Prosodic recitation training selectively enhances sensorimotor connectivity during poetry reading: a longitudinal...

Whether different modes of language engagement induce distinct neural changes remains poorly understood. Here we provide longitudinal evidence that vocal recitation training-but not semantic analysis-is associated with changes in sensorimotor networks that correlate with emotional responses. We assigned 70 participants to prosody training (rhythmic recitation), comprehension training (semantic analysis), or transcription control, all engaging with identical poetic materials. Using fNIRS before and after a four-day intervention, a linear mixed-effects model revealed a significant group × training interaction confirming that only prosody training enhanced connectivity between the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and postcentral gyrus (PoCG)-regions supporting motor planning and sensorimotor integration. This was accompanied by improved rhythmic performance and increased physiological arousal. These effects extended to the untrained portion of the same poem, suggesting near transfer to structurally similar materials. Inter-subject representational similarity analysis revealed that training-induced neural changes in sensorimotor regions (MFG, IPL, PoCG) correlated with individual differences in emotional arousal, indicating a brain-behavior correspondence with affective processing. In contrast, comprehension training did not produce comparable sensorimotor connectivity changes, while transcription produced minimal effects. These findings suggest that engagement mode can shape sensorimotor connectivity, providing convergent behavioral, physiological, and neural evidence for sensorimotor involvement in prosodic recitation.