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Rinke P, Schmidt T, Beier K, Kaul R, Scharinger M. Rapid pre-attentive processing of a famous speaker: Electrophysiological effects of Angela Merkel's voice. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108312. [PMID: 35781011 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108312] [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: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The recognition of human speakers by their voices is a remarkable cognitive ability. Previous research has established a voice area in the right temporal cortex involved in the integration of speaker-specific acoustic features. This integration appears to occur rapidly, especially in case of familiar voices. However, the exact time course of this process is less well understood. To this end, we here investigated the automatic change detection response of the human brain while listening to the famous voice of German chancellor Angela Merkel, embedded in the context of acoustically matched voices. A classic passive oddball paradigm contrasted short word stimuli uttered by Merkel with word stimuli uttered by two unfamiliar female speakers. Electrophysiological voice processing indices from 21 participants were quantified as mismatch negativities (MMNs) and P3a differences. Cortical sources were approximated by variable resolution electromagnetic tomography. The results showed amplitude and latency effects for both MMN and P3a: The famous (familiar) voice elicited a smaller but earlier MMN than the unfamiliar voices. The P3a, by contrast, was both larger and later for the familiar than for the unfamiliar voices. Familiar-voice MMNs originated from right-hemispheric regions in temporal cortex, overlapping with the temporal voice area, while unfamiliar-voice MMNs stemmed from left superior temporal gyrus. These results suggest that the processing of a very famous voice relies on pre-attentive right temporal processing within the first 150 ms of the acoustic signal. The findings further our understanding of the neural dynamics underlying familiar voice processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Rinke
- Research Group Phonetics, Institute of German Linguistics, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain & Behavior, Universities of Marburg & Gießen, Germany
| | - Tatjana Schmidt
- Center for Mind, Brain & Behavior, Universities of Marburg & Gießen, Germany; Faculté de biologie et de médecine, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kjartan Beier
- Research Group Phonetics, Institute of German Linguistics, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Ramona Kaul
- Research Group Phonetics, Institute of German Linguistics, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
| | - Mathias Scharinger
- Research Group Phonetics, Institute of German Linguistics, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Research Center »Deutscher Sprachatlas«, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain & Behavior, Universities of Marburg & Gießen, Germany.
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Foldal MD, Blenkmann AO, Llorens A, Knight RT, Solbakk AK, Endestad T. The brain tracks auditory rhythm predictability independent of selective attention. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7975. [PMID: 32409738 PMCID: PMC7224206 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64758-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain responds to violations of expected rhythms, due to extraction- and prediction of the temporal structure in auditory input. Yet, it is unknown how probability of rhythm violations affects the overall rhythm predictability. Another unresolved question is whether predictive processes are independent of attention processes. In this study, EEG was recorded while subjects listened to rhythmic sequences. Predictability was manipulated by changing the stimulus-onset-asynchrony (SOA deviants) for given tones in the rhythm. When SOA deviants were inserted rarely, predictability remained high, whereas predictability was lower with more frequent SOA deviants. Dichotic tone-presentation allowed for independent manipulation of attention, as specific tones of the rhythm were presented to separate ears. Attention was manipulated by instructing subjects to attend to tones in one ear only, while keeping the rhythmic structure of tones constant. The analyses of event-related potentials revealed an attenuated N1 for tones when rhythm predictability was high, while the N1 was enhanced by attention to tones. Bayesian statistics revealed no interaction between predictability and attention. A right-lateralization of attention effects, but not predictability effects, suggested potentially different cortical processes. This is the first study to show that probability of rhythm violation influences rhythm predictability, independent of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja D Foldal
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. .,RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Alejandro O Blenkmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anaïs Llorens
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Neurosurgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Psychology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
| | - Robert T Knight
- Department of Psychology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, USA
| | - Anne-Kristin Solbakk
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Neurosurgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Neuropsychology, Helgeland Hospital, Mosjøen, Norway
| | - Tor Endestad
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Neuropsychology, Helgeland Hospital, Mosjøen, Norway
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Dacewicz A, Szymaszek A, Nowak K, Szelag E. Training-Induced Changes in Rapid Auditory Processing in Children With Specific Language Impairment: Electrophysiological Indicators. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:310. [PMID: 30131683 PMCID: PMC6091056 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain’s ability to recognize acoustic changes occurring in rapid temporal succession is important for speech and successful language development. Children with specific language impairment (SLI) are characterized by deficient dynamics of temporal information processing (TIP) in the millisecond time range accompanied by disordered language development. Furthermore, previous studies have found that intervention based on amelioration of TIP resulted in improvement of both language and other cognitive functions. This study aimed to explain the changes associated with TIP training from the perspective of event-related potentials (ERPs). Thirty-six children aged 5–8 years (26 boys, 10 girls) diagnosed with SLI underwent two types of intense audio-visual computer intervention: experimental TIP training targeted at the millisecond time range (n = 18) or control non-TIP training (n = 18). Paired 50 ms tones of 1000 Hz and 1200 Hz were presented with inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs) of either 50 ms (Short ISI Condition) or 200 ms (Long ISI Condition). Auditory ERPs were measured in a passive oddball paradigm before and after each type of training. The mismatch negativity (MMN) paradigm was applied as an electrophysiological indicator of the brain’s ability to automatically detect violations of regularity in paired tones presented in rapid succession. Moreover, the P3a component was also analyzed. After 24 sessions of temporal training (in the experimental group) MMN amplitude enhancement was observed in both ISI conditions, reflecting increased efficiency in perceiving changes in rapid auditory sequences. In both experimental and control groups, P3a amplitude was enhanced in both ISIs. This may be due to the improvement of involuntary attention shifting to the auditory events involved in each training type. To conclude, temporal training, compared to non-temporal control training, improved the ability to detect changes in a rapid auditory stream in children with SLI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Dacewicz
