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Leong C, Lin Y, Zhang J, Yuan Z. How Time Pressure Modulates Individual Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Chunk Memory in Chess Games. Neuroscience 2024; 552:39-46. [PMID: 38851380 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Previous studies on the chess game demonstrated that chess experts strongly rely on the activation of memory chunks to manifest accurate decision-making. Although the chunk memory might be affected by temporal constraints, it is unclear why the performance of chess experts is not significantly dropped under time pressure. In this study, our objective is to examine the variations in cognitive neural mechanisms between chess experts and novices under time pressure. The underlying cognitive neural mechanism was carefully inspected by accessing the chess game performance between 20 local experienced and 20 inexperienced chess players with 1-minute and 5-minute time constraints. In addition, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings were carried out for each individual from the two groups while playing a 1-minute or 5-minute chess game. It was discovered that under temporal constraints, players exhibited different patterns of functional connectivity in frontal-parietal regions, suggesting that temporal stress can enhance segmentation processes in chess games. In particular, the experienced group exhibited significantly enhanced functional connectivity networks under time pressure including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and postcentral gyrus, which demonstrated the important role of the segmentation process for experienced players under time pressure. Our study found that experienced players were able to enhance recall, reorganize, and integrate chunks to improve chess performance under time pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantat Leong
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Yuwen Lin
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Zhen Yuan
- Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
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2
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Chalas N, Meyer L, Lo CW, Park H, Kluger DS, Abbasi O, Kayser C, Nitsch R, Gross J. Dissociating prosodic from syntactic delta activity during natural speech comprehension. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3537-3549.e5. [PMID: 39047734 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Decoding human speech requires the brain to segment the incoming acoustic signal into meaningful linguistic units, ranging from syllables and words to phrases. Integrating these linguistic constituents into a coherent percept sets the root of compositional meaning and hence understanding. One important cue for segmentation in natural speech is prosodic cues, such as pauses, but their interplay with higher-level linguistic processing is still unknown. Here, we dissociate the neural tracking of prosodic pauses from the segmentation of multi-word chunks using magnetoencephalography (MEG). We find that manipulating the regularity of pauses disrupts slow speech-brain tracking bilaterally in auditory areas (below 2 Hz) and in turn increases left-lateralized coherence of higher-frequency auditory activity at speech onsets (around 25-45 Hz). Critically, we also find that multi-word chunks-defined as short, coherent bundles of inter-word dependencies-are processed through the rhythmic fluctuations of low-frequency activity (below 2 Hz) bilaterally and independently of prosodic cues. Importantly, low-frequency alignment at chunk onsets increases the accuracy of an encoding model in bilateral auditory and frontal areas while controlling for the effect of acoustics. Our findings provide novel insights into the neural basis of speech perception, demonstrating that both acoustic features (prosodic cues) and abstract linguistic processing at the multi-word timescale are underpinned independently by low-frequency electrophysiological brain activity in the delta frequency range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Chalas
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Lars Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Chia-Wen Lo
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hyojin Park
- Centre for Human Brain Health (CHBH), School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Daniel S Kluger
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Omid Abbasi
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Christoph Kayser
- Department for Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Robert Nitsch
- Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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3
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Lasnick OHM, Hoeft F. Sensory temporal sampling in time: an integrated model of the TSF and neural noise hypothesis as an etiological pathway for dyslexia. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 17:1294941. [PMID: 38234592 PMCID: PMC10792016 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1294941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Much progress has been made in research on the causal mechanisms of developmental dyslexia. In recent years, the "temporal sampling" account of dyslexia has evolved considerably, with contributions from neurogenetics and novel imaging methods resulting in a much more complex etiological view of the disorder. The original temporal sampling framework implicates disrupted neural entrainment to speech as a causal factor for atypical phonological representations. Yet, empirical findings have not provided clear evidence of a low-level etiology for this endophenotype. In contrast, the neural noise hypothesis presents a theoretical view of the manifestation of dyslexia from the level of genes to behavior. However, its relative novelty (published in 2017) means that empirical research focused on specific predictions is sparse. The current paper reviews dyslexia research using a dual framework from the temporal sampling and neural noise hypotheses and discusses the complementary nature of these two views of dyslexia. We present an argument for an integrated model of sensory temporal sampling as an etiological pathway for dyslexia. Finally, we conclude with a brief discussion of outstanding questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver H. M. Lasnick
- brainLENS Laboratory, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
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4
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Ten Oever S, Martin AE. Interdependence of "What" and "When" in the Brain. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:167-186. [PMID: 37847823 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
From a brain's-eye-view, when a stimulus occurs and what it is are interrelated aspects of interpreting the perceptual world. Yet in practice, the putative perceptual inferences about sensory content and timing are often dichotomized and not investigated as an integrated process. We here argue that neural temporal dynamics can influence what is perceived, and in turn, stimulus content can influence the time at which perception is achieved. This computational principle results from the highly interdependent relationship of what and when in the environment. Both brain processes and perceptual events display strong temporal variability that is not always modeled; we argue that understanding-and, minimally, modeling-this temporal variability is key for theories of how the brain generates unified and consistent neural representations and that we ignore temporal variability in our analysis practice at the peril of both data interpretation and theory-building. Here, we review what and when interactions in the brain, demonstrate via simulations how temporal variability can result in misguided interpretations and conclusions, and outline how to integrate and synthesize what and when in theories and models of brain computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Ten Oever
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Maastricht University, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea E Martin
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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5
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Assaneo MF, Orpella J. Rhythms in Speech. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1455:257-274. [PMID: 38918356 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-60183-5_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Speech can be defined as the human ability to communicate through a sequence of vocal sounds. Consequently, speech requires an emitter (the speaker) capable of generating the acoustic signal and a receiver (the listener) able to successfully decode the sounds produced by the emitter (i.e., the acoustic signal). Time plays a central role at both ends of this interaction. On the one hand, speech production requires precise and rapid coordination, typically within the order of milliseconds, of the upper vocal tract articulators (i.e., tongue, jaw, lips, and velum), their composite movements, and the activation of the vocal folds. On the other hand, the generated acoustic signal unfolds in time, carrying information at different timescales. This information must be parsed and integrated by the receiver for the correct transmission of meaning. This chapter describes the temporal patterns that characterize the speech signal and reviews research that explores the neural mechanisms underlying the generation of these patterns and the role they play in speech comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Florencia Assaneo
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Autónoma de México, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.
