Greg Hickok
@gregoryhickok.bsky.social
Distinguished Professor, Departments of Cognitive Sciences & Language Science, University of California Irvine. Author, Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language (MIT Press, forthcoming).
Pinned
Yesterday I had a great chat with Stephen Wilson on his Language Neuroscience Podcast about my forthcoming book, Wired for Words. Watch for the podcast and book release on November 25! langneurosci.org/podcast/
The Language Neuroscience Podcast
langneurosci.org
November 13, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Yesterday I had a great chat with Stephen Wilson on his Language Neuroscience Podcast about my forthcoming book, Wired for Words. Watch for the podcast and book release on November 25! langneurosci.org/podcast/
We still don't fully understand left-brain, right-brain differences.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
We Are Still Under the Spell of Split-Brain Research
For decades, researchers insisted the left brain dominates all aspects of language. But rare cases of "word deafness" and new experiments reveal a hidden symmetry.
www.psychologytoday.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:07 PM
We still don't fully understand left-brain, right-brain differences.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
Reposted by Greg Hickok
I rarely come on here or any social media, but wanted to share our latest preprint of large-scale human single neuron recordings during an auditory working memory task: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
I'm very grateful to our patients, my co-authors and the funders. And to anyone who reads it :-) 🧠📈🧵👇(1/5)
I'm very grateful to our patients, my co-authors and the funders. And to anyone who reads it :-) 🧠📈🧵👇(1/5)
Brain-wide single-neuron bases of working memory for sounds in humans
In order to understand the constantly changing acoustic world our brains must maintain elements of auditory scenes in memory. The neural mechanisms for this fundamental process remain unclear. Here, w...
doi.org
November 11, 2025 at 2:51 PM
I rarely come on here or any social media, but wanted to share our latest preprint of large-scale human single neuron recordings during an auditory working memory task: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
I'm very grateful to our patients, my co-authors and the funders. And to anyone who reads it :-) 🧠📈🧵👇(1/5)
I'm very grateful to our patients, my co-authors and the funders. And to anyone who reads it :-) 🧠📈🧵👇(1/5)
Language is a "species" of sensorimotor control architecture. A major conclusion regarding the neural architecture of language in my forthcoming book this month, Wired for Words
@mitpress.bsky.social
@mitpress.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Language is a "species" of sensorimotor control architecture. A major conclusion regarding the neural architecture of language in my forthcoming book this month, Wired for Words
@mitpress.bsky.social
@mitpress.bsky.social
Final adapted post from my forthcoming book
@mitpress.bsky.social Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language. This one focuses on progress over the last 2.5 decades and summarizes some of the main takeaways, IMO. @psychtoday.bsky.social www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
@mitpress.bsky.social Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language. This one focuses on progress over the last 2.5 decades and summarizes some of the main takeaways, IMO. @psychtoday.bsky.social www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
Wired for Words: Understanding Language and the Brain
After 150 years of mystery, neuroscience has finally cracked the code on how language works in the brain—and the answer is surprisingly elegant.
www.psychologytoday.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Final adapted post from my forthcoming book
@mitpress.bsky.social Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language. This one focuses on progress over the last 2.5 decades and summarizes some of the main takeaways, IMO. @psychtoday.bsky.social www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
@mitpress.bsky.social Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language. This one focuses on progress over the last 2.5 decades and summarizes some of the main takeaways, IMO. @psychtoday.bsky.social www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
Audio-visual synchrony perception in speech, which requires precise temporal alignment, might be sensitive to subclinical neurological disease. Here's some preliminary data from stroke. Work led by my former student Jon Venezia. www.jvascsurg.org/article/S074...
Audiovisual Temporal Processing as a Behavioral Marker in Carotid Atherosclerotic Disease: Preliminary Data and Hypothesis
Changes in auditory and audiovisual (AV) temporal processing occur in early aging
and stroke. Asymptomatic carotid atherosclerotic disease (ACAD) can cause chronic
vascular insufficiency and silent is...
www.jvascsurg.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Audio-visual synchrony perception in speech, which requires precise temporal alignment, might be sensitive to subclinical neurological disease. Here's some preliminary data from stroke. Work led by my former student Jon Venezia. www.jvascsurg.org/article/S074...
