Neural Control of Speech

by Frank H. Guenther

Overview

A comprehensive and unified account of the neural computations underlying speech production, offering a theoretical framework bridging the behavioral and the neurological literatures.

In this book, Frank Guenther offers a comprehensive, unified account of the neural computations underlying speech production, with an emphasis on speech motor control rather than linguistic content. Guenther focuses on the brain mechanisms responsible for commanding the musculature of the vocal tract to produce articulations that result in an acoustic signal conveying a desired string of syllables. Guenther provides neuroanatomical and neurophysiological descriptions of the primary brain structures involved in speech production, looking particularly at the cerebral cortex and its interactions with the cerebellum and basal ganglia, using basic concepts of control theory (accompanied by nontechnical explanations) to explore the computations performed by these brain regions.

Guenther offers a detailed theoretical framework to account for a broad range of both behavioral and neurological data on the production of speech. He discusses such topics as the goals of the neural controller of speech; neural mechanisms involved in producing both short and long utterances; and disorders of the speech system, including apraxia of speech and stuttering. Offering a bridge between the neurological and behavioral literatures on speech production, the book will be a valuable resource for researchers in both fields.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780262034715
Publisher:	MIT Press
Publication date:	07/22/2016
Series:	The MIT Press
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	424
Product dimensions:	2.40(w) x 2.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Frank H. Guenther is Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University, where he is also Director of the CNS Speech Laboratory and the Neural Prosthesis Laboratory. He is on the faculty of the Harvard/MIT Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology Program and a Research Associate at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Situating This Book 1

1.2 Reference Frames for Speech Motor Control 6

1.3 Methods for Investigating Speech 9

1.4 Summary 29

2 Neural Structures Involved in Speech Production 37

2.1 The Primate Vocalization Circuit 37

2.2 Brain Stem Structures 39

2.3 Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia, and Thalamus 44

2.4 Cerebral Cortex 57

2.5 Summary 80

3 Overview of Speech Motor Control 93

3.1 Segmental and Prosodic Components of Speech 93

3.2 The Control Task of Speech Production 94

3.3 The DIVA Model 99

3.4 Speech Motor Development 109

3.5 Summary 114

4 The Targets of Speech 121

4.1 Definition of a Speech Target 121

4.2 Roles of Different Sensory Systems in Speech 123

4.3 Motor Equivalence in Speech 125

4.4 Target Regions 129

4.5 The Neural Bases of Speech Targets 140

4.6 Summary 145

5 Auditory Feedback Control 153

5.1 The Auditory Feedback Control Subsystem 153

5.2 Behavioral Studies of Auditory Feedback Control in Speech 155

5.3 Neural Circuitry Underlying Auditory Feedback Control 163

5.4 Summary 170

6 Somatosensory Feedback Control 177

6.1 The Somatosensory Feedback Control Subsystem 178

6.2 Behavioral Studies of Somatosensory Feedback Control in Speech 179

6.3 Neural Circuitry Underlying Somatosensory Feedback Control 183

6.4 Summary 188

7 Feedforward Control 193

7.1 The Feedforward Control System 193

7.2 Behavioral Studies of Feedforward Control Mechanisms 197

7.3 Neural Circuits Underlying Feedforward Control of Speech 206

7.4 Summary 214

8 Sequencing of Speech Sounds 221

8.1 Models of Serial Behavior 221

8.2 Frame-Content Models of Phonological Representation 224

8.3 The Baddeley and Hitch Model of Working Memory 226

8.4 Phonological Working Memory in Speech Production 227

8.5 The Neural Bases of Speech Sound Sequencing 229

8.6 Summary 242

9 Prosody 251

9.1 Behavioral Studies of Prosodic Control 252

9.2 Neural Bases of Prosodic Control 257

9.3 Summary 267

10 Neurological Disorders of Speech Production 273

10.1 Dysarthria 275

10.2 Apraxia of Speech 288

10.3 Medial Premotor Syndromes 293

10.4 Stuttering 294

10.5 Future Directions 306

10.6 Summary 307

Appendix A Articulator Meta-analyses 321

A.1 Methods 321

A.2 Results 324

A.3 Discussion 327

Appendix B Cortical Panellation Scheme 339

Appendix C Speech Network Cortical Connectivity Maps 345

C.1 Rolandic Cortex 346

C.2 Medial Frontal Cortex 356

C.3 Inferior Parietal Cortex 356

C.4 Inferior Frontal Cortex 356

C.5 Insular Cortex 369

C.6 Superior Temporal Cortex 369

Appendix D DIVA Brain Activity Simulations 389

D.1 Cortical Components 390

D.2 Subcortical Components 394

Index 397

What People are Saying About This

Endorsement

This fascinating book situated within the triangle of motor control, psycholinguistics, and neuroscience is the first to provide a coherentview of how speaking is implemented in the brain. Frank H. Guenther is highly knowledgeable in all three domains, and his writing style makes these topics easy to grasp.

—Angela D. Friederici, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

From the Publisher

Neural Control of Speech is a landmark treatment of the most complex motor system in existence. Frank Guenther provides the first truly comprehensive and unified account of speech motor control. It includes discussions of the cortical, cerebellar, and basal ganglia neural systems involved in speech motor control, and of the behavioral feedforward and feedback functions performed by these systems. Moreover, it provides a lucid review of the extensive literature, including speech motor development and pathology. Above all, Guenther's DIVA model provides a unified, transparent perspective on this fascinating human ability. This book is bound to become a classic, a must-read for any speech scientist or therapist.

—Willem Levelt, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics

Frank Guenther achieves an unprecedented amalgamation of the behavioral and neurological discoveries that define the contemporary understanding of speech in health and neurological disease. The synthesis of this vast array of scientific information is coupled with ingenious advances in computational modeling, thereby giving the reader a privileged perspective on what is known along with a set of powerful tools for future research into the human faculty of speech.

—Raymond D. Kent, Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Madison, editor, The MIT Encyclopedia of Communication Disorders

This fascinating book situated within the triangle of motor control, psycholinguistics, and neuroscience is the first to provide a coherent view of how speaking is implemented in the brain. Frank H. Guenther is highly knowledgeable in all three domains, and his writing style makes these topics easy to grasp.

—Angela D. Friederici, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

Willem Levelt

Neural Control of Speech is a landmark treatment of the most complex motor system in existence. Frank Guenther provides the first truly comprehensive and unified account of speech motor control. It includes discussions of the cortical, cerebellar, and basal ganglia neural systems involved in speech motor control, and of the behavioral feedforward and feedback functions performed by these systems. Moreover, it provides a lucid review of the extensive literature,including speech motor development and pathology. Above all, Guenther's DIVA model provides a unified, transparent perspective on this fascinating human ability. This book is bound to become a classic, a must-read for any speech scientist or therapist.

Raymond D. Kent

Frank Guenther achieves an unprecedented amalgamation of the behavioral and neurological discoveries that define the contemporary understanding of speech in health and neurological disease. The synthesis of this vast array of scientific information is coupled with ingenious advances in computational modeling, thereby giving the reader a privileged perspective on what is known along with a set of powerful tools for future research into the human faculty of speech.

Angela D. Friederici

This fascinating book situated within the triangle of motor control, psycholinguistics, and neuroscience is the first to provide a coherentview of how speaking is implemented in the brain. Frank H. Guenther is highly knowledgeable in all three domains, and his writing style makes these topics easy to grasp.