Neural representation of speech sounds: Study using frequency following response.

Abstract

The neural encoding of an acoustic signal begins in the auditory nerve and travels to the auditory brainstem and further to the auditory cortex. Previous studies have used nonspeech signals like tones and clicks to evaluate the integrity and synchrony of the auditory pathway. Most of the previous research has focused on how any acoustic signal is perceived by using behavioral methods. One of the main areas in understanding how we hear the signal depends on how this acoustic signal is represented in the auditory pathway. A number of studies have studied the acoustic parameters that influence the perception of speech, but very few of them have focused on how these acoustic changes are represented in the auditory pathway. Since the signal representation in the auditory pathway is very crucial to how the signal is perceived, studies that focus on the relationship between the changes in the input acoustics and its influence on neural representation become very essential. In the current project the neural representation of isolated vowels and vowels in CV context was recorded using human frequency following response. The results will be discussed in the paper.