The focus of the Neurobiology of Language Department is on the study of language production and language comprehension from a neurobiological perspective.

In our research department we take a strong cognitive neuroscience stance, using neuroimaging, behavioural and Virtual Reality techniques to investigate the neural underpinnings of language use. Research facilities at the MPI include a high-density EEG lab, a Virtual Reality lab, and several behavioural labs. With part of the department stationed at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, we also have access to a whole-head 275 channel MEG system, MRI-scanners at 1.5, 3 and 7 Tesla, a TMS-lab, and several other EEG labs.

Two institute research projects have their origin in this department:

Unification
How are different sources of information that are retrieved from memory and/or provided by sensory input unified into an interpretation (comprehension) or message (production) beyond the single word level? Which neural networks are involved, and to what degree are these shared between production and comprehension? More>

Language in action
Language helps people interact with their social and physical environment−it is for doing things. In this project we investigate the basic neural and cognitive architecture of language comprehension and production while taking this richer context into account. More>