title: Activation of the left planum temporale in pitch processing is shaped by language experience.
abstract: Implicit, abstract knowledge acquired through language experience can alter cortical processing of complex auditory signals. To isolate prelexical processing of linguistic tones (i.e., pitch variations that convey part of word meaning), a novel design was used in which hybrid stimuli were created by superimposing Thai tones onto Chinese syllables (tonal chimeras) and Chinese tones onto the same syllables (Chinese words). Native speakers of tone languages (Chinese, Thai) underwent fMRI scans as they judged tones from both stimulus sets. In a comparison of native vs. non-native tones, overlapping activity was identified in the left planum temporale (PT). In this area a double dissociation between language experience and neural representation of pitch occurred such that stronger activity was elicited in response to native as compared to non-native tones. This finding suggests that cortical processing of pitch information can be shaped by language experience and, moreover, that lateralized PT activation can be driven by top-down cognitive processing.
authors: Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2038, USA.
authors: Yisheng
authors: Y
authors: Xu
authors: Jackson
authors: J
authors: Gandour
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Talavage
authors: Donald
authors: D
authors: Wong
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Dzemidzic
authors: Yunxia
authors: Y
authors: Tong
authors: Xiaojian
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Lowe
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010898:Pitch Perception / Q000502:physiology*