The brain dictionary

Where exactly are the words in your head? Scientists have created an interactive map showing which brain areas respond to hearing different words. The map reveals how language is spread throughout the cortex and across both hemispheres, showing groups of words clustered together by meaning. The beautiful interactive model allows us to explore the complex organisation of the enormous dictionaries in our heads.

28th April 2016

[TerryReedMiss]

Ooooo ... I want to ask the researchers: have they attempted this across cultures yet? I wonder about the degrees of difference in the human brain about all sorts of things, and also of the similarities. FASCINATING! I want to do it ... please, map me, docs! :-D

[TheNick]

Isn't modern technology incredible? With functional MRI scanning we can get so much more information about the way the brain works. Often computers are more trouble than they are worth, but when it comes to the internet and image processing it has caused incredible changes in how we communicate and understand this world. Credit to the people who invented the technology and did the study.

[yqisq]

Words is only an explicit way to represent thoughts. I believe brain has its implicit representation of thoughts and abstract concepts without requiring to express them in words. So while processing of language is localised in certain area of brain, the thoughts those words represent is distributed.

[moiquiregardevideo]

The language remain located in the 2 known places; Broca for understanding spoken language, the other closer to visual area to read words. Everywhere else, it is just labels that we add to explain the concept manipulated by each brain area.
For example, the two locations with the label "family" are areas that become active when thinking about any family. But the English word 'family" is still recognized in the Broca area. Once Broca identify the word "family", then it trigger one or more brain areas which know the concept.

[ExplosiveFilms]

That's an absolutely insane amount of work! So inspiring! And what could be more fascinating than how meaning is represented in the brain? So cool!

[Muffinfordinner]

What if you know more than one language?

[DistortedFaiths]

Truly fascinating. Proves that cognition is not localized to one area and how multifaceted the brain is in understanding language.

[VperVendetta]

this means that we can map each thought word by a human to a string of digits that represent the locations of the brain that are activated by that word.
Then we can send these strings via bluetooth to another computer wich would decode them into words and read them to another human, who would in turn respond with another phrase which will be sent to the first human and so on.
Thus achieving universal telepathic communication.

[masoudghodrati]

Received 08 January 2014
Accepted 02 March 2016
Published online 27 April 2016 ! :)

[moiquiregardevideo]

Interesting description of the fundamental way the brain works. Each area process concepts. When listening to a story, the brain area get activated as the words with appropriate context are identified.

[HectorRoldan]

This running in real time and abilities expanded could help with psychological or couples therapy when addressing associations and triggers. Expanded abilities could include mapping emotional responses as well so the depth of data can further explore whatever might be the issue with more clarity. I had been playing with the concept of software and hardware engineering to such ends but might just toss that project back into oblivion since it seems that's where science might be taking us anyways^^

[TheNeilDarby]

I still can't get over the fact that the decision to write this comment has physical origins in one of those things.

[vigneshkumar]

Amazing
Pls make video on synaptic integration

[LifeAsANoun]

This can serve to refine research done on why people respond more neutrally to a person called "African-American" vs. negatively to the same person who is labled "Black"...

[extropiantranshuman]

I could kind of understand depression with this video, as when following one word after another, they align in groupings. One side of a word will have the opposite of it on the other side. It's kind of like having conscience on each side. A check and balance of good and bad.

[clemhumsinger]

Excellant presentation. Let's hope these researchers soon publish something on storing vision information. This might lead to effective therapies for brain damages experienced after hip operations. Thanks to Terry Licia for the link to the online version. Hope to explore this ASAP.

[munderlarkst]

Does this imply that there is not a language "part" of the brain, but rather, that language uses "all" parts of the brain (perhaps similarly to the way playing a musical instrument uses all parts/regions of the brain simultaneously)?

[jenniferkellogg]

dialects and diphthongs, vowels, consonants? other language barriers or exposition?

[christinemullaney]

Super video. This is a great way to help learners understand why pronunciation is so important. How we hear a word matters to how we comprehend it and how quickly we can come to that understanding. What a useful video and research study.

[Canvaslady]

And what about the bilingual brain. This extraordinary. I have so many questions. Beautiful film.