Perceptually relevant speech tracking in auditory and motor cortex reflects distinct linguistic features

Keitel, Anne; Groß, Joachim; Kayser, Christoph

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2004473

Cited by 261 publications

(390 citation statements)

References 81 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

316

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Furthermore, several electrophysiological studies suggest interactions/feedback from sentential (67) or phrasal processing (31), or possibly both (29) to syllable processing. However, research that is particularly designed to investigate the interactions at the word level is rare (34,67,31). The frequency-tagging paradigm that we used might be particularly sensitive to revealing interaction effects by generating a higher consistency in the frequency of word processing.…”

Section: Lexical and Syllable Transition Processing Of Words Activatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding the former, many of the spectral characteristics of the network dynamics are unknown. Low-frequency delta-theta neuronal oscillations are supposedly crucial for tracking syllable-sized acoustic chunks; however, whether the brain areas implicated in syllable processing interact with higher-level processes through phase-synchronization at these frequencies (29,36) or through cross-frequency coupling (31), and whether networks involved in higher-level processing synchronize in a similar spectral range, is unknown. Understanding spectral characteristics of networks provides important insights into the coupling mechanisms, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Dynamics of functional networks for syllable and word-level processing

Rimmele

Sun

Michalareas

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Speech comprehension requires the ability to temporally segment the acoustic input for higherlevel linguistic analysis. Oscillation-based approaches suggest that low-frequency auditory cortex oscillations track syllable-sized acoustic information and therefore emphazise the relevance of syllabic-level processing for speech segmentation. Most linguistic approaches, however, focus on mapping from acoustic-phonemic representations to the lexical level. How syllabic processing interacts with higher levels of speech processing, beyond segmentation, including the anatomical and neurophysiological characteristics of the networks involved, is debated. Here we investigate the effects of lexical processing and the interactions with syllable processing by examining MEG data recorded in a frequency-tagging paradigm. Participants listened to disyllabic words presented at a rate of 4 syllables/sec. Two hypotheses were evaluated: (i) lexical processing of words activates a 2 Hz network that interacts with syllable processing at 4 Hz; and (ii) syllable transitions contribute to word-level processing. We show that lexical content activated a left-lateralized frontal and superior and middle temporal network and increased the interaction between left middle temporal areas and auditory cortex at 2 Hz (phase-phase coupling). Mere syllable-transition information, in contrast, activated a bilateral superior-, middle temporal and inferior frontal network and increased the interaction between those areas at 2 Hz. Lexical and syllable processing interacted in superior, middle temporal, and inferior frontal areas (cross-frequency coupling), whereas syllable tracking decreased when lexical information was present. The data provide a new perspective on speech comprehension by demonstrating a contribution of an acoustic-syllabic to lexical processing route. Significance statementThe comprehension of speech requires integrating information at multiple time scales, including phonemic, syllabic, and word scales. Typically, we think of decoding speech in the service of recognizing words as a process that maps from phonemic units to words. Recent neurophysiological evidence, however, has highlighted the relevance of syllable-sized chunks for segmenting speech. Is there more to recognizing spoken language? We provide neural evidence for brain network dynamics that support an interaction of lexical with syllable-level processing. We identify cortical networks that differ depending on whether lexical-semantic information versus low-level syllable-transition information is processed. Word-and syllable-level processing interact within MTG and STG. The data enrich our understanding of comprehension by implicating a mapping from syllabic to lexical representations.

show abstract

Section: Lexical and Syllable Transition Processing Of Words Activatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of functional networks for syllable and word-level processing

Rimmele

Sun

Michalareas

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Temporal sampling is achieved in part via the entrainment of low‐frequency neural oscillations (<10 Hz) to the slow temporal modulations of speech . More specifically, the phase of delta (<4 Hz) and theta (4−8 Hz) oscillations in auditory regions, respectively, tracks prosodic and syllabic rhythms during speech processing . Interestingly, while the theta band component reflects acoustic tracking of the speech input, the delta band appears to be sensitive to language‐related processes related to syntactic properties of the speech input .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[4][5][6] More specifically, the phase of delta (<4 Hz) and theta (4−8 Hz) oscillations in auditory regions, respectively, tracks prosodic and syllabic rhythms during speech processing. [7][8][9] Interestingly, while the theta band component reflects acoustic tracking of the speech input, the delta band appears to be sensitive to language-related processes related to syntactic properties of the speech input. 10 Furthermore, theta band oscillations impose periods of excitation and inhibition on high-frequency oscillations (gamma band: 25−40 Hz), a mechanism proposed to contribute to rapid decoding of high-frequency information needed to process phonemes in the speech signal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phase−amplitude coupling between theta and gamma oscillations adapts to speech rate

