Tool use and language share syntactic processes and neural patterns in the basal ganglia

Common basis for language and tool use Tool use and language are hallmarks of human evolution. Because of the similarity between the motor processes for tool use and those supporting language, it has been hypothesized that syntax and tool use may share brain resources. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and multivariate pattern analysis, Thibault et al . found that small portions of the basal ganglia in the human brain act as common neural substrates for both tool use and syntax in language. In a behavioral experiment, they showed that learning a novel task that involves the use of a tool also improves performance in a complex language task. These results further support the hypothesis of a coevolution of tool use and language. —PRS