Comparing the effects of age on amplitude modulation and frequency modulation detection

Frequency modulation (FM) and amplitude modulation (AM) detection thresholds were measured at 40 dB sensation level for young (22-28 yrs) and older (44-66 yrs) listeners with normal audiograms for a carrier frequency of 500 Hz and modulation rates of 2 and 20 Hz. The number of modulation cycles, N, varied between 2 and 9. For FM detection, uninformative AM at the same rate as the FM was superimposed to disrupt excitation-pattern cues. For both groups, AM and FM detection thresholds were lower for the 2-Hz than for the 20-Hz rate, and AM and FM detection thresholds decreased with increasing N. Thresholds were higher for older than for younger listeners, especially for FM detection at 2 Hz, possibly reflecting the effect of age on the use of temporal-fine-structure cues for 2-Hz FM detection. The effect of increasing N was similar across groups for both AM and FM. However, at 20 Hz, older listeners showed a greater effect of increasing N than younger listeners for both AM and FM. The results suggest that ageing reduces sensitivity to both excitation-pattern and temporal-fine-structure cues for modulation detection, but more so for the latter, while sparing temporal integration of these cues at low modulation rates.

Durations required to distinguish noise and tone: Effects of noise bandwidth and frequency

Perceptual audio coders exploit the masking properties of the human auditory system to reduce the bit rate in audio recording and transmission systems; it is intended that the quantization noise is just masked by the audio signal. The effectiveness of the audio signal as a masker depends on whether it is tone-like or noise-like. The determination of this, both physically and perceptually, depends on the duration of the stimuli. To gather information that might improve the efficiency of perceptual coders, the duration required to distinguish between a narrowband noise and a tone was measured as a function of center frequency and noise bandwidth. In experiment 1, duration thresholds were measured for isolated noise and tone bursts. In experiment 2, duration thresholds were measured for tone and noise segments embedded within longer tone pulses. In both experiments, center frequencies were 345, 754, 1456, and 2658 Hz and bandwidths were 0.25, 0.5, and 1 times the equivalent rectangular bandwidth of the auditory filter at each center frequency. The duration thresholds decreased with increasing bandwidth and with increasing center frequency up to 1456 Hz. It is argued that the duration thresholds depended mainly on the detection of amplitude fluctuations in the noise bursts.

Masked threshold for noise bands masked by narrower bands of noise: Effects of masker bandwidth and center frequency

This paper examines how masked thresholds depend on the masker bandwidth and center frequency when the masker has a smaller bandwidth than the signal. The signal bandwidth was equal to the equivalent rectangular bandwidth of the auditory filter and the masker bandwidth was 0.1, 0.35, or 0.6 times the signal bandwidth. The masker and signal were centered at the same frequency of 257, 697, 1538, 3142, or 6930 Hz. Masked thresholds were estimated using a two-interval two-alternative forced-choice paradigm and a three-down one-up adaptive staircase method. Masked thresholds increased with increasing masker bandwidth and were lowest for medium center frequencies.

Representation of Instantaneous and Short-Term Loudness in the Human Cortex

Acoustic signals pass through numerous transforms in the auditory system before perceptual attributes such as loudness and pitch are derived. However, relatively little is known as to exactly when these transformations happen, and where, cortically or sub-cortically, they occur. In an effort to examine this, we investigated the latencies and locations of cortical entrainment to two transforms predicted by a model of loudness perception for time-varying sounds: the transforms were instantaneous loudness and short-term loudness, where the latter is hypothesized to be derived from the former and therefore should occur later in time. Entrainment of cortical activity was estimated from electro- and magneto-encephalographic (EMEG) activity, recorded while healthy subjects listened to continuous speech. There was entrainment to instantaneous loudness bilaterally at 45, 100, and 165 ms, in Heschl's gyrus, dorsal lateral sulcus, and Heschl's gyrus, respectively. Entrainment to short-term loudness was found in both the dorsal lateral sulcus and superior temporal sulcus at 275 ms. These results suggest that short-term loudness is derived from instantaneous loudness, and that this derivation occurs after processing in sub-cortical structures.

