title: Theta-gamma coupling reflects the interaction of bottom-up and top-down processes in speech perception in children.
abstract: This study investigates how the interaction of different brain oscillations (particularly theta-gamma coupling) modulates the bottom-up and top-down processes during speech perception. We employed a speech perception paradigm that manipulated the congruency between a visually presented picture and an auditory stimulus and asked participants to judge whether they matched or mismatched. A group of children (mean age 10 years, 5 months) participated in this study and their electroencephalographic (EEG) data were recorded while performing the experimental task. It was found that in comparison with mismatch condition, match condition facilitated speech perception by eliciting greater theta-gamma coupling in the frontal area and smaller theta-gamma coupling in the left temporal area. These findings suggested that a top-down facilitation effect from congruent visual pictures engaged different mechanisms in low-level sensory (temporal) regions and high-level linguistic and decision (frontal) regions. Interestingly, hemispheric asymmetry is with higher theta-gamma coupling in the match condition in the right hemisphere and higher theta-gamma coupling in the mismatch condition in the left hemisphere. This indicates that a fast global processing strategy and a slow detailed processing strategy were differentially adopted in the match and mismatch conditions. This study provides new insight into the mechanisms of speech perception from the interaction of different oscillatory activities and provides neural evidence for theories of speech perception allowing for top-down feedback connections. Furthermore, it sheds light on children's speech perception development by showing a similar pattern of integration of bottom-up and top-down information during speech perception as previous studies have revealed in adults.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Electrical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, PR China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
authors.forename: Danqi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Information Science and Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, PR China.
authors.forename: Duan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: Amy S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Desroches
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China. Electronic address: lilyliu.bnu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China; Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China. Electronic address: xiaoli@bnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D065818:Gamma Rhythm; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D013826:Theta Rhythm; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Bottom-up; EEG; Speech perception; Theta–gamma coupling; Top-down