scholarly journals Cortical correlates of the auditory frequency-following and onset responses: EEG and fMRI evidence

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily B.J. Coffey ◽  
Gabriella Musacchia ◽  
Robert J. Zatorre
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Acoustic Energy ◽  
Frequency Following Response ◽  
Auditory Cognition ◽  
Brainstem Nuclei ◽  
The Right

AbstractThe frequency following response (FFR) is a measure of the brain’s periodic sound encoding. It is of increasing importance for studying the human auditory nervous system due to numerous associations with auditory cognition and dysfunction. Although the FFR is widely interpreted as originating from brainstem nuclei, a recent study using magnetoencephalography (MEG) suggested that there is also a right-lateralized contribution from the auditory cortex at the fundamental frequency (Coffey et al., 2016c). Our objectives in the present work were to validate and better localize this result using a completely different neuroimaging modality, and document the relationships between the FFR and the onset response, and cortical activity. Using a combination of electroencephalography, fMRI, and diffusion-weighted imaging, we show that activity in the right auditory cortex is related to individual differences in FFR-f0 strength, a finding that was replicated with two independent stimulus sets, with and without acoustic energy at the fundamental frequency. We demonstrate a dissociation between this FFR-f0-sensitive response in the right and an area in left auditory cortex that is sensitive to individual differences in the timing of initial response to sound onset. Relationships to timing and their lateralization are supported by parallels in the microstructure of the underlying white matter, implicating a mechanism involving neural conduction efficiency. These data confirm that the FFR has a cortical contribution, and suggest ways in which auditory neuroscience may be advanced by connecting early sound representation to measures of higher-level sound processing and cognitive function.Significance StatementThe frequency following response (FFR) is an electroencephalograph signal that is used to explore how the auditory system encodes temporal regularities in sound, and which is related to differences in auditory function between individuals. It is known that brainstem nuclei contribute to the FFR, but recent findings of an additional cortical source are more controversial. Here, we use functional MRI to validate and extend the prediction from magnetoencephalography data of a right auditory cortex contribution to the FFR. We also demonstrate a dissociation between FFR-related cortical activity from that related to the latency of the response to sound onset, which is found in left auditory cortex. The findings provide a clearer picture of cortical processes for analysis of sound features.

scholarly journals The pitch of babies’ cries predicts their voice pitch at age 5

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 20180065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Levrero ◽  
Nicolas Mathevon ◽  
Katarzyna Pisanski ◽  
Erik Gustafsson ◽  
David Reby
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Ring Finger ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Voice Pitch ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Longitudinal Study Design ◽  
The Right

Voice pitch (fundamental frequency, F 0 ) is a key dimension of our voice that varies between sexes after puberty, and also among individuals of the same sex both before and after puberty. While a recent longitudinal study indicates that inter-individual differences in voice pitch remain stable in men during adulthood and may even be determined before puberty (Fouquet et al. 2016 R. Soc. open sci. 3 , 160395. ( doi:10.1098/rsos.160395 )), whether these differences emerge in infancy remains unknown. Here, using a longitudinal study design, we investigate the hypothesis that inter-individual differences in F 0 are already present in the cries of pre-verbal babies. While based on a small sample ( n = 15), our results indicate that the F 0 of babies' cries at 4 months of age may predict the F 0 of their speech utterances at 5 years of age, explaining 41% of the inter-individual variance in voice pitch at that age in our sample. We also found that the right-hand ratio of the length of their index to ring finger (2D : 4D digit ratio), which has been proposed to constitute an index of prenatal testosterone exposure, was positively correlated with F 0 at both 4 months and 5 years of age. These findings suggest that a substantial proportion of between-individual differences in voice pitch, which convey important biosocial information about speakers, may partly originate in utero and thus already be present soon after birth.

Case studies in neuroscience: Cortical contributions to the frequency-following response depend on subcortical synchrony

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis White-Schwoch ◽  
Jennifer Krizman ◽  
Trent Nicol ◽  
Nina Kraus
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Control Subject ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Auditory Neuropathy ◽  
Neural Synchrony ◽  
Frequency Following Response ◽  
Onset Responses

Frequency-following responses to musical notes spanning the octave 65-130 Hz were elicited in a person with auditory neuropathy, a disorder of subcortical neural synchrony, and a control subject. No phaselocked responses were observed in the person with auditory neuropathy. The control subject had robust responses synchronized to the fundamental frequency and its harmonics. Cortical onset responses to each note in the series were present in both subjects. These results support the hypothesis that subcortical neural synchrony is necessary to generate the frequency-following response-including for stimulus frequencies at which a cortical contribution has been noted. Although auditory cortex ensembles may synchronize to fundamental frequency cues in speech and music, subcortical neural synchrony appears to be a necessary antecedent.

scholarly journals Causal relationship between the right auditory cortex and speech-evoked frequency-following response: Evidence from combined tDCS and EEG

