Visual speech cues recruit neural oscillations to optimise auditory perception: Ways forward for research on human communication

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.