| | - Joan Orpella
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
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6
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He D, Buder EH, Bidelman GM. Effects of Syllable Rate on Neuro-Behavioral Synchronization Across Modalities: Brain Oscillations and Speech Productions. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 4:344-360. [PMID: 37229510 PMCID: PMC10205147 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Considerable work suggests the dominant syllable rhythm of the acoustic envelope is remarkably similar across languages (∼4-5 Hz) and that oscillatory brain activity tracks these quasiperiodic rhythms to facilitate speech processing. However, whether this fundamental periodicity represents a common organizing principle in both auditory and motor systems involved in speech has not been explicitly tested. To evaluate relations between entrainment in the perceptual and production domains, we measured individuals' (i) neuroacoustic tracking of the EEG to speech trains and their (ii) simultaneous and non-simultaneous productions synchronized to syllable rates between 2.5 and 8.5 Hz. Productions made without concurrent auditory presentation isolated motor speech functions more purely. We show that neural synchronization flexibly adapts to the heard stimuli in a rate-dependent manner, but that phase locking is boosted near ∼4.5 Hz, the purported dominant rate of speech. Cued speech productions (recruit sensorimotor interaction) were optimal between 2.5 and 4.5 Hz, suggesting a low-frequency constraint on motor output and/or sensorimotor integration. In contrast, "pure" motor productions (without concurrent sound cues) were most precisely generated at rates of 4.5 and 5.5 Hz, paralleling the neuroacoustic data. Correlations further revealed strong links between receptive (EEG) and production synchronization abilities; individuals with stronger auditory-perceptual entrainment better matched speech rhythms motorically. Together, our findings support an intimate link between exogenous and endogenous rhythmic processing that is optimized at 4-5 Hz in both auditory and motor systems. Parallels across modalities could result from dynamics of the speech motor system coupled with experience-dependent tuning of the perceptual system via the sensorimotor interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deling He
- School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
- Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Eugene H. Buder
- School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
- Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Gavin M. Bidelman
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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7
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Su Y, MacGregor LJ, Olasagasti I, Giraud AL. A deep hierarchy of predictions enables online meaning extraction in a computational model of human speech comprehension. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002046. [PMID: 36947552 PMCID: PMC10079236 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding speech requires mapping fleeting and often ambiguous soundwaves to meaning. While humans are known to exploit their capacity to contextualize to facilitate this process, how internal knowledge is deployed online remains an open question. Here, we present a model that extracts multiple levels of information from continuous speech online. The model applies linguistic and nonlinguistic knowledge to speech processing, by periodically generating top-down predictions and incorporating bottom-up incoming evidence in a nested temporal hierarchy. We show that a nonlinguistic context level provides semantic predictions informed by sensory inputs, which are crucial for disambiguating among multiple meanings of the same word. The explicit knowledge hierarchy of the model enables a more holistic account of the neurophysiological responses to speech compared to using lexical predictions generated by a neural network language model (GPT-2). We also show that hierarchical predictions reduce peripheral processing via minimizing uncertainty and prediction error. With this proof-of-concept model, we demonstrate that the deployment of hierarchical predictions is a possible strategy for the brain to dynamically utilize structured knowledge and make sense of the speech input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqing Su
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research "Evolving Language" (NCCR EvolvingLanguage), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lucy J MacGregor
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Itsaso Olasagasti
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research "Evolving Language" (NCCR EvolvingLanguage), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Lise Giraud
- Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research "Evolving Language" (NCCR EvolvingLanguage), Geneva, Switzerland
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Inserm, Institut de l'Audition, Paris, France
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8
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Rimmele JM, Sun Y, Michalareas G, Ghitza O, Poeppel D. Dynamics of Functional Networks for Syllable and Word-Level Processing. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 4:120-144. [PMID: 37229144 PMCID: PMC10205074 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Speech comprehension requires the ability to temporally segment the acoustic input for higher-level linguistic analysis. Oscillation-based approaches suggest that low-frequency auditory cortex oscillations track syllable-sized acoustic information and therefore emphasize the relevance of syllabic-level acoustic processing for speech segmentation. How syllabic processing interacts with higher levels of speech processing, beyond segmentation, including the anatomical and neurophysiological characteristics of the networks involved, is debated. In two MEG experiments, we investigate lexical and sublexical word-level processing and the interactions with (acoustic) syllable processing using a frequency-tagging paradigm. Participants listened to disyllabic words presented at a rate of 4 syllables/s. Lexical content (native language), sublexical syllable-to-syllable transitions (foreign language), or mere syllabic information (pseudo-words) were presented. Two conjectures were evaluated: (i) syllable-to-syllable transitions contribute to word-level processing; and (ii) processing of words activates brain areas that interact with acoustic syllable processing. We show that syllable-to-syllable transition information compared to mere syllable information, activated a bilateral superior, middle temporal and inferior frontal network. Lexical content resulted, additionally, in increased neural activity. Evidence for an interaction of word- and acoustic syllable-level processing was inconclusive. Decreases in syllable tracking (cerebroacoustic coherence) in auditory cortex and increases in cross-frequency coupling between right superior and middle temporal and frontal areas were found when lexical content was present compared to all other conditions; however, not when conditions were compared separately. The data provide experimental insight into how subtle and sensitive syllable-to-syllable transition information for word-level processing is.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M. Rimmele
