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Harris I, Niven EC, Griffin A, Scott SK. Is song processing distinct and special in the auditory cortex? Nat Rev Neurosci 2023; 24:711-722. [PMID: 37783820 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00743-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Is the singing voice processed distinctively in the human brain? In this Perspective, we discuss what might distinguish song processing from speech processing in light of recent work suggesting that some cortical neuronal populations respond selectively to song and we outline the implications for our understanding of auditory processing. We review the literature regarding the neural and physiological mechanisms of song production and perception and show that this provides evidence for key differences between song and speech processing. We conclude by discussing the significance of the notion that song processing is special in terms of how this might contribute to theories of the neurobiological origins of vocal communication and to our understanding of the neural circuitry underlying sound processing in the human cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilana Harris
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Efe C Niven
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alex Griffin
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sophie K Scott
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
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2
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Sarmukadam K, Behroozmand R. Neural oscillations reveal disrupted functional connectivity associated with impaired speech auditory feedback control in post-stroke aphasia. Cortex 2023; 166:258-274. [PMID: 37437320 PMCID: PMC10527672 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The oscillatory brain activities reflect neuro-computational processes that are critical for speech production and sensorimotor control. In the present study, we used neural oscillations in left-hemisphere stroke survivors with aphasia as a model to investigate network-level functional connectivity deficits associated with disrupted speech auditory feedback control. Electroencephalography signals were recorded from 40 post-stroke aphasia and 39 neurologically intact control participants while they performed speech vowel production and listening tasks under pitch-shifted altered auditory feedback (AAF) conditions. Using weighted phase-lag index, we calculated broadband (1-70 Hz) functional neural connectivity between electrode pairs covering the frontal, pre- and post-central, and parietal regions. Results revealed reduced fronto-central delta and theta band and centro-parietal low-beta band connectivity in left-hemisphere electrodes associated with diminished speech AAF compensation responses in post-stroke aphasia compared with controls. Lesion-mapping analysis demonstrated that stroke-induced damage to multi-modal brain networks within the inferior frontal gyrus, Rolandic operculum, inferior parietal lobule, angular gyrus, and supramarginal gyrus predicted the reduced functional neural connectivity within the delta and low-beta bands during both tasks in aphasia. These results provide evidence that disrupted neural connectivity due to left-hemisphere brain damage can result in network-wide dysfunctions associated with impaired sensorimotor integration mechanisms for speech auditory feedback control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimaya Sarmukadam
- Speech Neuroscience Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States.
| | - Roozbeh Behroozmand
- Speech Neuroscience Lab, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States.
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3
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Zamorano AM, Zatorre RJ, Vuust P, Friberg A, Birbaumer N, Kleber B. Singing training predicts increased insula connectivity with speech and respiratory sensorimotor areas at rest. Brain Res 2023:148418. [PMID: 37217111 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2023.148418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The insula contributes to the detection of salient events during goal-directed behavior and participates in the coordination of motor, multisensory, and cognitive systems. Recent task-fMRI studies with trained singers suggest that singing experience can enhance the access to these resources. However, the long-term effects of vocal training on insula-based networks are still unknown. In this study, we employed resting-state fMRI to assess experience-dependent differences in insula co-activation patterns between conservatory-trained singers and non-singers. Results indicate enhanced bilateral anterior insula connectivity in singers relative to non-singers with constituents of the speech sensorimotor network. Specifically, with the cerebellum (lobule V-VI) and the superior parietal lobes. The reversed comparison showed no effects. The amount of accumulated singing training predicted enhanced bilateral insula co-activation with primary sensorimotor areas representing the diaphragm and the larynx/phonation area-crucial regions for cortico-motor control of complex vocalizations-as well as the bilateral thalamus and the left putamen. Together, these findings highlight the neuroplastic effect of expert singing training on insula-based networks, as evidenced by the association between enhanced insula co-activation profiles in singers and the brain's speech motor system components.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Zamorano
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - R J Zatorre
- McGill University-Montreal Neurological Institute, Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Montreal, Canada; International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound research (BRAMS), Montreal, Canada
| | - P Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
| | - A Friberg
- Speech, Music and Hearing, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - N Birbaumer
- Institute for Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - B Kleber
- Institute for Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Germany; Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, & The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark.
