The neural representation of emotional cues investigated using the speech frequency following response: A potential tool to evaluate speech prosody

Background: The Speech-evoked Frequency Following Response (sFFR) provides spctro-temporal data on speech processing in the auditory system. Its effectiveness in extracting prosodic features like variations in fundamental frequency (F0 contour) and intensity is uncertain. Objectives: This study examines how well sFFR tracks F0 contour in different emotions using a natural two-syllable word. It also explores talker’s gender impact on F0 contours and gender disparity in encoding prosodic cues. Method: The word “balloon” spoken by male and female speakers with sad and happy emotions, elicited FFR from 16 adults (8 males, aged 18–31). A pitch estimation algorithm calculated root mean squared error and 5% accuracy to evaluate the response’s fidelity to F0 contour under different conditions. Results: The sFFR tracked prosodic speech features, influenced by emotion type and talker voice characteristics. Participants identified emotions most accurately from sad male voices. Lower F0 trajectories corresponded to more reliable FFR responses, showing better tracking of male voices and sad emotions. No significant gender-related differences were observed in emotional data processing. Conclusion: These findings highlight sFFR’s utility in capturing dynamic speech properties and its potential in clinical assessments. Future research should explore prosody processing in hearing-impaired individuals and consider integrating sFFR into diagnostic protocols.