Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 February 2026
Chapter 2 introduces the “nuts and bolts” of the brain. It describes how neurons represent and transmit information, and how the cerebral cortex is the part of the brain most relevant to word meaning. Special emphasis is placed on the following large-scale cortical systems: modal networks of sensory and motor areas; transmodal networks of association areas; and the core language network. This chapter also briefly outlines the brain mapping methods that are used in the various experiments discussed in Chapters 3–7.
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