Sonja A. Kotz
Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dept. of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands & Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Dept. of Neuropsychology, Leipzig, Germany

Title: "Timing and rhythm in motor and non-motor behavior"

Abstract: 

Neural correlates of motor and non-motor behaviour such as speech and language as well as their dysfunctions are well documented in neuroscience and neuropsychology, respectively. However, while the critical influence of timing and rhythm in motor behaviour is clearly recognised, there is very little evidence on their impact in speech and language research (see Kotz & Schwartze, 2010). This is surprising as rhythm and timing (i) play a crucial role in speech and language learning, (ii) can compensate developmental and acquired speech and language disorders, and (iii) further our understanding of subcortical contributions to linguistic and non-linguistic functions. For example, recent neuroimaging and clinical evidence has confirmed the contributions of classical motor control areas (cerebellum (CE), basal ganglia (BG), supplementary motor area (SMA)) in timing, rhythm, music, and speech perception (Chen et al., 2008; Grahn et al., 2007; Geiser et al., 2009; Kotz et al., 2009; Kotz & Schwartze, 2011). We consider serial order and temporal precision to be the mechanisms that are shared in simple and complex motor behaviour (e.g. Salinas, 2009), but also in higher order cognitive functions such as speech and language (Kotz & Schwartze, 2010; 2015). In my talk I will present behavioural and neuroimaging evidence on the role of timing and rhythm in motor behaviour, speech comprehension, and the compensation of both motor and speech behaviour in clinical populations. This evidence will be discussed witin a cortico-subcortical framework encompassing action-perception coupling.

Read more at: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/sonja.kotz/research