The Frequency-Following Response: A Window into Human Communication

Abstract

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Predictive rhythmic tapping to isochronous and tempo changing metronomes in the nonhuman primate

“…28,51 We demonstrated that macaques share with humans the neurophysiological mechanisms to represent fast acoustic periodicities 51 by exhibiting a humanhomologous frequency-following response (FFR). 49 Important for the present discussion is the fact that human participants that can entrain with high precision to an external beat also show larger intertrial consistency of the FFR potential, [52][53][54] suggesting a partial overlap between auditory circuits underlying the FFR and neural circuits involved in beat entrainment. In addition, monkeys can also detect stimulus omissions occurring in an isochronous auditory pattern exhibiting a mismatch negativity (MMN) potential 28 (i.e., a differential cortical brain signal to a deviant event, embedded in a stream of repeated standard events).…”

“…Indeed, we have studied the encoding of auditory periodicity through scalp‐recorded evoked potentials while awake monkeys passively listened to periodic auditory stimuli with different levels of metrical hierarchy . We demonstrated that macaques share with humans the neurophysiological mechanisms to represent fast acoustic periodicities by exhibiting a human‐homologous frequency‐following response (FFR) . Important for the present discussion is the fact that human participants that can entrain with high precision to an external beat also show larger intertrial consistency of the FFR potential, suggesting a partial overlap between auditory circuits underlying the FFR and neural circuits involved in beat entrainment.…”

“…Thus, it is crucial that future experiments focus on finding the limits in entrainment capabilities of monkeys, using gradually more complex levels of metrical periodicity in their stimuli, such as rhythms based on nonisochronous temporal patterns or based on grouping of events at slower temporal scales . In addition, the comparison of beat‐entrainment abilities between human and nonhuman primates can be complemented with noninvasive electrophysiological experiments that allow the investigation of the neural correlates of beat perception, a precondition for rhythmic entrainment . Indeed, we have studied the encoding of auditory periodicity through scalp‐recorded evoked potentials while awake monkeys passively listened to periodic auditory stimuli with different levels of metrical hierarchy .…”

“…45,46 In addition, the comparison of beat-entrainment abilities between human and nonhuman primates can be complemented with noninvasive electrophysiological experiments that allow the investigation of the neural correlates of beat perception, a precondition for rhythmic entrainment. [47][48][49][50] Indeed, we have studied the encoding of auditory periodicity through scalp-recorded evoked potentials while awake monkeys passively listened to periodic auditory stimuli with different levels of metrical hierarchy. 28,51 We demonstrated that macaques share with humans the neurophysiological mechanisms to represent fast acoustic periodicities 51 by exhibiting a humanhomologous frequency-following response (FFR).…”

The auditory comprehension changes over time after sport‐related concussion can indicate multisensory processing dysfunctions

“…Recently, Kraus et al. () have shown that the midbrain electrophysiological responses of concussed athletes reflect impaired auditory processing (Kraus, Anderson, White‐Schwoch, Fay, & Popper, ). Specifically, the authors demonstrated that mTBI disrupts the processing of the fundamental frequency, a key acoustic cue for identifying and tracking speech, and consequently, understanding speech.…”