Comparison of the CAM2A and NAL-NL2 hearing-aid fitting methods for participants with a wide range of hearing losses

OBJECTIVE

To compare preferences for sounds processed via a simulated five-channel compression hearing aid fitted using CAM2A and NAL-NL2.

DESIGN

Within a trial, the same segment of sound was presented twice, once with CAM2A settings and once with NAL-NL2 settings, in random order. The participant indicated which one was preferred and by how much. Stimuli included female and male speech in quiet and four types of music. The compression speed was slow or fast and the input sound level was 50, 65, or 80 dB SPL.

STUDY SAMPLE

Sixteen experienced hearing-aid users with a wide range of sensorineural hearing losses.

RESULTS

For both compression speeds, CAM2A was slightly preferred over NAL-NL2 for input levels of 65 and 80 dB, but NAL-NL2 was slightly preferred at 50 dB SPL.

CONCLUSIONS

Preferences for CAM2A relative to NAL-NL2 vary with input level. The results suggest that preferences for CAM2A might be increased by using lower gains for high frequencies and low input levels.

Modulation masking within and across carriers for subjects with normal and impaired hearing

The detection of amplitude modulation (AM) of a carrier can be impaired by additional (masker) AM applied to the same carrier (within-carrier modulation masking, MM) or to a different carrier (across-carrier MM). These two types of MM were compared for young normal-hearing and older hearing-impaired subjects. The signal was 4- or 16-Hz sinusoidal AM of a 4000-Hz carrier. Masker AM with depth 0.4 was applied either to the same carrier or to a carrier at 3179 or 2518 Hz. The masker AM rate was 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 times the signal rate. The signal AM depth was varied adaptively to determine the threshold. Both within-carrier and across-carrier MM patterns were similar for the two groups, suggesting that the hypothetical modulation filters are not affected by hearing loss or age. The signal AM detection thresholds were also similar for the two groups. Thresholds in the absence of masker AM were lower (better) for the older hearing-impaired than for the young normal-hearing subjects. Since the masked modulation thresholds were similar for the two groups, it seems unlikely that abnormal MM contributes to the difficulties experienced by older hearing-impaired people in understanding speech in background sounds.

Parameter-based binaural hearing aid algorithms to improve speech intelligibility and localization in complex environments

This paper presents new binaural enhancement and noise suppression algorithms for binaural hearing aids. To enhance interaural level difference (ILD) cues at low frequencies, which are usually small, interaural time difference (ITD) cues are estimated and transformed to ILDs. The binaural noise suppression algorithm consists of adaptive beamforming and a coherence-based suppression filter. The estimated phase and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at each hearing aid are used to perform the processing. The performance of the proposed methods was assessed using perceptual evaluation with hearing-impaired listeners and objective evaluation.

Effects of wide dynamic-range compression on the perceived clarity of individual musical instruments

The effects of wide-dynamic-range compression (WDRC) on the ability of hearing-impaired subjects to hear out individual instruments or voices (called "sources") in a mixture were explored. On each trial, the subjects were asked to judge the relative clarity of the target in two repetitions of the same music excerpt (mixture of sources) that were processed in different ways. The stimuli were processed via a five-channel simulated WDRC hearing aid, using individual insertion gains and compression ratios recommended by the CAM2 fitting procedure. Both fast- and slow-acting WDRC and a condition with linear amplification and frequency-response shaping were used. To investigate the role of cross-modulation (the partial correlation of the envelopes of different sources caused by the time-varying gain applied by the compressor), conditions were included where the sounds from different sources were compressed before being added together and where the sounds were added together before being compressed. The results showed no effect of cross-modulation, lower clarity with WDRC than with linear amplification, and no significant overall effect of compression speed, although some subjects consistently rated clarity as greater with slow compression. The deleterious effect of WDRC may be related to changes in temporal-envelope shape or reduced spectral contrast produced by WDRC.

