ABSTRACT
Language processing, similar to other functions, requires the learning and storing of information in memory. A few methodological issues must be considered when designing a study for children and for participants with developmental disorders. This chapter describes some basic principles of the nervous system, which are necessary for understanding neuroscience methods used to study developmental language disorders and to interpret results from these investigations. A number of other brain imaging methods are available for investigating how the brain's neural circuitry functions in order to drive language performance. The brain stores and communicates information by transmitting electrochemical signals between neurons. The volume of particular brain regions can be measured in vivo using brain imaging methods such as computerized tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging. Images of brain structure and function constructed from these various methods represent different aspects of the actual processes and structures.
