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Ultra-detailed brain map shows neurons that encode words’ meaning

For the first time, scientists identify individual brain cells linked to the linguistic essence of a word.
By
  1. Sara Reardon

    1. Sara Reardon is a freelance journalist based in Bozeman, Montana.

By eavesdropping on the brains of living people, scientists have created the highest-resolution map yet of the neurons that encode the meanings of various words1. The results hint that, across individuals, the brain uses the same standard categories to classify words — helping us to turn sound into sense.

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Nature 631, 264 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-02146-6

References

  1. Jamali, M. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07643-2 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Tang, J., LeBel, A., Jain, S. & Huth, A. G. Nature Neurosci. 26, 858–866 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

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