A new study has shed light on how our brains link pronouns to the correct person in a sentence, enabling us to understand language effectively. Researchers discovered that specific brain cells, known as “concept cells,” in the hippocampus respond not only to nouns but also to pronouns like “he” or “she.” These findings offer new insights into how our brains process language and form memories.
The study involved an international team of neuroscientists who used depth electrodes implanted in patients’ hippocampal regions during treatment for epilepsy. They found that these cells, called “concept cells,” can link pronouns to nouns, aiding memory and comprehension. For example, a cell responding to the noun “Shrek” also responded to the pronoun “He.”
The researchers tested this by showing patients pictures of celebrities, then asking them to read sentences with or without pronouns. The study found that patients’ brain activity predicted their answers about who performed an action in the sentence.
This research provides new insights into how our brains process language and form memories. It suggests that concept cells contribute to a rapid and dynamic semantic memory network that is recruited during language comprehension.
Source: https://neurosciencenews.com/hippocampus-language-pronouns-27716/