The Control of Vocal Pitch in Human Laryngeal Motor Cortex

• Published in: Cell Vol. 174; no. 1; pp. 21 - 31.e9
• Main Authors: Dichter, Benjamin K., Breshears, Jonathan D., Leonard, Matthew K., Chang, Edward F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 28.06.2018
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Brain Mapping; cortical stimulation; Electrocorticography; Female; human cortex; Humans; larynx; Larynx - physiology; Male; Middle Aged; Models, Biological; motor cortex; Motor Cortex - physiology; pitch; singing; Speech; vocalization; voicing; Young Adult; voicing; larynx; motor cortex; cortical stimulation; singing; vocalization; speech; human cortex; pitch
• ISSN: 0092-8674; 1097-4172
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.05.016

In speech, the highly flexible modulation of vocal pitch creates intonation patterns that speakers use to convey linguistic meaning. This human ability is unique among primates. Here, we used high-density cortical recordings directly from the human brain to determine the encoding of vocal pitch during natural speech. We found neural populations in bilateral dorsal laryngeal motor cortex (dLMC) that selectively encoded produced pitch but not non-laryngeal articulatory movements. This neural population controlled short pitch accents to express prosodic emphasis on a word in a sentence. Other larynx cortical representations controlling voicing and longer pitch phrase contours were found at separate sites. dLMC sites also encoded vocal pitch during a non-speech singing task. Finally, direct focal stimulation of dLMC evoked laryngeal movements and involuntary vocalization, confirming its causal role in feedforward control. Together, these results reveal the neural basis for the voluntary control of vocal pitch in human speech. [Display omitted] [Display omitted] •A human brain area that controls vocal pitch in both speech and song is identified•Two laryngeal functions, voicing and pitch, are encoded by distinct neural populations•A causal role for larynx muscle control is demonstrated through cortical stimulation The ability to control vocal pitch during speech and singing is encoded by the dorsal laryngeal motor cortex in humans.