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Competing speech streams are simultaneously represented in the human cortex during attention switching
Univ Dublin, Ireland.
Linköping University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Automatic Control. Linköping University, Faculty of Science & Engineering. Oticon AS, Denmark.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4655-9112
Oticon AS, Denmark; Tech Univ Denmark, Denmark.
Univ Dublin, Ireland.
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2026 (English)In: PLoS biology, ISSN 1544-9173, E-ISSN 1545-7885, Vol. 24, no 7, article id e3003876Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Successful speech communication in multi-talker scenarios requires a skillful combination of sustained attention and rapid attention switching. While the neurophysiology literature offers detailed insights into the neural underpinnings of sustained attention, there remains considerable uncertainty on how attention switching takes place. In this study, using EEG recordings from normal-hearing adults in an immersive multi-talker environment, we measured the neural encoding of two competing speech streams amid background babble. Participants were cued to switch attention between streams every 15-30 s. Neural tracking was assessed via Temporal Response Functions (TRF), confirming reliable decoding of attentional focus. Our results indicate asymmetric disengagement and engagement processes during attention switches, where the neural tracking of the new target stream emerges before disengaging from the previous target, revealing a transient simultaneous encoding of two speech streams. That transition was closely mirrored by a reduction in EEG alpha power, informing on the cognitive effort during different phases of the attention switch. We then isolated cortical activity reflecting lexical prediction mechanisms to determine how lexical context is updated after an attention switch, comparing four context-accumulation strategies that were constructed using Large Language Models. Our findings elucidate both the temporal and contextual mechanisms underlying auditory attention shifts, pointing to the possibility that listeners carry out a reset in lexical context after switching attention. By focusing on dynamic attentional reallocation, this study offers insights into the brain's capacity for flexible speech processing in complex listening environments.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE , 2026. Vol. 24, no 7, article id e3003876
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Neurosciences
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URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-226824DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003876ISI: 001821879200002PubMedID: 42461810Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105045585043OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-226824DiVA, id: diva2:2093537
Note

Funding Agencies|William Demant Fonden [21-0628]; ADAPT - Centre for Digital Content Technology [13/RC/2106_P2]; Taighde ireann - Research Ireland [18/CRT/6223]

Available from: 2026-08-19 Created: 2026-08-19 Last updated: 2026-08-19

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CiteExportLink to record
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Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
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  • de-DE
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  • nn-NB
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More languages
Output format
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  • asciidoc
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