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Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example
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Decoding the Cortical Dynamics of Sound-Meaning Mapping.

Ece Kocagoncu1, Alex Clarke1, Barry J Devereux1

  • 1Centre for Speech, Language and the Brain, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|December 29, 2016
PubMed
Summary

This study reveals the real-time brain activity during spoken word recognition, identifying specific brain regions involved in lexical and semantic competition before word uniqueness. Findings illuminate the neural dynamics of speech comprehension.

Keywords:
MEGMVPAcohortcompetitionsearchlightsemantics

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Auditory Processing
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Spoken word recognition involves mapping sound to meaning rapidly and efficiently.
  • Cognitive models propose continuous activation and competition of word candidates until a uniqueness point (UP).
  • The real-time neural dynamics of speech-to-meaning transformation remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of brain activity during spoken word recognition.
  • To identify the neural substrates and timing of lexical and semantic competition.
  • To test computational models of speech comprehension in real-time.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetoencephalography (MEG) data collected from human participants listening to spoken words.
  • Quantitative models of lexical and semantic competition and meaning access.
  • Spatiotemporal searchlight representational similarity analysis in source space.

Main Results:

  • Early transient effects of lexical competition observed ~400 ms before the UP in left supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG).
  • Semantic competition effects identified in MTG, left angular gyrus, and IFG prior to the UP.
  • Post-UP, only target-specific semantic effects were found in angular gyrus and MTG, with no competitive effects.

Conclusions:

  • The findings provide a detailed spatiotemporal map of neural processes underlying spoken word recognition.
  • Early lexical and semantic competition precede unique word identification.
  • Distinct neural dynamics support different stages of speech comprehension.