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  • Perspective
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Is song processing distinct and special in the auditory cortex?

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 24, pages 711–722 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Is the singing voice processed distinctively in the human brain? In this Perspective, we discuss what might distinguish song processing from speech processing in light of recent work suggesting that some cortical neuronal populations respond selectively to song and we outline the implications for our understanding of auditory processing. We review the literature regarding the neural and physiological mechanisms of song production and perception and show that this provides evidence for key differences between song and speech processing. We conclude by discussing the significance of the notion that song processing is special in terms of how this might contribute to theories of the neurobiological origins of vocal communication and to our understanding of the neural circuitry underlying sound processing in the human cortex.

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Fig. 1: Comparison of spectra and breathing for song and speech.
Fig. 2: Physiological and neural underpinnings of human vocalizations.
Fig. 3: Cortical auditory processing: the dual-stream model and song selectivity.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the past and present members of the ICN Speech and Communication Laboratory for wonderfully stimulating lab meetings. The first author further thanks UCL for its generous GRS/ORS funding opportunity and I. Cross for his past mentorship and very interesting e-mail discussions.

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  1. Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK

    Ilana Harris, Efe C. Niven & Sophie K. Scott

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Alex Griffin

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S.K.S. and I.H. researched data for the article, wrote the article, and reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission. All authors contributed substantially to discussion of the content.

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Harris, I., Niven, E.C., Griffin, A. et al. Is song processing distinct and special in the auditory cortex?. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 24, 711–722 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-023-00743-4

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