Scientists use AI to reveal the neural dynamics of human conversation
By combining artificial intelligence (AI) with electrical recordings of brain activity, researchers have been able to track the language exchanged during conversations and the corresponding neural activity in different brain regions, according to a new study.
The team from Department of Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US investigated how our brains process language during real-life conversations.
“Specifically, we wanted to understand which brain regions become active when we're speaking and listening, and how these patterns relate to the specific words and context of the conversation,” said lead author Jing Cai in a paper published in Nature Communications.
They employed AI to take a closer look at how our brains handle the back-and-forth of real conversations. The team combined advanced AI, specifically language models like those behind ChatGPT, with neural recordings using electrodes placed within the brain.
This allowed them to simultaneously track the linguistic features of conversations and the corresponding neural activity in different brain regions.
“By analysing these synchronised data streams, we could map how specific aspects of language–like the words being spoken and the conversational context–were represented in the dynamic patterns of brain activity during conversation,” said Cai.
They found that both speaking and listening during a conversation engage a widespread network of brain areas in the frontal and temporal lobes.
What's interesting is that these brain activity patterns are highly specific, changing depending on the exact words being used, the context and order of those words.
“We also observed that some brain regions are active during both speaking and listening, suggesting a partially shared neural basis for these processes. Finally, we identified specific shifts in brain activity that occur when people switch from listening to speaking during a conversation,” said the authors.
The findings offer significant insights into how the brain pulls off the seemingly effortless feat of conversation.
