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Correlates of individual voice and face preferential responses during resting state. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7117. [PMID: 35505233 PMCID: PMC9065073 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11367-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Human nonverbal social signals are transmitted to a large extent by vocal and facial cues. The prominent importance of these cues is reflected in specialized cerebral regions which preferentially respond to these stimuli, e.g. the temporal voice area (TVA) for human voices and the fusiform face area (FFA) for human faces. But it remained up to date unknown whether there are respective specializations during resting state, i.e. in the absence of any cues, and if so, whether these representations share neural substrates across sensory modalities. In the present study, resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) as well as voice- and face-preferential activations were analysed from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data sets of 60 healthy individuals. Data analysis comprised seed-based analyses using the TVA and FFA as regions of interest (ROIs) as well as multi voxel pattern analyses (MVPA). Using the face- and voice-preferential responses of the FFA and TVA as regressors, we identified several correlating clusters during resting state spread across frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital regions. Using these regions as seeds, characteristic and distinct network patterns were apparent with a predominantly convergent pattern for the bilateral TVAs whereas a largely divergent pattern was observed for the bilateral FFAs. One region in the anterior medial frontal cortex displayed a maximum of supramodal convergence of informative connectivity patterns reflecting voice- and face-preferential responses of both TVAs and the right FFA, pointing to shared neural resources in supramodal voice and face processing. The association of individual voice- and face-preferential neural activity with resting state connectivity patterns may support the perspective of a network function of the brain beyond an activation of specialized regions.
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Yao B, Taylor JR, Banks B, Kotz SA. Reading direct speech quotes increases theta phase-locking: Evidence for cortical tracking of inner speech? Neuroimage 2021; 239:118313. [PMID: 34175425 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118313] [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: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence shows that theta-band (4-7 Hz) activity in the auditory cortex phase-locks to rhythms of overt speech. Does theta activity also encode the rhythmic dynamics of inner speech? Previous research established that silent reading of direct speech quotes (e.g., Mary said: "This dress is lovely!") elicits more vivid inner speech than indirect speech quotes (e.g., Mary said that the dress was lovely). As we cannot directly track the phase alignment between theta activity and inner speech over time, we used EEG to measure the brain's phase-locked responses to the onset of speech quote reading. We found that direct (vs. indirect) quote reading was associated with increased theta phase synchrony over trials at 250-500 ms post-reading onset, with sources of the evoked activity estimated in the speech processing network. An eye-tracking control experiment confirmed that increased theta phase synchrony in direct quote reading was not driven by eye movement patterns, and more likely reflects synchronous phase resetting at the onset of inner speech. These findings suggest a functional role of theta phase modulation in reading-induced inner speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Yao
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
| | - Jason R Taylor
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Briony Banks
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YF, United Kingdom
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, Maastricht 6211 LK, Netherlands; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
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Alderson-Day B, Moffatt J, Bernini M, Mitrenga K, Yao B, Fernyhough C. Processing Speech and Thoughts during Silent Reading: Direct Reference Effects for Speech by Fictional Characters in Voice-Selective Auditory Cortex and a Theory-of-Mind Network. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 32:1637-1653. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Stories transport readers into vivid imaginative worlds, but understanding how readers create such worlds—populating them with characters, objects, and events—presents serious challenges across disciplines. Auditory imagery is thought to play a prominent role in this process, especially when representing characters' voices. Previous research has shown that direct reference to speech in stories (e.g., He said, “I'm over here”) may prompt spontaneous activation of voice-selective auditory cortex more than indirect speech [Yao, B., Belin, P., & Scheepers, C. Silent reading of direct versus indirect speech activates voice-selective areas in the auditory cortex. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 23, 3146–3152, 2011]. However, it is unclear whether this effect reflects differential processing of speech or differences in linguistic content, source memory, or grammar. One way to test this is to compare direct reference effects for characters speaking and thinking in a story. Here, we present a multidisciplinary fMRI study of 21 readers' responses to characters' speech and thoughts during silent reading of short fictional stories. Activations relating to direct and indirect references were compared for both speaking and thinking. Eye-tracking and independent localizer tasks (auditory cortex and theory of mind [ToM]) established ROIs in which responses to stories could be tracked for individuals. Evidence of elevated auditory cortex responses to direct speech over indirect speech was observed, replicating previously reported effects; no reference effect was observed for thoughts. Moreover, a direct reference effect specific to speech was also evident in regions previously associated with inferring intentions from communication. Implications are discussed for the spontaneous representation of fictional characters and the potential roles of inner speech and ToM in this process.
