RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Corticomuscular Coherence Is Tuned to the Spontaneous Rhythmicity of Speech at 2–3 Hz
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 3786
OP 3790
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3191-11.2012
VO 32
IS 11
A1 Ruspantini, Irene
A1 Saarinen, Timo
A1 Belardinelli, Paolo
A1 Jalava, Antti
A1 Parviainen, Tiina
A1 Kujala, Jan
A1 Salmelin, Riitta
YR 2012
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/11/3786.abstract
AB Human speech features rhythmicity that frames distinctive, fine-grained speech patterns. Speech can thus be counted among rhythmic motor behaviors that generally manifest characteristic spontaneous rates. However, the critical neural evidence for tuning of articulatory control to a spontaneous rate of speech has not been uncovered. The present study examined the spontaneous rhythmicity in speech production and its relationship to cortex–muscle neurocommunication, which is essential for speech control. Our MEG results show that, during articulation, coherent oscillatory coupling between the mouth sensorimotor cortex and the mouth muscles is strongest at the frequency of spontaneous rhythmicity of speech at 2–3 Hz, which is also the typical rate of word production. Corticomuscular coherence, a measure of efficient cortex–muscle neurocommunication, thus reveals behaviorally relevant oscillatory tuning for spoken language.