Graph theoretical analysis reveals the functional role of the left ventral occipito-temporal cortex in speech processing.

ABSTRACT: The left ventral occipito-temporal cortex (left-vOT) plays a key role in reading. Interestingly, the area also responds to speech input, suggesting that it may have other functions beyond written word recognition. Here, we adopt graph theoretical analysis to investigate the left-vOT's functional role in the whole-brain network while participants process spoken sentences in different contexts. Overall, different connectivity measures indicate that the left-vOT acts as an interface enabling the communication between distributed brain regions and sub-networks. During simple speech perception, the left-vOT is systematically part of the visual network and contributes to the communication between neighboring areas, remote areas, and sub-networks, by acting as a local bridge, a global bridge, and

SUBMITTER: Wang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9681757 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature