£2 million grant for brain study

21 Dec 2011

University of Manchester scientists have been awarded £2 million to explore the brain processes involved in ‘semantic cognition’ and the different ways in which it can break down in various neurological conditions, such as stroke and dementia.

Semantic cognition concerns the mental processes that allow humans to code the meaning not only of words but also store knowledge about objects and the world. As well as a ‘knowledge database’, there are also brain mechanisms that help in the selection and manipulation of this knowledge depending on the task. For instance, in order to play or move a piano very different elements from the knowledge database about pianos have to be retrieved.

The team, led by Professor Matt Lambon Ralph in the School of Psychological Sciences and Professor Geoff Parker in the School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences, has been successful in gaining a Medical Research Council award, a renewal of a previous MRC programme grant.

The research will use different techniques to map out the location, connections and role of various brain systems. In addition, computer-based systems will be used to merge these findings into a unified model of semantic cognition. This model will be able to mimic both normal and neurologically-impaired function as well as the impact of direct interventions.

Professor Lambon Ralph said: “The core motivation behind this research is to improve our understanding about how semantic cognition breaks down in different, yet common, types of neurological disease. This will be crucial not only in improving the diagnosis and clinical management of these disabling symptoms but also help us to move towards improved speech and language therapy interventions.”

Professor Parker added: “This central research aim will be met through a crucial interaction between basic and clinical sciences, which adopts many different, complementary techniques to reveal novel insights about normal and neurologically-impaired brain function.”