The experience of an inner voice relies on auditory cortex activation and speech motor simulation
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 77/100
The neurobiological literature indicates that experiencing inner speech involves motor planning regions communicating with auditory cortices via efference copies and predictive mechanisms.
Evidence for · 2
Impaired Speaking-Induced Suppression Predicts Degraded Agency and Hallucination Severity in Schizophrenia.
2026 · cited by 1
Paper 2 discusses how speech and inner thought monitoring rely on auditory cortical responses and predictions related to self-generated speech.
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More for · 1
Inner speech and the neurobiology of psychosis
2025 · cited by 0
Paper 6 reviews how inner speech relies on motor-related regions (such as ventral premotor cortices) sending efference copies to auditory cortices.