A nice piece on my now former grad student Jeremy Yeaton. Very proud of their accomplishments and looking forward to following Jeremy’s future successes!
An interdisciplinary approach | Jeremy Yeaton, UC Irvine language science Ph.D. ’25, demonstrates the value in taking a cross-pollinating approach to understanding speech loss
@ucirvine.bsky.social @uofcalifornia.bsky.social @jeremyyeaton.bsky.social @gregoryhickok.bsky.social
@ucirvine.bsky.social @uofcalifornia.bsky.social @jeremyyeaton.bsky.social @gregoryhickok.bsky.social
An interdisciplinary approach
www.socsci.uci.edu
November 5, 2025 at 6:19 AM
A nice piece on my now former grad student Jeremy Yeaton. Very proud of their accomplishments and looking forward to following Jeremy’s future successes!
Beyond Broca: The Two Routes to Speaking. My new
@psychtoday.bsky.social essay excerpted and adapted from Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language, forthcoming this month @mitpress.bsky.social.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
.
@psychtoday.bsky.social essay excerpted and adapted from Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language, forthcoming this month @mitpress.bsky.social.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
.
Beyond Broca: The Two Routes to Speaking
For 150 years, Broca's area has defined speech production. Now scientists have discovered a second parallel system that controls the melody and rhythm of how we speak and sing.
www.psychologytoday.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Beyond Broca: The Two Routes to Speaking. My new
@psychtoday.bsky.social essay excerpted and adapted from Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language, forthcoming this month @mitpress.bsky.social.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
.
@psychtoday.bsky.social essay excerpted and adapted from Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language, forthcoming this month @mitpress.bsky.social.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
.
Reposted by Greg Hickok
More than two decades have passed since we discovered that rare disruptions of the FOXP2 gene disturb development of proficient speech/language skills. Today we know of multiple FOXP genes that are directly implicated in distinct brain-related conditions with differences in symptoms & severity.🧪 1/n
October 29, 2025 at 5:09 PM
More than two decades have passed since we discovered that rare disruptions of the FOXP2 gene disturb development of proficient speech/language skills. Today we know of multiple FOXP genes that are directly implicated in distinct brain-related conditions with differences in symptoms & severity.🧪 1/n
Another excerpt from my book, Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language published by @mitpress.bsky.social
This post is on the ancient sensorimotor origins of language production networks.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
This post is on the ancient sensorimotor origins of language production networks.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
The Hidden Orchestra: How Ancient Systems Underlie Speech
Your brain transforms thoughts into speech using an ancient blueprint: the sensorimotor control system. New research reveals how evolution repurposed movement control for language.
www.psychologytoday.com
October 23, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Another excerpt from my book, Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language published by @mitpress.bsky.social
This post is on the ancient sensorimotor origins of language production networks.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
This post is on the ancient sensorimotor origins of language production networks.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
We are about a month away from the publication release date for my @mitpress.bsky.social book, Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language. Here's a chapter-by-chapter preview.
drive.google.com/file/d/18mc5...
drive.google.com/file/d/18mc5...
WfW Chapter Summaries.pdf
drive.google.com
October 22, 2025 at 8:21 PM
We are about a month away from the publication release date for my @mitpress.bsky.social book, Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language. Here's a chapter-by-chapter preview.
drive.google.com/file/d/18mc5...
drive.google.com/file/d/18mc5...
My attempt to depict the neural architecture of language as motivated in my forthcoming book, Wired for Words. Like colors represent functional connectivity. Main insight: linguistic levels are all organized with a sensorimotor-like architecture. pbs.twimg.com/media/G2cwsM...
October 4, 2025 at 10:32 PM
My attempt to depict the neural architecture of language as motivated in my forthcoming book, Wired for Words. Like colors represent functional connectivity. Main insight: linguistic levels are all organized with a sensorimotor-like architecture. pbs.twimg.com/media/G2cwsM...
