The Neuroscience of Language Learning

Catalog description

The Italian histologist Camillo Golgi is considered a founder of modern neuroscience. The course will begin with the contributions of Golgi and his scientific rival, Ramon y Cajal. We will proceed to current principles of systems neuroscience, as illustrated by the specific case of language learning. Language learning requires sensory information processing, integration of information across modalities, motor coordination, learning, and memory. Moreover, there are developmental changes in our capacity for language learning. Thus, through study of the neural basis for language learning, students will acquire general insights about how the brain implements many of its functions. We will analyze research on language learning and related topics from both humans and animal models, and cover the major experimental techniques used to study the function of neural circuits. Throughout the course, students will engage in the scientific process of designing experiments to address open questions related to how the brain implements language learning.