On the Role of Neural Oscillations Across Timescales in Speech and Music Processing

Abstract

This mini review is aimed at a clinician-scientist seeking to understand the role of oscillations in neural processing and their functional relevance in speech and music perception. We present an overview of neural oscillations, methods used to study them, and their functional relevance with respect to music processing, aging, hearing loss, and disorders affecting speech and language. We first review the oscillatory frequency bands and their associations with speech and music processing. Next we describe commonly used metrics for quantifying neural oscillations, briefly touching upon the still-debated mechanisms underpinning oscillatory alignment. Following this, we highlight key findings from research on neural oscillations in speech and music perception, as well as contributions of this work to our understanding of disordered perception in clinical populations. Finally, we conclude with a look toward the future of oscillatory research in speech and music perception, including promising methods and potential avenues for future work. We note that the intention of this mini review is not to systematically review all literature on cortical tracking of speech and music. Rather, we seek to provide the clinician-scientist with foundational information that can be used to evaluate and design research studies targeting the functional role of oscillations in speech and music processing in typical and clinical populations.

Theta Band (4–8 Hz) Oscillations Reflect Online Processing of Rhythm in Speech Production

“…In the field of language studies, theta-band oscillation is often linked to the syllabic structure of speech mostly because the theta band oscillates at a similar rate to syllable production [ 5 , 47 , 50 , 51 , 70 , 71 ]. Furthermore, researchers have postulated a theta–gamma coupling mechanism, in which theta oscillations track the syllabic structure of speech and provide a temporal framework for grouping phonetic information transmitted by gamma oscillations [ 72 , 73 , 74 ].…”

“…Studies have shown that neural oscillations are crucial for cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and temporal prediction [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Neural oscillations are also essential in language processing ([ 40 , 46 ], see [ 47 ] for a review). The entrainment of brain oscillations to speech amplitude rhythms has been observed at the gamma [ 48 , 49 ], theta [ 50 , 51 ], and delta frequencies [ 48 , 52 ].…”

Sensory temporal sampling in time: an integrated model of the TSF and neural noise hypothesis as an etiological pathway for dyslexia

“…Since 2011 there have been several topical reviews (Gnanateja et al, 2022 ; Stein, 2023 ) published which have both provided additional support to the TSF as well as proposed elaborations (Calderone et al, 2014 ; Goswami, 2019 ), modifications (Vidyasagar, 2013 ; Goswami et al, 2014 ; Pammer, 2014 ; Archer et al, 2020 ), and/or criticisms (Protopapas, 2014 ). Higher-level gamma oscillations (ranging typically from ~20 to 50 Hz) specialized for the tracking of phonemes have been suggested to play a role in the development of dyslexia (Giraud and Poeppel, 2012 ; Giraud and Ramus, 2013 ; Vidyasagar, 2013 ; Kershner, 2020 ).…”

Sensory temporal sampling in time: an integrated model of the TSF and neural noise hypothesis as an etiological pathway for dyslexia

“…Since 2011 there have been several topical reviews (Gnanateja et al, 2022;Stein, 2023) published which have both provided additional support to the TSF as well as proposed elaborations (Calderone et al, 2014;Goswami, 2019), modifications (Vidyasagar, 2013;Pammer, 2014;Goswami et al, 2014;Archer et al, 2020), and/or criticisms (Protopapas, 2014). Higher-level gamma oscillations (ranging typically from ~20-50 Hz) specialized for the tracking of phonemes have been suggested to play a role in the development of dyslexia (Giraud & Poeppel, 2012;Giraud & Ramus, 2013;Vidyasagar, 2013;Kershner, 2020).…”