The fields of cognitive neuroscience and natural language processing are rapidly advancing, driven by developments in language modeling, multimodal understanding, and cross-lingual transfer learning. Recent studies have focused on improving the alignment between language models and human brain activity, with a particular emphasis on the integration of associative memory and the development of more sophisticated language models. The use of transformer-based models has shown promise in explaining predictability effects in eye movement behaviors, while the integration of associative memory has improved the alignment between language models and brain activity in regions related to associative memory processing. Furthermore, researchers are exploring innovative approaches to multilingual language understanding and generation, including the use of visual information and cultural awareness. Notable advancements include the development of diffusion-based language models, specialized embedding models for medical and multimodal tasks, and novel methods for speculative decoding and coherence-aware reasoning chains. Additionally, the introduction of new benchmarks and evaluation frameworks, such as MUG-Eval and MAPS, is enabling more comprehensive assessments of large language models and agentic AI systems in multilingual settings. Overall, these advancements have significant implications for the development of more robust and culturally aware natural language processing systems. Key areas of research include cognitive neuroscience, language modeling, multimodal understanding, cross-lingual transfer learning, and multilingual capabilities. These fields are interconnected, with developments in one area often informing and driving progress in others. As research continues to advance, we can expect to see significant improvements in the ability of natural language processing systems to understand and generate human language, with potential applications in areas such as brain-computer interfaces, language translation, and human-computer interaction.