Somatosensory Feedback for Speech Perception

Recruiting at 2 trial locations

Overseen By David Ostry

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Yale University

Must not be taking: Antipsychotics, Antidepressants, Antianxiety

Disqualifiers: Pacemaker, Implants, Pregnancy, Epilepsy, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

160 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how pairing certain touch sensations with speech sounds can change how people hear and understand those sounds. It involves different groups, including those experiencing altered hearing feedback with or without facial skin stretching. Right-handed adults with no known physical or neurological issues and not on certain medications may be suitable candidates. Participants will help researchers understand how senses can influence speech perception.

As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research on sensory influence in speech perception.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

If you are currently taking antipsychotic, antidepressant, or antianxiety medications, you will need to stop taking them to participate in this trial.

What prior data suggests that these methods are safe for speech perception studies?

Studies have shown that altering how sounds are heard during speech usually changes sound perception. This process is generally safe, involving the brain adapting to new information. Studies have not reported significant negative effects from this treatment.

Research indicates that facial skin stretch can be influenced by speech sounds, helping to understand speech perception. Again, studies have not reported major safety concerns with this technique.

Overall, both treatments are well-tolerated. There is no clear evidence of harmful side effects, suggesting they are safe for participants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores innovative ways to enhance speech perception through somatosensory feedback. Unlike traditional methods that may focus solely on auditory training, this trial investigates the effects of combining altered auditory feedback with skin stretching techniques. By integrating forward or backward facial skin stretches with auditory adaptation, researchers aim to uncover new insights into how sensory feedback can improve speech perception. This approach could lead to novel strategies for individuals struggling with speech understanding, offering hope for more effective treatments in the future.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for speech perception?

Research has shown that altering how sounds are heard can affect speech understanding and production. This occurs because it influences the coordination between the brain and body in creating speech. Even a single experience of hearing altered sounds can noticeably change speech patterns. In this trial, some participants will adapt to altered auditory feedback to study these effects.

Stretching the skin on the face also impacts speech perception. It activates the body's touch-processing system, which can alter how speech sounds are heard. Studies suggest that these auditory changes can lead to changes in speech. In this trial, other participants will experience facial skin stretch combined with altered auditory feedback to explore these interactions. Both treatments might improve speech perception by altering how the brain processes sounds and touch. ^{1 4 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

David Ostry

Principal Investigator

Haskins Laboratories

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for right-handed adults with no known physical or neurological abnormalities. It's not suitable for those on antidepressants, antipsychotics, or anti-anxiety drugs; individuals with a pacemaker, metal implants, or fragments; anyone who is claustrophobic, pregnant, or has a personal/family history of epilepsy.

Inclusion Criteria

I am right-handed.

I do not have any known physical or neurological abnormalities.

Exclusion Criteria

You have a pacemaker for your heart.

metal or metallic fragments in any part of the body

You are pregnant.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

1-2 weeks

Training

Participants undergo training involving repeated pairing of somatosensory and auditory inputs to assess changes in speech perception.

30 minutes

1 session (in-person)

Assessment

Base-line and post-training auditory perceptual performance are examined to evaluate the effects of the pairing on speech perception.

30 minutes

1 session (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for any lasting changes in speech perception and motor learning.

1-2 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Adaptation
• Facial Skin Stretch

Trial Overview The study tests if repeated pairing of touch (somatosensory inputs) and speech sounds can change how we perceive these sounds. Participants will experience facial skin stretching as part of the process to see if it affects speech perception.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Speech Repetition Control Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Speech Repetition Control

Group II: Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback + Forward Skin Stretch Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback + Forward Skin Stretch

Group III: Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback + Backward Skin Stretch Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback + Backward Skin Stretch

Group IV: Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Yale University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,963

Recruited

3,046,000+

McGill University

Collaborator

Trials

421

Recruited

1,017,000+

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Collaborator

Trials

377

Recruited

190,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a study involving eight subjects, it was found that when auditory feedback of speech was altered, participants consistently adjusted their speech production to compensate, indicating a strong reliance on auditory feedback for speech control.

The research also revealed that while both auditory and somatosensory feedback contribute to speech production, auditory feedback plays a more dominant role in planning and adapting vowel-related articulatory movements.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Integration of auditory and somatosensory error signals in the neural control of speech movements. Feng, Y., Gracco, VL., Max, L.[2021]

Tactile stimulation of speech envelopes on the skin can enhance the brain's ability to track auditory speech signals, as shown by improved cortical tracking in EEG measurements, particularly when the tactile input precedes the auditory input by 100 milliseconds or less.

While tactile input improves neural tracking of speech, it does not enhance the intelligibility of degraded auditory speech, suggesting that while it aids in processing, it may not directly help in understanding the speech content.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Audio-tactile enhancement of cortical speech-envelope tracking. Riecke, L., Snipes, S., van Bree, S., et al.[2020]

Speech sounds can significantly alter the perception of facial somatosensory inputs, indicating a strong interaction between auditory and somatosensory systems during speech production.

