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Prosem Lecture: Co-activation in Language Processing: A Neuro-cognitive Perspective
February 28, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Presenter: Dr. Gabriela Meade, Division of Speech Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven
Topic: Co-activation in Language Processing: A Neuro-cognitive Perspective
Processing a word (e.g., dog) engenders co-activation of other words that are similar to it in form (e.g., log, dig) and in meaning (e.g., cat, leash). In typical language processing, this co-activation is resolved within a few hundred milliseconds, often below the level of conscious. In this talk, I will discuss the value of electrophysiology in characterizing the dynamics and limitations of co-activation across linguistic modalities. I will also outline how co-activation can serve as a framework for understanding paraphasic errors and describing longitudinal decline in patients with progressive language disorders. Together, these studies provide an example of the synergistic relationship between basic and clinical research in furthering our understanding of the neural representation of language.