A study published in Communications Biology provides evidence that brain regions responsible for language and theory of mind (mentalizing) are functionally and anatomically distinct in children aged 3 to 9, matching patterns previously observed in adults.
Key Details
- Researchers used fMRI to scan the brains of 42 children (ages 3–9) and 28 adults. Children completed two tasks: listening to sentences (language) and watching a silent cartoon (theory of mind).
- Brain regions activated by language tasks were located in the left superior temporal lobe, while theory of mind regions were in the right superior temporal lobe. No overlap was found at the 2–3 mm voxel level.
- Additional functional connectivity analysis during rest showed that language and theory of mind regions connect with different brain networks, and these distinct connectivity patterns are stable within children over time.
- The findings challenge prior theories that language and theory of mind develop from overlapping brain areas. The authors suggest the two systems evolved separately.
Statements
"It seems that these processors that help us mentalize and that help us speak and understand were dissociated very, very early in the evolutionary process."
— Zeynep Saygin, senior author and associate professor of psychology at Ohio State University
"We demonstrate this for the first time in kids, extending an adult finding to development."
— Kelly Hiersche, lead author and doctoral student
Funding
The study was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and Ohio State University.