Cortical and subcortical contributions to the attentive processing of speech.
The neuroanatomical correlates of attentive listening were investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging and an attention task in which listeners responded only to words that combined two specific attributes of voice and semantic content. This task was performed under two different attentive listening conditions: (i) diotically, with words presented sequentially, and (ii) dichotically, with male and female voices presented simultaneously but segregated to different ears. For both conditions, functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed bihemispheric but right-lateralized activity patterns in mid-prefrontal, anterior cingulate, and inferior parietal areas, as well as significant anterior insular and subcortical activation. Manipulating attentional demands under different listening conditions revealed an important role for right anterior insula, striatum, and thalamus in the regulation of attentive listening to spoken language.
Christensen
Thomas A
TA
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 87521, USA. tac1@email.arizona.edu
Antonucci
Sharon M
SM
Lockwood
Julie L
JL
Kittleson
Megan
M
Plante
Elena
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004007:Dichotic Listening Tests / Q000379:methods; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D014831:Voice / Q000502:physiology