Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
J Cogn Neurosci. 2012 May;24(5):1224-32. doi: 10.1162/jocn_a_00208. Epub 2012 Feb 23.
Processing the vocalizations of conspecifics is critical for adaptive social interaction. A species-specific voice-selective region has been identified in the right STS that responds more strongly to human vocal sounds compared with a variety of nonvocal sounds. However, the STS also activates in response to a wide range of signals used in communication, such as eye gaze, biological motion, and speech. These findings raise the possibility that the voice-selective region of the STS may be especially sensitive to vocal sounds that are communicative, rather than to all human vocal sounds. Using fMRI, we demonstrate that the voice-selective region of the STS responds more strongly to communicative vocal sounds (such as speech and laughter) compared with noncommunicative vocal sounds (such as coughing and sneezing). The implications of these results for understanding the role of the STS in voice processing and in disorders of social communication, such as autism spectrum disorder, are discussed.
处理同类的发声对于适应性的社会互动至关重要。研究已经在右侧颞上沟中确定了一个具有物种特异性的声音选择性区域，该区域对人类声音的反应比对各种非声音的反应更强烈。然而，STS 也会对广泛的用于交流的信号做出反应，例如眼神交流、生物运动和言语。这些发现提出了一种可能性，即 STS 的声音选择性区域可能对具有交际性的声音特别敏感，而不是对所有人类声音都敏感。使用 fMRI，我们证明与非交际性声音（如咳嗽和打喷嚏）相比，STS 的声音选择性区域对交际性声音（如言语和笑声）的反应更强。这些结果对于理解 STS 在声音处理以及自闭症谱系障碍等社交沟通障碍中的作用具有重要意义。
