Language, Communication and the Brain

Dear Colleagues,

Speech production is a highly localized yet networked activity involving several brain centers. Psycholinguistic studies of language production identify semantic, phonological, and syntactic processes that are sensitive to temporal demands. Speech sensorimotor processes engage a network of neural centers in the left and the right hemispheres. Both language and speech motor processes are supported by cognitive resources including the dorsal and ventral attention networks and verbal and non-verbal working memory processes. Finally, the limbic system motivates actions and conveys the suprasegmental and emotional aspects of speech. The aim of this Special Issue is to enhance our understanding of the different cognitive, linguistic, and sensorimotor processes and systems supporting speech production in neurotypical and neurodiverse speakers who experience communication disabilities.

We encourage submissions that provide a nuanced and enhanced understanding of the systems and processes and how they function in the neurotypical and neurodiverse speakers. We welcome submissions of studies that are designed to address the intersectionality of age, sex, or other biological and non-biological (e.g., treatment effects) variables and their interactions with group membership in influencing speech and language production. Submissions can include data-driven studies on attentional effort, phonological working memory, executive functions, language planning, and sensorimotor mechanisms supporting speech. Alternatively, theoretical postulations on the neural processes and biological systems supporting speech and language production and/or augmented communication will also be considered. Submissions can include group designs with varying levels of experimental control, single–subject designs, behavioral measures, temporally and spatially sensitive neural measures, and artificial intelligence-driven innovative data analyses of behavioral and/or neural data that contribute uniquely to understanding speech production.

Dr. Jayanthi Sasisekaran
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• cognitive
• attention
• working memory
• executive functions
• linguistic
• language planning
• speech production
• fluency
• sensorimotor
• hearing
• speech and language production
• neurotypical
• neurodiverse
• autism
• apraxia
• dysarthria
• stuttering
• speech sound disorders
• artificial intelligence
• data science
• theoretical
• data-driven