- Departments of Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Max Planck NYU Center for Language, Music and Emotion, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; New York, NY, USA
| | - Yue Sun
- Departments of Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Georgios Michalareas
- Departments of Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Oded Ghitza
- Departments of Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- College of Biomedical Engineering & Hearing Research Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David Poeppel
- Departments of Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Max Planck NYU Center for Language, Music and Emotion, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; New York, NY, USA
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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9
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Weise A, Grimm S, Maria Rimmele J, Schröger E. Auditory representations for long lasting sounds: Insights from event-related brain potentials and neural oscillations. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 237:105221. [PMID: 36623340 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The basic features of short sounds, such as frequency and intensity including their temporal dynamics, are integrated in a unitary representation. Knowledge on how our brain processes long lasting sounds is scarce. We review research utilizing the Mismatch Negativity event-related potential and neural oscillatory activity for studying representations for long lasting simple versus complex sounds such as sinusoidal tones versus speech. There is evidence for a temporal constraint in the formation of auditory representations: Auditory edges like sound onsets within long lasting sounds open a temporal window of about 350 ms in which the sounds' dynamics are integrated into a representation, while information beyond that window contributes less to that representation. This integration window segments the auditory input into short chunks. We argue that the representations established in adjacent integration windows can be concatenated into an auditory representation of a long sound, thus, overcoming the temporal constraint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annekathrin Weise
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany; Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, Germany.
| | - Sabine Grimm
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, Germany.
| | - Johanna Maria Rimmele
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Germany; Center for Language, Music and Emotion, New York University, Max Planck Institute, Department of Psychology, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, United States.
| | - Erich Schröger
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, Germany.
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10
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Chalas N, Daube C, Kluger DS, Abbasi O, Nitsch R, Gross J. Speech onsets and sustained speech contribute differentially to delta and theta speech tracking in auditory cortex. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:6273-6281. [PMID: 36627246 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac502] [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: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
When we attentively listen to an individual's speech, our brain activity dynamically aligns to the incoming acoustic input at multiple timescales. Although this systematic alignment between ongoing brain activity and speech in auditory brain areas is well established, the acoustic events that drive this phase-locking are not fully understood. Here, we use magnetoencephalographic recordings of 24 human participants (12 females) while they were listening to a 1 h story. We show that whereas speech-brain coupling is associated with sustained acoustic fluctuations in the speech envelope in the theta-frequency range (4-7 Hz), speech tracking in the low-frequency delta (below 1 Hz) was strongest around onsets of speech, like the beginning of a sentence. Crucially, delta tracking in bilateral auditory areas was not sustained after onsets, proposing a delta tracking during continuous speech perception that is driven by speech onsets. We conclude that both onsets and sustained components of speech contribute differentially to speech tracking in delta- and theta-frequency bands, orchestrating sampling of continuous speech. Thus, our results suggest a temporal dissociation of acoustically driven oscillatory activity in auditory areas during speech tracking, providing valuable implications for orchestration of speech tracking at multiple time scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Chalas
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, 48149 Münster, Germany.,Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Geb. A9a, Münster, Germany
| | - Christoph Daube
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, 56-64 Hillhead Street, G12 8QB, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel S Kluger
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Omid Abbasi
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Robert Nitsch
- Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Geb. A9a, Münster, Germany
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Malmedyweg 15, 48149, Münster, Germany.,Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Fliednerstr. 21, 48149 Münster, Germany
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11
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Ito Y, Shiramatsu TI, Ishida N, Oshima K, Magami K, Takahashi H. Spontaneous beat synchronization in rats: Neural dynamics and motor entrainment. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo7019. [PMID: 36367945 PMCID: PMC9651867 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo7019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Beat perception and synchronization within 120 to 140 beats/min (BPM) are common in humans and frequently used in music composition. Why beat synchronization is uncommon in some species and the mechanism determining the optimal tempo are unclear. Here, we examined physical movements and neural activities in rats to determine their beat sensitivity. Close inspection of head movements and neural recordings revealed that rats displayed prominent beat synchronization and activities in the auditory cortex within 120 to 140 BPM. Mathematical modeling suggests that short-term adaptation underlies this beat tuning. Our results support the hypothesis that the optimal tempo for beat synchronization is determined by the time constant of neural dynamics conserved across species, rather than the species-specific time constant of physical movements. Thus, latent neural propensity for auditory motor entrainment may provide a basis for human entrainment that is much more widespread than currently thought. Further studies comparing humans and animals will offer insights into the origins of music and dancing.