Age-group differences in speech identification despite matched audiometrically normal hearing: contributions from auditory temporal processing and cognition

Hearing loss with increasing age adversely affects the ability to understand speech, an effect that results partly from reduced audibility. The aims of this study were to establish whether aging reduces speech intelligibility for listeners with normal audiograms, and, if so, to assess the relative contributions of auditory temporal and cognitive processing. Twenty-one older normal-hearing (ONH; 60-79 years) participants with bilateral audiometric thresholds ≤ 20 dB HL at 0.125-6 kHz were matched to nine young (YNH; 18-27 years) participants in terms of mean audiograms, years of education, and performance IQ. Measures included: (1) identification of consonants in quiet and in noise that was unmodulated or modulated at 5 or 80 Hz; (2) identification of sentences in quiet and in co-located or spatially separated two-talker babble; (3) detection of modulation of the temporal envelope (TE) at frequencies 5-180 Hz; (4) monaural and binaural sensitivity to temporal fine structure (TFS); (5) various cognitive tests. Speech identification was worse for ONH than YNH participants in all types of background. This deficit was not reflected in self-ratings of hearing ability. Modulation masking release (the improvement in speech identification obtained by amplitude modulating a noise background) and spatial masking release (the benefit obtained from spatially separating masker and target speech) were not affected by age. Sensitivity to TE and TFS was lower for ONH than YNH participants, and was correlated positively with speech-in-noise (SiN) identification. Many cognitive abilities were lower for ONH than YNH participants, and generally were correlated positively with SiN identification scores. The best predictors of the intelligibility of SiN were composite measures of cognition and TFS sensitivity. These results suggest that declines in speech perception in older persons are partly caused by cognitive and perceptual changes separate from age-related changes in audiometric sensitivity.

A review of hyperacusis and future directions: part I. Definitions and manifestations

PURPOSE

Hyperacusis can be extremely debilitating, and at present, there is no cure. We provide an overview of the field, and possible related areas, in the hope of facilitating future research.

METHOD

We review and reference literature on hyperacusis and related areas. We have divided the review into 2 articles. In Part I, we discuss definitions, epidemiology, different etiologies and subgroups, and how hyperacusis affects people. In Part II, we review measurements, models, mechanisms, and treatments, and we finish with some suggestions for further research.

RESULTS

Hyperacusis encompasses a wide range of reactions to sound, which can be grouped into the categories of excessive loudness, annoyance, fear, and pain. Many different causes have been proposed, and it will be important to appreciate and quantify different subgroups. Reasonable approaches to assessing the different forms of hyperacusis are emerging, including psychoacoustical measures, questionnaires, and brain imaging.

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperacusis can make life difficult for many, forcing sufferers to dramatically alter their work and social habits. We believe this is an opportune time to explore approaches to better understand and treat hyperacusis.

A review of hyperacusis and future directions: part II. Measurement, mechanisms, and treatment

PURPOSE

Hyperacusis can be extremely debilitating, and at present, there is no cure. In this detailed review of the field, we consolidate present knowledge in the hope of facilitating future research.

METHOD

We review and reference the literature on hyperacusis and related areas. This is the 2nd of a 2-part review.

RESULTS

Hyperacusis encompasses a wide range of reactions to sounds, which can be grouped into the categories of excessive loudness, annoyance, fear, and pain. Reasonable approaches to assessing the different forms of hyperacusis are emerging, including brain-imaging studies. Researchers are only beginning to understand the many mechanisms at play, and valid animal models are still evolving. There are many counseling and sound-therapy approaches that some patients find helpful, but well-controlled studies are needed to measure their long-term efficacy and to test new approaches.