How your brain conducts the symphony of speech. My latest post on @psychtoday.bsky.social , excerpted and adapted from my forthcoming book, Wired for Words @mitpress.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
How Your Brain Conducts the Symphony of Speech
A tiny brain blip during silent speech revealed the shocking truth: Your brain plans words by imagining sounds, not movements. This discovery revolutionized speech science.
www.psychologytoday.com
September 26, 2025 at 9:19 PM
How your brain conducts the symphony of speech. My latest post on @psychtoday.bsky.social , excerpted and adapted from my forthcoming book, Wired for Words @mitpress.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
Reposted by Greg Hickok
Very happy to see Angelique's paper on semantic processing and the ATL with @vipiai.bsky.social, @profkatie.bsky.social out now in Cortex : www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Are the ventral anterior temporal lobes involved in accessing conceptual knowledge during spoken word production? fMRI evidence from auditory naming
There is ongoing debate about the role of ventral anterior temporal lobe (vATL) regions in the initial stages of production, particularly in accessing…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 16, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Very happy to see Angelique's paper on semantic processing and the ATL with @vipiai.bsky.social, @profkatie.bsky.social out now in Cortex : www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New work on aphasia treatment outcome from Janina Wilmskoetter and the CSTAR team. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Naming practice effects and inconsistencies relate to treatment outcome in people with aphasia
Intra-individual variability in language performance has been proposed as a factor associated with treatment outcomes in chronic aphasia. However, the…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 16, 2025 at 4:59 PM
New work on aphasia treatment outcome from Janina Wilmskoetter and the CSTAR team. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Indeed, an interesting take on LLMs from my Department of Language Science colleague, Richard Futrell @ucirvine.bsky.social.
Provocative piece and more interesting than most that have been written about this topic. I greatly encourage people to weigh in!
My own perspective is that while there is utility to LMs, the scientific insights are greatly overstated.
My own perspective is that while there is utility to LMs, the scientific insights are greatly overstated.
📣@futrell.bsky.social and I have a BBS target article with an optimistic take on LLMs + linguistics. Commentary proposals (just need a few hundred words) are OPEN until Oct 8. If we are too optimistic for you (or not optimistic enough!) or you have anything to say: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
September 15, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Indeed, an interesting take on LLMs from my Department of Language Science colleague, Richard Futrell @ucirvine.bsky.social.
Reposted by Greg Hickok
University of South Carolina has *7* tenure-track faculty positions in Neurobiology of Language:
tinyurl.com/USC-Faculty-...
Positions in COMD, Psych, Linguistics, School of Medicine.
@snlmtg.bsky.social #SNL2025, we will have a booth.
w/@rutvikdesai.bsky.social @imb-uofsc.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/USC-Faculty-...
Positions in COMD, Psych, Linguistics, School of Medicine.
@snlmtg.bsky.social #SNL2025, we will have a booth.
w/@rutvikdesai.bsky.social @imb-uofsc.bsky.social
September 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
University of South Carolina has *7* tenure-track faculty positions in Neurobiology of Language:
tinyurl.com/USC-Faculty-...
Positions in COMD, Psych, Linguistics, School of Medicine.
@snlmtg.bsky.social #SNL2025, we will have a booth.
w/@rutvikdesai.bsky.social @imb-uofsc.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/USC-Faculty-...
Positions in COMD, Psych, Linguistics, School of Medicine.
