Auditory brainstem timing predicts cerebral asymmetry for speech.
The left hemisphere of the human cerebral cortex is dominant for processing rapid acoustic stimuli, including speech, and this specialized activity is preceded by processing in the auditory brainstem. It is not known to what extent the integrity of brainstem encoding of speech impacts patterns of asymmetry at cortex. Here, we demonstrate that the precision of temporal encoding of speech in auditory brainstem predicts cerebral asymmetry for speech sounds measured in a group of children spanning a range of language skills. Results provide strong evidence that timing deficits measured at the auditory brainstem negatively impact rapid acoustic processing by specialized structures of cortex, and demonstrate a delicate relationship between cortical activation patterns and the temporal integrity of cortical input.
Abrams
Daniel A
DA
Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA. daabrams@northwestern.edu
Nicol
Trent
T
Zecker
Steven G
SG
Kraus
Nina
N
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors