There is much interest in the idea that musicians perform better than non-musicians understanding speech background noise. Research this area has often used energetic maskers, which have their effects primarily at auditory periphery. However, masking interference can also occur more central levels, known as informational masking. This experiment extends existing research by using multiple maskers vary content and similarity to speech, order examine differences perception of masked between...

How humans extract the identity of speech sounds from highly variable acoustic signals remains unclear. Here, we use searchlight representational similarity analysis (RSA) to localize and characterize neural representations syllables at different levels hierarchically organized temporo-frontal pathways for perception. We asked participants listen spoken that differed considerably in their surface form by changing speaker degrading acoustics using noise-vocoding sine wave synthesis while...

Auditory verbal hallucinations (hearing voices) are typically associated with psychosis, but a minority of the general population also experience them frequently and without distress. Such 'non-clinical' experiences offer rare unique opportunity to study apart from confounding clinical factors, thus allowing for identification symptom-specific mechanisms. Recent theories propose that result an imbalance prior expectation sensory information, whether such influences auditory-perceptual...

An anterior pathway, concerned with extracting meaning from sound, has been identified in nonhuman primates. analogous pathway suggested humans, but controversy exists concerning the degree of lateralization and precise location where responses to intelligible speech emerge. We have demonstrated that left superior temporal sulcus (STS) responds preferentially (Scott SK, Blank CC, Rosen S, Wise RJS. 2000. Identification a for lobe. Brain. 123:2400–2406.). A functional magnetic resonance...

Humans can generate mental auditory images of voices or songs, sometimes perceiving them almost as vividly perceptual experiences. The functional networks supporting imagery have been described, but less is known about the systems associated with interindividual differences in imagery. Combining voxel-based morphometry and fMRI, we examined structural basis how are subjectively perceived, explored associations between imagery, sensory-based processing, visual Vividness correlated gray matter...

Abstract Spoken conversations typically take place in noisy environments, and different kinds of masking sounds differing demands on cognitive resources. Previous studies, examining the modulation neural activity associated with properties competing sounds, have shown that additional speech streams engage superior temporal gyrus. However, absence a condition which target was heard without made it difficult to identify brain networks specific ascertain extent processed equivalently speech. In...

The question of hemispheric lateralization neural processes is one that pertinent to a range subdisciplines cognitive neuroscience. Language often assumed be left-lateralized in the human brain, but there has been long running debate about underlying reasons for this. We addressed this problem with fMRI by identifying responses amplitude and spectral modulations speech how these interact intelligibility test previous claims asymmetries acoustic linguistic perception. used both univariate...

The role of the two hemispheres in neurorehabilitation language is still under dispute. This study explored changes language-evoked brain activation over a two-week treatment interval with intensive constraint induced aphasia therapy (CIAT), which also called action (ILAT). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess perilesional left hemispheric and homotopic right areas during passive listening high low-ambiguity sentences non-speech control stimuli chronic non-fluent...

To investigate how hearing status, sign language experience, and task demands influence functional responses in the human superior temporal cortices (STC) we collected fMRI data from deaf participants (male female), who either acquired early or late life. Our stimuli all tasks were pictures of objects. We varied linguistic visuospatial processing three different that involved decisions about (1) sublexical (phonological) structure British Sign Language (BSL) signs for objects, (2) semantic...

Early intervention in psychotic spectrum disorders is critical for maximizing key clinical outcomes. While there some evidence the utility of during prodromal phase illness, efficacy interventions difficult to assess without appropriate risk stratification. This will require biomarkers that robustly help identify level and are also relatively easy obtain. Recent work highlights computer-based behavioral tasks understanding pathophysiology symptoms. Computational modeling performance on such...

Studies of classical musicians have demonstrated that expertise modulates neural responses during auditory perception. However, it remains unclear whether such expertise-dependent plasticity is modulated by the instrument a musician plays. To examine recruitment sensorimotor regions music perception instrument-specific experience, we studied nonclassical musicians-beatboxers, who predominantly use their vocal apparatus to produce sound, and guitarists, hands. We contrast fMRI activity in 20...

When talkers speak in masking sounds, their speech undergoes a variety of acoustic and phonetic changes. These changes are known collectively as the Lombard effect. Most behavioural research neuroimaging this area has concentrated on effect energetic maskers such white noise speech. Previous fMRI studies have argued that neural responses to speaking driven by quality auditory feedback—that is, audibility speaker's voice over masker. However, we also frequently produce presence informational...

Conceptual knowledge is fundamental to human cognition. Yet, the extent which it influenced by language unclear. Studies of semantic processing show that similar neural patterns are evoked same concepts presented in different modalities (e.g., spoken words and pictures or text) [1-3]. This suggests conceptual representations "modality independent." However, an alternative possibility similarity reflects retrieval common representations. Indeed, hearing users, text co-dependent [4, 5],...

Aphantasia is characterised by the inability to create mental images in one’s mind. Studies investigating impairments imagery typically focus on visual domain. However, it possible generate many different forms of including imagined auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, motor, taste and other experiences. Recent studies show that individuals with aphantasia report a lack modalities, than vision, audition. date, no research has examined whether these reductions self-reported auditory are associated...

OPINION article Front. Hum. Neurosci., 01 February 2017Sec. Speech and Language Volume 11 - 2017 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00041

Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that monolingual infants activate a left-lateralized frontotemporal brain network in response to spoken language, which is similar the involved processing and signed language adulthood. However, it unclear how activation influenced by early experience infancy. To address this question, we present functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data from 60 hearing (4 8 months of age): 19 exposed English, 20 unimodal bilingual two languages, 21 bimodal...

Functional neuroimaging revolutionised the study of human language in late twentieth century, allowing researchers to investigate its underlying cognitive processes intact brain. Here, we review how functional MRI (fMRI) particular has contributed our understanding speech comprehension, with a focus on studies intelligibility. We highlight use carefully controlled acoustic stimuli reveal hierarchical organisation processing systems and cortical (a)symmetries, discuss contributions novel...

Abstract In adults, the integration of audiovisual speech elicits specific higher (super-additive) or lower (sub-additive) cortical responses when compared to unisensory stimuli. Although there is evidence that fronto-temporal network active during perception in infancy, development remains unknown. current study, 5-month-olds and 10-month-olds watched bimodal (audiovisual) alternating unimodal (auditory + visual) syllables. this context we use denote auditory visual syllables are perceived...

Aphantasia describes the experience of individuals who self-report a lack voluntary visual imagery. It is not yet known whether with aphantasia show deficits in cognitive and neuropsychological tasks thought to relate aspects imagery, including Spatial Span, One Touch Stocking Cambridge, Pattern Recognition Memory, Verbal Memory Mental Rotation. Twenty congenital (VVIQ < 25) were identified matched on measures age IQ twenty typical imagery > 35). The only group differences...

Lind, Hall, Breidegard, Balkenius, and Johansson (2014a, 2014b) recently published articles tackling a core question concerning speech production: At which stage of processing are communicative intentions specified? Taking position contrary to dominant models production (e.g., Levelt, 2001), they suggested that utterances “often semantically underspecified” (Lind, & Johansson, 2014a, p. 8) before articulation, “auditory feedback” (Lind et al., is an important mechanism for specifying the...

The role of neurobiologically-constrained critical periods for language learning remains controversial. We provide new evidence by examining speech sound processing across the lifespan. tested perceptual acuity minimal word-word (e.g. bear-pear), and word-pseudoword bag-pag) pairs using trial-unique audio-morphed tokens. Participants (N=1537) performed a 3-interval, 2-alternative forced-choice task indicating which two cartoon characters said referent word correctly. adaptively reduced...

GENERAL COMMENTARY article Front. Hum. Neurosci., 16 December 2014Sec. Cognitive Neuroscience Volume 8 - 2014 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00964