Managing simultaneity in speech: a neuroimaging investigation of speech shadowing and simultaneous interpretation

Field: Neuroscience (Life Sciences)

Event Abstract Back to Event Managing simultaneity in speech: a neuroimaging investigation of speech shadowing and simultaneous interpretation Alexis G. Hervais-Adelman1* and Barbara Moser-Mercer2 1 Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Switzerland 2 School of Translation and Interpretation, Switzerland Shadowing is a demanding task that requires listeners to repeat speech as they hear it, tracking it as closely as possible in time. Simultaneous interpretation (SI) is even more challenging, requiring interpreters to process speech in a source language while translating into and monitoring production in the target language. SI depends upon verbal working memory, language switching, executive control, and switching between hearing and speaking. We examine the neural substrates of shadowing and SI with an emphasis on the brain regions involved in the management of simultaneous input and output streams. 45 multilingual individuals (19 female, mean age 25 years) took part in a functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) study. Participants were cued by on-screen instructions to either listen to, shadow or simultaneously interpret sets of sentences. Using a sparse imaging paradigm, stimuli were presented and responses made in silent intervals between scans. Contrasting shadowing with listening shows greater activity in a network of motor, inferior frontal and anterior midline regions implicated in executive control and speech-motor control. SI additionally recruited premotor regions, anterior Broca's area and middle frontal gyrus, regions involved in speech-motor planning, semantic processing, verbal working memory, executive function, control of attention and action regulation. SI also activated the caudate nuclei, which are associated with language switching. Activation in the superior temporal sulci was significantly correlated with duration of overlap between listening and production during shadowing and SI. Bilateral putamen activity correlated with overlap during SI. Results suggest that the challenges of SI over shadowing are met by a fronto-premotor-subcortical network. Funding: Supported by the Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique. Keywords: Language, Speech Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster Sessions: Neural Bases of Language Citation: Hervais-Adelman AG and Moser-Mercer B (2011). Managing simultaneity in speech: a neuroimaging investigation of speech shadowing and simultaneous interpretation. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00197 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 21 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011. * Correspondence: Dr. Alexis G Hervais-Adelman, Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Geneva, Switzerland, alexis.hervais-adelman@psychologie.uzh.ch Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Alexis G Hervais-Adelman Barbara Moser-Mercer Google Alexis G Hervais-Adelman Barbara Moser-Mercer Google Scholar Alexis G Hervais-Adelman Barbara Moser-Mercer PubMed Alexis G Hervais-Adelman Barbara Moser-Mercer Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.