Scientists say speakers of different language...

Scientists say speakers of different languages use separate parts of brain
Source: Global Times
[00:58 October 12 2010]
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By Li Shuang
People speaking different languages use their brains differently, a team of Beijing neuroscientists has primarily concluded after studying 15 Beijing expats and comparing them to aChinese benchmark group.
The study uncovered that speakers of different languages have different kinship term representation in the brain.
The research team has found that kinship terms like "sister," "brother," "uncle" and "aunt" trigger varied neural activity in different parts of the brain between those who speak English and those who speak Chinese.
Terms like "dad" and "mom" excite similar parts of the brain of Chinese native speakers and English.
"I think we will prove, at the end of the research, that the use of different languages does affect the way we use our brains," said Liu Chao, research director at the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University.
The study aims to find out whether the language we speak affects the way we use our brains by comparing brain activities of Chinese and expats as they concentrate on identifying pictures of family relatives.
Blood flow to different areas of the brain will be measured and recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Earlier research by Liu has found Chinese and English native speakers respond to object nouns with a different part of the brain. For example, the Chinese and English word for "worm" excites different parts of the brain for native Chinese and English speakers.
About 20 volunteers have already responded. Originally the ad specified that volunteers must be right-handed out of consideration that the benchmark group of mostly Chinese higher education students were mostly right-handed. Later the team took out that requirement as it proved insignificant.
The best reward for the volunteers is probably a 3D map of their brain. "We provide software so you can rotate your brain and look at it from different angles on your computer," Liu said.
Each volunteer is given 100 yuan ($15) compensation for the 90-minute session. Liu's research team are still looking for volunteers. Expat volunteers are preferably non-Chinese speakers. Those interested should e-mail liuchao@umich.edu