Tonotopic mapping of vowel-space in auditory cortex

Document Type : Research article

Authors
A. Nasri 1
G. Karimi Doostan 2
1 Ph.D. Candidate in General Linguistics, Department of General Linguistics, University of Tehran Tehran, Iran.
2 Professor of General Linguistics, Department of General Linguistics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.29252/LRR.14.2.12
Abstract
Localization of the different stages of auditory processing is among the most hotly debated topics in neurolinguistic researches and there has been a strong emphasis on the role of two sub-areas of the auditory cortex -namely the primary auditory cortex (A1) and superior temporal gyrus (STG)- as the source of sensory analysis and preliminary cognitive processing of the auditory input. This study intends to explore spatial correlates of neural processing of the Persian vowels. Then to exploit that information to shed some light on the contents of the cognitive procedures attributed to different areas of the auditory cortex. To achieve such a goal, we employed electroencephalography to map the Persian vowel system onto cortical sources using the N1 auditory evoked potential and its subcomponents N1a and N1b. The resulting source analysis of the obtained data revealed that the spatial coordinates of both neural clusters that induce early and late subcomponents of the N1 for each vowel were better correlated to the distinctive features of the respective vowel than to its acoustic properties. Such results support the claim that contrary to the former conception of the auditory processing procedures, the A1 is not exclusive to the sensory analysis and that the categorical recognition commences at an earlier stage than formerly understood.

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Language Related Research
Volume 14, Issue 2 - Serial Number 74
May and June 2023
Pages 401-428