Narly Golestani

Group name: Brain and Language

Affiliations: Faculty of Psychology and Science of Education, Psychology Section

Keywords: brain functions, language, multilingualism, speech processing

Research activities

Our group aims at better understanding the brain functional and structural bases of speech and language, and of language-related learning. We use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to study the brain functional bases of language and multilingualism, with an emphasis on specific language components such as phonology and grammar, but also on the interplay between non-linguistic functions and second language usage such as during simultaneous interpretation. We also use anatomical MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in order to uncover normative and expertise-related brain structure-behaviour relationships. We look for convergence across functional and structural imaging methods in order to better understand how the brain changes both functionally as well as structurally due to language learning and expertise. Finally, we aim to elucidate the relative contributions of experience versus of pre-existing, possibly innate influences on individual differences in linguistic/auditory skills and brain function/structure.

Group website