Read any good books lately? Interactive functional MRI (fMRI) maps now can show which regions of your brain are stimulated by this activity, according to a new study published August 19 in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have created 3D color maps from fMRI scans that illuminate different areas of the cortex when words are interpreted. Essentially, it is all about semantic topography and delving into our inner thoughts, said lead author Fatma Deniz, a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience.
"At a time when more people are absorbing information via audiobooks, podcasts, and even audio texts, our study shows that whether they're listening to or reading the same materials, they are processing semantic information similarly," she noted.
For this study, nine volunteers spent a couple of hours inside an MRI system listening and reading stories from "The Moth Radio Hour," while researchers measured their cerebral blood flow through fMRI. Deniz and colleagues then compared the brain activity as the subjects listened or read.
The results were interactive, 3D color-coded maps of how the brains reacted to visual, tactile, numeric, locational, violent, mental, emotional, and social meanings derived from the words.
Color-coded fMRI maps of the brain show the semantic similarities during listening (top) and reading (bottom). Images courtesy of Fatma Deniz of the University of California, Berkeley.The researchers suggested the maps could be used clinically to compare language processing in healthy people against those with stroke, epilepsy, and brain injuries that impair speech and tailor the most appropriate treatment for their needs.
The interactive 3D brain viewer is scheduled to go online this month.
