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Cited by 119Neurobiology of Language and BilingualismPhonetics and Phonology ResearchNeuroscience and Music Perception

The functional neuroanatomy of metrical stress evaluation of perceived and imagined spoken words

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Aleman, A.·2004·Cerebral Cortex
DOI 10.1093/cercor/bhh124
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Abstract

We hypothesized that areas in the temporal lobe that have been implicated in the phonological processing of spoken words would also be activated during the generation and phonological processing of imagined speech. We tested this hypothesis using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a behaviorally controlled task of metrical stress evaluation. Subjects were presented with bisyllabic words and had to determine the alternation of strong and weak syllables. Thus, they were required to discriminate between weak-initial words and strong-initial words. In one condition, the stimuli were presented auditorily to the subjects (by headphones). In the other condition the stimuli were presented visually on a screen and subjects were asked to imagine hearing the word. Results showed activation of the supplementary motor area, inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area) and insula in both conditions. In the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) strong activation was observed during the auditory (perceptual) condition. However, a region located in the posterior part of the STS/STG also responded during the imagery condition. No activation of this same region of the STS was observed during a control condition which also involved processing of visually presented words, but which required a semantic decision from the subject. We suggest that processing of metrical stress, with or without auditory input, relies in part on cortical interface systems located in the posterior part of STS/STG. These results corroborate behavioral evidence regarding phonological loop involvement in auditory-verbal imagery.

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  • Inner speech activates similar brain regions to overt speech, including audition and language-related perceptual areas and supplementary motor areas, but does not typically activate primary motor cortex.

    “Support for this idea has been provided by studies showing that inner speech activates similar brain regions to overt speech, including audition and language-related perceptual areas and supplementary motor areas, but does not typically activate primary motor cortex (Palmer et al., 2001; Zatorre et al., 1996; Aleman et al., 2005; Shuster and Lemieux, 2005).”

    From Neurophysiological evidence of efference copies to inner speech (2017) · cites this paper as Aleman et al., 2005

    The Results and Discussion (page unavailable) report shared activation during imagined and heard-word tasks in supplementary motor, frontal language, and posterior temporal regions. But the comparison was with hearing speech, not speaking aloud, and the paper does not establish that imagined speech typically spares primary motor cortex; it reports precentral gyrus activation in both conditions. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Previous data suggest that inner and overt speech share neural generators.

    “While previous data suggest that inner and overt speech share neural generators, relatively few neurophysiological studies have explored the extent to which these two processes are functionally equivalent.”

    From Neurophysiological evidence of efference copies to inner speech (2017) · cites this paper as Aleman et al., 2005

  • Methods of eliciting inner speech have typically involved either subvocal recitation or prompting participants to make phonological judgements about words using inner speech.

    “Methods of eliciting inner speech have typically involved either subvocal recitation (e.g. covertly repeating ‘You are a x’ in response to a cue; McGuire et al., 1995) or prompting participants to make phonological judgements about words using inner speech (such as which syllable to stress in pronunciation; Aleman et al., 2005).”

    From The brain's conversation with itself: neural substrates of dialogic inner speech (2016) · cites this paper as Aleman et al., 2005

  • Activations of posterior STG and lateral regions of temporal cortex are observed depending on specific task demands, such as self-monitoring of inner speech rate and phonology.

    “Although the IFG and insula are often implicated in inner-speech tasks (although see Jones, 2009), activations of posterior STG and lateral regions of temporal cortex are observed depending on specific task demands, such as self-monitoring of inner speech rate (Shergill et al., 2002) and phonology (Aleman et al., 2005).”

    From The brain's conversation with itself: neural substrates of dialogic inner speech (2016) · cites this paper as Aleman et al., 2005

  • Approaches for counteracting this include the administration of behavioral tasks that require internal phonological judgments.

    “Approaches for counteracting this include the administration of behavioral tasks that require internal phonological judgments: asking participants to judge the metric stress of simple words, for example, is thought to require internal inspection of speech (Aleman et al., 2005).”

    From Inner Speech: Development, Cognitive Functions, Phenomenology, and Neurobiology (2015) · cites this paper as Aleman et al., 2005

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Baddeley AD, Hitch GJ (1974) Working memory. In: Recent advances in learning and motivation (Bower G, ed.), vol. VIII, pp. 647--667. New York: Academic Press.
  2. Levelt WJM (1989) Speaking: from intention to action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
  3. Talairach J, Tournoux P (1988) A coplanar stereotactic atlas of the human brain. Stuttgart: Thieme Verlag.

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Authors
Aleman, A.
Affiliations
University Medical Center Utrecht (NL)
Corresponding author
Aleman, A.
ORCID
Aleman, A.
Venue
Cerebral Cortex
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2004-07-06
Volume
15
Issue
2
Pages
221-228
ISSN
  • 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2199
DOI
10.1093/cercor/bhh124
OpenAlex
W2132328054
Cited by
119
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 14
FWCI
2.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion)
  • Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Phonetics and Phonology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
Keywords
metrical stress, imagined speech, phonological processing, supplementary motor area, Broca's area, insula, superior temporal gyrus, superior temporal sulcus, temporal lobe, phonological loop
MeSH terms
Acoustic Stimulation, Auditory Cortex, Dominance, Cerebral, Female, Humans, Imagination, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Phonetics, Photic Stimulation, Speech Perception, Temporal Lobe, Visual Perception

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