Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
08:45
Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example
Published on: October 24, 2012
Auditory-visual processing represented in the human superior temporal gyrus
R A Reale1, G A Calvert, T Thesen
1Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. rreale@wisc.edu
Neuroscience
|January 24, 2007
Summary
Visual speech information significantly impacts auditory responses in the posterior lateral superior temporal gyrus (PLST). This audiovisual influence is more pronounced in the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Visual Speech Processing
Background:
- Natural communication integrates auditory and visual speech cues.
- The posterior lateral superior temporal gyrus (PLST) is an acoustically responsive brain region.
- Prior research suggests PLST may process audiovisual speech interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if area PLST exhibits neural signals related to audiovisual speech.
- To determine how visual speech information modulates auditory responses in PLST.
Main Methods:
- Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from PLST in epilepsy patients.
- Cortical ERP maps were generated during auditory, visual, and bimodal speech tasks.
- Stimuli included auditory syllables, silent visual speech, and audiovisual syllables with matched/mismatched faces.
Main Results:
- Auditory speech responses in PLST were significantly influenced by visual speech stimuli.
- Visual stimuli included articulating faces and meaningless facial movements (gurning).
- The extent of this audiovisual influence was larger in the speech-dominant hemisphere.
Conclusions:
- Area PLST plays a role in integrating auditory and visual speech information.
- Visual speech input modulates neural responses to auditory speech in PLST.
- Hemispheric specialization for speech processing is evident in audiovisual integration within PLST.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
01:15Auditory Pathway
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
01:21Association Areas of the Cortex
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
01:24Vision
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
01:26Visual System
Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
01:20Parallel Processing
The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...