title: The signing brain: the neurobiology of sign language.
abstract: Most of our knowledge about the neurobiological bases of language comes from studies of spoken languages. By studying signed languages, we can determine whether what we have learnt so far is characteristic of language per se or whether it is specific to languages that are spoken and heard. Overwhelmingly, lesion and neuroimaging studies indicate that the neural systems supporting signed and spoken language are very similar: both involve a predominantly left-lateralised perisylvian network. Recent studies have also highlighted processing differences between languages in these different modalities. These studies provide rich insights into language and communication processes in deaf and hearing people.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR, UK. m.macsweeney@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mairéad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: MacSweeney
authors.forename: Cheryl M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Capek
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Bencie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Woll
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003638:Deafness / Q000503:physiopathology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012813:Sign Language