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Sustained neural rhythms reveal endogenous oscillations supporting speech perception.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

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Abstract

Rhythmic sensory or electrical stimulation will produce rhythmic brain responses. These rhythmic responses are often interpreted as endogenous neural oscillations aligned (or "entrained") to the stimulus rhythm. However, stimulus-aligned brain responses can also be explained as a sequence of evoked responses, which only appear regular due to the rhythmicity of the stimulus, without necessarily involving underlying neural oscillations. To distinguish evoked responses from true oscillatory activity, we tested whether rhythmic stimulation produces oscillatory responses which continue after the end of the stimulus. Such sustained effects provide evidence for true involvement of neural oscillations. In Experiment 1, we found that rhythmic intelligible, but not unintelligible speech produces oscillatory responses in magnetoencephalography (MEG) which outlast the stimulus at parietal sensors. In Experiment 2, we found that transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) leads to rhythmic fluctuations in speech perception outcomes after the end of electrical stimulation. We further report that the phase relation between electroencephalography (EEG) responses and rhythmic intelligible speech can predict the tACS phase that leads to most accurate speech perception. Together, we provide fundamental results for several lines of research-including neural entrainment and tACS-and reveal endogenous neural oscillations as a key underlying principle for speech perception.

Description

Keywords

Adult, Biological Clocks, Brain, Electroencephalography, Female, Humans, Magnetoencephalography, Male, Middle Aged, Speech Perception, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Journal Title

PLoS Biol

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1544-9173
1545-7885

Volume Title

19

Publisher

Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Sponsorship
European Commission Horizon 2020 (H2020) Marie Sk?odowska-Curie actions (743482)
Medical Research Council (MC_UU_00005/5)