Can we make speech visible in the brain?

08 April 2026
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Recent research shows that MRI technology can do more than tell us where brain activity happens: it’s helping us understand how we process and produce speech.

By tracking changes in oxygen use in the brain, MRI offers a powerful window into the neural processes behind communication.

In a recent article, an important step is highlighted in uncovering how speech can be studied through brain imaging, with promising applications for speech therapy, language disorders, and technology. What this looks like in practice? Explore the interactive website (in Dutch). The site lets you see how speech becomes 'visible' through MRI scans of the vocal tract; a fascinating blend of linguistics, neuroscience, and innovation.

The MRI Speech Visualization project of Dutch sounds is inspired by the English Seeing Speech project (Lawson et al., 2018). The project is a collaboration between lecturers, researchers, students, and technical staff from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, the Humanities Lab (Faculty of Arts), the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University (Faculty of Arts), and Radboud in’to Languages, all based in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

 
 
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