26.05.2026 Basil Preisig

Classical models of language processing have linked specific brain areas to distinct linguistic functions. Yet the relationship between lesion location and language impairment is weaker than one might expect, because brain injuries often do not cause the language deficits classical models would predict. As a result, current models offer limited guidance for clinical interventions and individual outcome prediction.

 

To advance the neural model of language, I argue that we need to address a set of key questions that have guided my own academic journey: (1) Does successful speech comprehension depend on attentional processes? (2) Are even single language functions such as auditory phonological processing distributed across networks? (3) What mechanisms support information exchange within the language network? (4) Do patients with aphasia compensate through alternative means of communication? These questions converge on a framework named the Interacting Language Network (ILN), which extends classical models by integrating the mechanisms through which speech and language areas communicate.

 

I conclude by outlining the key open questions that remain, how they might be addressed, and what we hope this work will ultimately mean for the treatment of language disorders.