Primary auditory cortex’s vowel representation

Abstract

Sound frequencies are represented in the primary auditory cortex (PAC) in a tonotopic structure which can be measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A previous study has investigated vowels [ɑ] and [i] and seen a correlation between the vowels’ activation and the activation of simple tones corresponding to the vowels’ formant frequencies. Other vowels have not yet been studied. In this study, we are investigating [ɑ],[ɛ], [i], and [u] and compared those with activation of simple tones corresponding to their formant frequencies. This is ongoing work, and only five volunteers have participated. The preliminary results vary from high correlation between areas activated to low or no correlation. More data has to be collected to draw any further conclusions.