Episode
Dr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
2:33:33
Published: Mon Oct 24 2022
Description
My guest is Eddie Chang, MD, a neurosurgeon and professor of neurological surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the co-director of the Center for Neural Engineering & Prostheses. We discuss the brain mechanisms underlying speech, language learning and comprehension, communicating human emotion with words and hand gestures, bilingualism and language disorders, such as stuttering. Dr. Chang also explains his work developing and applying state-of-the-art technology to decode speech and using that information and artificial intelligence (AI) to successfully restore communication to patients who have suffered paralyzing injuries or “locked in syndrome.” We also discuss his work treating patients with epilepsy. Finally, we consider the future: how modern neuroscience is overturning textbook medical books, the impact of digital technology such as smartphones on language and the future of natural and computer-assisted human communication. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Eddie Chang, Speech & Language (00:03:16) Sponsors: LMNT, Thesis, Momentous (00:07:19) Neuroplasticity, Learning of Speech & Environmental Sounds (00:13:10) White Noise Machines, Infant Sleep & Sensitization (00:17:26) Mapping Speech & Language in the Brain (00:24:26) Emotion; Anxiety & Epilepsy (00:30:19) Epilepsy, Medications & Neurosurgery (00:33:01) Ketogenic Diet & Epilepsy (00:34:04) Sponsor: AG1 (00:36:10) Absence Seizures, Nocturnal Seizures & Other Seizure Types (00:41:08) Brain Areas for Speech & Language, Broca’s & Wernicke’s Areas, New Findings (00:53:23) Lateralization of Speech/Language & Handedness, Strokes (00:59:05) Bilingualism, Shared Language Circuits (01:01:18) Speech vs. Language, Signal Transduction from Ear to Brain (01:12:38) Shaping Breath: Larynx, Vocal Folds & Pharynx; Vocalizations (01:17:37) Mapping Language in the Brain (01:20:26) Plosives & Consonant Clusters; Learning Multiple Languages (01:25:07) Motor Patterns of Speech & Language (01:28:33) Reading & Writing; Dyslexia & Treatments (01:34:47) Evolution of Language (01:37:54) Stroke & Foreign Accent Syndrome (01:40:31) Auditory Memory, Long-Term Motor Memory (01:45:26) Paralysis, ALS, “Locked-In Syndrome” & Brain Computer Interface (BCI) (02:02:14) Neuralink, BCI, Superhuman Skills & Augmentation (02:10:21) Non-Verbal Communication, Facial Expressions, BCI & Avatars (02:17:35) Stutter, Anxiety & Treatment (02:22:55) Tools: Practices for Maintaining Calm Under Extreme Demands (02:31:10) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous Supplements, Huberman Lab Premium, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer
Chapters
In this podcast, Dr. Chang discusses different aspects of speech and language, providing insights into how the brain works in creating and understanding speech and language.
00:00 - 02:46 (02:46)
Summary
In this podcast, Dr. Chang discusses different aspects of speech and language, providing insights into how the brain works in creating and understanding speech and language. He is also a specialist in treating speech disorders and paralysis that prevent communication.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
The sounds that infants hear, including white noise and ocean waves, can have an influence on the way their neural networks develop and how they forever hear sounds.
02:46 - 17:09 (14:23)
Summary
The sounds that infants hear, including white noise and ocean waves, can have an influence on the way their neural networks develop and how they forever hear sounds. An experiment with rats raised in continuous white noise showed that it delayed the maturation of the auditory cortex, suggesting that caution should be taken with using white noise for long periods of time with infants.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
Scientists study the brain by talking and listening to patients while stimulating or removing certain areas of their brain, including the orbital frontal cortex, to determine their function.
17:09 - 26:53 (09:43)
Summary
Scientists study the brain by talking and listening to patients while stimulating or removing certain areas of their brain, including the orbital frontal cortex, to determine their function.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
A ketogenic diet can sometimes provide a life-changing effect for about a third of people who suffer from epilepsy and don't have control over it with modern medication.
26:53 - 33:43 (06:49)
Summary
A ketogenic diet can sometimes provide a life-changing effect for about a third of people who suffer from epilepsy and don't have control over it with modern medication.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
Seizures can have various manifestations depending on how the seizure activity spreads in the brain.
33:43 - 38:49 (05:06)
Summary
Seizures can have various manifestations depending on how the seizure activity spreads in the brain. It can result in unusual tastes or smells, feelings of deja vu or anxiety, and even full convulsions during sleep.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
The medical community has evolved when it comes to understanding the way the brain functions.
38:49 - 47:21 (08:31)
Summary
The medical community has evolved when it comes to understanding the way the brain functions. While the breakdown of certain areas of the brain into speech and language was the norm a couple of centuries ago, the phenomenon of being able to produce words from a different language or different part of the brain has changed how we think about brain partitioning.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
Language and the neural circuits underlying language are heavily lateralized, and structures responsible for speech and comprehension of speech mainly sit on one side, but the right side also has an important role in sending commands to control what we say.
47:21 - 54:53 (07:31)
Summary
Language and the neural circuits underlying language are heavily lateralized, and structures responsible for speech and comprehension of speech mainly sit on one side, but the right side also has an important role in sending commands to control what we say.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
A study is being conducted on how bilingual people generate language and whether they use the same brain area to generate different languages.
