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Cerebral processing of voice gender studied using a continuous carryover FMRI design
Ian Charest1, Cyril Pernet, Marianne Latinus
1Medical Research Council-Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (MRC-CBU), Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK. ian.charest@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|April 12, 2012
Summary
The brain processes voice gender in two stages. The auditory cortex analyzes acoustic features, while the prefrontal cortex assesses perceived ambiguity, revealing mechanisms of voice gender recognition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Listeners readily identify voice gender.
- Underlying brain mechanisms are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cerebral processing stages in voice gender categorization.
- To identify brain regions involved in voice gender perception.
Main Methods:
- Used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with an adaptation-optimized design.
- Employed voice morphing to manipulate acoustic properties and perceived ambiguity.
Main Results:
- Secondary auditory cortex (including temporal voice areas) responded to acoustic distance.
- Inferior prefrontal and cingulate cortex networks reflected perceived stimulus ambiguity.
Conclusions:
- Voice gender recognition involves auditory feature extraction in the ventral stream.
- Prefrontal cortex interacts with auditory regions for voice gender perception.
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