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FMRI-based identity classification accuracy in left temporal and frontal regions predicts speaker recognition
Virginia Aglieri1, Bastien Cagna1, Lionel Velly1,2
1Institut de Neurosciences de La Timone, UMR 7289, CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université, 13005, Marseille, France.
Scientific Reports
|January 13, 2021
Summary
Neural bases of speaker recognition were explored using fMRI. Researchers found that brain patterns in temporal and frontal regions predict speaker identity, correlating with individual performance in recognizing voices.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
Background:
- Speaker recognition exhibits significant inter-individual variability.
- The neural underpinnings of speaker recognition, particularly prefrontal involvement, remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify the cerebral correlates of human speaker recognition, focusing on prefrontal areas.
- To investigate the relationship between fMRI-based speaker classification and individual behavioral performance.
Main Methods:
- Multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) applied to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.
- A cohort of 40 participants with varying voice recognition abilities performed an fMRI speaker identification task.
- Participants identified previously learned speakers via button presses.
Main Results:
- Speaker identity was significantly decoded from fMRI patterns in bilateral temporal voice areas (TVAs) and parietal and left inferior frontal regions.
- fMRI classification accuracy correlated with individual behavioral performance in the left anterior superior temporal gyrus/sulcus (STG/STS) and left inferior frontal gyrus.
Conclusions:
- Both temporal and extra-temporal brain regions are crucial for speaker identity recognition.
- Individual differences in speaker recognition performance are linked to neural activity patterns in specific brain areas.
