Language DevelopmentNCT02774356
Testing Native Language Neural Commitment at the Subcortical Level
An observational study of Language Development, run by University of Minnesota at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This mentored student research project is funded by the Graduate Research Partnership Program with a projected timeline for data collection in the summer of 2015. Previous research has shown that language experience alters the way the human brain processes speech information. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Language Development
- How many people
- 36 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jul 2015to Dec 2016
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 50 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Study population: Normal healthy adult population.
Who may be able to join
- Native Mandarin Chinese speakers
- Native English speakers
- Non-musicians.
- English speakers must have no prior experience with a tonal language.
- Normal hearing
- Age range to 18-50.
Who cannot join
- Speech-language-hearing disorders, neurophysiological/psychiatric conditions, including stroke or brain injuries, which would prevent the subject from sitting still and performing the experimental tasks.
- Subjects with three or more than three years of musical practice/training will be excluded.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Zhang Lab at Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455
About this study
Official title: Testing Native Language Neural Commitment at the Subcortical Level: Links Between Brainstem Frequency Following Responses and Behavioral Perception for Lexical Tones
This mentored student research project is funded by the Graduate Research Partnership Program with a projected timeline for data collection in the summer of 2015. Previous research has shown that language experience alters the way the human brain processes speech information. This phenomenon takes place very early in life and is referred to as Native Language Neural Commitment. For instance, as the Japanese language does not have the l-r speech sound contrast, Japanese infants start to show difficulty in hearing differences between the English l and r sounds at 12 months of age but not when they were at 6 months old. Learning the l-r distinction later in life proves to be very difficult for the Japanese school students and adults. Brain imaging studies have further revealed specific brain regions that are changed by language learning. But the evidence in support of the Native Language Neural Commitment theory is based on cortical-level measures. The proposed study extends the measurement to the subcortical level at the brainstem. The target language that the investigators are interested in studying is Mandarin Chinese, which is known for its use of lexical tones to express different words. For instance, the Chinese syllable "ma" means "mother" when it is spoken with a flat tone, and it means "hemp" when spoken with a rising tone. English, by contrast, does not employ lexical tones, and it is considered a non-tonal language. Does the Chinese learning experience fundamental change the way that pitch information is coded in the human brain? Does it happen at both cortical and subcortical levels? Previous research has shown evidence for a positive answer to both questions. But the direct evidence for brain-behavior correlations at the subcortical level is still missing.
The proposed cross-language study will test Chinese-speaking and English-speaking adults to investigate Native Language Neural Commitment at the subcortical level. The investigators are interested in differences in the two subject populations by examining the relationship between brainstem pitch tracking and behavioral pitch perception in linguistic and nonlinguistic stimuli.
The results of the proposed project will contribute to the understanding the role of the subcortical brainstem in Native Language Neural Commitment, which have significant implications for the development of auditory/speech training programs and assessment tools utilizing the brainstem frequency following measure to monitor progress in second language learning and test clinical populations.
- Conditions
- Language Development
- Keywords
- Brainstem, Encoding, Pitch
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Native Chinese speakers | Not described | |
| Native English speakers without experience of a tonal language | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pitch strength of Brainstem EEG (electroencephalography) responses
EEG signals to pitch changes in speech and nonspeech sounds are analyzed to obtain the brainstem frequency following responses (FFRs). Autocorrelation method will be applied to the FFRs to quantify each participant's brainstem pitch strength. Higher average autocorrelation value indicates greater pitch strength. This EEG measure is to see whether tonal-language speakers and nontonal language speakers differ in brainstem encoding of pitch information.
Measured: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
Reaction time in millesecond for speech perception of syllables with varying pitch contour
This behavioral measure in terms of syllable perception is to test whether syllabic perception is influenced by pitch information and whether tonal-language speakers' sensitivity towards pitch differences would affect the speech perception differently.
Measured: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
Correlation between the EEG and the Behavioral measures
Measured: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
Pitch tracking accuracy of Brainstem EEG (electroencephalography) responses
Strength of stimulus-to-response correlation will assessed. Higher correlation coefficient between the fundamental frequency of the stimulus and that of the FFR response will indicate greater accuracy of the brainstem pitch tracking. This EEG measure is to see whether tonal-language speakers and nontonal language speakers differ in brainstem encoding of pitch information.