54:53 - 1:02:59 (08:06)
Summary
A study is being conducted on how bilingual people generate language and whether they use the same brain area to generate different languages. Brain activity patterns are being observed when bilingual individuals hear and speak different languages.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
The temporal lobe in the brain is responsible for processing speech sounds and identifying specific sounds by decomposing them into elemental frequency channels.
1:02:59 - 1:10:37 (07:38)
Summary
The temporal lobe in the brain is responsible for processing speech sounds and identifying specific sounds by decomposing them into elemental frequency channels. Understanding how the brain processes different sounds can aid in mapping brain activity for speech and language and detecting seizures.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
This episode delves into the science of speech production, explaining how our vocal cords work and how we shape air to create sound.
1:10:37 - 1:15:14 (04:36)
Summary
This episode delves into the science of speech production, explaining how our vocal cords work and how we shape air to create sound.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
The layout of neurons in Wernicke's area in terms of representing sound frequencies and vowels is not yet clearly understood.
1:15:14 - 1:21:10 (05:56)
Summary
The layout of neurons in Wernicke's area in terms of representing sound frequencies and vowels is not yet clearly understood. However, recent studies suggest that speech can be processed directly by the speech cortex without going through the primary auditory cortex.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
The complexity of language generation and understanding can be explained through the motor theory of language, which connects the articulation of sounds with meaning.
1:21:10 - 1:27:04 (05:54)
Summary
The complexity of language generation and understanding can be explained through the motor theory of language, which connects the articulation of sounds with meaning. Different languages use different sound elements, but they can be reduced to about 12 different articulatory features.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
The brain is extremely efficient at pattern recognition, allowing individuals with dyslexia to hear words but struggle to read them.
1:27:04 - 1:33:52 (06:47)
Summary
The brain is extremely efficient at pattern recognition, allowing individuals with dyslexia to hear words but struggle to read them. Reading and writing engage the same part of the brain that processes speech sounds, making it important for effective treatment to focus on both areas.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
In this podcast, the speaker talks about how foreign accents could be attributed to an injury in the brain, called the foreign accent syndrome, where the person affected can start speaking in a different language with a new accent or intonation after suffering such an injury.
1:33:52 - 1:40:51 (06:59)
Summary
In this podcast, the speaker talks about how foreign accents could be attributed to an injury in the brain, called the foreign accent syndrome, where the person affected can start speaking in a different language with a new accent or intonation after suffering such an injury. However, there have been no documented cases where a person has spontaneously started speaking another language without any underlying medical condition.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
This podcast talks about the incredible work of using brain-machine interfaces to help paralyzed people communicate through neural activity translation into hardware, wires, and artificial non-biological tools.
1:40:51 - 1:48:51 (07:59)
Summary
This podcast talks about the incredible work of using brain-machine interfaces to help paralyzed people communicate through neural activity translation into hardware, wires, and artificial non-biological tools. The work has gone beyond allowing people to think about what they want to say, and research is now focusing on making interactions between these people in the real world more elaborate and more real.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
Researchers implanted electrodes into the brains of paralyzed patients to control the areas that control vocal tract, larynx, lips, tongue, and jaw movements when speaking.
1:48:51 - 1:58:47 (09:55)
Summary
Researchers implanted electrodes into the brains of paralyzed patients to control the areas that control vocal tract, larynx, lips, tongue, and jaw movements when speaking. The brain activity is then translated into text on a screen with the help of a stick attached to a baseball cap.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
This podcast episode discusses the potential of brain-machine interfaces, including the recent developments of Neural Link, and how they could give the brain functions that have never been observed before in human history.
1:58:47 - 2:09:24 (10:37)
Summary
This podcast episode discusses the potential of brain-machine interfaces, including the recent developments of Neural Link, and how they could give the brain functions that have never been observed before in human history.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
The use of an avatar in the clinical realm to allow non-speaking people to communicate through spoken language is fascinating and important.
2:09:25 - 2:22:43 (13:18)
Summary
The use of an avatar in the clinical realm to allow non-speaking people to communicate through spoken language is fascinating and important. A computer-animated face with the person's speech movements and facial expressions will be a more complete form of expression, especially for precision-required work such as surgery.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
In this episode, a neurosurgeon shares how physical exercise helps him in the operating room, comparing it to exploring new lands.
2:22:43 - 2:30:14 (07:31)
Summary
In this episode, a neurosurgeon shares how physical exercise helps him in the operating room, comparing it to exploring new lands. He looks at the exposed cortex as a terrain to navigate, and talks about the way neurosurgeons test and discover the human brain.
EpisodeDr. Eddie Chang: The Science of Learning & Speaking Languages
PodcastHuberman Lab
The Huberman Lab has launched a premium channel that includes newsletters with summaries of podcast episodes and tools from the Huberman Lab, with proceeds going to support various research projects on mental health, physical health, and performance.
2:30:14 - 2:33:30 (03:15)
Summary
The Huberman Lab has launched a premium channel that includes newsletters with summaries of podcast episodes and tools from the Huberman Lab, with proceeds going to support various research projects on mental health, physical health, and performance.