NIH Reporter #5R01DC020963-04

High-resolution functional imaging of speech-induced sensory modulation

This NIH-funded project aims to advance understanding of speech-induced sensory modulation by using high-resolution 7T fMRI to map brain activity during speech tasks, refining neurobiological models and potentially improving diagnosis and treatment of speech disorders.

Description

The overall goal of this project is to test and refine a neurobiological systems model of speech-induced sensory modulation (SISM). Previous studies used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) to reveal that auditory cortical responses evoked when speaking are reduced compared to passive listening, a phenomenon known as speaking-induced suppression (SIS). This effect has been proposed to reflect the action of learned forward models that predict sensory consequences of speech movements. While EEG/MEG studies of SIS have provided important insights, these methods have limited anatomical precision. For this reason, the auditory regions modulated by forward model predictions in speech, and the circuits that mediate them, remain relatively poorly understood. To close this knowledge gap, this project uses 7T fMRI to measure brainwide activity at exquisite resolution while participants complete a series of related auditory-motor tasks across multiple sessions. Guided by contemporary models of speech production, we hypothesize that three functional circuits link frontal speech planning areas with superior temporal auditory areas via cortical and trans-cerebellar pathways, providing sensory predictions at different levels of representation.

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