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Dear members of the ILCB community, |
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For decades, it has been widely accepted that language is uniquely human, a defining feature that sets our species apart from other animals. Yet recent advances in artificial intelligence, and in particular the emergence of large language models, invite us to revisit this long-standing assumption. For the first time, we are interacting with artificial, non-human agents that can understand and produce language at a level strikingly comparable to our own. Does this development invite us to reconsider Chomsky’s famous claim that “language is unique to man”? And what does it truly mean to communicate?
The biological roots of language in humans and non-human primates have long been a key topic at the ILCB. More recently, this perspective has been extended to the study of animal communication beyond primates — notably in whales, where unique multimodal recordings combined with artificial intelligence are revealing a rich and structured communicative repertoire.
It is therefore particularly fitting that our next ILCB scientific workshop, organized by the ILCB doc&postdoc group, under the leadership of Elin Runnqvist, will be dedicated to these issues: Communicating Minds: Humans, Machines, and Other Animals. The workshop will bring together researchers working at the intersection of language, cognition, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and animal communication. The workshop will take place on March 20th in Marseille. I strongly encourage you to save the date and register as soon as possible.
Finally, as we are currently preparing the 2025 annual report, I kindly remind you to check the acknowledgment sections of your scientific productions and to tag in HAL those that have benefited from the ILCB environment or funding. |
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Cognitive Engineering course |
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As part of the Cognitive Engineering course (UE Ingénierie Cognitive), MaSCo students—divided into five groups—designed and developed innovative projects based on the measurement of physiological or behavioral signals. These projects required skills in data analysis, experimental design, and the development of technological tools (sensors, virtual reality, etc.).
The final presentations took place on January 30, 2026. The event began with a guest lecture by Ana Zappa, former ILCB member now affiliated at Universitat de Barcelona. Ana presented her work on virtual reality, providing insights into the potential applications of immersive technologies in cognitive engineering.
Christelle, Ambre, Deirdre, & Thierry
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Combining Spatial Wavelets and Sparse Bayesian Learning for Extended Brain Sources Reconstruction |
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In the context of M/EEG source reconstruction, most distributed source models tend to strongly overestimate the spatial extent of brain activity and underestimate its depth and amplitude (Black contour line: boundary of the "aud-rh" region given by MNE-Python).
The top row shows the results of the MNE and eLORETA algorithms (implemented in MNE-Python with the default parameters), which suffer significantly from these limitations (although eLORETA manages to estimate depth). Sparse Bayesian Learning (SBL, bottom left) underestimates the spatial extent while accurately locating the activity. Combining SBL with spectral graph wavelets, as shown in the bottom right panel, correctly locates the activity (red and green lines are level curves corresponding respectively to 1% and 10% source amplitude levels), estimates its spatial extent and depth, and yields a quantitatively relevant amplitude estimate.
Samy Mokhtari, Jean-Michel Badier, Christian G. Bénar, and Bruno Torrésani.
Combining Spatial Wavelets and Sparse Bayesian Learning for Extended Brain Sources Reconstruction
2025. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 1–12. — @HAL
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"A central theme in the study of neural systems is to examine how macroscopic functions and behaviors arise from fine-scale interactions between neural elements. This perspective aligns well with the framework of statistical physics, which studies the macroscopic behavior of large ensembles of interacting microscopic entities. […]
While information at small scales (such as neuron properties) influences larger-scale phenomena (such as overall network function), large-scale processes can also feed back to smaller scales. For example, neural systems exhibit plasticity, wherein behavior or brain activity at the network level can reshape connections between neurons. […]
Recognizing such feedback loops is important as we build a multiscale picture of the brain."
Kulkarni, S., & Bassett, D. S. (2025). Toward Principles of Brain Network Organization and Function. Annual Review of Biophysics, 54, 353–378. |
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Workshop organized by ILCB docs & post-docs |
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📅 March 20th, 2026 — 📍Marseille (Saint-Charles).
The main objective of the workshop is to foster interactions and exchanges among students and researchers from the different ILCB labs, and we therefore strongly encourage all ILCB members to attend. |
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8th annual meeting - The Society for the Cognitive Science of Culture |
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📅 22nd to 24th of April, 2026 — 📍Aix-en-Provence (Le Cube)
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16ème journée scientifique du Centre IRM : Imagerie quantitative et ses applications |
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📅 May the 4th, 2026 —
📍 CERIMED, Campus Timone.
The contributions will highlight methodological advances, particularly in spectroscopy, quantitative mapping, and in vivo histology. They will illustrate how these methods 1) enable an understanding of individual differences and brain plasticity, for example in development and aging or language learning, and 2) show promise for the identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets, for example in the case of neurodegenerative diseases. |
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Summary of upcoming events
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Workshop organized by Docs & Post-docs for the ILCB |
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📅 March 20th, 2026 — 📍FRUMAN, Campus Saint-Charles, Marseille
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Dyslexia, Rhythm, Language and the Developing Brain & An Augmented Psychology of Language |
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💡 Seminar by Prof. Usha Goswami,
Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge —
💡 Seminar by Prof. Martin Pickering,
University of Edinburgh —
📅 April, 10th, 2026, 10:00 — 📍TBA |
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8th annual meeting - The Society for the Cognitive Science of Culture |
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📅 April 22nd to 24th, 2026 — 📍LE CUBE, Campus Schuman, Aix-en-Provence |
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16th MRI scientific day: Quantitative imaging and its applications |
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📅 May the 4th, 2026 — 📍CERIMED, Campus Timone, Marseille
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Integrating Neural Noise and Neuroinflammatory Hypotheses: Exploring the Comorbidity of Dyslexia, Depression, and Stress |
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💡 Lunch Talk by Prof. Fumiko Hoeft,
University of Connecticut —
📅 May 22nd, 2026 — 📍TBA |
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9th ILCB summer school |
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📅 Aug. 24th to 28th, 2026 — 📍LE CUBE, Campus Schuman, Aix-en-Provence |
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Please always check the events page on the ILCB website for the latest update. |
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ILCB is affiliated to Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, INSERM, and Université d'Avignon
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Copyright © ILCB 2026
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