Enhancing foreign speech sound learning through transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation

Adults often struggle to learn new languages since their brains are not as plastic as those of children. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the human body, and its activity affects a variety of brain areas involved in attention, memory, and perception. By non-invasively stimulating the vagus nerve during language training, it may be possible to increase brain plasticity and accelerate language learning in adults. This project aims to determine whether vagus nerve stimulation with a customized earbud can enhance adults’ learning of new speech sounds. If this is the case, vagus nerve stimulation could provide an inexpensive and effective way to make language learning more efficient, which would have many benefits in today’s multicultural and interconnected world.

Faculty Supervisor:

Shari Baum;Meghan Clayards

Student:

Partner:

Revai

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Finance and Insurance; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McGill University

Program: