In experiments that track brain activity while subjects are not reading or passively listening but actually talking to other people, a third and heretofore unknown language-related neural circuit has been identified. Studies using fNIRS—a brain-scanning technology that works via a flexible band encircling the head—demonstrate that this newly recognized network, called the subcentral area, is specialized for predicting and responding to language as it is used moment by moment in conversation. This discovery adds to accumulating evidence showing that engaging in real-time conversation involves
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