In a fascinating study published last month in the journal of the Public Library of Science, researchers found that they could track a person’s neural activity while they were speaking and “map” the shapes of the words as they appear on the displays. But what is even more fascinating is that these “maps” appear even when a person is simply thinking about the words. The scientists were able to reverse-map the output and reproduce the actual words the person was thinking. One of the eventual outcomes of this study and related research may be a system by which someone with a speech impediment is able to use a computer-assisted device to translate the words they’re thinking into audible words.

For some scientists, that’s only the beginning of brain-powered actions. A 2011 experiment (details published in the Journal of Neural Engineering) resulted in patients being able to manipulate the movement of a cursor on a computer screen merely by thinking of different vowel sounds. These patients had electrodes implanted in their brains to make this possible, and so far the direct manipulation of exterior objects requires this physical connection to the neural tissue. The word-mapping study cited above also required direct connection. Since most of us don’t have electrodes hooked to our brains, it may be quite a long time before we can accomplish such things through the power of our minds alone.

However, we can take the results of these studies and apply them to our current vocabulary study routines, no matter how “old-fashioned” they are. Because the brain is obviously extremely active in the use and reproduction of words, it’s logical to conclude that anything that increases the activity of the brain will help in the acquisition and practice of words. By both reading and speaking a word out loud, you’ll involve more areas of your brain and create a stronger image in your mind. And as these studies prove, you don’t even have to say the words out loud to practice them. You can do your vocabulary review in your mind and still get good results – something to keep in mind if you’re stuck in a boring-but-required meeting at work, perhaps?