The existence of feedback control mechanisms from motor to sensory systems is a central idea in speech production research. Consistent with the view that articulation modulates the activity of the auditory cortex, it has been shown that silent articulation improved identification of concordant speech sounds [1]. In the present study, we replicated and extended this finding by demonstrating that, even in the case of perfect perceptual identification, concurrent mouthing of a syllable may speed the perceptual processing of auditory and auditoryvisual speech stimuli. These results provide new behavioral evidence for the existence of motor-to-sensory discharge in speech production and suggest a functional connection between action and perception systems.
Sams, M., Möttönen, R. and Sihvonen, T., "Seeing and hearing others and oneself talk", Brain Res Cogn Brain Res., 23:429- 435, 2005.