Language has been investigated from a range of perspectives. Linguists have described it as a formal system focusing on levels that range from phonology to syntax, semantics and pragmatics. Both linguists and psychologists worked on models focusing on the time course of linguistic processing, so that these psycholinguistic models could be tested in behavioral experiments. Most recently, neuro- and cognitive scientists have attempted to spell out the brain mechanisms of language in terms of neuronal structure and function. These efforts are founded in neuroscience data about the brain loci that activate when specific linguistic operations occur, the time course of their activation and the effects of specific lesions.
The lecture series will provide a broad introduction into these linguistic, psycholinguistic and neurolinguistics research streams and highlight a range of cutting-edge behavioral and neuroscience findings addressing a broad range of linguistic issues, including, for example, the recognition of words, the parsing of sentences, the computation of the meaning and of the communicative function of utterances. Language development and language disorders caused by disease of the brain will also be in the focus. To accommodate language processing, psycho- and neurolinguists make use of theoretical and computational models. The modeling approaches discussed range from theoretical models of the language system to language processing to (neuro-)computationally implemented models. The experimental approaches under discussion will range from behavioral (reaction time studies, eye tracking) to neuroimaging methods (EEG, MEG, fMRI, NIRS) and neuropsychological ones (patient studies, TMS, tDCS).
Preparatory readings:
Knoeferle, P., & Guerra, E. (2016). Visually situated language comprehension. Linguistics and Language Compass, 10(2), 66–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/lnc3.12177
Munster, K., & Knoeferle, P. (2017). Situated Language Processing Across the Lifespan: A Review. International Journal of English Linguistics, 7(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v7n1p1
Pulvermüller, F., & Fadiga, L. (2016). Brain language mechanisms built on action and perception. In G. Hickok & S. L. Small (Eds.), Neurobiology of language (pp. 311-324). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Pulvermuller, F. (2018). Neural reuse of action perception circuits for language, concepts and communication. Progress in Neurobiology, 160, 1-44. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.07.001
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Dirk Mende
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Daniela Palleschi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Prof. Dr. Friedemann Pulvermüller
First introduced into medical practice in the 1980s, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is
an imaging technique utilizing strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients and radio
waves in order to both produce anatomical images and depict physiological processes in
the human body. Due to the multifaceted and detailed anatomical and physiological
information this technique offers as well as the fact that it does not use ionizing radiation
(making it harmless to humans) MRI has established itself worldwide as one of the
cornerstones of diagnostic radiology. In addition to the already existing and rather broad
spectrum of clinical MRI applications, new new progress is constantly being made and
the versatility of MRI as a method is continuously being exploited in order to visualize
and measure novel tissue properties and pathophysiological processes. The course will
begin with a short introductory module explaining the physics background of magnetic
resonance imaging, human neuroanatomy as well as walking the participants through the
already established clinical applications of MRI in neuroradiology. The course will
continue with a larger module in experimental, yet non-established MRI applications, the
use of advanced neuroimaging for patient screening in clinical trials as well as the basics
of image post-processing. The course is conceptualized as a lecture series concluding
with two practical, hands-on sessions at the teams’ 3T Siemens Prismafit MRI scanner.
The students, divided into teams, will take turns scanning each other and
post-processing the resulting images.
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Dirk Mende
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Anja Papenfuss
The course provides an introduction to the domain cognitive neuroscience of memory. It covers theories and empirical studies on various memory systems, including working memory, implicit memory, semantic memory, and episodic memory. In each class, the instructor introduces a topic, students present an article on the topic, and questions are discussed. The articles read during the course include functional neuroimaging studies with healthy individuals and neuropsychological studies with brain-damaged patients. The goal of the course is to help students think critically about theoretical and methodological issues in cognitive neuroscience of memory.
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Anne Aerts
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Evaluationsbeauftragte Anne Aerts
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Dirk Mende
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Anja Papenfuss
This advanced course focuses on critically reading and discussing recent articles in the subdomain of functional neuroimaging of episodic memory. These articles include theoretical papers, univariate activation studies, network studies, and representational analyses studies. The goal of the course is to help students identify open questions in this specialized literature, generate ideas for novel research approaches, including the writing of a “mock” grant application. Ideally, students should have a background in cognitive neuroscience research and/or memory research.
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Dirk Mende
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Anja Papenfuss
The course provides an introduction to a number of key non-invasive research methods in structural and functional neuroimaging. Participating students will learn about the basics of functional MRI, EEG, and TMS including technological and physiological foundations, experimental design and basic and advanced statistical methods. The goal is to provide an understanding of functional neuroimaging that will allow students to design, perform and analyse their own studies.
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Dirk Mende
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Anja Papenfuss
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Dirk Mende
The tutorial will complement the lecture “Language and the Brain” by familiarizing students with current research questions regarding language and the brain, as well as the current methods and paradigms used to address these questions. The class will focus on group discussions of articles which investigate the underlying neuronal mechanisms of language, how humans use words to communicate ideas, how language may influence our perception, and current theories of embodied cognition.
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Dirk Mende
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Daniela Palleschi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Lisa Velenosi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Prof. Dr. Benjamin Lindner
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Denis Alevi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Joram Keijser
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Felix Lundt
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Henning Sprekeler
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Lisa Velenosi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Denis Alevi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Joram Keijser
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Robert Lange
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Felix Lundt
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Henning Sprekeler
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Lisa Velenosi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Denis Alevi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Joram Keijser
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Henning Sprekeler
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Lisa Velenosi
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Benjamin Blankertz
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Carsten Bogler
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Richard Kempter
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Dr. Paula Kuokkanen
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Andreea Neukirchner
- Kursverantwortliche/r: Lisa Velenosi