Développement, Neurocognition, Dysfonctionnement - DENDY

 Persons in charge: Véronique Boulenger, Florence Chenu

The DENDY (Development Neurocognition Disorders) axis aims at investigating the development and cognitive processing of language in a lifespan perspective, in both typical and atypical populations.
Our objective is to (1) characterize the nature and weight of the different constraints that shape language acquisition and processing, aand (2) identify their underlying brain mechanisms. Both inherent neurocognitive and motor constraints, as well as external social constraints, pertaining to the production situations and sociolinguistic contexts, are considered. Our research projects gather around two main topics:

- Language and the Motor System
- Variation and communicative and linguistic uses

Through a pluridisciplinary and plurimethodological approach, lying at the interface between (psycho)linguistics, cognitive neuroscience and sociolinguistics, we study language from production to perception and comprehension, in a longitudinal and transversal perspective. This is done by the acquisition and analysis of online and offline data (audio-video recordings in natural contexts, experimental psychology, EEG/MEG, digitizing tablets, eye tracking, movement kinematics, fMRI, questionnaires to caregivers, teachers and health professionals).

The tested populations include individuals from different ages (children, teenagers, adults), with, without or at risk for language disorders (e.g., dyslexia, developmental language disorder, Alzheimer's disease, monolinguals and bilinguals, late speakers). Part of our work furthermore lies at the interface between fundamental and applied research as we aim at developing diagnosis and remediation tools for language deficits, as well as providing strategies for prevention and improvement of language abilities via interventions dedicated to child care professionals.