PROCESSING OF VOWELS IN SUPRATEMPORAL AUDITORY-CORTEX

The auditory evoked neuromagnetic fields elicited by synthesized vowel s of two different fundamental frequencies F0 were recorded in six sub jects over the left and right temporal cortices using a 37-channel bio magnetometer. Single equivalent current dipole modeling of the fields elicited by all vowel types localized activity to a well-circumscribed area in supratemporal auditory cortex in both hemispheres. There were hemisphere asymmetries in the amplitude and latency of the M100 respo nse. We also observed changes in M100 latency related to vowel type, b ut not to F0. There was no clear effect of vowel type or F0 on dipole localization for the M100, but a possible vowel type by latency intera ction. These M100 data provide further evidence that vowels are proces sed independently of their pitch. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inland Ltd .