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12
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Pérez-Navarro J, Lallier M, Clark C, Flanagan S, Goswami U. Local Temporal Regularities in Child-Directed Speech in Spanish. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:3776-3788. [PMID: 36194778 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-22-00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to characterize the local (utterance-level) temporal regularities of child-directed speech (CDS) that might facilitate phonological development in Spanish, classically termed a syllable-timed language. METHOD Eighteen female adults addressed their 4-year-old children versus other adults spontaneously and also read aloud (CDS vs. adult-directed speech [ADS]). We compared CDS and ADS speech productions using a spectrotemporal model (Leong & Goswami, 2015), obtaining three temporal metrics: (a) distribution of modulation energy, (b) temporal regularity of stressed syllables, and (c) syllable rate. RESULTS CDS was characterized by (a) significantly greater modulation energy in the lower frequencies (0.5-4 Hz), (b) more regular rhythmic occurrence of stressed syllables, and (c) a slower syllable rate than ADS, across both spontaneous and read conditions. DISCUSSION CDS is characterized by a robust local temporal organization (i.e., within utterances) with amplitude modulation bands aligning with delta and theta electrophysiological frequency bands, respectively, showing greater phase synchronization than in ADS, facilitating parsing of stress units and syllables. These temporal regularities, together with the slower rate of production of CDS, might support the automatic extraction of phonological units in speech and hence support the phonological development of children. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21210893.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Pérez-Navarro
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Marie Lallier
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Catherine Clark
- BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
- University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Sheila Flanagan
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Usha Goswami
- Centre for Neuroscience in Education, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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13
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Glushko A, Poeppel D, Steinhauer K. Overt and implicit prosody contribute to neurophysiological responses previously attributed to grammatical processing. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14759. [PMID: 36042220 PMCID: PMC9427746 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18162-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [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: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent neurophysiological research suggests that slow cortical activity tracks hierarchical syntactic structure during online sentence processing. Here we tested an alternative hypothesis: electrophysiological activity peaks at constituent phrase as well as sentence frequencies reflect cortical tracking of overt or covert (implicit) prosodic grouping. Participants listened to series of sentences presented in three conditions while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. First, prosodic cues in the sentence materials were neutralized. We found an EEG spectral power peak elicited at a frequency that only 'tagged' covert, implicit prosodic change, but not any major syntactic constituents. In the second condition, participants listened to a series of sentences with overt prosodic grouping cues that either aligned or misaligned with the syntactic phrasing in the sentences (initial overt prosody trials). Following each overt prosody trial, participants were presented with a second series of sentences lacking overt prosodic cues (instructed prosody trial) and were instructed to imagine the prosodic contour present in the previous, overt prosody trial. The EEG responses reflected an interactive relationship between syntactic processing and prosodic tracking at the frequencies of syntactic constituents (sentences and phrases): alignment of syntax and prosody boosted EEG responses, whereas their misalignment had an opposite effect. This was true for both overt and imagined prosody conditions. We conclude that processing of both overt and covert prosody is reflected in the frequency-tagged neural responses at sentence constituent frequencies. These findings need to be incorporated in any account that aims to identify neural markers reflecting syntactic processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Poeppel
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York City, NY, USA
- Ernst Struengmann Institute for Neuroscience, Frankfurt, Germany
- Center for Language, Music, and Emotion (CLaME), New York, USA
| | - Karsten Steinhauer
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Canada
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, 2001 McGill College Avenue, Unit 800, Montreal, QC, H3A 1G1, Canada
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14
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Modulation transfer functions for audiovisual speech. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010273. [PMID: 35852989 PMCID: PMC9295967 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010273] [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: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporal synchrony between facial motion and acoustic modulations is a hallmark feature of audiovisual speech. The moving face and mouth during natural speech is known to be correlated with low-frequency acoustic envelope fluctuations (below 10 Hz), but the precise rates at which envelope information is synchronized with motion in different parts of the face are less clear. Here, we used regularized canonical correlation analysis (rCCA) to learn speech envelope filters whose outputs correlate with motion in different parts of the speakers face. We leveraged recent advances in video-based 3D facial landmark estimation allowing us to examine statistical envelope-face correlations across a large number of speakers (∼4000). Specifically, rCCA was used to learn modulation transfer functions (MTFs) for the speech envelope that significantly predict correlation with facial motion across different speakers. The AV analysis revealed bandpass speech envelope filters at distinct temporal scales. A first set of MTFs showed peaks around 3-4 Hz and were correlated with mouth movements. A second set of MTFs captured envelope fluctuations in the 1-2 Hz range correlated with more global face and head motion. These two distinctive timescales emerged only as a property of natural AV speech statistics across many speakers. A similar analysis of fewer speakers performing a controlled speech task highlighted only the well-known temporal modulations around 4 Hz correlated with orofacial motion. The different bandpass ranges of AV correlation align notably with the average rates at which syllables (3-4 Hz) and phrases (1-2 Hz) are produced in natural speech. Whereas periodicities at the syllable rate are evident in the envelope spectrum of the speech signal itself, slower 1-2 Hz regularities thus only become prominent when considering crossmodal signal statistics. This may indicate a motor origin of temporal regularities at the timescales of syllables and phrases in natural speech.
