Unusual Brain Adaptations

Science for the Public: Contemporary Science Issues and Innovations
April 11, 2023, Belmont Media Center

Evelina Federenko, Ph.D., Middleton CD Associate Professor of Neuroscience; Investigator, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ev Federenko Lab at MIT

Dr. Federenko's lab specializes in unusual brain adaptations and capacities, particularly in language acquisition. She discusses a case of exceptional language acquisition despite the absence of the left temporal lobe, a brain region necessary for language development and processing. In this case, the right brain compensated for the missing left brain region. And the child proved exceptional in language skill.

Dr. Federenko also describes other work in her lab's Interesting Brains Project.