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangting Mai ◽  
Peter Howell
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
After Effects ◽  
Frequency Following Response ◽  
Clinical Biomarkers ◽  
Auditory Cortices ◽  
The Right

AbstractSpeech-evoked frequency-following response (FFR) reflects the neural encoding of speech periodic information in the human auditory systems. FFR is of fundamental importance for pitch and speech perception and serves as clinical biomarkers for various auditory and language disorders. While it is suggested that the main neural source of FFR is in the auditory brainstem, recent studies have shown a cortical contribution to FFR predominantly in the right hemisphere. However, it is still unclear whether auditory cortex and FFR are causally related. The aim of this study was to establish this causal relationship using a combination of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and scalp-recorded electroencephalography (EEG). We applied tDCS over the left and right auditory cortices in right-handed normal-hearing participants and examined the after-effects of tDCS on FFR using EEG during monaural listening to a repeatedly-presented speech syllable. Our results showed that: (1) before tDCS was applied, participants had greater FFR magnitude when they listened to speech from the left than the right ear, illustrating right-lateralized hemispheric asymmetry for FFR; (2) anodal and cathodal tDCS applied over the right, but not left, auditory cortex significantly changed FFR magnitudes compared to the sham stimulation; specifically, such after-effects occurred only when participants listened to speech from the left ear, emphasizing the right auditory cortical contributions along the contralateral pathway. The current finding thus provides the first causal evidence that validates the relationship between the right auditory cortex and speech-evoked FFR and should significantly extend our understanding of speech encoding in the brain.Significance StatementSpeech-evoked frequency-following response (FFR) is a neural activity that reflects the brain’s encoding of speech periodic features. The FFR has great fundamental and clinical importance for auditory processing. Whilst convention maintains that FFR derives mainly from the brainstem, it has been argued recently that there are additional contributions to FFR from the auditory cortex. Using a combination of tDCS, that altered neural excitability of auditory cortices, and EEG recording, the present study provided the first evidence to validate a causal relationship between the right auditory cortex and speech-evoked FFR. The finding supports the right-asymmetric auditory cortical contributions to processing of speech periodicity and advances our understanding of how speech signals are encoded and analysed along the central auditory pathways.

scholarly journals Development of Phase Locking and Frequency Representation in the Infant Frequency-Following Response

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 2740-2751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katlyn B. Van Dyke ◽  
Rachel Lieberman ◽  
Alessandro Presacco ◽  
Samira Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
First Year ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Frequency Following Response ◽  
Frequency Representation ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Year Of Life

Purpose This study investigates the development of phase locking and frequency representation in infants using the frequency-following response to consonant–vowel syllables. Method The frequency-following response was recorded in 56 infants and 15 young adults to 2 speech syllables (/ba/ and /ga/), which were presented in randomized order to the right ear. Signal-to-noise ratio and F sp analyses were used to verify that individual responses were present above the noise floor. Thirty-six and 39 infants met these criteria for the /ba/ or /ga/ syllables, respectively, and 31 infants met the criteria for both syllables. Data were analyzed to obtain measures of phase-locking strength and spectral magnitudes. Results Phase-locking strength to the fine structure in the consonant–vowel transition was higher in young adults than in infants, but phase locking was equivalent at the fundamental frequency between infants and adults. However, frequency representation of the fundamental frequency was higher in older infants than in either the younger infants or adults. Conclusion Although spectral amplitudes changed during the first year of life, no changes were found with respect to phase locking to the stimulus envelope. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining these measures of phase locking and fundamental pitch strength in infants as young as 2 months of age.

Individual Differences and Hemispheric Asymmetry While Processing Emotional Words

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay M. Niccolai ◽  
Thomas Holtgraves
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Hemispheric Asymmetry ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Hemispheric Differences ◽  
Affective Valence ◽  
Emotional Words ◽  
Emotion Words ◽  
The Right

This research examined differences in the perception of emotion words as a function of individual differences in subclinical levels of depression and anxiety. Participants completed measures of depression and anxiety and performed a lexical decision task for words varying in affective valence (but equated for arousal) that were presented briefly to the right or left visual field. Participants with a lower level of depression demonstrated hemispheric asymmetry with a bias toward words presented to the left hemisphere, but participants with a higher level of depression displayed no hemispheric differences. Participants with a lower level of depression also demonstrated a bias toward positive words, a pattern that did not occur for participants with a higher level of depression. A similar pattern occurred for anxiety. Overall, this study demonstrates how variability in levels of depression and anxiety can influence the perception of emotion words, with patterns that are consistent with past research.

scholarly journals Frequency-Following Response (FFR) in Military Pilots

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graziela Maria Martins-Moreira ◽  
Alessandra Spada Durante
Keyword(s):  
Pure Tone Audiometry ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Aircraft Accidents ◽  
Frequency Following Response ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Qualitative Variables ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
The Right ◽  
Military Pilots