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15
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Anurova I, Vetchinnikova S, Dobrego A, Williams N, Mikusova N, Suni A, Mauranen A, Palva S. Event-related responses reflect chunk boundaries in natural speech. Neuroimage 2022; 255:119203. [PMID: 35413442 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119203] [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: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chunking language has been proposed to be vital for comprehension enabling the extraction of meaning from a continuous stream of speech. However, neurocognitive mechanisms of chunking are poorly understood. The present study investigated neural correlates of chunk boundaries intuitively identified by listeners in natural speech drawn from linguistic corpora using magneto- and electroencephalography (MEEG). In a behavioral experiment, subjects marked chunk boundaries in the excerpts intuitively, which revealed highly consistent chunk boundary markings across the subjects. We next recorded brain activity to investigate whether chunk boundaries with high and medium agreement rates elicit distinct evoked responses compared to non-boundaries. Pauses placed at chunk boundaries elicited a closure positive shift with the sources over bilateral auditory cortices. In contrast, pauses placed within a chunk were perceived as interruptions and elicited a biphasic emitted potential with sources located in the bilateral primary and non-primary auditory areas with right-hemispheric dominance, and in the right inferior frontal cortex. Furthermore, pauses placed at stronger boundaries elicited earlier and more prominent activation over the left hemisphere suggesting that brain responses to chunk boundaries of natural speech can be modulated by the relative strength of different linguistic cues, such as syntactic structure and prosody.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Anurova
- Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Finland; BioMag Laboratory, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Helsinki, Finland.
| | | | | | - Nitin Williams
- Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Languages, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nina Mikusova
- Department of Languages, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Antti Suni
- Department of Languages, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anna Mauranen
- Department of Languages, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Palva
- Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Finland; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.
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16
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ten Oever S, Carta S, Kaufeld G, Martin AE. Neural tracking of phrases in spoken language comprehension is automatic and task-dependent. eLife 2022; 11:e77468. [PMID: 35833919 PMCID: PMC9282854 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Linguistic phrases are tracked in sentences even though there is no one-to-one acoustic phrase marker in the physical signal. This phenomenon suggests an automatic tracking of abstract linguistic structure that is endogenously generated by the brain. However, all studies investigating linguistic tracking compare conditions where either relevant information at linguistic timescales is available, or where this information is absent altogether (e.g., sentences versus word lists during passive listening). It is therefore unclear whether tracking at phrasal timescales is related to the content of language, or rather, results as a consequence of attending to the timescales that happen to match behaviourally relevant information. To investigate this question, we presented participants with sentences and word lists while recording their brain activity with magnetoencephalography (MEG). Participants performed passive, syllable, word, and word-combination tasks corresponding to attending to four different rates: one they would naturally attend to, syllable-rates, word-rates, and phrasal-rates, respectively. We replicated overall findings of stronger phrasal-rate tracking measured with mutual information for sentences compared to word lists across the classical language network. However, in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) we found a task effect suggesting stronger phrasal-rate tracking during the word-combination task independent of the presence of linguistic structure, as well as stronger delta-band connectivity during this task. These results suggest that extracting linguistic information at phrasal rates occurs automatically with or without the presence of an additional task, but also that IFG might be important for temporal integration across various perceptual domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne ten Oever
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenNetherlands
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Donders Centre for Cognitive NeuroimagingNijmegenNetherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht UniversityMaastrichtNetherlands
| | - Sara Carta
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenNetherlands
- ADAPT Centre, School of Computer Science and Statistics, University of Dublin, Trinity CollegeDublinIreland
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of TrentoTrentoItaly
| | - Greta Kaufeld
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Andrea E Martin
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegenNetherlands
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Donders Centre for Cognitive NeuroimagingNijmegenNetherlands
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17
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Abstract
Sentences contain structure that determines their meaning beyond that of individual words. An influential study by Ding and colleagues (2016) used frequency tagging of phrases and sentences to show that the human brain is sensitive to structure by finding peaks of neural power at the rate at which structures were presented. Since then, there has been a rich debate on how to best explain this pattern of results with profound impact on the language sciences. Models that use hierarchical structure building, as well as models based on associative sequence processing, can predict the neural response, creating an inferential impasse as to which class of models explains the nature of the linguistic computations reflected in the neural readout. In the current manuscript, we discuss pitfalls and common fallacies seen in the conclusions drawn in the literature illustrated by various simulations. We conclude that inferring the neural operations of sentence processing based on these neural data, and any like it, alone, is insufficient. We discuss how to best evaluate models and how to approach the modeling of neural readouts to sentence processing in a manner that remains faithful to cognitive, neural, and linguistic principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Ten Oever
