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Subcortical Processing of Speech Sounds

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Speech Perception

Part of the book series: Springer Handbook of Auditory Research ((SHAR,volume 74))

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Abstract

Extant literature identifies the subcortical auditory system as critical to the encoding of key acoustic features relevant to speech. In this chapter, rather than view the subcortex as “lower-level” passive relay stations exclusively involved in speech encoding, a systems neuroscience approach is adopted that argues for active subcortical-cortical interactions during speech processing, subserved by afferent (bottom-up) as well as efferent (top-down) connectivity. These interactions are not only relevant to speech encoding but are critical to the process of mapping highly variable, temporally ephemeral signals to meaningful, behaviorally relevant units. An overview of subcortical and relevant cortical anatomy and physiology is provided as well as a discussion of contemporary neuroscience methodology used to study speech processing. Subcortical plasticity as a function of positive and negative individual experience is discussed, highlighting an emerging understanding of subcortical processes in the extraction, encoding, and experience-dependent modulation of speech signals.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01DC015504 (BC) and R01DC013315 (BC). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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  • Bharath Chandrasekaran declares that he has no conflict of interest.

  • Rachel Tessmer declares that she has no conflict of interest.

  • G. Nike Gnanateja declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication Science and Disorders, The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Bharath Chandrasekaran & G. Nike Gnanateja

  2. Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Rachel Tessmer

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  1. Bharath Chandrasekaran
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  2. Rachel Tessmer
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  3. G. Nike Gnanateja
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bharath Chandrasekaran .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Lori L. Holt

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA

    Jonathan E. Peelle

  3. Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA, USA

    Allison B. Coffin

  4. Department of Biology, University of Maryland, Silver Spring, MD, USA

    Arthur N. Popper

  5. Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Richard R. Fay

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Chandrasekaran, B., Tessmer, R., Gnanateja, G.N. (2022). Subcortical Processing of Speech Sounds. In: Holt, L.L., Peelle, J.E., Coffin, A.B., Popper, A.N., Fay, R.R. (eds) Speech Perception. Springer Handbook of Auditory Research, vol 74. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81542-4_2

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