Marantz, Professor of Linguistics and Psychology at New York University (NYU), said: "This is a unique lab because we are integrating linguistics, which is the scientific study of language, with cognitive neuroscience [aims to understand how complex mental functions are implemented within the brain].”

Posted by Ben Evans