Activation of Multimodal Areas in the Human Cerebral Cortex in Response to Biological Motion Sounds

Abstract

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate activation of the multimodal areas in the cerebral cortex–supramarginal and angular gyri, precuneus, and middle temporal visual cortex (MT/V5)–in response to motion of biologically significant sounds (human footsteps). The subjects listened to approaching or receding footstep sounds during 45 s, and such stimulation was supposed to evoke auditory adaptation to biological motion. Listening conditions alternated with stimulation-free control. To reveal activity in the regions of interest, the periods before and during stimulation were compared. Most stable and voluminous activation was detected in the supramarginal and angular gyri, being registered for all footstep sound types–approaching, receding and steps in place. Listening to human approaching steps activated the precuneus area, with the volume of activation clusters varying considerably between subjects. In the MT/V5 area, activation was revealed in 5 of 21 subjects. The involvement of the tested multimodal cortical areas in analyzing biological motion is discussed.