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Karthikeya Kaushik
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Andrea E. Martin
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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18
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Neymotin SA, Tal I, Barczak A, O'Connell MN, McGinnis T, Markowitz N, Espinal E, Griffith E, Anwar H, Dura-Bernal S, Schroeder CE, Lytton WW, Jones SR, Bickel S, Lakatos P. Detecting Spontaneous Neural Oscillation Events in Primate Auditory Cortex. eNeuro 2022; 9:ENEURO.0281-21.2022. [PMID: 35906065 PMCID: PMC9395248 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0281-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrophysiological oscillations in the brain have been shown to occur as multicycle events, with onset and offset dependent on behavioral and cognitive state. To provide a baseline for state-related and task-related events, we quantified oscillation features in resting-state recordings. We developed an open-source wavelet-based tool to detect and characterize such oscillation events (OEvents) and exemplify the use of this tool in both simulations and two invasively-recorded electrophysiology datasets: one from human, and one from nonhuman primate (NHP) auditory system. After removing incidentally occurring event-related potentials (ERPs), we used OEvents to quantify oscillation features. We identified ∼2 million oscillation events, classified within traditional frequency bands: δ, θ, α, β, low γ, γ, and high γ. Oscillation events of 1-44 cycles could be identified in at least one frequency band 90% of the time in human and NHP recordings. Individual oscillation events were characterized by nonconstant frequency and amplitude. This result necessarily contrasts with prior studies which assumed frequency constancy, but is consistent with evidence from event-associated oscillations. We measured oscillation event duration, frequency span, and waveform shape. Oscillations tended to exhibit multiple cycles per event, verifiable by comparing filtered to unfiltered waveforms. In addition to the clear intraevent rhythmicity, there was also evidence of interevent rhythmicity within bands, demonstrated by finding that coefficient of variation of interval distributions and Fano factor (FF) measures differed significantly from a Poisson distribution assumption. Overall, our study provides an easy-to-use tool to study oscillation events at the single-trial level or in ongoing recordings, and demonstrates that rhythmic, multicycle oscillation events dominate auditory cortical dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Neymotin
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- Department Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
| | - Idan Tal
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032
| | - Annamaria Barczak
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Monica N O'Connell
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Tammy McGinnis
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Noah Markowitz
- Department Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY 11030
| | - Elizabeth Espinal
- Department Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY 11030
| | - Erica Griffith
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- Department Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203
| | - Haroon Anwar
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
| | - Salvador Dura-Bernal
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- Department Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203
| | - Charles E Schroeder
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032
| | - William W Lytton
- Department Physiology and Pharmacology, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203
- Department Neurology, Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203
| | - Stephanie R Jones
- Department Neuroscience and Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906
| | - Stephan Bickel
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- Department Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY 11030
| | - Peter Lakatos
- Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY 10962
- Department Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016
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19
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Gnanateja GN, Devaraju DS, Heyne M, Quique YM, Sitek KR, Tardif MC, Tessmer R, Dial HR. On the Role of Neural Oscillations Across Timescales in Speech and Music Processing. Front Comput Neurosci 2022; 16:872093. [PMID: 35814348 PMCID: PMC9260496 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.872093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Nike Gnanateja
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Dhatri S. Devaraju
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Matthias Heyne
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Yina M. Quique
- Center for Education in Health Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Kevin R. Sitek
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Monique C. Tardif
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Rachel Tessmer
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Heather R. Dial
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
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20
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Coopmans CW, de Hoop H, Hagoort P, Martin AE. Effects of Structure and Meaning on Cortical Tracking of Linguistic Units in Naturalistic Speech. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2022; 3:386-412. [PMID: 37216060 PMCID: PMC10158633 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Recent research has established that cortical activity "tracks" the presentation rate of syntactic phrases in continuous speech, even though phrases are abstract units that do not have direct correlates in the acoustic signal. We investigated whether cortical tracking of phrase structures is modulated by the extent to which these structures compositionally determine meaning. To this end, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) of 38 native speakers who listened to naturally spoken Dutch stimuli in different conditions, which parametrically modulated the degree to which syntactic structure and lexical semantics determine sentence meaning. Tracking was quantified through mutual information between the EEG data and either the speech envelopes or abstract annotations of syntax, all of which were filtered in the frequency band corresponding to the presentation rate of phrases (1.1-2.1 Hz). Overall, these mutual information analyses showed stronger tracking of phrases in regular sentences than in stimuli whose lexical-syntactic content is reduced, but no consistent differences in tracking between sentences and stimuli that contain a combination of syntactic structure and lexical content. While there were no effects of compositional meaning on the degree of phrase-structure tracking, analyses of event-related potentials elicited by sentence-final words did reveal meaning-induced differences between conditions. Our findings suggest that cortical tracking of structure in sentences indexes the internal generation of this structure, a process that is modulated by the properties of its input, but not by the compositional interpretation of its output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cas W. Coopmans