Measured: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
Duration estimate of syllables with varying pitch contour
This behavioral measure in terms of syllable duration estimation is to test whether duration estimation is influenced by pitch information and whether tonal-language speakers' sensitivity towards pitch differences would affect the duration estimation differently.
Measured: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 May 2016 (estimated)
- Study startJul 2015
- Primary completionDec 2016
- Study completionDec 2016
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (5)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Language DevelopmentStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 36 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Minnesota
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02774356
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1505M69162
- Status last verified
- Jan 2017
- First submitted
- 9 Jun 2015
- Last updated
- 18 Jan 2017
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Krishnan A, Xu Y, Gandour J, Cariani P. Encoding of pitch in the human brainstem is sensitive to language experience. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 2005 Sep;25(1):161-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2005.05.004.
PubMed 15935624Zhang Y, Kuhl PK, Imada T, Kotani M, Tohkura Y. Effects of language experience: neural commitment to language-specific auditory patterns. Neuroimage. 2005 Jul 1;26(3):703-20. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.02.040. Epub 2005 Apr 13.
PubMed 15955480Bidelman GM, Gandour JT, Krishnan A. Musicians and tone-language speakers share enhanced brainstem encoding but not perceptual benefits for musical pitch. Brain Cogn. 2011 Oct;77(1):1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2011.07.006. Epub 2011 Aug 10.
PubMed 21835531Marmel F, Linley D, Carlyon RP, Gockel HE, Hopkins K, Plack CJ. Subcortical neural synchrony and absolute thresholds predict frequency discrimination independently. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2013 Oct;14(5):757-66. doi: 10.1007/s10162-013-0402-3. Epub 2013 Jun 13.
PubMed 23760984Xu Q, Gong Q. Frequency difference beyond behavioral limen reflected by frequency following response of human auditory Brainstem. Biomed Eng Online. 2014 Aug 9;13:114. doi: 10.1186/1475-925X-13-114.
PubMed 25108552
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 18 Jan 2017. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Testing Native Language Neural Commitment at the Subcortical Level: Links Between Brainstem Frequency Following Responses and Behavioral Perception for Lexical Tones
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02774356
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1505M69162
- Conditions
- Language Development
- Keywords
- Brainstem, Encoding, Pitch
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 36 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of MinnesotaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Jul 2015
- Primary completion
- Dec 2016 (actual)
- Study completion
- Dec 2016 (actual)
- First posted
- 17 May 2016 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This mentored student research project is funded by the Graduate Research Partnership Program with a projected timeline for data collection in the summer of 2015. Previous research has shown that language experience alters the way the human brain processes speech information. This phenomenon takes place very early in life and is referred to as Native Language Neural Commitment. For instance, as the Japanese language does not have the l-r speech sound contrast, Japanese infants start to show difficulty in hearing differences between the English l and r sounds at 12 months of age but not when they were at 6 months old. Learning the l-r distinction later in life proves to be very difficult for the Japanese school students and adults. Brain imaging studies have further revealed specific brain regions that are changed by language learning. But the evidence in support of the Native Language Neural Commitment theory is based on cortical-level measures. The proposed study extends the measurement to the subcortical level at the brainstem. The target language that the investigators are interested in studying is Mandarin Chinese, which is known for its use of lexical tones to express different words. For instance, the Chinese syllable "ma" means "mother" when it is spoken with a flat tone, and it means "hemp" when spoken with a rising tone. English, by contrast, does not employ lexical tones, and it is considered a non-tonal language. Does the Chinese learning experience fundamental change the way that pitch information is coded in the human brain? Does it happen at both cortical and subcortical levels? Previous research has shown evidence for a positive answer to both questions. But the direct evidence for brain-behavior correlations at the subcortical level is still missing.
