Diffusion imaging methods in language sciences

Forkel, S. J., & Catani, M. (2019). Diffusion imaging methods in language sciences. In G. I. De Zubicaray, & N. O. Schiller (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Neurolinguistics (pp. 212-228). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
The field of neuroanatomy of language is moving forward at a fast pace. This
progression is partially due to the development of diffusion tractography, which
has been used to describe white matter connections in the living human brain.
For the field of neurolinguistics this advancement is timely and important for
two reasons. First, it allows clinical researchers to liberate themselves from
neuroanatomical models of language derived from animal studies. Second, for
the first time, it offers the possibility of testing network correlates of
neurolinguistic models directly in the human brain. This chapter introduces the
reader to general principles of diffusion imaging and tractography. Examples of
its applications, such as tract analysis, will be used to explicate its potentials and
limitations.
Publication type
Book chapter
Publication date
2019

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