Tohoku University Cognitive Neuroscience Application Center

How do gestures shape the way we understand and process language in the brain?
This seminar invited you to explore the fascinating intersection of gesture, communication, and cognition through the lens of linguistics and neuroscience. Featuring research on both gesture production and comprehension—including neuroimaging, developmental studies, and multimodal analyses—it brought together speakers investigating how our bodies and brains work together to create meaning across languages. Topics were also touch on how cultural backgrounds and age differences influence the way we use and interpret gestures in communication. In this seminar, we were delighted to welcome Dr. Maria Graziano (Lund University, Sweden) and Professor Makiko Hirakawa (Chuo University, Japan), two leading scholars in the study of gesture and language development.

Gestures, Language & Brain Dynamics
 ——Collaborated Seminar on Multimodal Communication and Neural Mechanisms

Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 13:00–16:30
Venue: Tohoku University Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Smart Aging Building, 3F
Format: Hybrid (On-site + ZOOM)

Program (Each session: 30-minute presentation + 15-minute Q&A = 45 minutes)

13:00　Opening Remarks

13:05　Gesture production × fMRI Yuyong LIU (DC2)

13:50　Gesture-related research Dr. Maria Graziano

14:35　Break (20 min)

14:55　Gesture Observation × L2 × Abstract Speech × fMRI　Jiaxin YAN (DC1)

15:40　Gesture & Language in monolingual vs. Bilingual (FR–JP) children　Prof. Makiko Hirakawa

16:25　Closing Remarks

Organizer: Cognitive Neuroscience Application Center(CogNAC)
Co-organizers: Jeong Laboratory, Applied Linguistics Research Course, Graduate School of International Cultural Studies; Human Brain Science Research Division, Institute of Aging Medicine

Local participants: 13, Online participants: 6 (excluding duplicates)