Abstract Introduction Good hearing in pilots, including central auditory skills, is critical for flight safety and the prevention of aircraft accidents. Pure tone audiometry alone may not be enough to assess hearing in the members of this population who, in addition to high noise levels, routinely face speech recognition tasks in non-ideal conditions. Objective To characterize the frequency-following response (FFR) of a group of military pilots compared with a control group. Methods Twenty military pilots in the Study Group and 20 non-pilot military personnel, not exposed to noise in their work, in the Control Group, all with normal hearing, aged between 30 and 40 years old, completed a questionnaire to assess their hearing habits, and their FFRs were measured with a /da/ syllable (duration 40 milliseconds, speed 10.9/s), at 80 dB NA in the right ear. All procedures were approved by the ethical committee of the institution. Statistical analysis was performed using the t-Student or Mann-Whitney tests for quantitative variables, and the Fisher or chi-squared tests for qualitative variables, and a value of p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results There was no significant difference between the groups regarding auditory habits. In the FFR, wave amplitudes A (p = 0.01) and C (p = 0.04) were significantly lower in the Study Group. Conclusion Working as a military pilot can be a crucial factor in determining an individual's typical FFR pattern, demonstrated in the present study by statistically significant reductions in the amplitudes of the A and C waves.

scholarly journals Scale Invariant Contrasts of Response Latency Distributions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natarajan Sriram ◽  
Brian A. Nosek ◽  
Anthony G. Greenwald
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Response Latency ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Scale Invariant ◽  
Scaling Effect ◽  
Latency Difference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Right ◽  
Latency Distributions

Individual differences in general speed lead to a positive correlation between the mean and standard deviation of mean latency. This “coarse” scaling effect causes the mean latency difference (MLD) to be spuriously correlated with general speed. Within individuals, the correlation between the mean and standard deviation of trial latencies leads contrasted distributions to increase their overlap as an MLD of fixed width is translated to the right. To address this “fine” scaling effect, contrasts based on within subject latency transformations including the logarithm, standardization, and ranking were evaluated and turned out to be distinctly superior to the MLD. Notably, the mean gaussian rank latency difference was internally consistent, eliminated fine scaling, meliorated coarse scaling, reduced correlations with general speed, increased statistical power to detect within subject and between group effects, and has the potential to increase the validity of inferences drawn from response latency data.

scholarly journals A novel stimulus paradigm for simultaneous recording of monaural and binaural frequency following response for identification of binaural interaction component

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srividya Grama Bhagavan ◽  
Mohan Kumar Kalaiah
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Pure Tone ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Simultaneous Recording ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Frequency Following Response ◽  
Binaural Interaction ◽  
The Right ◽  
Interaction Component

AbstractThe objective of the study was to investigate whether monaural frequency following response (FFR) of right and left ear and binaural FFR could be obtained in the same recording using a novel stimulus presentation paradigm, for the purpose of identification the BIC. Twenty six young adults participated in the study. The FFR was recorded for 220 Hz pure-tone using a novel stimulus paradigm. The pure-tone was presented sequentially to two ears. Initially, the pure-tone was presented to the right ear, then to both ears, and finally to the left ear. The FFR could be elicited from all participants (all three responses: right ear, left ear, and both ears) in the same recording using the novel stimulus presentation paradigm used in the present study. The novel stimulus presentation paradigm used in the present study could be used for obtaining monaural and binaural FFRs in the same recording for identification of BIC.

Individual Differences in Face Identity Processing with Fast Periodic Visual Stimulation

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1368-1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buyun Xu ◽  
Joan Liu-Shuang ◽  
Bruno Rossion ◽  
James Tanaka
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Stimulation ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Face Identity ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Occipitotemporal Cortex ◽  
The Right ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Identity Processing ◽  
Identity Task

A growing body of literature suggests that human individuals differ in their ability to process face identity. These findings mainly stem from explicit behavioral tasks, such as the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT). However, it remains an open question whether such individual differences can be found in the absence of an explicit face identity task and when faces have to be individualized at a single glance. In the current study, we tested 49 participants with a recently developed fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) paradigm [Liu-Shuang, J., Norcia, A. M., & Rossion, B. An objective index of individual face discrimination in the right occipitotemporal cortex by means of fast periodic oddball stimulation. Neuropsychologia, 52, 57–72, 2014] in EEG to rapidly, objectively, and implicitly quantify face identity processing. In the FPVS paradigm, one face identity (A) was presented at the frequency of 6 Hz, allowing only one gaze fixation, with different face identities (B, C, D) presented every fifth face (1.2 Hz; i.e., AAAABAAAACAAAAD…). Results showed a face individuation response at 1.2 Hz and its harmonics, peaking over occipitotemporal locations. The magnitude of this response showed high reliability across different recording sequences and was significant in all but two participants, with the magnitude and lateralization differing widely across participants. There was a modest but significant correlation between the individuation response amplitude and the performance of the behavioral CFMT task, despite the fact that CFMT and FPVS measured different aspects of face identity processing. Taken together, the current study highlights the FPVS approach as a promising means for studying individual differences in face identity processing.

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