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4
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Pabst A, Proksch S, Médé B, Comstock DC, Ross JM, Balasubramaniam R. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) on cognitive enhancement. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104587. [PMID: 35202646 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) has been used to focally regulate excitability of neural cortex over the past decade - however there is little consensus on the generalizability of effects reported in individual studies. Many studies use small sample sizes (N < 30), and there is a considerable amount of methodological heterogeneity in application of the stimulation itself. This systematic meta-analysis aims to consolidate the extant literature and determine if up-regulatory theta-burst stimulation reliably enhances cognition through measurable behavior. Results show that iTBS - when compared to suitable control conditions - may enhance cognition when outlier studies are removed, but also that there is a significant amount of heterogeneity across studies. Significant contributors to between-study heterogeneity include location of stimulation and method of navigation to the stimulation site. Surprisingly, the type of cognitive domain investigated was not a significant contributor of heterogeneity. The findings of this meta-analysis demonstrate that standardization of iTBS is urgent and necessary to determine if neuroenhancement of particular cognitive faculties are reliable and robust, and measurable through observable behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria Pabst
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA; Accenture Labs, 415 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.
| | - Shannon Proksch
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
| | - Butovens Médé
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
| | - Daniel C Comstock
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA; Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, 267 Cousteau Place, Davis, CA 95618, USA.
| | - Jessica Marie Ross
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Stanford University, 3801 Miranda Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
| | - Ramesh Balasubramaniam
- Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 North Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
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Waters S, Kanber E, Lavan N, Belyk M, Carey D, Cartei V, Lally C, Miquel M, McGettigan C. Singers show enhanced performance and neural representation of vocal imitation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200399. [PMID: 34719245 PMCID: PMC8558773 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans have a remarkable capacity to finely control the muscles of the larynx, via distinct patterns of cortical topography and innervation that may underpin our sophisticated vocal capabilities compared with non-human primates. Here, we investigated the behavioural and neural correlates of laryngeal control, and their relationship to vocal expertise, using an imitation task that required adjustments of larynx musculature during speech. Highly trained human singers and non-singer control participants modulated voice pitch and vocal tract length (VTL) to mimic auditory speech targets, while undergoing real-time anatomical scans of the vocal tract and functional scans of brain activity. Multivariate analyses of speech acoustics, larynx movements and brain activation data were used to quantify vocal modulation behaviour and to search for neural representations of the two modulated vocal parameters during the preparation and execution of speech. We found that singers showed more accurate task-relevant modulations of speech pitch and VTL (i.e. larynx height, as measured with vocal tract MRI) during speech imitation; this was accompanied by stronger representation of VTL within a region of the right somatosensory cortex. Our findings suggest a common neural basis for enhanced vocal control in speech and song. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheena Waters
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Elise Kanber
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
| | - Nadine Lavan
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, Bethnal Green, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Michel Belyk
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
| | - Daniel Carey
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Data & AI, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Global Service Center, 203 Merrion Road, Dublin 4 D04 NN12, Ireland
| | - Valentina Cartei
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle (ENES), Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, 21 rue du Docteur Paul Michelon, 42100 Saint-Etienne, France
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Education, Health and Social Sciences, University of Chichester, College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 6PE, UK
| | - Clare Lally
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
| | - Marc Miquel
- Department of Clinical Physics, Barts Health NHS Trust, London EC1A 7BE, UK
- William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham TW20 0EX, UK
- Speech, Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, 2 Wakefield Street, London WC1N 1PF, UK
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Brisson V, Tremblay P. Improving speech perception in noise in young and older adults using transcranial magnetic stimulation. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 222:105009. [PMID: 34425411 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Normal aging is associated with speech perception in noise (SPiN) difficulties. The objective of this study was to determine if SPiN performance can be enhanced by intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) in young and older adults. METHOD We developed a sub-lexical SPiN test to evaluate the contribution of age, hearing, and cognition to SPiN performance in young and older adults. iTBS was applied to the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) and the left ventral premotor cortex (PMv) to examine its impact on SPiN performance. RESULTS Aging was associated with reduced SPiN accuracy. TMS-induced performance gain was greater after stimulation of the PMv compared to the pSTS. Participants with lower scores in the baseline condition improved the most. DISCUSSION SPiN difficulties can be reduced by enhancing activity within the left speech-processing network in adults. This study paves the way for the development of TMS-based interventions to reduce SPiN difficulties in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Brisson
- Département de réadaptation, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche CERVO, Québec, Canada
| | - Pascale Tremblay
- Département de réadaptation, Université Laval, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche CERVO, Québec, Canada.
