This study was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG; SFB 550/B1 and AC 55/9-1). The authors thank Maike Borutta for excellent technical assistance and Jürgen Dax for the implementation of a precisely timed acoustic stimulus presentation method.
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Original Article
Magnetic brain activity phase-locked to the envelope, the syllable onsets, and the fundamental frequency of a perceived speech signal
Article first published online: 16 DEC 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01314.x
Copyright © 2011 Society for Psychophysiological Research
Additional Information
How to Cite
Hertrich, I., Dietrich, S., Trouvain, J., Moos, A. and Ackermann, H. (2012), Magnetic brain activity phase-locked to the envelope, the syllable onsets, and the fundamental frequency of a perceived speech signal. Psychophysiology, 49: 322–334. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01314.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 7 FEB 2012
- Article first published online: 16 DEC 2011
- Manuscript Accepted: 8 SEP 2011
- Manuscript Received: 12 APR 2011
Funded by
- German Research Foundation. Grant Numbers: SFB 550/B1, AC 55/9-1
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- Normal volunteers;
- MEG;
- Language/speech
Abstract
During speech perception, acoustic correlates of syllable structure and pitch periodicity are directly reflected in electrophysiological brain activity. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings were made while 10 participants listened to natural or formant-synthesized speech at moderately fast or ultrafast rate. Cross-correlation analysis was applied to show brain activity time-locked to the speech envelope, to an acoustic marker of syllable onsets, and to pitch periodicity. The envelope yielded a right-lateralized M100-like response, syllable onsets gave rise to M50/M100-like fields with an additional anterior M50 component, and pitch (ca. 100 Hz) elicited a neural resonance bound to a central auditory source at a latency of 30 ms. The strength of these MEG components showed differential effects of syllable rate and natural versus synthetic speech. Presumingly, such phase-locking mechanisms serve as neuronal triggers for the extraction of information-bearing elements.