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Timing of covert articulation: an fMRI study
S S Shergill1, D K Tracy, M Seal
1CSI Lab, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, UK. s.shergill@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Neuropsychologia
|May 30, 2006
Summary
This study reveals brain networks crucial for the timing of silent speech. Key areas like the anterior cingulate gyrus and frontal cortex are involved in internally paced articulation timing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psycholinguistics
Background:
- Speech and language rely heavily on precise timing.
- Neural mechanisms for time estimation and motor timing are known, but less is understood about covert speech timing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify neural networks involved in the timing of internally paced covert articulation.
- To explore the brain's role in regulating the temporal aspects of silent speech generation.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used.
- Participants covertly generated words at regular intervals (2 seconds), both spontaneously and with visual cues.
Main Results:
- Activation was observed in the anterior cingulate gyrus, right dorsolateral and inferior frontal cortices, and right inferior parietal cortex.
- These regions form a circuit potentially independent of sensory modality for timing covert speech.
- The right temporal cortex showed modality-specific activation, possibly related to auditory-verbal processing.
Conclusions:
- The study identified a specific neural circuit for the timing of internally paced covert speech.
- Findings suggest modality-independent and modality-specific brain regions contribute to speech timing.