# The Role of Frontal and Temporal Brain Areas in the Perception of Phonetic Category Structure

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS · 2024 · $85,681

## Abstract

ABSTRACT/PROJECT SUMMARY
Successful language comprehension requires mapping a complex and variable acoustic signal onto meaningful
units. Many studies show that perception of the speech signal recruits both left and right hemisphere temporal
brain regions, yet only individuals with left hemisphere damage typically have deficits in processing sound
structure that impact comprehension. A persistent mystery is the role of the right hemisphere in speech
perception. In the current proposal, we test two key hypotheses about the role of the right hemisphere in speech
sound processing. In Aim 1, a series of studies test the hypothesis that right and left temporal lobes differ in the
precision with which they respond to speech, with left hemisphere showing sharp, categorical responses and the
right having less precise and more gradient responses to speech. In Aim 2, motivated by work from the last grant
cycle, we test the role of the right hemisphere in a process that is key to efficient language processing: learning
the specific phonetic qualities of talkers. We approach these questions using converging methods, using neural
decoding techniques on functional neuroimaging (fMRI) data to measure differences in neural tuning to phonetic
stimuli, implementing a “virtual lesion” approach using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to examine the
consequences of left and right hemisphere disruption, and testing individuals with right and left temporal lesions
to understand the functional consequences of damage to the systems supporting speech perception in both
hemispheres. In concert, this work will delineate the neural systems that support efficient and flexible processing
of the speech signal. This grant’s innovation stems from its multi-method approach and the focus on right
hemisphere function, a neglected component of the language architecture. Finally, this line of work will inform
successful remediation of stroke, revealing the roles and functions of spared left and right hemisphere systems
that can be leveraged for therapeutic purposes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11076396
- **Project number:** 3R01DC013064-09S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
- **Principal Investigator:** Emily B Myers
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $85,681
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2014-03-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11076396

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11076396, The Role of Frontal and Temporal Brain Areas in the Perception of Phonetic Category Structure (3R01DC013064-09S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11076396. Licensed CC0.

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