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Expectations about word stress modulate neural activity in speech-sensitive cortical areas
Ferenc Honbolygó1, Andrea Kóbor2, Petra Hermann2
1Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary; Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Neuropsychologia
|April 20, 2020
Summary
This study shows that the brain predicts word stress patterns, a key part of speech segmentation. This predictive processing occurs in the superior temporal gyrus (STG), suggesting a link to the auditory dorsal stream.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psycholinguistics
- Auditory Processing
Background:
- A dual-stream model suggests the dorsal stream handles predictive sequential language processing.
- The role of predictive processing in prosodic segmentation, specifically word stress, remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if word stress processing involves predictive mechanisms.
- To identify brain regions involved in the predictive processing of word stress.
Main Methods:
- Used an event-related acoustic fMRI repetition suppression (RS) paradigm.
- Presented pseudowords with same (Rep) or different (Alt) stress patterns.
- Varied the probability of Rep and Alt trials to modulate RS.
Main Results:
- Found significant repetition suppression (lower BOLD signal for Rep vs. Alt trials) in bilateral posterior and middle superior temporal gyrus (STG), and left anterior STG.
- The magnitude of repetition suppression in posterior and middle STG was modulated by repetition probability.
- This modulation indicates predictive processing of word stress.
Conclusions:
- Word stress processing involves predictive mechanisms within the superior temporal gyrus (STG).
- These findings suggest a potential link between word stress processing and the dorsal auditory stream.
