RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Auditory Brainstem Timing Predicts Cerebral Asymmetry for Speech
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 11131
OP 11137
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2744-06.2006
VO 26
IS 43
A1 Abrams, Daniel A.
A1 Nicol, Trent
A1 Zecker, Steven G.
A1 Kraus, Nina
YR 2006
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/26/43/11131.abstract
AB 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.