Syntactic processing is distributed across the language system.
Idan Blank, Zuzanna Balewski, Kyle Mahowald...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26666896Actively Recruiting
Phase Not Applicable
Age: 18Years - 85Years
All Genders
ID05222594
Computational Neuroscience of Language Processing in the Human Brain
Led by Massachusetts General Hospital · Updated on 2026-05-07
40
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
N/A
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
M
Massachusetts General Hospital
Lead Sponsor
M
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Researchers are investigating how the human brain processes language by studying neural responses in patients with epilepsy undergoing intracranial monitoring. This study aims to combine detailed brain recordings with computational models to better understand how the brain extracts meaning from speech and sequences of words, focusing on specific brain areas involved in language. Participants are patients with epilepsy who require intracranial monitoring involving the left side of the brain. During the monitoring period, which can last up to about 10 days, participants will listen to sentences and stories while their brain activity is recorded through electrodes placed for clinical reasons. These recordings will help map language processing in the brain and compare it to artificial neural network models. Throughout the study, researchers will collect detailed brain activity data related to language comprehension and analyze cortical maps and neural time-courses during natural speech understanding. Participants will be assessed during their clinical monitoring period, and the study focuses on understanding brain responses rather than testing new treatments. The total participation time aligns with the clinical monitoring duration, and the study includes informed consent and task compliance assessments.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Computational Neuroscience of Language Processing in the Human Brain
Who Can Participate
Age: 18Years - 85Years
All Genders
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Clinical indications to proceed with intracranial monitoring involving the left cerebral hemisphere, as determined by a multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery team
- Ability to comply with test directions and provide informed consent
- Between ages 18 and 85 years
You will not qualify if you...
- Inability to understand or perform the task outlined in the protocol
- Unwillingness or inability to participate
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
1
2
3
Your Study Journey
Screening
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Monitoring
Duration - Up to approximately 10 days
Participants undergo intracranial monitoring while listening to sentences and stories during behavioral tasks. Neural data are recorded through electrodes placed for clinical purposes.
Continuous monitoring throughout up to 10 days
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
Actively Recruiting
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Research Team
E
Evelina Fedorenko, PhD
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NA
Model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
1
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Published Research Related To This Trial
No evidence for differences among language regions in their temporal receptive windows.
Idan A Blank, Evelina Fedorenko
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32407994Functional specificity for high-level linguistic processing in the human brain.
Evelina Fedorenko, Michael K Behr, Nancy Kanwisher
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21885736Broca's Area Is Not a Natural Kind.
Evelina Fedorenko, Idan A Blank
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32160565Language-selective and domain-general regions lie side by side within Broca's area.
Evelina Fedorenko, John Duncan, Nancy Kanwisher
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23063434New method for fMRI investigations of language: defining ROIs functionally in individual subjects.
Evelina Fedorenko, Po-Jang Hsieh, Alfonso Nieto-Castañón...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20410363Lexical and syntactic representations in the brain: an fMRI investigation with multi-voxel pattern analyses.
Evelina Fedorenko, Alfonso Nieto-Castañon, Nancy Kanwisher
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21945850Neural correlate of the construction of sentence meaning.
Evelina Fedorenko, Terri L Scott, Peter Brunner...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27671642Composition is the Core Driver of the Language-selective Network.
Francis Mollica, Matthew Siegelman, Evgeniia Diachek...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36794007Subject-specific functional localizers increase sensitivity and functional resolution of multi-subject analyses.
Alfonso Nieto-Castañón, Evelina Fedorenko
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22784644