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperacusis can make life difficult in this increasingly noisy world, forcing sufferers to dramatically alter their work and social habits. We believe this is an opportune time to explore approaches to better understand and treat hyperacusis.

Music and hearing aids

The signal processing and fitting methods used for hearing aids have mainly been designed to optimize the intelligibility of speech. Little attention has been paid to the effectiveness of hearing aids for listening to music. Perhaps as a consequence, many hearing-aid users complain that they are not satisfied with their hearing aids when listening to music. This issue inspired the Internet-based survey presented here. The survey was designed to identify the nature and prevalence of problems associated with listening to live and reproduced music with hearing aids. Responses from 523 hearing-aid users to 21 multiple-choice questions are presented and analyzed, and the relationships between responses to questions regarding music and questions concerned with information about the respondents, their hearing aids, and their hearing loss are described. Large proportions of the respondents reported that they found their hearing aids to be helpful for listening to both live and reproduced music, although less so for the former. The survey also identified problems such as distortion, acoustic feedback, insufficient or excessive gain, unbalanced frequency response, and reduced tone quality. The results indicate that the enjoyment of listening to music with hearing aids could be improved by an increase of the input and output dynamic range, extension of the low-frequency response, and improvement of feedback cancellation and automatic gain control systems.

Development and current status of the "Cambridge" loudness models

This article reviews the evolution of a series of models of loudness developed in Cambridge, UK. The first model, applicable to stationary sounds, was based on modifications of the model developed by Zwicker, including the introduction of a filter to allow for the effects of transfer of sound through the outer and middle ear prior to the calculation of an excitation pattern, and changes in the way that the excitation pattern was calculated. Later, modifications were introduced to the assumed middle-ear transfer function and to the way that specific loudness was calculated from excitation level. These modifications led to a finite calculated loudness at absolute threshold, which made it possible to predict accurately the absolute thresholds of broadband and narrowband sounds, based on the assumption that the absolute threshold corresponds to a fixed small loudness. The model was also modified to give predictions of partial loudness—the loudness of one sound in the presence of another. This allowed predictions of masked thresholds based on the assumption that the masked threshold corresponds to a fixed small partial loudness. Versions of the model for time-varying sounds were developed, which allowed prediction of the masked threshold of any sound in a background of any other sound. More recent extensions incorporate binaural processing to account for the summation of loudness across ears. In parallel, versions of the model for predicting loudness for hearing-impaired ears have been developed and have been applied to the development of methods for fitting multichannel compression hearing aids.

Amplitude-modulation detection by recreational-noise-exposed humans with near-normal hearing thresholds and its medium-term progression

Noise exposure can affect the functioning of cochlear inner and outer hair cells (IHC/OHC), leading to multiple perceptual changes. This work explored possible changes in detection of amplitude modulation (AM) at three Sensation Levels (SL) for carrier frequencies of 3, 4 and 6 kHz. There were two groups of participants, aged 19 to 24 (Young) and 26 to 35 (Older) years. All had near-normal audiometric thresholds. Participants self-assessed exposure to high-level noise in recreational settings. Each group was sub-grouped into low-noise (LN) or high-noise (HN) exposure. AM detection thresholds were worse for the HN than for the LN sub-group at the lowest SL, for the males only of the Young group and for both genders for the Older group, despite no significant difference in absolute threshold at 3 and 4 kHz between sub-groups. AM detection at the lowest SL, at both 3 and 4 kHz, generally improved with increasing age and increasing absolute threshold, consistent with a recruitment-like process. However, poorer AM detection was correlated with increasing exposure at 3 kHz in the Older group. It is suggested that high-level noise exposure produces both IHC- and OHC-related damage, the balance between the two varying across frequency. However, the use of AM detection offers poor sensitivity as a measure of the effects.

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Young males exhibit deficits in AM detection due to recreational noise exposure.

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Older participants of both genders exhibit a similar deficit due to noise exposure.

