ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Early left anterior negativity

Okay kiddo, let's talk about early left anterior negativity!

When we listen to something, our brains have to work really hard to make sense of it. One way our brains do this is by paying extra attention to certain parts of what we hear.

Early left anterior negativity is what happens when our brains pay extra attention to a sound we hear that comes from the left side of our head. It happens really quickly - just a few hundred milliseconds after we hear the sound.

Scientists can measure this using something called an EEG, which stands for electroencephalogram (try saying that five times fast!). It's a special cap that goes on your head and measures the electrical signals your brain is making.

So basically, early left anterior negativity is a fancy term for a part of our brain paying extra-close attention to sounds that come from the left side of our head, and scientists can measure it using an EEG. Isn't that cool?