# The overlap of speech production and verbal working memory

> **NIH NIH R01** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $407,374

## Abstract

Abstract
To enable the expression of ideas in everyday conversation, our brain must hold on to speech information for
short periods of time in verbal working memory (vWM). This is particularly important for everyday conversation
that takes place in chaotic environments: Plans for speaking change quickly, and the brain has to adapt to these
changes. Previous models of vWM, have suggested that vWM is anatomically and functionally discrete, with only
indirect interactions with speech production. Evidence from lesions following strokes however, have shown a
wide range of speech production deficits that are also associated with problems with vWM, arguing against a
strong dissociation between speech production and vWM. We propose instead that vWM is integrated in the
speech production planning system, sharing an anatomical and functional substrate. To study this overlap, we
propose to examine neural responses associated with this functional overlap through a population of
neurosurgical patients who as part of their clinical care have electrodes implanted directly in their brain, giving
us a unique opportunity to study the human brain at a greater resolution that has been done in the past. We will
leverage this access to address the following questions: 1) Does speech production and vWM overlap in the
brain? 2) What kind of information is held when planning for speech production? 3) What motor features are
shared between speech production and vWM? We will use a series of tasks that are designed to separate out
the role of vWM for different speech production components and measure human brain responses using direct
brain recordings, including high density electrodes that have unprecedented spatial resolution (<1 mm, up to
1024 electrodes for a 10 x increase in sampling). Understanding this basic cognitive process and their role in
everyday language use will lead to more targeted approaches to help the over 1 million Americans who suffer
from stroke-induced aphasia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10932393
- **Project number:** 5R01NS129703-02
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Gregory B Cogan
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $407,374
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-20 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10932393

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10932393, The overlap of speech production and verbal working memory (5R01NS129703-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10932393. Licensed CC0.

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