Neuroplasticity and language

Babies can learn their first language with hardly any instruction, and young children can learn second languages almost as easily. Remarkably, babies whose parents are deaf and use sign language learn sign language as easily and fluently as hearing children learn a spoken language. But adults and even older children have more trouble learning languages, even after years of instruction and practice. One goal of this project is to identify the "core" brain regions used in both spoken and signed languages. Additionally, we wish to understand how different language experiences, such as sign language exposure or second language learning at different ages, affect brain development. These questions will be addressed through a series of studies using non-invasive brain imaging. One technique, functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), shows which brain areas "light up" during certain tasks such as understanding language. Another technique, event-related potentials ("brain waves") allows us to track the time course of brain activation down to the millisecond. A third technique uses MRI to see how different brain areas are connected. We will use these techniques in concert to examine where and when in the brain different types of information, including language, gesture, and other body movements, are processed.This research will have many benefits for Canadians. We will better understand how different language experiences shape the development of the brain. Understanding the effects of different experiences, such as sign language or second language learning, in shaping the brain will have a number of real-world impacts. These include better design of language education programs, deciding when it is best to expose children to different language experiences, and guiding brain surgeons and those treating brain injuries such as stroke.