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Stimulating the Lip Motor Cortex with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Published on: June 14, 2014
Effective connectivity analysis demonstrates involvement of premotor cortex during speech perception
Berge Osnes1, Kenneth Hugdahl, Karsten Specht
1Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. berge.osnes@psybb.uib.no
Neuroimage
|October 12, 2010
Summary
The premotor cortex may help interpret sounds as speech when auditory input is unclear. It is not essential for general speech perception but aids in processing distorted speech sounds.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Auditory Processing
Background:
- The precise function of the premotor cortex in speech perception remains debated.
- Previous studies suggest its involvement, but empirical evidence is inconclusive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functional role of the premotor cortex in speech perception.
- To determine the relationship between premotor cortex activity and the clarity of speech stimuli.
Main Methods:
- A behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted.
- Parametrically varied speech stimuli, transitioning from white noise to speech, were presented.
- Dynamic Causal Modeling (DCM) analyzed effective connectivity between auditory and premotor regions.
Main Results:
- A graded increase in activation was observed in the left superior temporal sulcus with increasing speech clarity.
- Premotor cortex activity peaked during intermediate speech perception (identifiable but distorted sounds).
- Significant interconnections were found between auditory regions (Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, superior temporal sulcus) and the premotor cortex during speech processing.
Conclusions:
- The premotor cortex is not generally required for speech perception.
- It may play a facilitative role in identifying sounds as speech, particularly when acoustic information is incomplete or ambiguous.
- Processing non-speech sounds did not elicit significant premotor cortex connectivity.
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