System and method for evaluating the brain's response to spoken language

A system comprising:

• a processor for generating a transcript of natural speech stimulus presented to a subject and for annotating the transcript with an onset time of words in the transcript;
• a neural sensor for recording a neural response of the subject to the natural speech stimulus;
• one or more processors implementing a processing unit configured to determine an indication of the semantic processing capability of a subject to the one or more naturalistic sensory stimuli by:
• receiving a measurement of a neural response in the subject exposed to the one or more naturalistic speech stimuli output by the neural sensor;
• determining a statistical relationship between the semantic contribution of words in the transcript to the naturalistic sensory stimuli and the measurement of the neural response of the subject;
• determining an indication of the semantic processing capability of the subject based on the statistical relationship;
• and,
• an output module for outputting the determined semantic processing capability.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code, the code comprising instructions executable to:

• record neural data of a subject while the subject is presented with a natural speech stimulus;
• obtain the transcript of the natural speech stimulus, with data indicating onset time of words included in transcript;
• calculate, using a processor, a semantic metric for the words used in the transcript by relating the meaning of the words;
• create, using a processor, a time series of impulses based on the onset times of the words in the transcript and the semantic metrics calculated for the words;
• calculate, by the processor, a stimulus-response mapping function by regressing the recorded neural data onto the time series;
• and
• determine, by the processor, the semantic processing capability of the subject based on the calculated mapping function.