Saus Wolfgang, Seither-Preisler Annemarie, Schneider Peter
Section of Biomagnetism, Department of Neurology, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany.
School of Overtone Singing, Dürrwangen, Germany.
Front Neurosci. 2025 Aug 13;19:1625403. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1625403. eCollection 2025.
Auditory perception of sung syllables involves rapid shifts between speech-like interpretation and spectral awareness of resonance. Perceiving vocal tract resonances as pitch-like elements may be crucial for singers, linking this concept to pedagogical practice and underlying neural mechanisms. This study examines how vowel resonance becomes accessible to conscious processing and how such perceptual shifts are reflected in neural dynamics.
Drawing on a novel acoustic-phonetic model of "harmonic vowels," we presented sung syllables that varied systematically across six distinct conditions, ranging from speech-like utterances to overtone singing. Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings from 17 participants revealed distinct modulations in cortical oscillatory activity.
Theta-band power (4-7 Hz) increased linearly with decreasing speech content and showed strong right-hemispheric lateralization (partial η² = 0.82), indicating a key role in the cortical representation of spectral content. Gamma-band power (30-60 Hz) declined moderately and was left-lateralized. These findings show that vowel resonance is perceptually accessible and subject to rapid auditory reorientation, reflecting neural flexibility that may underlie auditory plasticity in both trained and untrained listeners. Individual differences in pitch perception mode (fundamental vs. overtone-based), indicating a stable perceptual trait, were also systematically reflected in oscillatory patterns: overtone listeners exhibited higher theta power, lower gamma power, and stronger right-hemispheric lateralization in both bands.
Theta and gamma power were inversely correlated, suggesting complementary functions in detail-oriented spectral representations and global feature binding. The results offer novel implications for vocal pedagogy, auditory training, and sound-based therapeutic applications.
对歌唱音节的听觉感知涉及在类似语音的解释和共振的频谱感知之间的快速转换。将声道共振视为类似音高的元素可能对歌手至关重要，这将这一概念与教学实践和潜在的神经机制联系起来。本研究考察了元音共振如何进入意识加工以及这种感知转换如何在神经动力学中得到体现。
利用一种新颖的“谐波元音”声学语音模型，我们呈现了在六种不同条件下系统变化的歌唱音节，范围从类似语音的发声到泛音歌唱。对17名参与者的脑磁图（MEG）记录揭示了皮层振荡活动的明显调制。
θ波段功率（4 - 7赫兹）随着语音内容的减少而线性增加，并表现出强烈的右半球侧化（偏η² = 0.82），表明在频谱内容的皮层表征中起关键作用。γ波段功率（30 - 60赫兹）适度下降且向左半球侧化。这些发现表明元音共振在感知上是可及的，并且会经历快速的听觉重新定向，反映了神经灵活性，这可能是训练有素和未训练的听众听觉可塑性的基础。音高感知模式（基于基音与基于泛音）的个体差异表明一种稳定的感知特征，也系统地反映在振荡模式中：泛音听众在两个波段中都表现出更高的θ功率、更低的γ功率和更强的右半球侧化。
θ和γ功率呈负相关，表明在注重细节的频谱表征和全局特征绑定中具有互补功能。这些结果对声乐教学、听觉训练和基于声音的治疗应用具有新的启示。
