BRAINSPEECHSIGN · The neural basis of speech and sign language perception in hearing and deaf people: transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional MRI Studies

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Project objective

The human brain enables efficient interpersonal communication. The remarkable ability to speak and to understand speech sounds produced by others is important for hearing people. It is possible to understand speech and improve perception of auditory speech also by viewing a speakers articulatory gestures, i.e., by speechreading. This is a particularly useful skill for deaf people.Furthermore, deaf people communicate fluently by hand gestures, i.e., by using sign language. How the human brain is functionally organized to process efficiently communicative signals is one of the fundamental questions of cognitive neuroscience. Here, we aim to disclose the neural basis of perceiving heard and seen speech and signs in hearing and deaf people.Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that a left-lateralized fronto-temporal network including posterior superior temporal (pST), inferior frontal (IF) and the primary motor (M1) cortices is activated during processing of communicative signals. However, whether these brain regions are necessary for speech and sign language perception has remained open. We will first localize the brain regions activated by communicative signals in individual subjects by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Then, in order to determine the roles of pST, IF and M1 cortex in processing heard and seen speech and sign language, we will use repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to create temporary lesions of individually-localized foci in these regions during performance of behavioural tasks. As rTMS induces noise into neural processes, subjects performance will be disrupted by rTMS to brain regions, which are necessary for the behavioural task.Thus, by using this method, we will be able to determine whether the pST, IF and M 1 cortices are necessary for speech and sign language perception in hearing and deaf people. The findings will substantially extend our knowledge about the neural basis of interpersonal communication.

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Participants

• THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OXFORDCoordinatorUnited Kingdom

Links

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