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Aneta Szymaszek
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kamila Nowak
- Laboratory of Social Psychology, Department of Ergonomics, Central Institute for Labour Protection-National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Szelag
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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Martin B, Franck N, Cermolacce M, Coull JT, Giersch A. Minimal Self and Timing Disorders in Schizophrenia: A Case Report. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:132. [PMID: 29686612 PMCID: PMC5900747 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
For years, phenomenological psychiatry has proposed that distortions of the temporal structure of consciousness contribute to the abnormal experiences described before schizophrenia emerges, and may relate to basic disturbances in consciousness of the self. However, considering that temporality refers mainly to an implicit aspect of our relationship with the world, disturbances in the temporal structure of consciousness remain difficult to access. Nonetheless, previous studies have shown a correlation between self disorders and the automatic ability to expect an event in time, suggesting timing is a key issue for the psychopathology of schizophrenia. Timing disorders may represent a target for cognitive remediation, but this requires that disorders can be demonstrated at an individual level. Since cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia are discrete, and there is no standardized timing exploration, we focused on timing impairments suggested to be related to self disorders. We present the case report of AF, a 22 year old man suffering from schizophrenia, with no antipsychotic intake. Although AF shows few positive and negative symptoms and has a normal neurocognitive assessment, he shows a high level of disturbance of Minimal Self Disorders (SDs) (assessed with the EASE scale). Moreover, AF has a rare ability to describe his self and time difficulties. An objective assessment of timing ability (variable foreperiod task) confirmed that AF had temporal impairments similar to those previously described in patients, i.e., a preserved ability to distinguish time intervals, but a difficulty to benefit from the passage of time to expect a visual stimulus. He presents additional difficulties in benefitting from temporal cues and adapting to changes in time delays. The impairments were ample enough to yield significant effects with analyses at the individual level. Although causal relationships between subjective and objective impairments cannot be established, the results show that exploring timing deficits at the individual level is possible in patients with schizophrenia. Besides, the results are consistent with hypotheses relating minimal self disorders (SDs) to timing difficulties. They suggest that both subjective and objective timing investigations should be developed further so that their use at an individual level can be generalized in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brice Martin
- Centre Ressource de Réhabilitation Psychosociale et de Remédiation Cognitive, Centre Référent Lyonnais en Réhabilitation et en Remédiation Cognitive Hôpital du Vinatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5229, Lyon, France
| | - Nicolas Franck
- Centre Ressource de Réhabilitation Psychosociale et de Remédiation Cognitive, Centre Référent Lyonnais en Réhabilitation et en Remédiation Cognitive Hôpital du Vinatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 5229, Lyon, France
| | - Michel Cermolacce
- Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie, Hôpital Ste Marguerite, Marseille, France
| | - Jennifer T Coull
- Laboratoire des Neurosciences Cognitives (UMR 7291), Aix-Marseille Université & Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
| | - Anne Giersch
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1114, Pôle de Psychiatrie, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire of Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Paris, France
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Integrating speech in time depends on temporal expectancies and attention. Cortex 2017; 93:28-40. [PMID: 28609683 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Revised: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Sensory information that unfolds in time, such as in speech perception, relies on efficient chunking mechanisms in order to yield optimally-sized units for further processing. Whether or not two successive acoustic events receive a one-unit or a two-unit interpretation seems to depend on the fit between their temporal extent and a stipulated temporal window of integration. However, there is ongoing debate on how flexible this temporal window of integration should be, especially for the processing of speech sounds. Furthermore, there is no direct evidence of whether attention may modulate the temporal constraints on the integration window. For this reason, we here examine how different word durations, which lead to different temporal separations of sound onsets, interact with attention. In an Electroencephalography (EEG) study, participants actively and passively listened to words where word-final consonants were occasionally omitted. Words had either a natural duration or were artificially prolonged in order to increase the separation of speech sound onsets. Omission responses to incomplete speech input, originating in left temporal cortex, decreased when the critical speech sound was separated from previous sounds by more than 250 msec, i.e., when the separation was larger than the stipulated temporal window of integration (125-150 msec). Attention, on the other hand, only increased omission responses for stimuli with natural durations. We complemented the event-related potential (ERP) analyses by a frequency-domain analysis on the stimulus presentation rate. Notably, the power of stimulation frequency showed the same duration and attention effects than the omission responses. We interpret these findings on the background of existing research on temporal integration windows and further suggest that our findings may be accounted for within the framework of predictive coding.
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