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Aryani A, Conrad M, Schmidtke D, Jacobs A. Why 'piss' is ruder than 'pee'? The role of sound in affective meaning making. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198430. [PMID: 29874293 PMCID: PMC5991420 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Most language users agree that some words sound harsh (e.g. grotesque) whereas others sound soft and pleasing (e.g. lagoon). While this prominent feature of human language has always been creatively deployed in art and poetry, it is still largely unknown whether the sound of a word in itself makes any contribution to the word's meaning as perceived and interpreted by the listener. In a large-scale lexicon analysis, we focused on the affective substrates of words' meaning (i.e. affective meaning) and words' sound (i.e. affective sound); both being measured on a two-dimensional space of valence (ranging from pleasant to unpleasant) and arousal (ranging from calm to excited). We tested the hypothesis that the sound of a word possesses affective iconic characteristics that can implicitly influence listeners when evaluating the affective meaning of that word. The results show that a significant portion of the variance in affective meaning ratings of printed words depends on a number of spectral and temporal acoustic features extracted from these words after converting them to their spoken form (study1). In order to test the affective nature of this effect, we independently assessed the affective sound of these words using two different methods: through direct rating (study2a), and through acoustic models that we implemented based on pseudoword materials (study2b). In line with our hypothesis, the estimated contribution of words' sound to ratings of words' affective meaning was indeed associated with the affective sound of these words; with a stronger effect for arousal than for valence. Further analyses revealed crucial phonetic features potentially causing the effect of sound on meaning: For instance, words with short vowels, voiceless consonants, and hissing sibilants (as in 'piss') feel more arousing and negative. Our findings suggest that the process of meaning making is not solely determined by arbitrary mappings between formal aspects of words and concepts they refer to. Rather, even in silent reading, words' acoustic profiles provide affective perceptual cues that language users may implicitly use to construct words' overall meaning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Aryani
- Department of Experimental and Neurocognitive Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Conrad
- Department of Cognitive, Social and Organizational Psychology, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
| | - David Schmidtke
- Department of Experimental and Neurocognitive Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Arthur Jacobs
- Department of Experimental and Neurocognitive Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Berlin (CCNB), Berlin, Germany
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Jiang X, Sanford R, Pell MD. Neural systems for evaluating speaker (Un)believability. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:3732-3749. [PMID: 28462535 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Our voice provides salient cues about how confident we sound, which promotes inferences about how believable we are. However, the neural mechanisms involved in these social inferences are largely unknown. Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the brain networks and individual differences underlying the evaluation of speaker believability from vocal expressions. Participants (n = 26) listened to statements produced in a confident, unconfident, or "prosodically unmarked" (neutral) voice, and judged how believable the speaker was on a 4-point scale. We found frontal-temporal networks were activated for different levels of confidence, with the left superior and inferior frontal gyrus more activated for confident statements, the right superior temporal gyrus for unconfident expressions, and bilateral cerebellum for statements in a neutral voice. Based on listener's believability judgment, we observed increased activation in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) associated with higher believability, while increased left posterior central gyrus (PoCG) was associated with less believability. A psychophysiological interaction analysis found that the anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral caudate were connected to the right SPL when higher believability judgments were made, while supplementary motor area was connected with the left PoCG when lower believability judgments were made. Personal characteristics, such as interpersonal reactivity and the individual tendency to trust others, modulated the brain activations and the functional connectivity when making believability judgments. In sum, our data pinpoint neural mechanisms that are involved when inferring one's believability from a speaker's voice and establish ways that these mechanisms are modulated by individual characteristics of a listener. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3732-3749, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoming Jiang
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Ryan Sanford
- McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Marc D Pell
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.,McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
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Beck Lidén C, Krüger O, Schwarz L, Erb M, Kardatzki B, Scheffler K, Ethofer T. Neurobiology of knowledge and misperception of lyrics. Neuroimage 2016; 134:12-21. [PMID: 27085504 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.03.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Revised: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We conducted two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments to investigate the neural underpinnings of knowledge and misperception of lyrics. In fMRI experiment 1, a linear relationship between familiarity with lyrics and activation was found in left-hemispheric speech-related as well as bilateral striatal areas which is in line with previous research on generation of lyrics. In fMRI experiment 2, we employed so called Mondegreens and Soramimi to induce misperceptions of lyrics revealing a bilateral network including middle temporal and inferior frontal areas as well as anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and mediodorsal thalamus. ACC activation also correlated with the extent to which misperceptions were judged as amusing corroborating previous neuroimaging results on the role of this area in mediating the pleasant experience of chills during music perception. Finally, we examined the areas engaged during misperception of lyrics using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to determine their structural connectivity. These combined fMRI/DWI results could serve as a neurobiological model for future studies on other types of misunderstanding which are events with potentially strong impact on our social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Beck Lidén
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 51, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Krüger
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 51, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lena Schwarz
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 51, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Calwer Str. 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Erb
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 51, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Bernd Kardatzki
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 51, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Klaus Scheffler
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 51, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Speemannstraße 38-40, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Ethofer
- Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Str. 51, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; University Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Calwer Str. 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Speemannstraße 38-40, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Burke M. The neuroaesthetics of prose fiction: pitfalls, parameters and prospects. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:442. [PMID: 26283953 PMCID: PMC4522565 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a paucity of neuroaesthetic studies on prose fiction. This is in contrast to the very many impressive studies that have been conducted in recent times on the neuroaesthetics of sister arts such as painting, music and dance. Why might this be the case, what are its causes and, of greatest importance, how can it best be resolved? In this article, the pitfalls, parameters and prospects of a neuroaesthetics of prose fiction will be explored. The article itself is part critical review, part methodological proposal and part opinion paper. Its aim is simple: to stimulate, excite and energize thinking in the discipline as to how prose fiction might be fully integrated in the canon of neuroaesthetics and to point to opportunities where neuroimaging studies on literary discourse processing might be conducted in collaborative work bringing humanists and scientists together.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Burke
- Rhetoric, University College Roosevelt, Utrecht UniversityMiddelburg, Netherlands
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