Lizarazu

Lallier

Molinaro

2019

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Low‐ and high‐frequency cortical oscillations play an important role in speech processing. Low‐frequency neural oscillations in the delta (<4 Hz) and theta (4–8 Hz) bands entrain to the prosodic and syllabic rates of speech, respectively. Theta band neural oscillations modulate high‐frequency neural oscillations in the gamma band (28−40 Hz), which have been hypothesized to be crucial for processing phonemes in natural speech. Since speech rate is known to vary considerably, both between and within talkers, it has yet to be determined whether this nested gamma response reflects an externally induced rhythm sensitive to the rate of the fine‐grained structure of the input or a speech rate−independent endogenous response. Here, we recorded magnetoencephalography responses from participants listening to a speech delivered at different rates: decelerated, normal, and accelerated. We found that the phase of theta band oscillations in left and right auditory regions adjusts to speech rate variations. Importantly, we showed that the peak of the gamma response—coupled to the phase of theta—follows the speech rate. This indicates that gamma activity in auditory regions synchronizes with the fine‐grain properties of speech, possibly reflecting detailed acoustic analysis of the input.

show abstract

“…Given that we used a common spatial filter for all experimental conditions, strong theta tracking may have contributed to its spatial spread in source reconstructions. This point could be addressed in follow-up work by factoring in the perceptual relevance and behavioral consequences of each tracking response (Keitel, Gross, & Kayser, 2018) or, as pointed out by a reviewer, applying leakage correction (such as orthogonalisation) in source reconstruction (Colclough, Brookes, Smith, & Woolrich, 2015). Moreover, it has to be noted that coherence at a given frequency, while being highly sensitive to phase locking, also depends on signal to noise ratio (SNR), mainly because of the interference of spontaneous activity at that frequency (Srinivasan, Russell, Edelman, & Tononi, 1999).…”

Section: Tracking Of Quasi-rhythmic Temporal Dynamics Along the Visuamentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial attention enhances cortical tracking of quasi-rhythmic visual stimuli

Tabarelli

Keitel

Groß

et al. 2019

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Successfully interpreting and navigating our natural visual environment requires us to track its dynamics constantly. Additionally, we focus our attention on behaviorally relevant stimuli to enhance their neural processing. Little is known, however, about how sustained attention affects the ongoing tracking of stimuli with rich natural temporal dynamics. Here, we used MRI-informed source reconstructions of magnetoencephalography (MEG) data to map to what extent various cortical areas track concurrent continuous quasi-rhythmic visual stimulation. Further, we tested how top-down visuo-spatial attention influences this tracking process. Our bilaterally presented quasi-rhythmic stimuli covered a dynamic range of 4 -20Hz, subdivided into three distinct bands. As an experimental control, we also included strictly rhythmic stimulation (10 vs 12 Hz). Using a spectral measure of brain-stimulus coupling, we were able to track the neural processing of left vs. right stimuli independently, even while fluctuating within the same frequency range. The fidelity of neural tracking depended on the stimulation frequencies, decreasing for higher frequency bands. Both attended and non-attended stimuli were tracked beyond early visual cortices, in ventral and dorsal streams depending on the stimulus frequency. In general, tracking improved with the deployment of visuo-spatial attention to the stimulus location. Our results provide new insights into how human visual cortices process concurrent dynamic stimuli and provide a potential mechanism -namely increasing the temporal precision of tracking -for boosting the neural representation of attended input.

show abstract

Perceptually relevant speech tracking in auditory and motor cortex reflects distinct linguistic features

Cited by 261 publications

References 81 publications

Dynamics of functional networks for syllable and word-level processing

Dynamics of functional networks for syllable and word-level processing

Phase−amplitude coupling between theta and gamma oscillations adapts to speech rate

Spatial attention enhances cortical tracking of quasi-rhythmic visual stimuli

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About