UA scientist wins $1 million grant for pioneering study
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University of Arizona scientist Thomas A. Christensen has received a $1 million grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
The grant will allow Christensen, a scientist in the department of speech, language, and hearing sciences, to conduct a pioneering five-year study on the roles of attention and memory when the human brain hears and processes spoken language.
"This is the chance to study the ultimate form of animal communication—language," said Christensen.
"Language affects how we think, what we believe, how we interact with each other. I'd even go so far as to say that our future as a species depends on understanding how we communicate. But very little is known about what's going on in the brain when we're having a simple conversation."
Christensen will use UA's state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilities to map the areas and networks within the brain linked to language, attention, and memory.
For more information:
"Pioneering study maps attention, memory, language links in the human brain," UA News, 05/15/2007