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Chapter Two - How Does the Brain Work?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2026

David Kemmerer
Affiliation:
Purdue University, Indiana
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Summary

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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References

Further Reading

Banich, M. T., & Compton, R. J. (2023). Cognitive neuroscience (5th ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.10.1017/9781108923361CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kemmerer, D. (2022). Cognitive neuroscience of language (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.10.4324/9781138318427CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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  • How Does the Brain Work?
  • David Kemmerer, Purdue University, Indiana
  • Book: The Neuroscience of Word Meaning
  • Online publication: 27 February 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009436328.003
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  • How Does the Brain Work?
  • David Kemmerer, Purdue University, Indiana
  • Book: The Neuroscience of Word Meaning
  • Online publication: 27 February 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009436328.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • How Does the Brain Work?
  • David Kemmerer, Purdue University, Indiana
  • Book: The Neuroscience of Word Meaning
  • Online publication: 27 February 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009436328.003
Available formats
×