How our brains process sounds and learn different languages
Official title: Identifying acoustic-level and language-specific sensory processing mechanisms
Funded at St. John's University · NIH-11135501 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores how the brain processes speech sounds differently based on the language you grew up speaking.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | St. John's University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Queens, United States) |
| Project start | August 21, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $205,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM150495-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11135501 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants for this type of research are adults over 21 who are native speakers of specific languages like Polish or English.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate treatment for a specific condition would not directly benefit from this foundational research.
What this research studies
Our brains learn to recognize the specific sound patterns of our native language, which helps us understand speech. This project aims to discover how the brain's early sound processing changes to become specific to a language. Researchers are looking at brain activity (using EEG) from adults who speak Polish or English as they listen to made-up words. This helps us understand if language experience shapes how the brain processes sounds very early on.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding how the brain adapts to different languages could help improve methods for language learning or address speech processing difficulties.
How similar studies have gone: While some preliminary findings exist, this project aims to clarify conflicting reports and explore new cross-linguistic aspects of brain processing.
Where this research is happening
-
St. John's University
Queens, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wagner, Monica — St. John's University
- Study coordinator: Wagner, Monica
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.