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Neef NE, Primaßin A, von Gudenberg AW, Dechent P, Riedel C, Paulus W, Sommer M. Two cortical representations of voice control are differentially involved in speech fluency. Brain Commun 2021; 3:fcaa232. [PMID: 33959707 PMCID: PMC8088816 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have identified two distinct cortical representations of voice control in humans, the ventral and the dorsal laryngeal motor cortex. Strikingly, while persistent developmental stuttering has been linked to a white-matter deficit in the ventral laryngeal motor cortex, intensive fluency-shaping intervention modulated the functional connectivity of the dorsal laryngeal motor cortical network. Currently, it is unknown whether the underlying structural network organization of these two laryngeal representations is distinct or differently shaped by stuttering intervention. Using probabilistic diffusion tractography in 22 individuals who stutter and participated in a fluency shaping intervention, in 18 individuals who stutter and did not participate in the intervention and in 28 control participants, we here compare structural networks of the dorsal laryngeal motor cortex and the ventral laryngeal motor cortex and test intervention-related white-matter changes. We show (i) that all participants have weaker ventral laryngeal motor cortex connections compared to the dorsal laryngeal motor cortex network, regardless of speech fluency, (ii) connections of the ventral laryngeal motor cortex were stronger in fluent speakers, (iii) the connectivity profile of the ventral laryngeal motor cortex predicted stuttering severity (iv) but the ventral laryngeal motor cortex network is resistant to a fluency shaping intervention. Our findings substantiate a weaker structural organization of the ventral laryngeal motor cortical network in developmental stuttering and imply that assisted recovery supports neural compensation rather than normalization. Moreover, the resulting dissociation provides evidence for functionally segregated roles of the ventral laryngeal motor cortical and dorsal laryngeal motor cortical networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole E Neef
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg August University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Georg August University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
| | - Annika Primaßin
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg August University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
| | | | - Peter Dechent
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, MR Research in Neurosciences, Georg August University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
| | - Christian Riedel
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Georg August University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
| | - Walter Paulus
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg August University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
| | - Martin Sommer
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg August University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Georg August University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
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8
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Eichert N, Papp D, Mars RB, Watkins KE. Mapping Human Laryngeal Motor Cortex during Vocalization. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:6254-6269. [PMID: 32728706 PMCID: PMC7610685 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The representations of the articulators involved in human speech production are organized somatotopically in primary motor cortex. The neural representation of the larynx, however, remains debated. Both a dorsal and a ventral larynx representation have been previously described. It is unknown, however, whether both representations are located in primary motor cortex. Here, we mapped the motor representations of the human larynx using functional magnetic resonance imaging and characterized the cortical microstructure underlying the activated regions. We isolated brain activity related to laryngeal activity during vocalization while controlling for breathing. We also mapped the articulators (the lips and tongue) and the hand area. We found two separate activations during vocalization-a dorsal and a ventral larynx representation. Structural and quantitative neuroimaging revealed that myelin content and cortical thickness underlying the dorsal, but not the ventral larynx representation, are similar to those of other primary motor representations. This finding confirms that the dorsal larynx representation is located in primary motor cortex and that the ventral one is not. We further speculate that the location of the ventral larynx representation is in premotor cortex, as seen in other primates. It remains unclear, however, whether and how these two representations differentially contribute to laryngeal motor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Eichert
- Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Daniel Papp
- Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Rogier B. Mars
- Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Kate E. Watkins
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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9
