Brain Activity at High Pitch Phonation Detected by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

Objective : The aim of the present study is to clarify central phonation control during high pitch vocalization.
Subjects and methods : The participants were 16 right-handed, healthy adults. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to detect brain activity in response to vowel phonation (⁄i:⁄) with high pitch. The sparse sampling method for MRI scanning was used to reduce body movement artifacts due to phonation and acoustic artifacts due to scanner noise. The brain activity in response to phonation with comfortable pitch as well as high pitch was measured using the statistic parametric mapping 5 software.
Result : Brain activation specific to high pitch phonation was observed in the anterior cingulate cortex and cerebellum. There was however no specific motor cortex activity during high pitch phonation.
Conclusion : In the central phonation control system proposed by Symonyan et al, subsystem II (periaqueductal gray matter, anterior cingulate cortex, and limbic input structures) is involved in regulating vowel phonation with high pitch.