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Published on: November 26, 2012
Human cortical sensorimotor network underlying feedback control of vocal pitch
Edward F Chang1, Caroline A Niziolek, Robert T Knight
1Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. changed@neurosurg.ucsf.edu
Summary
Auditory feedback is crucial for vocal pitch control. This study identified a human brain network, involving the peri-Sylvian speech network, that uses auditory and premotor cortex responses to adjust vocal pitch in real-time.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Speech Science
- Auditory Neuroscience
Background:
- Vocalization control relies heavily on auditory feedback.
- The specific neural networks mediating real-time pitch adjustments remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the human peri-Sylvian speech network responsible for auditory feedback control of vocal pitch.
- To investigate the neural correlates of pitch perturbation compensation.
Main Methods:
- Direct cortical recordings were used in human subjects during phonation.
- Vocal pitch was perturbed in real-time during a speaking task.
- Neural responses to auditory feedback (normal and perturbed) were analyzed.
- Behavioral compensation and its correlation with neural activity were examined.
Main Results:
- Distinct sites in the posterior superior temporal gyrus showed suppressed responses to normal feedback and enhanced responses to altered feedback.
- Vocal pitch compensation was observed behaviorally.
- Compensatory vocal changes were predicted by the magnitude of auditory and ventral premotor cortical responses to pitch perturbations.
- Neural sites with enhanced responses to perturbation showed stronger correlations with behavioral compensation.
Conclusions:
- A sensorimotor cortical network, including auditory and ventral premotor areas, underlies auditory feedback-based control of vocal pitch in humans.
- This network dynamically adjusts vocalizations based on real-time auditory feedback.
- Understanding this network provides insights into speech production and potential mechanisms for speech disorders.
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