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Seth Batten, Ph.D., Read Montague, Ph.D., Matt Howe, Ph.D.

Jan. 9, 2025

Words activate hidden brain processes shaping emotions, decisions, and behavior

In an unprecedented new study in the journal Cell Reports, researchers have shown neurotransmitters in the human brain are released during the processing of the emotional content of language, providing new insights into how people interpret the significance of words.

The work, conducted by an international team led by Virginia Tech scientists, offers deeper understanding into how language influences human choices and mental health.

Spearheaded by computational neuroscientist Read Montague, professor of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and director of the institute’s Center for Human Neuroscience Research, the study represents a first-of-its-kind exploration of how neurotransmitters process the emotional content of language — a uniquely human function.

 

Campus News

  • Article Item
    Apply to join the 2025 Fralin Commercialization Fellows Program , article

    Applications for the Fralin Health Sciences and Technology Commercialization Fellows Program are now open. Doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and research assistants/associates from across Virginia Tech who conduct health sciences and technology-related research are eligible to apply.

    Date: Jan 08, 2025

We are committed to making our workplace inclusive for everyone. Read our Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Principles of Human Dignity and Non-Discrimination, and visit our Diversity and Inclusion page for more information. 

Creating a healthier future. For everyone.

The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is one of the nation’s fastest-growing academic biomedical research enterprises and a destination for world-class researchers. The institute’s Virginia Tech scientists focus on diseases that are the leading causes of death and suffering in the United States, including brain disorders, heart disease, and cancer. Since its founding in 2010, the research institute has experienced unprecedented growth: doubling its enterprise and lab facilities in Roanoke, while also investing in brand-new laboratories on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C.

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    Restoring Angiogenesis in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Role for Wnt Signaling Pathways?
    Restoring Angiogenesis in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Role for Wnt Signaling Pathways? , home

    Jan. 17, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Vinicio de Jesus Perez, M.D., FCCP, FAHA, Assistant Professor, Wall Center Adult PH Clinic Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Vascular and Heart Research

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    Neural Circuits for Social Behaviors
    Neural Circuits for Social Behaviors , home

    Jan. 24, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Marcelo de Oliveira Dietrich, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Medicine and Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine | Co-Sponsored by the Center for Neurobiology Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

  • Home Item
    Blood-Based Approaches to Counter Aging
    Blood-Based Approaches to Counter Aging , home

    Jan. 31, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Saul Villeda, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Chair, Department of Biomedical Science, University of California, San Francisco | Co-Sponsored by the Center for Exercise Medicine Research, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute

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    Medical Scholar Lecture
    Medical Scholar Lecture , home

    Feb. 11, 2025, 5:30 p.m. (Reception and hors d'oeuvres at 5 p.m.) | Reuben S. Carpentier Professor and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons; Physician-in-Chief, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital | Timothy A. Johnson Medical Scholar Lecture Series

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    Disability Identity, Inclusivity & Representation in Research
    Disability Identity, Inclusivity & Representation in Research , home

    Feb. 14, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Anjali Forber-Pratt, Ph.D., Director of Research, American Association on Health and Disability | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Center for Human Neuroscience Research

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    How Big Med Drives Rising Healthcare Costs and What to Do About It
    How Big Med Drives Rising Healthcare Costs and What to Do About It , home

    Feb. 20, 2025, 5:30 p.m. (Reception at 5 p.m.) | Vivian Ho, Ph.D., James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University | Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture

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Giving to the Research Institute

Your generous support of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's rigorous biomedical research enterprise makes a difference for our faculty, students, and patients. Every donation helps accelerate the pace of new discoveries to help patients with cancer, neurological disorders, heart disease, and even rare genetic disorders. Private donations fast-track our progress.