@snlmtg.bsky.social #SNL2025, we will have a booth.
w/@rutvikdesai.bsky.social @imb-uofsc.bsky.social
Telegrams and Sentence Monsters | Psychology Today
My latest essay on the neurology of syntax excerpted from Wired for Words my forthcoming book published by
@mitpress.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
My latest essay on the neurology of syntax excerpted from Wired for Words my forthcoming book published by
@mitpress.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
Telegrams and Sentence Monsters
Discover how studying the breakdown of language following a stroke has finally revealed the hidden machinery of one of humanity's most remarkable abilities.
www.psychologytoday.com
September 10, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Telegrams and Sentence Monsters | Psychology Today
My latest essay on the neurology of syntax excerpted from Wired for Words my forthcoming book published by
@mitpress.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
My latest essay on the neurology of syntax excerpted from Wired for Words my forthcoming book published by
@mitpress.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
Reposted by Greg Hickok
VocalMind: A Stereotactic EEG Dataset for Vocalized, Mimed, and Imagined Speech in Tonal Language
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
VocalMind: A Stereotactic EEG Dataset for Vocalized, Mimed, and Imagined Speech in Tonal Language - Scientific Data
Scientific Data - VocalMind: A Stereotactic EEG Dataset for Vocalized, Mimed, and Imagined Speech in Tonal Language
www.nature.com
August 23, 2025 at 2:18 AM
VocalMind: A Stereotactic EEG Dataset for Vocalized, Mimed, and Imagined Speech in Tonal Language
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The Secret Life of Words. My new piece on the mysterious word. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
The Secret Life of Words
Words aren't simply sounds connected to meanings, but involve a hidden "middle layer" that might unlock a deeper understanding of how language works generally.
www.psychologytoday.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:37 PM
The Secret Life of Words. My new piece on the mysterious word. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
Neural plasticity had a good run. A bit of a myth? I always thought it was overblown. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
The brain’s map of the body is surprisingly stable — even after a limb is lost
Study challenges the textbook idea that the brain region that processes body sensations reorganizes itself after limb amputation.
www.nature.com
August 21, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Neural plasticity had a good run. A bit of a myth? I always thought it was overblown. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
We are still under the spell of split-brain research. My new piece in @psychtoday.bsky.social. Excerpted and adapted from my forthcoming book, Wired for Words @mitpress.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
We Are Still Under the Spell of Split-Brain Research
For decades, researchers insisted the left brain dominates all aspects of language. But rare cases of "word deafness" and new experiments reveal a hidden symmetry.
www.psychologytoday.com
August 6, 2025 at 8:28 PM
We are still under the spell of split-brain research. My new piece in @psychtoday.bsky.social. Excerpted and adapted from my forthcoming book, Wired for Words @mitpress.bsky.social
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
Reposted by Greg Hickok
This looks really good! (coming soon, by @gregoryhickok.bsky.social) I don't think Steve Pinker is on Bsky, but he's promoting this blog post about it on Twitter, which is also good: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
July 28, 2025 at 5:24 PM
This looks really good! (coming soon, by @gregoryhickok.bsky.social) I don't think Steve Pinker is on Bsky, but he's promoting this blog post about it on Twitter, which is also good: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wire...
The UCI Phonotactic Calculator: An online tool for computing phonotactic metrics. New work by my colleague Connor Mayer. link.springer.com/article/10.3...
The UCI Phonotactic Calculator: An online tool for computing phonotactic metrics - Behavior Research Methods
This paper presents the UCI Phonotactic Calculator (UCIPC), a new online tool for quantifying the occurrence of segments and segment sequences in a corpus. This tool has several advantages compared to...
link.springer.com
July 18, 2025 at 5:42 PM
The UCI Phonotactic Calculator: An online tool for computing phonotactic metrics. New work by my colleague Connor Mayer. link.springer.com/article/10.3...
Reposted by Greg Hickok
Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language | New book by @ucirvine.bsky.social cognitive and language scientist @gregoryhickok.bsky.social explores 150 years of research on how the brain enables language
*Presale available now w/ 25% discount at @barnesandnoble.com*
@mitpress.bsky.social
*Presale available now w/ 25% discount at @barnesandnoble.com*
@mitpress.bsky.social
Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language
www.socsci.uci.edu
July 9, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language | New book by @ucirvine.bsky.social cognitive and language scientist @gregoryhickok.bsky.social explores 150 years of research on how the brain enables language
*Presale available now w/ 25% discount at @barnesandnoble.com*
@mitpress.bsky.social
*Presale available now w/ 25% discount at @barnesandnoble.com*
@mitpress.bsky.social