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Liu Y, van Hell JG. Neural correlates of listening to nonnative-accented speech in multi-talker background noise. Neuropsychologia 2024; 203:108968. [PMID: 39117064 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108968] [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: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
We examined the neural correlates underlying the semantic processing of native- and nonnative-accented sentences, presented in quiet or embedded in multi-talker noise. Implementing a semantic violation paradigm, 36 English monolingual young adults listened to American-accented (native) and Chinese-accented (nonnative) English sentences with or without semantic anomalies, presented in quiet or embedded in multi-talker noise, while EEG was recorded. After hearing each sentence, participants verbally repeated the sentence, which was coded and scored as an offline comprehension accuracy measure. In line with earlier behavioral studies, the negative impact of background noise on sentence repetition accuracy was higher for nonnative-accented than for native-accented sentences. At the neural level, the N400 effect for semantic anomaly was larger for native-accented than for nonnative-accented sentences, and was also larger for sentences presented in quiet than in noise, indicating impaired lexical-semantic access when listening to nonnative-accented speech or sentences embedded in noise. No semantic N400 effect was observed for nonnative-accented sentences presented in noise. Furthermore, the frequency of neural oscillations in the alpha frequency band (an index of online cognitive listening effort) was higher when listening to sentences in noise versus in quiet, but no difference was observed across the accent conditions. Semantic anomalies presented in background noise also elicited higher theta activity, whereas processing nonnative-accented anomalies was associated with decreased theta activity. Taken together, we found that listening to nonnative accents or background noise is associated with processing challenges during online semantic access, leading to decreased comprehension accuracy. However, the underlying cognitive mechanism (e.g., associated listening efforts) might manifest differently across accented speech processing and speech in noise processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushuang Liu
- Department of Psychology and Center for Language Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Janet G van Hell
- Department of Psychology and Center for Language Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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Alvand A, Kuruvilla-Mathew A, Kirk IJ, Roberts RP, Pedersen M, Purdy SC. Altered brain network topology in children with auditory processing disorder: A resting-state multi-echo fMRI study. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 35:103139. [PMID: 36002970 PMCID: PMC9421544 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Children with auditory processing disorder (APD) experience hearing difficulties, particularly in the presence of competing sounds, despite having normal audiograms. There is considerable debate on whether APD symptoms originate from bottom-up (e.g., auditory sensory processing) and/or top-down processing (e.g., cognitive, language, memory). A related issue is that little is known about whether functional brain network topology is altered in APD. Therefore, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data to investigate the functional brain network organization of 57 children from 8 to 14 years old, diagnosed with APD (n = 28) and without hearing difficulties (healthy control, HC; n = 29). We applied complex network analysis using graph theory to assess the whole-brain integration and segregation of functional networks and brain hub architecture. Our results showed children with APD and HC have similar global network properties -i.e., an average of all brain regions- and modular organization. Still, the APD group showed different hub architecture in default mode-ventral attention, somatomotor and frontoparietal-dorsal attention modules. At the nodal level -i.e., single-brain regions-, we observed decreased participation coefficient (PC - a measure quantifying the diversity of between-network connectivity) in auditory cortical regions in APD, including bilateral superior temporal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus. Beyond auditory regions, PC was also decreased in APD in bilateral posterior temporo-occipital cortices, left intraparietal sulcus, and right posterior insular cortex. Correlation analysis suggested a positive association between PC in the left parahippocampal gyrus and the listening-in-spatialized-noise -sentences task where APD children were engaged in auditory perception. In conclusion, our findings provide evidence of altered brain network organization in children with APD, specific to auditory networks, and shed new light on the neural systems underlying children's listening difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashkan Alvand
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Eisdell Moore Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Abin Kuruvilla-Mathew
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Eisdell Moore Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Ian J Kirk
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Eisdell Moore Centre, Auckland, New Zealand; Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Reece P Roberts
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Mangor Pedersen
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
| | - Suzanne C Purdy
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Eisdell Moore Centre, Auckland, New Zealand; Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
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3
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Encoding and decoding of meaning through structured variability in intonational speech prosody. Cognition 2021; 211:104619. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Jiang J, Benhamou E, Waters S, Johnson JCS, Volkmer A, Weil RS, Marshall CR, Warren JD, Hardy CJD. Processing of Degraded Speech in Brain Disorders. Brain Sci 2021; 11:394. [PMID: 33804653 PMCID: PMC8003678 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11030394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The speech we hear every day is typically "degraded" by competing sounds and the idiosyncratic vocal characteristics of individual speakers. While the comprehension of "degraded" speech is normally automatic, it depends on dynamic and adaptive processing across distributed neural networks. This presents the brain with an immense computational challenge, making degraded speech processing vulnerable to a range of brain disorders. Therefore, it is likely to be a sensitive marker of neural circuit dysfunction and an index of retained neural plasticity. Considering experimental methods for studying degraded speech and factors that affect its processing in healthy individuals, we review the evidence for altered degraded speech processing in major neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury and stroke. We develop a predictive coding framework for understanding deficits of degraded speech processing in these disorders, focussing on the "language-led dementias"-the primary progressive aphasias. We conclude by considering prospects for using degraded speech as a probe of language network pathophysiology, a diagnostic tool and a target for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Jiang
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Elia Benhamou
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Sheena Waters
- Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK;
| | - Jeremy C. S. Johnson
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Anna Volkmer
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK;
| | - Rimona S. Weil
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Charles R. Marshall
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
- Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK;
| | - Jason D. Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
| | - Chris J. D. Hardy
- Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (J.J.); (E.B.); (J.C.S.J.); (R.S.W.); (C.R.M.); (J.D.W.)
