Redefining language as an emergent function of the connected brain

forthcoming

The traditional view of language as relying on isolated brain areas is increasingly challenged by clinical and anatomical evidence suggesting that it emerges from the dynamic interplay of distributed neural networks across cortical, subcortical, and white matter systems. Despite language’s centrality to human cognition, a unified anatomical model integrating structural, functional, and neurochemical foundations remains absent—limiting progress in our fundamental understanding and clinical translation of research results. The overarching goal of EMERGENCE is to uncover the anatomical principles underlying how language emerges in the brain—molecularly, structurally, functionally, computationally, and clinically—while centring the multimodal integration at the heart of the investigation. Using advanced neuroimaging, computational modelling, behavioural analysis, and clinical investigations it will: (1) map multimodal language networks, highlighting subcortical structures and neurotransmitter contributions; (2) construct the language connectome by integrating structural connectivity and cognitive correlations with a data-driven functional analysis; (3) deliver the first functional white matter atlas of language by exploring the structural-functional basis of five experimental linguistic tasks; and (4) investigate underexplored features such as prosody and phenomena like “clicks” and the selective loss of clicks (aclickia) in African languages, integrating them into a unified brain-cognition model. The project will redefine the neurobiology of language, offering actionable insights for diagnostics, neurosurgical precision, and inform novel interventions. By embracing linguistic diversity and bridging fundamental science with clinical applications, it promises to reshape our understanding of the anatomical principles underlying how language emerges in the brain—molecularly, structurally, functionally, computationally, and clinically.