Speech Means Using Both Sides of Brain - 3 views
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Lara Cowell on 21 Jan 14We use both sides of our brain for speech, New York University researchers have discovered: a finding that alters previous conceptions about neurological activity. Many in the scientific community have posited that both speech and language are lateralized -- that is, we use only one side of our brains for speech, which involves listening and speaking, and language, which involves constructing and understanding sentences. However, the conclusions pertaining to speech generally stem from studies that rely on indirect measurements of brain activity, raising questions about characterizing speech as lateralized. In their examination, the researchers tested the parts of the brain that were used during speech. Here, the study's subjects were asked to repeat two "non-words" -- "kig" and "pob." Using non-words as a prompt to gauge neurological activity, the researchers were able to isolate speech from language. An analysis of brain activity as patients engaged in speech tasks showed that both sides of the brain were used -- that is, speech is, in fact, bi-lateral. The results also offer insights into addressing speech-related inhibitions caused by stroke or injury and lay the groundwork for better rehabilitation methods.