A corollary discharge circuit in human speech.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Invasive electrophysiological case series in neurosurgical patients.
PubMed 39625978 · doi:10.1073/pnas.2404121121
What was done
Electrocorticographic (ECoG) neural recordings were obtained from neurosurgical patients during multiple speech production paradigms. Researchers applied a Granger causality-based connectivity analysis framework to determine the source, timing, and directionality of neural communication between speech motor areas and the auditory cortex.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data or statistical effect estimates. Directionally, researchers identified a reproducible source for corollary discharge localized to the ventral speech motor cortex prior to speech articulation, which predicted the extent of auditory cortex suppression during vocalization.
Why it matters
The findings map the anatomical source and temporal dynamics of the human corollary discharge signal in speech, establishing a direct neural link between motor planning and sensory suppression relevant to motor control and auditory hallucinations.
Limits
The abstract does not state the sample size (n), underlying clinical conditions, or electrode coverage parameters of the neurosurgical cohort. No quantitative metrics, effect sizes, or variance measures are provided.