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Liu D, Dai G, Liu C, Guo Z, Xu Z, Jones JA, Liu P, Liu H. Top–Down Inhibitory Mechanisms Underlying Auditory–Motor Integration for Voice Control: Evidence by TMS. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:4515-4527. [PMID: 32147719 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been implicated in auditory–motor integration for accurate control of vocal production, but its precise role in this feedback-based process remains largely unknown. To this end, the present event-related potential study applied a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol, continuous theta-burst stimulation (c-TBS), to disrupt cortical activity in the left DLPFC as young adults vocalized vowel sounds while hearing their voice unexpectedly shifted upwards in pitch. The results showed that, as compared to the sham condition, c-TBS over left DLPFC led to significantly larger vocal compensations for pitch perturbations that were accompanied by significantly smaller cortical P2 responses. Source localization analyses revealed that this brain activity pattern was the result of reduced activation in the left superior frontal gyrus and right inferior parietal lobule (supramarginal gyrus). These findings demonstrate c-TBS-induced modulatory effects of DLPFC on the neurobehavioral processing of vocal pitch regulation, suggesting that disrupting prefrontal function may impair top–down inhibitory control mechanisms that prevent speech production from being excessively influenced by auditory feedback, resulting in enhanced vocal compensations for feedback perturbations. This is the first study that provides direct evidence for a causal role of the left DLPFC in auditory feedback control of vocal production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongxu Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Guangyan Dai
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Churong Liu
- Rehabilitation Training Center, Guangzhou 999 Brain Hospital, Guangzhou 510510, China
| | - Zhiqiang Guo
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, Zhuhai College of Jilin University, Zhuhai 519041, China
| | - Zhiqin Xu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Jeffery A Jones
- Psychology Department and Laurier Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Peng Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Hanjun Liu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
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10
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Finkel S, Veit R, Lotze M, Friberg A, Vuust P, Soekadar S, Birbaumer N, Kleber B. Intermittent theta burst stimulation over right somatosensory larynx cortex enhances vocal pitch-regulation in nonsingers. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:2174-2187. [PMID: 30666737 PMCID: PMC6865578 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
While the significance of auditory cortical regions for the development and maintenance of speech motor coordination is well established, the contribution of somatosensory brain areas to learned vocalizations such as singing is less well understood. To address these mechanisms, we applied intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a facilitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) protocol, over right somatosensory larynx cortex (S1) and a nonvocal dorsal S1 control area in participants without singing experience. A pitch-matching singing task was performed before and after iTBS to assess corresponding effects on vocal pitch regulation. When participants could monitor auditory feedback from their own voice during singing (Experiment I), no difference in pitch-matching performance was found between iTBS sessions. However, when auditory feedback was masked with noise (Experiment II), only larynx-S1 iTBS enhanced pitch accuracy (50-250 ms after sound onset) and pitch stability (>250 ms after sound onset until the end). Results indicate that somatosensory feedback plays a dominant role in vocal pitch regulation when acoustic feedback is masked. The acoustic changes moreover suggest that right larynx-S1 stimulation affected the preparation and involuntary regulation of vocal pitch accuracy, and that kinesthetic-proprioceptive processes play a role in the voluntary control of pitch stability in nonsingers. Together, these data provide evidence for a causal involvement of right larynx-S1 in vocal pitch regulation during singing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Finkel
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral NeurobiologyEberhard Karls University TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Ralf Veit
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral NeurobiologyEberhard Karls University TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Martin Lotze
- Functional Imaging Unit; Center for Diagnostic Radiology and NeuroradiologyUniversity of GreifswaldGreifswaldGermany
| | - Anders Friberg
- Department of Speech, Music and HearingKTH Royal Institute of TechnologyStockholmSweden
| | - Peter Vuust
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical MedicineAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Surjo Soekadar
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy and Neuroscience Research Center (NWFZ)Charité Campus Mitte (CCM)BerlinGermany
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Niels Birbaumer
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral NeurobiologyEberhard Karls University TübingenTübingenGermany
- Wyss Center for Bio and NeuroengineeringGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Boris Kleber
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral NeurobiologyEberhard Karls University TübingenTübingenGermany
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical MedicineAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
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