Müller-Voggel N, Leske S, Hartmann T, Szebenyi S, Weisz N (2015)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2015
Book Volume: 25
Pages Range: 4029-4037
Journal Issue: 11
How do we process stimuli that stem from the external world and stimuli that are self-generated? In the case of voice perception it has been shown that evoked activity elicited by self-generated sounds is suppressed compared with the same sounds played-back externally. We here wanted to reveal whether neural excitability of the auditory cortex-putatively reflected in local alpha band power-is modulated already prior to speech onset, and which brain regions may mediate such a top-down preparatory response. In the left auditory cortex we show that the typical alpha suppression found when participants prepare to listen disappears when participants expect a selfspoken sound. This suggests an inhibitory adjustment of auditory cortical activity already before sound onset. As a second main finding we demonstrate that the medial prefrontal cortex, a region known for selfreferential processes, mediates these condition-specific alpha power modulations. This provides crucial insights into how higher-order regions prepare the auditory cortex for the processing of self-generated sounds. Furthermore, the mechanism outlined could provide further explanations to self-referential phenomena, such as "tickling yourself". Finally, it has implications for the so-far unsolved question of how auditory alpha power is mediated by higher-order regions in a more general sense.
APA:
Müller-Voggel, N., Leske, S., Hartmann, T., Szebenyi, S., & Weisz, N. (2015). Listen to yourself: The medial prefrontal cortex modulates auditory alpha power during speech preparation. Cerebral Cortex, 25(11), 4029-4037. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhu117
MLA:
Müller-Voggel, Nadia, et al. "Listen to yourself: The medial prefrontal cortex modulates auditory alpha power during speech preparation." Cerebral Cortex 25.11 (2015): 4029-4037.
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