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Gorina-Careta N, Arenillas-Alcón S, Puertollano M, Mondéjar-Segovia A, Ijjou-Kadiri S, Costa-Faidella J, Gómez-Roig MD, Escera C. Exposure to bilingual or monolingual maternal speech during pregnancy affects the neurophysiological encoding of speech sounds in neonates differently. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1379660. [PMID: 38841122 PMCID: PMC11150635 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1379660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Exposure to maternal speech during the prenatal period shapes speech perception and linguistic preferences, allowing neonates to recognize stories heard frequently in utero and demonstrating an enhanced preference for their mother's voice and native language. Yet, with a high prevalence of bilingualism worldwide, it remains an open question whether monolingual or bilingual maternal speech during pregnancy influence differently the fetus' neural mechanisms underlying speech sound encoding. Methods In the present study, the frequency-following response (FFR), an auditory evoked potential that reflects the complex spectrotemporal dynamics of speech sounds, was recorded to a two-vowel /oa/ stimulus in a sample of 129 healthy term neonates within 1 to 3 days after birth. Newborns were divided into two groups according to maternal language usage during the last trimester of gestation (monolingual; bilingual). Spectral amplitudes and spectral signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) at the stimulus fundamental (F0) and first formant (F1) frequencies of each vowel were, respectively, taken as measures of pitch and formant structure neural encoding. Results Our results reveal that while spectral amplitudes at F0 did not differ between groups, neonates from bilingual mothers exhibited a lower spectral SNR. Additionally, monolingually exposed neonates exhibited a higher spectral amplitude and SNR at F1 frequencies. Discussion We interpret our results under the consideration that bilingual maternal speech, as compared to monolingual, is characterized by a greater complexity in the speech sound signal, rendering newborns from bilingual mothers more sensitive to a wider range of speech frequencies without generating a particularly strong response at any of them. Our results contribute to an expanding body of research indicating the influence of prenatal experiences on language acquisition and underscore the necessity of including prenatal language exposure in developmental studies on language acquisition, a variable often overlooked yet capable of influencing research outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natàlia Gorina-Careta
- Brainlab – Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Departament de Psicologia Clinica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociènces, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sonia Arenillas-Alcón
- Brainlab – Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Departament de Psicologia Clinica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociènces, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Puertollano
- Brainlab – Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Departament de Psicologia Clinica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociènces, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alejandro Mondéjar-Segovia
- Brainlab – Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Departament de Psicologia Clinica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociènces, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Siham Ijjou-Kadiri
- Brainlab – Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Departament de Psicologia Clinica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociènces, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Costa-Faidella
- Brainlab – Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Departament de Psicologia Clinica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociènces, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María Dolores Gómez-Roig
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- BCNatal – Barcelona Center for Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Hospital Clínic), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Escera
- Brainlab – Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Departament de Psicologia Clinica i Psicobiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociènces, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
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Arenillas-Alcón S, Ribas-Prats T, Puertollano M, Mondéjar-Segovia A, Gómez-Roig MD, Costa-Faidella J, Escera C. Prenatal daily musical exposure is associated with enhanced neural representation of speech fundamental frequency: Evidence from neonatal frequency-following responses. Dev Sci 2023; 26:e13362. [PMID: 36550689 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Fetal hearing experiences shape the linguistic and musical preferences of neonates. From the very first moment after birth, newborns prefer their native language, recognize their mother's voice, and show a greater responsiveness to lullabies presented during pregnancy. Yet, the neural underpinnings of this experience inducing plasticity have remained elusive. Here we recorded the frequency-following response (FFR), an auditory evoked potential elicited to periodic complex sounds, to show that prenatal music exposure is associated to enhanced neural encoding of speech stimuli periodicity, which relates to the perceptual experience of pitch. FFRs were recorded in a sample of 60 healthy neonates born at term and aged 12-72 hours. The sample was divided into two groups according to their prenatal musical exposure (29 daily musically exposed; 31 not-daily musically exposed). Prenatal exposure was assessed retrospectively by a questionnaire in which mothers reported how often they sang or listened to music through loudspeakers during the last trimester of pregnancy. The FFR was recorded to either a /da/ or an /oa/ speech-syllable stimulus. Analyses were centered on stimuli sections of identical duration (113 ms) and fundamental frequency (F0 = 113 Hz). Neural encoding of stimuli periodicity was quantified as the FFR spectral amplitude at the stimulus F0 . Data revealed that newborns exposed daily to music exhibit larger spectral amplitudes at F0 as compared to not-daily musically-exposed newborns, regardless of the eliciting stimulus. Our results suggest that prenatal music exposure facilitates the tuning to human speech fundamental frequency, which may support early language processing and acquisition. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Frequency-following responses to speech were collected from a sample of neonates prenatally exposed to music daily and compared to neonates not-daily exposed to music. Neonates who experienced daily prenatal music exposure exhibit enhanced frequency-following responses to the periodicity of speech sounds. Prenatal music exposure is associated with a fine-tuned encoding of human speech fundamental frequency, which may facilitate early language processing and acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Arenillas-Alcón
- Brainlab - Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Teresa Ribas-Prats
- Brainlab - Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marta Puertollano
- Brainlab - Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alejandro Mondéjar-Segovia
- Brainlab - Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - María Dolores Gómez-Roig
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Catalonia, Spain
- BCNatal - Barcelona Center for Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Hospital Clínic), University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jordi Costa-Faidella
- Brainlab - Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Carles Escera
- Brainlab - Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Catalonia, Spain
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Mai G, Howell P. Causal Relationship between the Right Auditory Cortex and Speech-Evoked Envelope-Following Response: Evidence from Combined Transcranial Stimulation and Electroencephalography. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1437-1454. [PMID: 34424956 PMCID: PMC8971082 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech-evoked envelope-following response (EFR) reflects brain encoding of speech periodicity that serves as a biomarker for pitch and speech perception and various auditory and language disorders. Although EFR is thought to originate from the subcortex, recent research illustrated a right-hemispheric cortical contribution to EFR. However, it is unclear whether this contribution is causal. This study aimed to establish this causality by combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and measurement of EFR (pre- and post-tDCS) via scalp-recorded electroencephalography. We applied tDCS over the left and right auditory cortices in right-handed normal-hearing participants and examined whether altering cortical excitability via tDCS causes changes in EFR during monaural listening to speech syllables. We showed significant changes in EFR magnitude when tDCS was applied over the right auditory cortex compared with sham stimulation for the listening ear contralateral to the stimulation site. No such effect was found when tDCS was applied over the left auditory cortex. Crucially, we further observed a hemispheric laterality where aftereffect was significantly greater for tDCS applied over the right than the left auditory cortex in the contralateral ear condition. Our finding thus provides the first evidence that validates the causal relationship between the right auditory cortex and EFR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangting Mai
- Hearing Theme, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK.,Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Peter Howell
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
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Neural encoding of voice pitch and formant structure at birth as revealed by frequency-following responses. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6660. [PMID: 33758251 PMCID: PMC7987955 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85799-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Detailed neural encoding of voice pitch and formant structure plays a crucial role in speech perception, and is of key importance for an appropriate acquisition of the phonetic repertoire in infants since birth. However, the extent to what newborns are capable of extracting pitch and formant structure information from the temporal envelope and the temporal fine structure of speech sounds, respectively, remains unclear. Here, we recorded the frequency-following response (FFR) elicited by a novel two-vowel, rising-pitch-ending stimulus to simultaneously characterize voice pitch and formant structure encoding accuracy in a sample of neonates and adults. Data revealed that newborns tracked changes in voice pitch reliably and no differently than adults, but exhibited weaker signatures of formant structure encoding, particularly at higher formant frequency ranges. Thus, our results indicate a well-developed encoding of voice pitch at birth, while formant structure representation is maturing in a frequency-dependent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility to assess voice pitch and formant structure encoding within clinical evaluation times in a hospital setting, and suggest the possibility to use this novel stimulus as a tool for longitudinal developmental studies of the auditory system.
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Tepe V, Papesh M, Russell S, Lewis MS, Pryor N, Guillory L. Acquired Central Auditory Processing Disorder in Service Members and Veterans. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:834-857. [PMID: 32163310 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-19-00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose A growing body of evidence suggests that military service members and military veterans are at risk for deficits in central auditory processing. Risk factors include exposure to blast, neurotrauma, hazardous noise, and ototoxicants. We overview these risk factors and comorbidities, address implications for clinical assessment and care of central auditory processing deficits in service members and veterans, and specify knowledge gaps that warrant research. Method We reviewed the literature to identify studies of risk factors, assessment, and care of central auditory processing deficits in service members and veterans. We also assessed the current state of the science for knowledge gaps that warrant additional study. This literature review describes key findings relating to military risk factors and clinical considerations for the assessment and care of those exposed. Conclusions Central auditory processing deficits are associated with exposure to known military risk factors. Research is needed to characterize mechanisms, sources of variance, and differential diagnosis in this population. Existing best practices do not explicitly consider confounds faced by military personnel. Assessment and rehabilitation strategies that account for these challenges are needed. Finally, investment is critical to ensure that Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense clinical staff are informed, trained, and equipped to implement effective patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Tepe
- Department of Defense Hearing Center of Excellence, JBSA Lackland, TX
- The Geneva Foundation, Tacoma, WA
| | - Melissa Papesh
- VA RR&D National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, OR
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
| | - Shoshannah Russell
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD
- Henry Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, MD
| | - M Samantha Lewis
- VA RR&D National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, OR
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
- School of Audiology, Pacific University, Hillsboro, OR
| | - Nina Pryor
- Department of Defense Hearing Center of Excellence, JBSA Lackland, TX
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH
| | - Lisa Guillory
- Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Columbia, MO
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia
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