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Higher absolute thresholds were associated with better AM detection.

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Results are consistent with a combination of IHC and OHC dysfunction.

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AM detection at 3 kHz was correlated with cumulative noise exposure.

Effects of age and hearing loss on stream segregation based on interaural time differences

The effect of interaural time differences (ITDs) on obligatory stream segregation for successive tone bursts was investigated for older listeners with normal hearing (ONH) and hearing loss (OHL), by measuring the threshold for detecting a rhythmic irregularity in an otherwise isochronous sequence of interleaved "A" and "B" tones. The A and B tones had equal but opposite ITDs from 0 to 0.5 ms. For some of the ONH listeners, the threshold increased with increasing ITD, but no OHL listener showed an effect of ITD. It is concluded that hearing loss reduces the potency of ITDs in inducing obligatory stream segregation.

Measurement and modeling of binaural loudness summation for hearing-impaired listeners

The summation of loudness across ears is often studied by measuring the level difference required for equal loudness (LDEL) of monaural and diotic sounds. Typically, the LDEL is ∼5-6 dB, consistent with the idea that a diotic sound is ∼1.5 times as loud as the same sound presented monaurally at the same level, as predicted by the loudness model of Moore and Glasberg [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 121, 1604-1612 (2007)]. One might expect that the LDEL would be <5-6 dB for hearing-impaired listeners, because loudness recruitment leads to a more rapid change of loudness for a given change in level. However, previous data sometimes showed similar LDEL values for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. Here, the LDEL was measured for hearing-impaired listeners using narrowband and broadband noises centered at 500 Hz, where audiometric thresholds were near-normal, and at 3000 or 4000 Hz, where audiometric thresholds were elevated. The mean LDEL was 5.6 dB at 500 Hz and 4.2 dB at the higher center frequencies. The results were predicted reasonably well by an extension of the loudness model of Moore and Glasberg.

Effect of broadband and narrowband contralateral noise on psychophysical tuning curves and otoacoustic emissions

The relative effectiveness of narrowband and broadband noises in activating the efferent system was assessed by comparing the effect of contralateral stimulation (CS) with such sounds on psychophysical tuning curves (PTCs) determined in simultaneous masking, using signal frequencies of 1000 or 2000 Hz. To check that the CS stimuli used did activate the efferent system, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were also measured in the absence and presence of narrowband and broadband CS. The CS had no consistent effect on the masker level at the tips of the PTCs. A broadband pink noise CS consistently reduced the masker level required for threshold on both the low- and high-frequency sides of the PTCs for the 2000-Hz signal frequency. However, there were no consistent effects of the CS for any other case. The broadband pink noise CS had a greater effect in reducing DPOAE levels than the narrowband CS. The results provide psychophysical evidence supporting the idea that the efferent system is activated more effectively by a broadband than by a narrowband CS, at least for a signal frequency of 2000 Hz.

Effects of compression and onset/offset asynchronies on the detection of one tone in the presence of another

The weaker of two temporally overlapping complex tones can be easier to hear when the tones are asynchronous than when they are synchronous. This study explored how the use of fast and slow five-channel amplitude compression, as might be used in hearing aids, affected the ability to use onset and offset asynchronies to detect one (signal) complex tone when another (masking) complex tone was presented almost simultaneously. A 2:1 compression ratio was used with normal-hearing subjects, and individual compression ratios and gains recommended by the CAM2 hearing aid fitting method were used for hearing-impaired subjects. When the signal started before the masker, there was a benefit of compression for both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired subjects. When the signal finished after the masker, there was a benefit of fast compression for the normal-hearing subjects but no benefit for most of the hearing-impaired subjects, except when the offset asynchrony was relatively large (100 ms). The benefit of compression probably occurred because the compression improved the effective signal-to-masker ratio, hence reducing backward and forward masking. This apparently outweighed potential deleterious effects of distortions in envelope shape and the introduction of partially correlated envelopes of the signal and masker.

