Normal voice processing after posterior superior temporal sulcus lesion

Abstract

The right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) shows a strong response to voices, but the cognitive processes generating this response are unclear. One possibility is that this activity reflects basic voice processing. However, several fMRI and magneto encephalography findings suggest instead that pSTS serves as an integrative hub that combines voice and face information. Here we investigate whether right pSTS contributes to basic voice processing by testing Faith, a patient whose right pSTS was resected, with eight behavioral tasks assessing voice identity perception and recognition, voice sex perception, and voice expression perception. Faith performed normally on all the tasks. Her normal performance indicates right pSTS is not necessary for intact voice recognition and suggests that pSTS activations to voices reflect higher-level processes.