Time course and functional neuroanatomy of speech segmentation in adults

The present investigation was devoted to unraveling the time-course and brain regions involved in speech segmentation, which is one of the first processes necessary for learning a new language in adults and infants. A specific brain electrical pattern resembling the N400 language component was ident...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:NeuroImage (Orlando, Fla.) Fla.), 2009-11, Vol.48 (3), p.541-553
Main Authors: Cunillera, Toni, Càmara, Estela, Toro, Juan M., Marco-Pallares, Josep, Sebastián-Galles, Nuria, Ortiz, Hector, Pujol, Jesús, Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Analysis of Variance
Brain
Brain - blood supply
Brain - physiology
Brain Mapping
Cerebrovascular Circulation
Evoked Potentials
Female
Humans
Hypotheses
Language
Language Tests
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
Speech
Speech Perception - physiology
Target recognition
Time Factors
Young Adult
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Summary:The present investigation was devoted to unraveling the time-course and brain regions involved in speech segmentation, which is one of the first processes necessary for learning a new language in adults and infants. A specific brain electrical pattern resembling the N400 language component was identified as an indicator of speech segmentation of candidate words. This N400 trace was clearly elicited after a short exposure to the words of the new language and showed a decrease in amplitude with longer exposure. Two brain regions were observed to be active during this process: the posterior superior temporal gyrus and the superior part of the ventral premotor cortex. We interpret these findings as evidence for the existence of an auditory–motor interface that is responsible for isolating possible candidate words when learning a new language in adults.
ISSN:1053-8119
1095-9572
DOI:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.06.069