NCS-FO: Neural mechanisms underlying second language learning

在我们日益全球化的社会中，第二语言学习至关重要。第二语言学习的成功与否因人而异，但这种差异的原因尚不清楚。从神经元到行为，对语言学习如何工作的更好的理解，将使考虑到个体差异的高效学习策略的发展成为可能。在这个项目中，研究人员将重点放在掌握一门新语言的一个关键方面，即学习区分新的发音；例如，当说英语的人必须学习西班牙语中“perro”中的颤音“r”和西班牙语中“pero”中的“r”之间的区别时。目前研究第二语言习得的方法通常使用人类行为来推断哪些因素会影响语言习得。然而，用于人类研究的神经科学工具缺乏必要的精确度，无法直接揭示大脑的变化是如何影响这些因素的。为了解决这一局限性，研究小组将把对人类行为的洞察与对动物如何处理声音的观察结合起来，以便精确测量学习的大脑过程，以区分新的声音。拟议的工作将比较老鼠和人类在不同学习场景下的学习表现，以确定哪些场景最有效，并评估老鼠学习区分声音的方式在多大程度上与人类相当。然后，研究小组将使用先进的技术来测量小鼠学习新声音时单个神经元的活动，以调查与有效学习有关的神经变化。该项目还包括一系列外展目标，旨在与教育相结合，扩大对STEM的参与，并将语言学习的理论与实践联系起来。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Second language learning is critically important in our increasingly global society. Success in second language learning varies substantially across individuals, but the reasons for this variability are unclear. An improved understanding of how language learning works, from neurons to behavior, will enable the development of highly efficient learning strategies that take into account differences across individuals. In this project, the investigators focus on one key aspect of acquiring a new language, namely learning to differentiate new sounds; for example, when an English speaker must learn the difference between a trilled 'r' in 'perro' and tapped 'r' in 'pero' in Spanish. Current approaches to investigate second language learning typically use human behavior to infer what factors affect language acquisition. However, neuroscience tools for research in humans lack the necessary precision to directly uncover how changes in the brain underlie these factors. To address this limitation, the research team will combine insights from human behavior with observations of how animals process sound to allow for precise measurement of the brain processes underlying learning to differentiate new sounds.The proposed work will compare learning performance under different learning scenarios in both mice and humans to identify which scenarios are most efficient, and to evaluate to what extent the way mice learn to differentiate sounds is comparable to that of humans. The research team will then use advanced techniques for measuring the activity of individual neurons as mice learn new sounds to investigate the neural changes responsible for effective learning. The project also includes a range of outreach objectives toward integration with education, broadening participation in STEM, and bridging theory and practice of language learning.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.