Cortical Tracking of Sung Speech in Adults vs Infants: A Developmental Analysis



Attaheri, Adam, Panayiotou, Dimitris, Phillips, Alessia, Choisdealbha, Aine Ni, Di Liberto, Giovanni M, Rocha, Sinead, Brusini, Perrine ORCID: 0000-0003-0703-7765, Mead, Natasha, Flanagan, Sheila, Olawole-Scott, Helen
et al (show 1 more authors) (2022) Cortical Tracking of Sung Speech in Adults vs Infants: A Developmental Analysis. FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE, 16. 842447-.

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Abstract

Here we duplicate a neural tracking paradigm, previously published with infants (aged 4 to 11 months), with adult participants, in order to explore potential developmental similarities and differences in entrainment. Adults listened and watched passively as nursery rhymes were sung or chanted in infant-directed speech. Whole-head EEG (128 channels) was recorded, and cortical tracking of the sung speech in the delta (0.5-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz) and alpha (8-12 Hz) frequency bands was computed using linear decoders (multivariate Temporal Response Function models, mTRFs). Phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) was also computed to assess whether delta and theta phases temporally organize higher-frequency amplitudes for adults in the same pattern as found in the infant brain. Similar to previous infant participants, the adults showed significant cortical tracking of the sung speech in both delta and theta bands. However, the frequencies associated with peaks in stimulus-induced spectral power (PSD) in the two populations were different. PAC was also different in the adults compared to the infants. PAC was stronger for theta- versus delta- driven coupling in adults but was equal for delta- versus theta-driven coupling in infants. Adults also showed a stimulus-induced increase in low alpha power that was absent in infants. This may suggest adult recruitment of other cognitive processes, possibly related to comprehension or attention. The comparative data suggest that while infant and adult brains utilize essentially the same cortical mechanisms to track linguistic input, the operation of and interplay between these mechanisms may change with age and language experience.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: EEG, language, neural oscillations, TRF, cortical tracking
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 22 Apr 2022 07:38
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 21:04
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.842447
Open Access URL: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins...
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3153594