Cited by 301Neurobiology of Language and BilingualismReading and Literacy DevelopmentLanguage Development and Disorders

Brain potential and functional MRI evidence for how to handle two languages with one brain

Rodriguez-Fornells, Antoni, Rotte, Michael, Heinze, Hans-Jochen, Nösselt, Tömme, Münte, Thomas F.·2002·Nature

Abstract

Bilingual individuals need effective mechanisms to prevent interference from one language while processing material in the other. Here we show, using event-related brain potentials and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), that words from the non-target language are rejected at an early stage before semantic analysis in bilinguals. Bilingual Spanish/Catalan and monolingual Spanish subjects were instructed to press a button when presented with words in one language, while ignoring words in the other language and pseudowords. The brain potentials of bilingual subjects in response to words of the non-target language were not sensitive to word frequency, indicating that the meaning of non-target words was not accessed in bilinguals. The fMRI activation patterns of bilinguals included a number of areas previously implicated in phonological and pseudoword processing, suggesting that bilinguals use an indirect phonological access route to the lexicon of the target language to avoid interference.

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Crossref · 10.1038/4151026a

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  • Neuroimaging work shows the non-target language is engaged during a linguistic task performed in the chosen language.

    “imaging studies indicating involvement of the non-target language while performing a linguistic task in the selected language [54–56].”

    From Bilingualism: consequences for mind and brain (2012) · cites this paper as [55]

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Authors
Rodriguez-Fornells, A., Rotte, M., Heinze, H.-J., Nösselt, T., & Münte, T. F.
Affiliations
Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg (DE)
Corresponding author
Münte, Thomas F.
Venue
Nature
Published
2002-02
Volume
415
Issue
6875
Pages
1026-1029
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2050982168
Cited by
301
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 24 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 22
FWCI
6.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
Keywords
bilingualism, language transfer, lexical access, phonological access, word frequency, semantic processing, Catalan-Spanish bilinguals, event-related potentials, functional MRI, lexical decision
MeSH terms
Adult, Attention, Brain, Brain Mapping, Evoked Potentials, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Reaction Time, Multilingualism

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