'Brain Dictionary' Maps Where Specific Words Are Represented In The Mind

In this study, our goal was not to ask a specific question. Our goal was to map everything so that we can ask questions after that," said Gallant. "One of the most frequent questions we get is, 'What does it mean?' If I gave you a globe, you wouldn't ask what it means, you'd start using it for stuff. You can look for the smallest ocean or how long it will take to get to San Francisco." This "data-driven approach" still involves assumptions about how to break up language into different categories of meaning. To MIT neuroscientist Evelina Fedorenko, though, it's exciting that Gallant's team has been able to record what's going on in the brain during the real-life situation of listening to stories. "Of course it's a very simplified version of how meaning is captured in our minds, but it seems to be a pretty good proxy," she said. Gallant agrees that there are still hordes of unanswered questions: "We can map where your brain represents the meaning of a narrative text that is associated with family, but we don't know why the brain is responding to family at that location. Is it the word 'father' itself? Is it your memories of your own father? Is it your own thinking about being a parent yourself?" He hopes that it's just those types of questions that researchers will ask, using his brain map as a guide. Follow STAT on Facebook: www.facebook.com/statnews -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news