Motor-timing and sequencing in speech production: a general-purpose framework

Speech production can be considered as a sensorimotor behavior that requires precise control and the dynamic interplay of several parallel processing levels. To produce an utterance, the respective information has to be selected, sequenced, and articulated in an adequate, highly time-sensitive manner. Moreover, while these incremental processes develop, sensory feedback is integrated into the system. Efficient temporal processing and coordination is therefore mandatory to successful speech production. Temporal processing in the range of milliseconds to seconds, critical to speech production and perception alike, has been suggested to engage dedicated neural mechanisms. Similar to selection and sequencing, these mechanisms rely on the basal ganglia and their associated thalamocortical circuits. On this basis, we discuss and refine anatomical and functional characteristics of a general-purpose framework in which dedicated temporal processing establishes a reference that guides the generation of faster and efficient dynamics in speech production.