Lloyd-Fox, S.; Blasi, A.; Mercure, Evelyne; Elwell, C. E. and Johnson, M. H.. 2012. The emergence of cerebral specialization for the human voice over the first months of life. Social Neuroscience, 7(3), pp. 317-330. ISSN 1747-0919 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

How specialized is the infant brain for processing voice within our environment? Research in adults suggests that portions of the temporal lobe play an important role in differentiating vocalizations from other environmental sounds; however, very little is known about this process in infancy. Recent research in infants has revealed discrepancies in the cortical location of voice-selective activation, as well as the age of onset of this response. The current study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to further investigate voice processing in awake 4–7-month-old infants. In listening to voice and non-voice sounds, there was robust and widespread activation in bilateral temporal cortex. Further, voice-selective regions of the bilateral anterior temporal cortex evidenced a steady increase in voice selective activation (voice > non-voice activation) over 4–7 months of age. These findings support a growing body of evidence that the emergence of cerebral specialization for human voice sounds evolves over the first 6 months of age.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1080/17470919.2011.614696
Additional Information:	This work was supported by the UK Medical Research Council Programme, Grant G0701484.
Keywords:	Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS); Infancy; Voice processing; Development; STS region
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Psychology
Dates:	Date Event 9 August 2011 Accepted 28 September 2011 Published Online 2012 Published
Item ID:	32841
Date Deposited:	20 Dec 2022 11:31
Last Modified:	20 Dec 2022 11:31
Peer Reviewed:	Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/32841

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