Throughout the ages, scientists have been fascinated by how the brain processes speech and language, and while much has been learned, much remains a mystery. But there’s growing evidence that human and non-human primates may share similar methods of synthesizing sounds, essential to verbal communication.

According to neuroscientists Josef Rauschecker, of Georgetown University Medical Center, and Sophie Scott of London’s University College, speech in human and non-human primates is processed along two parallel pathways in the brain, each of which run from lower-to-higher-functioning neural regions.

Both pathways begin by processing signals in the auditory cortex located in deep fissures along the temporal lobe. This so-called “what” pathway recognizes complex auditory signals that include communication sounds and their semantic meaning. The other channel, called the “where” pathway, is mostly in the parietal lobe and processes spatial aspects of a sound, including its location and motion in space, and provides important feedback to the brain during the act of speaking.
Rauschecker notes that although speech and language are considered to be uniquely human abilities, research suggests “in evolution, language must have emerged from neural mechanisms at least partially available in animals.”

It’s hoped that this area of research will lead to new insights about auditory problems in disorders like autism and schizophrenia.

The study by Rauschecker and Scott was funded by the National Science Foundation and published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.