DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2312-5160.2020.27.51-63
UDC 159.91:612.82:57.048
Language-Specific Synchronization of Neural Networks in the Human Brain
Sergii Tukaiev1, Annemieke van den Tol3, Volodymyr Rizun2, Yurii Havrylets2, Mykola Makarchuk1, Igor Zyma1, Nastasiia Plakhotnyk1
1 Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Educational and Scientific Centre “The Institute of Biology and Medicine”, 64/13, Volodymyrska St., 01601 Kyiv, Ukraine
2 Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Journalism, 36/1, Yuriia Illienka Str., Kyiv, Ukraine, 04119
3 University of Lincoln, School of Psychology, Lincoln, United Kingdom, School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Sarah Swift Building 3012, Brayford Pool, Lincoln, LN57AY, United Kingdom
* Corresponding author’s e-mail address: youri1985@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
This study examines language-specific characteristics of the electric activity in bilinguals’ brains. The aim of this study was to evaluate language-specific characteristics of functional connectivity related to the perception of verbal information in different languages. Increasing synchronization of gamma band was detected in the association regions of left hemisphere during the Russian sonnets, alongside with interhemispheric coherence. The increase in synchronization exclusively in the left hemisphere was observed as in the case of English and Ukrainian sonnets. Increase of the coherence was shown in the left lateral and medial supplementary motor area when listening to Russian sonnets in comparison with Ukrainian. Decrease of coherence while listening to the Russian sonnets in comparison with Ukrainian was present in angular gyrus and superior parietal lobule. This evidence could indicate relatively lesser involvement of memory and attention when listening to Russian in comparison with the Ukrainian. Despite high proficiency of the participants, the mechanism of language perception could be different. Perhaps, an emotional response does not depend on the level of knowledge of the language but rather on its phonetic structure and prosody.
KEYWORDS: bilingual, verbal information, perception, EEG, coherence
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