题    目  (TITLE)       :     Neuroplasticity by language acquisition

　　讲座人  (SPEAKER):     韦雪瑚，博士，马克斯·普朗克认知神经科学研究所 (MPI·CBS)

　　主持人（CHAIR）   :     蒋田仔，研究员，中国科学院自动化研究所

　　时   间   (TIME)        :     2023年2月2日，下午3:00-4:00

　　地   点   (VENUE)    :     智能化大厦五层会议室（腾讯会议号：344-680-845）

[摘  要]

　     Cognitive functions develop in parallel with the brain’s plastic adaptation. This might suggest that brain is an adaptable organ and might be shaped by the particular language that is acquired. Is the neuroanatomy of the language structural connectome modulated by the life-long experience of speaking a specific native language? How does adult second language (L2) learning restructure native language networks for efficient processing of new languages? In our study, we first compared the brain white matter (WM) connectivity of language and speech production networks in native speakers of German and Arabic. We found significant differences in syntactic and semantic networks between the two groups. Then we aim to answer how the structural language connectome change during L2 learning, by analyzing longitudinal changes in the WM network connecting language areas in both hemispheres in Arabic-speaking adults who learned German intensively over six months. We found significant changes in WM connectivity of bilateral temporal-parietal semantic and phonological subnetworks, right temporal-frontal pathways, and interhemispheric connections after six months of L2 learning. Our study suggests that the neurostructural system underlying language is dynamically shaped by specific different language processing demands. From the cognitive domain, these findings are essential for our general understanding of the interaction of environment and behavior in shaping the human brain.

[个人简介]