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Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Recording Human Electrocorticographic (ECoG) Signals for Neuroscientific Research and Real-time Functional Cortical Mapping
Published on: June 26, 2012
Cortical representations of communication sounds.
Marc A Heiser1, Steven W Cheung
1Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143-0732, USA. mheiser@phy.ucsf.edu
Recent studies reveal how the brain processes animal and human vocalizations. Research shows developmental exposures and learned tasks significantly impact vocalization perception and brain responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Comparative Psychology
- Bioacoustics
Background:
- Vocalization processing is crucial for social interaction and communication in both humans and animals.
- Recent advancements in neuroimaging and animal models have revitalized research in this field.
- Understanding cortical processing of vocalizations offers insights into speech disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent research on cortical processing of vocalizations in animals and humans.
- To discuss new findings from studies using complex vocalization models and advanced human brain imaging.
- To highlight the interplay between developmental experiences and vocalization perception.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent experimental studies on vocalization processing.
- Analysis of research employing animal models with complex vocalizations.
- Examination of human brain imaging studies.
Main Results:
- Identification of bilateral cortical fields involved in communication sound processing.
- Elucidation of neural representation transformations across cortical fields.
- Demonstration of significant effects of developmental sound exposure and adult training on vocalization perception.
- Discovery of a neural link between vocalization production and cortical representation.
Conclusions:
- Parallel human and animal studies are advancing our understanding of the central nervous system's processing of vocalizations.
- The dual approach is revealing principles of large-scale neural interactions in vocalization perception.
- Advances in this area promise improved understanding and treatment for speech processing disorders.
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