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Helen de Hoop
- Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Hagoort
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea E. Martin
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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21
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Chalas N, Daube C, Kluger DS, Abbasi O, Nitsch R, Gross J. Multivariate analysis of speech envelope tracking reveals coupling beyond auditory cortex. Neuroimage 2022; 258:119395. [PMID: 35718023 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The systematic alignment of low-frequency brain oscillations with the acoustic speech envelope signal is well established and has been proposed to be crucial for actively perceiving speech. Previous studies investigating speech-brain coupling in source space are restricted to univariate pairwise approaches between brain and speech signals, and therefore speech tracking information in frequency-specific communication channels might be lacking. To address this, we propose a novel multivariate framework for estimating speech-brain coupling where neural variability from source-derived activity is taken into account along with the rate of envelope's amplitude change (derivative). We applied it in magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings while human participants (male and female) listened to one hour of continuous naturalistic speech, showing that a multivariate approach outperforms the corresponding univariate method in low- and high frequencies across frontal, motor, and temporal areas. Systematic comparisons revealed that the gain in low frequencies (0.6 - 0.8 Hz) was related to the envelope's rate of change whereas in higher frequencies (from 0.8 to 10 Hz) it was mostly related to the increased neural variability from source-derived cortical areas. Furthermore, following a non-negative matrix factorization approach we found distinct speech-brain components across time and cortical space related to speech processing. We confirm that speech envelope tracking operates mainly in two timescales (δ and θ frequency bands) and we extend those findings showing shorter coupling delays in auditory-related components and longer delays in higher-association frontal and motor components, indicating temporal differences of speech tracking and providing implications for hierarchical stimulus-driven speech processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikos Chalas
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Christoph Daube
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Daniel S Kluger
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Omid Abbasi
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Robert Nitsch
- Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany; Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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22
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Cariani P, Baker JM. Time Is of the Essence: Neural Codes, Synchronies, Oscillations, Architectures. Front Comput Neurosci 2022; 16:898829. [PMID: 35814343 PMCID: PMC9262106 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.898829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Time is of the essence in how neural codes, synchronies, and oscillations might function in encoding, representation, transmission, integration, storage, and retrieval of information in brains. This Hypothesis and Theory article examines observed and possible relations between codes, synchronies, oscillations, and types of neural networks they require. Toward reverse-engineering informational functions in brains, prospective, alternative neural architectures incorporating principles from radio modulation and demodulation, active reverberant circuits, distributed content-addressable memory, signal-signal time-domain correlation and convolution operations, spike-correlation-based holography, and self-organizing, autoencoding anticipatory systems are outlined. Synchronies and oscillations are thought to subserve many possible functions: sensation, perception, action, cognition, motivation, affect, memory, attention, anticipation, and imagination. These include direct involvement in coding attributes of events and objects through phase-locking as well as characteristic patterns of spike latency and oscillatory response. They are thought to be involved in segmentation and binding, working memory, attention, gating and routing of signals, temporal reset mechanisms, inter-regional coordination, time discretization, time-warping transformations, and support for temporal wave-interference based operations. A high level, partial taxonomy of neural codes consists of channel, temporal pattern, and spike latency codes. The functional roles of synchronies and oscillations in candidate neural codes, including oscillatory phase-offset codes, are outlined. Various forms of multiplexing neural signals are considered: time-division, frequency-division, code-division, oscillatory-phase, synchronized channels, oscillatory hierarchies, polychronous ensembles. An expandable, annotative neural spike train framework for encoding low- and high-level attributes of events and objects is proposed. Coding schemes require appropriate neural architectures for their interpretation. Time-delay, oscillatory, wave-interference, synfire chain, polychronous, and neural timing networks are discussed. Some novel concepts for formulating an alternative, more time-centric theory of brain function are discussed. As in radio communication systems, brains can be regarded as networks of dynamic, adaptive transceivers that broadcast and selectively receive multiplexed temporally-patterned pulse signals. These signals enable complex signal interactions that select, reinforce, and bind common subpatterns and create emergent lower dimensional signals that propagate through spreading activation interference networks. If memory traces share the same kind of temporal pattern forms as do active neuronal representations, then distributed, holograph-like content-addressable memories are made possible via temporal pattern resonances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Cariani
- Hearing Research Center, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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23
