Observation of neural processes of auditory scene analysis by magnetoencephalography.
In order to elucidate the auditory mechanism of sensory cue grouping and stream formation, we used a 37-channel SQUID magnetoencephalographic system to analyze the magnetic fields elicited by spoken sound stimuli consisting of an isolated word, an isolated consonant (/k/) burst, and a concurrent but perceptually segregated version of them. Only the overlapped /k/ burst among the five measured neural activities had a statistically significant difference in the location of the equivalent single-current dipoles in both hemispheres. The result suggests that the neurons activated by the overlapped /k/ burst are at least partially different from those activated by the other sounds: thereby supporting our new hypothesis that concurrent auditory events are spatially represented within the auditory cortex.
Imaizumi
S
S
Research Institute of Logopedics and Phoniatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Mori
K
K
Kiritani
S
S
Yumoto
M
M
D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*