Schizophrenia affects speech-induced functional connectivity of the superior temporal gyrus under cocktail-party listening conditions. (17th September 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Juanhua; Wu, Chao; Zheng, Yingjun; Li, Ruikeng; Li, Xuanzi; She, Shenglin; Wu, Haibo; Peng, Hongjun; Ning, Yuping; Li, Liang
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience. Volume 359(2017)
• Page Start: 248
• Page End: 257
• Publication Date: 2017-09-17
• Subjects: schizophrenia -- speech perception -- precedence effect -- functional connectivity -- masking -- superior temporal gyrus; Neurochemistry -- Periodicals; Neurophysiology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurochimie -- Périodiques; Neurophysiologie -- Périodiques; Neurochemistry; Neurophysiology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.06.043
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4522

Abstract

Highlights: People with schizophrenia are more vulnerable to informational speech-on-speech masking. Normally functional connectivity of the STG with parietal areas is related to speech listening against informational masking. Schizophrenia impairs functional connectivity of the STG with precuneus, SPL, and supplementary motor area. Schizophrenia-altered functional connectivity of STG may be related to the increased vulnerability to informational masking. Schizophrenia-altered functional connectivity of STG may reflect a neural compensatory strategy. Abstract: The superior temporal gyrus (STG) is involved in speech recognition against informational masking under cocktail-party-listening conditions. Compared to healthy listeners, people with schizophrenia perform worse in speech recognition under informational speech-on-speech masking conditions. It is not clear whether the schizophrenia-related vulnerability to informational masking is associated with certain changes in FC of the STG with some critical brain regions. Using sparse-sampling fMRI design, this study investigated the differences between people with schizophrenia and healthy controls in FC of the STG for target-speech listening against informational speech-on-speech masking, when a listening condition with either perceived spatial separation (PSS, with a spatial release of informational masking) or perceived spatial co-location (PSC, without the spatial release) between target speech and masking speech was introduced. The results showed that in healthy participants, but not participants with schizophrenia, the contrast of either the PSS or PSC condition against the masker-only condition induced an enhancement of functional connectivity (FC) of the STG with the left superior parietal lobule and the right precuneus. Compared to healthy participants, participants with schizophrenia showed declined FC of the STG with the bilateral precuneus, right SPL, and right supplementary motor area. Thus, FC of the STG with the parietal areas is normally involved in speech listening against informational masking under either the PSS or PSC conditions, and declined FC of the STG in people with schizophrenia with the parietal areas may be associated with the increased vulnerability to informational masking.