The proposed cross-language study will test Chinese-speaking and English-speaking adults to investigate Native Language Neural Commitment at the subcortical level. The investigators are interested in differences in the two subject populations by examining the relationship between brainstem pitch tracking and behavioral pitch perception in linguistic and nonlinguistic stimuli.
The results of the proposed project will contribute to the understanding the role of the subcortical brainstem in Native Language Neural Commitment, which have significant implications for the development of auditory/speech training programs and assessment tools utilizing the brainstem frequency following measure to monitor progress in second language learning and test clinical populations.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-control
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Native Chinese speakers | – | – |
| Native English speakers without experience of a tonal language | – | – |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
- Study population
- Normal healthy adult population.
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- Native Mandarin Chinese speakers
- Native English speakers
- Non-musicians.
- English speakers must have no prior experience with a tonal language.
- Normal hearing
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Speech-language-hearing disorders, neurophysiological/psychiatric conditions, including stroke or brain injuries, which would prevent the subject from sitting still and performing the experimental tasks.
- Subjects with three or more than three years of musical practice/training will be excluded.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Pitch strength of Brainstem EEG (electroencephalography) responses
Time frame: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
EEG signals to pitch changes in speech and nonspeech sounds are analyzed to obtain the brainstem frequency following responses (FFRs). Autocorrelation method will be applied to the FFRs to quantify each participant's brainstem pitch strength. Higher average autocorrelation value indicates greater pitch strength. This EEG measure is to see whether tonal-language speakers and nontonal language speakers differ in brainstem encoding of pitch information.
Reaction time in millesecond for speech perception of syllables with varying pitch contour
Time frame: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
This behavioral measure in terms of syllable perception is to test whether syllabic perception is influenced by pitch information and whether tonal-language speakers' sensitivity towards pitch differences would affect the speech perception differently.
Correlation between the EEG and the Behavioral measures
Time frame: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
Pitch tracking accuracy of Brainstem EEG (electroencephalography) responses
Time frame: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
Strength of stimulus-to-response correlation will assessed. Higher correlation coefficient between the fundamental frequency of the stimulus and that of the FFR response will indicate greater accuracy of the brainstem pitch tracking. This EEG measure is to see whether tonal-language speakers and nontonal language speakers differ in brainstem encoding of pitch information.
Duration estimate of syllables with varying pitch contour
Time frame: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.
This behavioral measure in terms of syllable duration estimation is to test whether duration estimation is influenced by pitch information and whether tonal-language speakers' sensitivity towards pitch differences would affect the duration estimation differently.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 18 Jan 2017.
- Background: PubMed 15935624Krishnan A, Xu Y, Gandour J, Cariani P. Encoding of pitch in the human brainstem is sensitive to language experience. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 2005 Sep;25(1):161-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2005.05.004.
- Background: PubMed 15955480Zhang Y, Kuhl PK, Imada T, Kotani M, Tohkura Y. Effects of language experience: neural commitment to language-specific auditory patterns. Neuroimage. 2005 Jul 1;26(3):703-20. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.02.040. Epub 2005 Apr 13.
- Background: PubMed 21835531Bidelman GM, Gandour JT, Krishnan A. Musicians and tone-language speakers share enhanced brainstem encoding but not perceptual benefits for musical pitch. Brain Cogn. 2011 Oct;77(1):1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2011.07.006. Epub 2011 Aug 10.
- Background: PubMed 23760984Marmel F, Linley D, Carlyon RP, Gockel HE, Hopkins K, Plack CJ. Subcortical neural synchrony and absolute thresholds predict frequency discrimination independently. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol. 2013 Oct;14(5):757-66. doi: 10.1007/s10162-013-0402-3. Epub 2013 Jun 13.
- Background: PubMed 25108552Xu Q, Gong Q. Frequency difference beyond behavioral limen reflected by frequency following response of human auditory Brainstem. Biomed Eng Online. 2014 Aug 9;13:114. doi: 10.1186/1475-925X-13-114.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Language Development, run by University of Minnesota at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Jan 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pitch strength of Brainstem EEG (electroencephalography) responses (time frame: Outcome will be measured at one 1.5-hr session after the participant is recruited.). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02774356, which also lists 5 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Jan 2017.