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Hernández M, Ventura-Campos N, Costa A, Miró-Padilla A, Ávila C. Brain networks involved in accented speech processing. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2019; 194:12-22. [PMID: 30959385 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the neural correlates of accented speech processing (ASP) with an fMRI study that overcame prior limitations in this line of research: we preserved intelligibility by using two regional accents that differ in prosody but only mildly in phonetics (Latin American and Castilian Spanish), and we used independent component analysis to identify brain networks as opposed to isolated regions. ASP engaged a speech perception network composed primarily of structures related with the processing of prosody (cerebellum, putamen, and thalamus). This network also included anterior fronto-temporal areas associated with lexical-semantic processing and a portion of the inferior frontal gyrus linked to executive control. ASP also recruited domain-general executive control networks related with cognitive demands (dorsal attentional and default mode networks) and the processing of salient events (salience network). Finally, the reward network showed a preference for the native accent, presumably revealing people's sense of social belonging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mireia Hernández
- Section of Cognitive Processes, Department of Cognition, Development, and Educational Psychology, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Noelia Ventura-Campos
- Neuropsychology and Functional Imaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain; Department of Education and Specific Didactics, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - Albert Costa
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Miró-Padilla
- Neuropsychology and Functional Imaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - César Ávila
- Neuropsychology and Functional Imaging Group, Department of Basic Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
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Alain C, Du Y, Bernstein LJ, Barten T, Banai K. Listening under difficult conditions: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. Hum Brain Mapp 2018. [PMID: 29536592 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The brain networks supporting speech identification and comprehension under difficult listening conditions are not well specified. The networks hypothesized to underlie effortful listening include regions responsible for executive control. We conducted meta-analyses of auditory neuroimaging studies to determine whether a common activation pattern of the frontal lobe supports effortful listening under different speech manipulations. Fifty-three functional neuroimaging studies investigating speech perception were divided into three independent Activation Likelihood Estimate analyses based on the type of speech manipulation paradigm used: Speech-in-noise (SIN, 16 studies, involving 224 participants); spectrally degraded speech using filtering techniques (15 studies involving 270 participants); and linguistic complexity (i.e., levels of syntactic, lexical and semantic intricacy/density, 22 studies, involving 348 participants). Meta-analysis of the SIN studies revealed higher effort was associated with activation in left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), left inferior parietal lobule, and right insula. Studies using spectrally degraded speech demonstrated increased activation of the insula bilaterally and the left superior temporal gyrus (STG). Studies manipulating linguistic complexity showed activation in the left IFG, right middle frontal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus and bilateral STG. Planned contrasts revealed left IFG activation in linguistic complexity studies, which differed from activation patterns observed in SIN or spectral degradation studies. Although there were no significant overlap in prefrontal activation across these three speech manipulation paradigms, SIN and spectral degradation showed overlapping regions in left and right insula. These findings provide evidence that there is regional specialization within the left IFG and differential executive networks underlie effortful listening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claude Alain
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yi Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lori J Bernstein
- Department of Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Thijs Barten
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karen Banai
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Xie X, Myers E. Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus Sensitivity to Phonetic Competition in Receptive Language Processing: A Comparison of Clear and Conversational Speech. J Cogn Neurosci 2017; 30:267-280. [PMID: 29160743 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The speech signal is rife with variations in phonetic ambiguity. For instance, when talkers speak in a conversational register, they demonstrate less articulatory precision, leading to greater potential for confusability at the phonetic level compared with a clear speech register. Current psycholinguistic models assume that ambiguous speech sounds activate more than one phonological category and that competition at prelexical levels cascades to lexical levels of processing. Imaging studies have shown that the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) is modulated by phonetic competition between simultaneously activated categories, with increases in activation for more ambiguous tokens. Yet, these studies have often used artificially manipulated speech and/or metalinguistic tasks, which arguably may recruit neural regions that are not critical for natural speech recognition. Indeed, a prominent model of speech processing, the dual-stream model, posits that the LIFG is not involved in prelexical processing in receptive language processing. In the current study, we exploited natural variation in phonetic competition in the speech signal to investigate the neural systems sensitive to phonetic competition as listeners engage in a receptive language task. Participants heard nonsense sentences spoken in either a clear or conversational register as neural activity was monitored using fMRI. Conversational sentences contained greater phonetic competition, as estimated by measures of vowel confusability, and these sentences also elicited greater activation in a region in the LIFG. Sentence-level phonetic competition metrics uniquely correlated with LIFG activity as well. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that the LIFG responds to competition at multiple levels of language processing and that recruitment of this region does not require an explicit phonological judgment.
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