On the near non-existence of "pure" energetic masking release for speech

Stone et al. [(2012). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 132, 317-326] showed that a masker constructed to produce a near-constant envelope at the output of each auditory filter reduced speech intelligibility less than maskers of the same mean level with fluctuating envelopes, produced by 100% sinusoidal amplitude modulation (SAM) at 8 Hz. Here, this effect was explored for a range of SAM rates from 1 to 81 Hz. Speech was filtered into 28 channels. A sinusoidal masker centered on each channel was added to the channel signal. The maskers were either unmodulated or had 100% SAM. In most conditions, even-numbered channels were presented to one ear and odd-numbered channels to the other. The signal-to-masker ratio was adapted to measure the Speech Reception Threshold (SRT) corresponding to 50% correct. The fluctuating masker benefit (FMB), the difference in SRT between the SAM and unmodulated masker, was negative for all SAM frequencies except 1 Hz. Due to the different slopes of the psychometric functions, when SRTs were inferred for more realistic performance levels, 74% or more, FMB was zero or negative for all SAM rates. It is concluded that a positive FMB, when it occurs, is a release from modulation and not energetic masking.

The role of excitation-pattern, temporal-fine-structure, and envelope cues in the discrimination of complex tones

The discrimination of bandpass-filtered harmonic (H) from inharmonic (I) tones (produced by shifting all components of the H tones upwards by a fixed amount in Hz) could be based on shifts in the pattern of ripples in the excitation pattern (EP) or on changes in the temporal fine structure evoked by the tones. The predictions of two computational EP models were compared with measured performance. One model used auditory filters with bandwidth values specified by Glasberg and Moore [(1990). Hear. Res. 47, 103-138] and one used filters that were twice as sharp. Stimulus variables were passband width, fundamental frequency, harmonic rank (N) of the lowest component within the passband, component phase (cosine or random), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and random perturbation in level of each component in the tones. While the EP models correctly predicted the lack of an effect of phase and some of the trends in the data as a function of fundamental frequency and N, neither model predicted the worsening in performance with increasing passband width or the lack of effect of SNR and level perturbation. It is concluded that discrimination of the H and I tones is not based solely on the use of EP cues.

A summary of research investigating echolocation abilities of blind and sighted humans

There is currently considerable interest in the consequences of loss in one sensory modality on the remaining senses. Much of this work has focused on the development of enhanced auditory abilities among blind individuals, who are often able to use sound to navigate through space. It has now been established that many blind individuals produce sound emissions and use the returning echoes to provide them with information about objects in their surroundings, in a similar manner to bats navigating in the dark. In this review, we summarize current knowledge regarding human echolocation. Some blind individuals develop remarkable echolocation abilities, and are able to assess the position, size, distance, shape, and material of objects using reflected sound waves. After training, normally sighted people are also able to use echolocation to perceive objects, and can develop abilities comparable to, but typically somewhat poorer than, those of blind people. The underlying cues and mechanisms, operable range, spatial acuity and neurological underpinnings of echolocation are described. Echolocation can result in functional real life benefits. It is possible that these benefits can be optimized via suitable training, especially among those with recently acquired blindness, but this requires further study. Areas for further research are identified.

Using acoustic information to perceive room size: effects of blindness, room reverberation time, and stimulus

Blind participants greatly rely on sound for spatial information regarding the surrounding environment. It is not yet established whether lack of vision to calibrate audition in far space affects blind participants' internal spatial representation of acoustic room size. Furthermore, blind participants may rely more on farthest distance estimates to sound sources compared with sighted participants when perceiving room size. Here we show that judgments of apparent room size and sound distance are correlated, more so for blind than for sighted participants. Sighted participants judged a reverberant virtual room to be larger for speech than for music or noise stimuli, whereas blind participants did not. The results suggest that blindness affects the use of room reverberation for distance and room-size judgments.