In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, my guest is Dr. Erich Jarvis, PhD, a professor and Head of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language at Rockefeller University and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). We discuss the brain circuits and genes underlying spoken language and why the ability to learn and produce vocalizations is extraordinarily rare in the animal kingdom. We also explore why song likely evolved before language, how gesture and movement share deep neural roots with speech, the neurobiology of stuttering, why childhood is the optimal window for language acquisition, and how physical movement — including dance — may help preserve speech and cognitive function across a lifetime.
Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/C1XC6tO
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Dr. Erich Jarvis
Dr. Erick Jarvis’ Lab: https://www.jarvislab.net
Rockefeller University: https://www.rockefeller.edu/our-scientists/heads-of-laboratories/1159-erich-d-jarvis
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cI-fi9MAAAAJ
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erich-jarvis-ba73624
Timestamps
00:00:00 Speech & Language
00:00:23 Speech vs. Language; Brain Pathways
00:02:07 Gesture, Movement & Language Evolution
00:04:31 Emotion, Innate Sounds & Vocal Learning
00:06:50 Evolution of Spoken Language
00:07:04 Neanderthals & the Origins of Human Language
00:08:17 Songbird & Human Speech Circuits Compared
00:09:08 Critical Periods & Vocal Learning in Birds
00:10:55 Convergent Evolution; Genes & Speech Circuits
00:13:20 Innate Predisposition to Learn; Birdsong Dialects
00:15:39 Pidgin Language & Cultural-Genetic Evolution
00:17:46 Genes Controlling Speech Pathways
00:20:30 Critical Periods & Multilingualism
00:22:41 Music, Emotion & Semantic vs. Affective Communication
00:25:38 Facial Expression & Speech Circuits
00:27:28 Written Language & Neural Circuitry
00:28:53 Stuttering; Basal Ganglia & Neurogenesis
00:31:09 Texting, Technology & Language Change
00:32:42 Tool: Movement, Dance & Cognitive Health
00:34:49 Recap
Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