This study used a robotic device to simulate facial skin deformation patterns associated with speech, demonstrating that the modulation of somatosensory processing is specific to speech and does not occur with nonspeech sounds or other body areas.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Speech sounds alter facial skin sensation. Ito, T., Ostry, DJ.[2021]

Speech motor learning involves significant changes in how the brain processes both auditory and somatosensory information, as shown through experiments with altered auditory feedback.

As participants adapted their speech to correct for changes in auditory feedback, there were measurable changes in their speech outputs and corresponding neural responses, indicating a close relationship between sensory processing and motor adaptation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Speech motor learning changes the neural response to both auditory and somatosensory signals. Ito, T., Coppola, JH., Ostry, DJ.[2018]

The study demonstrates that the somatosensory system, which processes sensations from the skin and muscles, plays a role in how we perceive speech sounds.

Using a robotic device to stretch facial skin while participants listened to words, researchers found that this skin deformation altered the sounds heard, indicating that sensory inputs can influence speech perception.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Somatosensory function in speech perception. Ito, T., Tiede, M., Ostry, DJ.[2021]

The study demonstrates that the somatosensory system significantly influences auditory perception of speech, independent of its role in motor function, highlighting its importance in perceptual recalibration.

While somatosensory modulation during speech motor adaptation did not change the overall adaptation outcome, it did affect the rate of adaptation and altered speech perception based on the direction of the modulation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Recalibration of auditory perception of speech due to orofacial somatosensory inputs during speech motor adaptation. Ohashi, H., Ito, T.[2022]

The somatosensory system plays a significant role in speech perception, alongside auditory and visual inputs, as evidenced by physiological and neuroanatomical interactions between auditory and somatosensory systems.

Research shows that tactile stimulation can alter speech perception, and activity in the somatosensory cortex is linked to processing speech sounds, indicating that our sense of touch may help us understand spoken language.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Towards a somatosensory theory of speech perception. Franken, MK., Liu, BC., Ostry, DJ.[2023]

A study using a robotic device to stretch facial skin showed that this manipulation enhanced lip protrusion during speech tasks, indicating that cutaneous afferents play a significant role in motor learning.

The findings suggest that the nervous system adapts motor commands based on sensory input from the skin, demonstrating that changes in sensory feedback can lead to improved motor performance, even when the sensory input is removed before movement initiation.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Somatosensory contribution to motor learning due to facial skin deformation. Ito, T., Ostry, DJ.[2021]

The study suggests that somatosensory feedback, related to the movements of the jaw during speech, plays a crucial role in how we monitor and adjust our speech, potentially more so than auditory feedback.

When both auditory and somatosensory feedback were altered during speech, participants showed varying preferences for relying on one type of feedback over the other, indicating that individuals may have different strategies for speech motor learning.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Sensory preference in speech production revealed by simultaneous alteration of auditory and somatosensory feedback. Lametti, DR., Nasir, SM., Ostry, DJ.[2021]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5857594/

Online Adaptation to Altered Auditory Feedback Is ... Better auditory discriminators adapted more to the alteration. We conclude that adaptation to altered auditory feedback is very well-predicted by general ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6879949/

Recalibration of auditory perception of speech due to ... Speech motor adaptation to altered auditory feedback changes the sensorimotor system and results in changes to the perception of speech sounds (Lametti et al.

3. elifesciences.org elifesciences.org/articles/73694

A single exposure to altered auditory feedback causes ... The paper establishes the presence of a single-trial adaptation response to the perturbation of the first formant of a vowel in speech production.

4. jneurosci.org jneurosci.org/content/32/27/9351

Sensory Preference in Speech Production Revealed by ... Somatosensory feedback was manipulated by using a robotic device that altered the motion path of the jaw. Auditory feedback was manipulated by ...

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388245725012556

The effect of perceived auditory feedback on speech Brain ... We found subtle differences in brain activity patterns when auditory feedback was absent compared to normal feedback situations. Importantly, ...

6. pubs.asha.org pubs.asha.org/doi/abs/10.1044/2025_PERSP-24-00306?af=R

Can Typically Fluent Adults Adapt to Long-Latency ... Conclusions: Extended exposure to DAF during repeated readings promotes significant adaptation, but most speakers did not fully suppress the influence of DAF.

7. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-7-2019-d7d23

Somatosensory Feedback for Speech Perception This N/A medical study run by Yale University is evaluating whether Adaptation and Facial Skin Stretch will have tolerable side effects & efficacy for ...

8. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7838841/

Contributions of Auditory and Somatosensory Feedback to ... Online adaptation to altered auditory feedback is predicted by auditory acuity and not by domain-general executive control resources. Frontiers in Human ...