Speech Rhythms and Multiplexed Oscillatory Sensory Coding in the Human Brain

Cortical oscillations are likely candidates for segmentation and coding of continuous speech. Here, we monitored continuous speech processing with magnetoencephalography (MEG) to unravel the principles of speech segmentation and coding. We demonstrate that speech entrains the phase of low-frequency (delta, theta) and the amplitude of high-frequency (gamma) oscillations in the auditory cortex. Phase entrainment is stronger in the right and amplitude entrainment is stronger in the left auditory cortex. Furthermore, edges in the speech envelope phase reset auditory cortex oscillations thereby enhancing their entrainment to speech. This mechanism adapts to the changing physical features of the speech envelope and…

• WT
  Wellcome Trust

  Awards: 098434, 098433
• MR
  Medical Research Council

  Award: MC_G1001214
• EA
  Economic and Social Research Council

  Awards: ES/E020933/1, RES-060-25-0010