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Rimmele JM, Kern P, Lubinus C, Frieler K, Poeppel D, Assaneo MF. Musical Sophistication and Speech Auditory-Motor Coupling: Easy Tests for Quick Answers. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:764342. [PMID: 35058741 PMCID: PMC8763673 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.764342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical training enhances auditory-motor cortex coupling, which in turn facilitates music and speech perception. How tightly the temporal processing of music and speech are intertwined is a topic of current research. We investigated the relationship between musical sophistication (Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication index, Gold-MSI) and spontaneous speech-to-speech synchronization behavior as an indirect measure of speech auditory-motor cortex coupling strength. In a group of participants (n = 196), we tested whether the outcome of the spontaneous speech-to-speech synchronization test (SSS-test) can be inferred from self-reported musical sophistication. Participants were classified as high (HIGHs) or low (LOWs) synchronizers according to the SSS-test. HIGHs scored higher than LOWs on all Gold-MSI subscales (General Score, Active Engagement, Musical Perception, Musical Training, Singing Skills), but the Emotional Attachment scale. More specifically, compared to a previously reported German-speaking sample, HIGHs overall scored higher and LOWs lower. Compared to an estimated distribution of the English-speaking general population, our sample overall scored lower, with the scores of LOWs significantly differing from the normal distribution, with scores in the ∼30th percentile. While HIGHs more often reported musical training compared to LOWs, the distribution of training instruments did not vary across groups. Importantly, even after the highly correlated subscores of the Gold-MSI were decorrelated, particularly the subscales Musical Perception and Musical Training allowed to infer the speech-to-speech synchronization behavior. The differential effects of musical perception and training were observed, with training predicting audio-motor synchronization in both groups, but perception only in the HIGHs. Our findings suggest that speech auditory-motor cortex coupling strength can be inferred from training and perceptual aspects of musical sophistication, suggesting shared mechanisms involved in speech and music perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M. Rimmele
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- Max Planck NYU Center for Language, Music and Emotion, New York, NY, United States
| | - Pius Kern
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christina Lubinus
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Klaus Frieler
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - David Poeppel
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- Max Planck NYU Center for Language, Music and Emotion, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - M. Florencia Assaneo
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, México
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24
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Acoustically Driven Cortical δ Oscillations Underpin Prosodic Chunking. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0562-20.2021. [PMID: 34083380 PMCID: PMC8272402 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0562-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Oscillation-based models of speech perception postulate a cortical computational principle by which decoding is performed within a window structure derived by a segmentation process. Segmentation of syllable-size chunks is realized by a θ oscillator. We provide evidence for an analogous role of a δ oscillator in the segmentation of phrase-sized chunks. We recorded magnetoencephalography (MEG) in humans, while participants performed a target identification task. Random-digit strings, with phrase-long chunks of two digits, were presented at chunk rates of 1.8 or 2.6 Hz, inside or outside the δ frequency band (defined here to be 0.5–2 Hz). Strong periodicities were elicited by chunk rates inside of δ in superior, middle temporal areas and speech-motor integration areas. Periodicities were diminished or absent for chunk rates outside δ, in line with behavioral performance. Our findings show that prosodic chunking of phrase-sized acoustic segments is correlated with acoustic-driven δ oscillations, expressing anatomically specific patterns of neuronal periodicities.
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25
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Lenc T, Keller PE, Varlet M, Nozaradan S. Neural and Behavioral Evidence for Frequency-Selective Context Effects in Rhythm Processing in Humans. Cereb Cortex Commun 2020; 1:tgaa037. [PMID: 34296106 PMCID: PMC8152888 DOI: 10.1093/texcom/tgaa037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
When listening to music, people often perceive and move along with a periodic meter. However, the dynamics of mapping between meter perception and the acoustic cues to meter periodicities in the sensory input remain largely unknown. To capture these dynamics, we recorded the electroencephalography while nonmusician and musician participants listened to nonrepeating rhythmic sequences, where acoustic cues to meter frequencies either gradually decreased (from regular to degraded) or increased (from degraded to regular). The results revealed greater neural activity selectively elicited at meter frequencies when the sequence gradually changed from regular to degraded compared with the opposite. Importantly, this effect was unlikely to arise from overall gain, or low-level auditory processing, as revealed by physiological modeling. Moreover, the context effect was more pronounced in nonmusicians, who also demonstrated facilitated sensory-motor synchronization with the meter for sequences that started as regular. In contrast, musicians showed weaker effects of recent context in their neural responses and robust ability to move along with the meter irrespective of stimulus degradation. Together, our results demonstrate that brain activity elicited by rhythm does not only reflect passive tracking of stimulus features, but represents continuous integration of sensory input with recent context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Lenc
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia
| | - Peter E Keller
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia
| | - Manuel Varlet
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia
- School of Psychology, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia
| | - Sylvie Nozaradan
- MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour, and Development, Western Sydney University, Penrith, Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia
- Institute of Neuroscience (IONS), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Brussels 1200, Belgium
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal QC H3C 3J7, Canada
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