Understanding how the brain turns speech into meaning
Official title: Characterizing the generative mechanisms underlying the cortical tracking of natural speech
Funded at University of Rochester · NIH-11354007 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A big neuroscience question is being studied to explain how adults process natural speech in real life, with findings that could help people who struggle to understand spoken language.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | July 7, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $385,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC021140-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11354007 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with typical or atypical speech processing who are curious about how their brains process natural speech.
✕Less likely to help
People without any interest in brain mechanisms of speech or those outside the adult range may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This grant investigates how the human brain follows natural speech by looking at brain activity and speech patterns to see whether rhythmic brain timing or sequence of brief brain responses drives how we understand spoken language. Researchers will use naturalistic listening tasks and brain recording methods to compare theories about how the brain encodes speech at multiple timescales. The study focuses on adults and aims to clarify the neural mechanisms behind speech comprehension in everyday communication. The results could inform better approaches to treatments or interventions for individuals with speech and language difficulties.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to improved strategies for diagnosing and treating speech comprehension problems and inform the design of better hearing and communication aids.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has explored brain tracking of speech, but there is ongoing debate about the exact mechanisms and this study aims to provide clearer evidence.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lalor, Edmund — University of Rochester
- Study coordinator: Lalor, Edmund
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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.