How the brain represents word meanings
Neural Representation of Lexical Concepts
Researchers are building a brain-based model that links how people think about words to patterns of brain activity to better understand language problems in people with aphasia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Medical College of Wisconsin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11308239 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You may be asked to rate words on features like how they look, move, or make you feel and to complete language tasks while your brain activity is recorded. The team will combine those human ratings, behavioral results, and neural patterns to identify which features best explain word meanings in the brain. They will build a generative model and create similarity norms for hundreds of nouns and verbs. The researchers will compare those models to language performance in people with aphasia to explain why some word types are harder for different patients.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with acquired language disorders (aphasia) who have difficulty naming or understanding words, plus healthy volunteers for comparison, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People whose communication problems are primarily due to hearing loss, severe global cognitive impairment, or unrelated medical issues may not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could explain why some people with aphasia lose particular kinds of words and help guide more targeted language therapies.
How similar studies have performed: Prior behavioral and brain‑imaging studies have linked semantic features to neural activity, but this project's generative, neurologically grounded modeling is a newer and more comprehensive approach.
Where this research is happening
Milwaukee, United States
- Medical College of Wisconsin — Milwaukee, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fernandino, Leonardo F — Medical College of Wisconsin
- Study coordinator: Fernandino, Leonardo F
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 below.