Neuroplasticity of Language Networks

在世界各地，人们说数千种不同的语言，也有数十种甚至数百种手语，它们与口语一样丰富和复杂。为什么年幼的孩子能够学习如此广泛的词汇量和复杂的语法规则，为什么一些成年人会有这么多困难，而另一些人可能会流利地说六种或更多语言？达尔豪西大学的亚伦·纽曼博士和一组学生使用先进的神经成像工具来回答这些和其他问题。他们的最终目标不仅是了解新语言是如何学习的，而且要利用这些大脑成像数据来设计下一代语言训练软件。 纽曼博士的团队研究了语言的“神经可塑性”--我们的大脑是如何被我们对语言的经验塑造的，以及大脑的激活模式与语言能力是如何相关的。在这项研究项目中，该团队将跟踪成年人使用基于计算机的方法学习新语言时大脑激活的变化。他们将识别在语言学习过程中大脑激活的变化，从人们开始学习到他们通过使用语言的“微型”版本达到高度流利为止。他们还将测试不同的培训方法，以开发优化的学习系统。他们不会采取“一刀切”的方法，而是使用“神经认知侧写”来优化对每个人的训练。最后，纽曼博士和他的团队认识到，全世界数以百万计的人依赖手语作为他们的主要交流手段，他们将研究人们在学习手语的过程中大脑发生了怎样的变化，从认为人类的行为是无意义的手势，转变为一种结构丰富的语言。这项研究将对理解所有人类语言的核心神经机制，以及它们是如何通过学习塑造的具有重要意义。同时，这项研究也将为未来商业化语言培训产品的发展提供参考。

Around the world, people speak thousands of different languages, and as well there are dozens if not hundreds of signed languages that are just as rich and complex as spoken ones. How is it that young children are able to learn such extensive vocabularies of words and complex grammatical rules, and why do some adults have so much trouble while others may speak half a dozen or more languages fluently? Dr. Aaron Newman and a team of students at Dalhousie University use advanced neuroimaging tools in the quest to answer these and other questions. Their ultimate goal is to not only understand how new languages are learned, but to use this brain imaging data to design the next generation of language training software. Dr. Newman's team studies the "neuroplasticity" of language - how our brains are shaped by our experience with language, and how patterns of brain activation relate to language abilities. In this research project, the team will track changes in brain activation as adults learn new languages using computer-based methods. They will identify changes in brain activation that occur during language learning, from the time people start learning until they achieve high fluency by using "miniature" versions of languages. They will also test different training methods to develop optimized learning systems. Rather than taking a "one size fits all" approach, they will use "neuro-cognitive profiling" to optimize training to each individual. Finally, recognizing that millions of people around the world rely on sign language as their primary means of communication, Dr. Newman and his team will study how people's brains change as they learn sign language, shifting from perceiving human actions as meaningless gestures to a richly-structured language. This research will have important implications for understanding the core neural mechanisms that underlie all human languages, and how they are shaped through learning. As well, this research will inform the future development of commercially available language training products.