Center for Neuroscience, Center for Advanced Imaging, Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA.
J Neurosci. 2012 Jun 6;32(23):8084-93. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1118-12.2012.
Numerous species possess cortical regions that are most sensitive to vocalizations produced by their own kind (conspecifics). In humans, the superior temporal sulci (STSs) putatively represent homologous voice-sensitive areas of cortex. However, superior temporal sulcus (STS) regions have recently been reported to represent auditory experience or "expertise" in general rather than showing exclusive sensitivity to human vocalizations per se. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and a unique non-stereotypical category of complex human non-verbal vocalizations-human-mimicked versions of animal vocalizations-we found a cortical hierarchy in humans optimized for processing meaningful conspecific utterances. This left-lateralized hierarchy originated near primary auditory cortices and progressed into traditional speech-sensitive areas. Our results suggest that the cortical regions supporting vocalization perception are initially organized by sensitivity to the human vocal tract in stages before the STS. Additionally, these findings have implications for the developmental time course of conspecific vocalization processing in humans as well as its evolutionary origins.
许多物种拥有对其自身种属（同物）发出的声音最敏感的皮质区域。在人类中，颞上回（STS）被假定代表了同源的对声音敏感的皮质区域。然而，最近有报道称，颞上回（STS）区域通常代表听觉体验或“专业知识”，而不是对人类声音本身表现出独特的敏感性。使用功能磁共振成像和一种独特的非典型复杂人类非言语声音类别——人类模仿的动物声音，我们发现了人类处理有意义的同物发声的皮质层次结构。这个左侧的层次结构起源于初级听觉皮质附近，并向传统的言语敏感区域发展。我们的研究结果表明，支持发声感知的皮质区域最初是由对人类声道的敏感性在 STS 之前的阶段分阶段组织起来的。此外，这些发现对人类同物发声处理的发展时间过程及其进化起源具有重要意义。
