Find in Library

In pandemic times, when visual speech cues are masked, it becomes particularly evident how much we rely on them to communicate. Recent research points to a key role of neural oscillations for cross-modal predictions during speech perception. This article bridges several fields of research – neural oscillations, cross-modal speech perception and brain stimulation – to propose ways forward for research on human communication. Future research can test: (1) whether “speech is special” for oscillatory processes underlying cross-modal predictions; (2) whether “visual control” of oscillatory processes in the auditory system is strongest in moments of reduced acoustic regularity; and (3) whether providing information to the brain via electric stimulation can overcome deficits associated with cross-modal information processing in certain pathological conditions.