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Nematova S, Zinszer B, Morlet T, Morini G, Petitto LA, Jasińska KK. Impact of ASL Exposure on Spoken Phonemic Discrimination in Adult CI Users: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2024; 5:553-588. [PMID: 38939730 PMCID: PMC11210937 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
We examined the impact of exposure to a signed language (American Sign Language, or ASL) at different ages on the neural systems that support spoken language phonemic discrimination in deaf individuals with cochlear implants (CIs). Deaf CI users (N = 18, age = 18-24 yrs) who were exposed to a signed language at different ages and hearing individuals (N = 18, age = 18-21 yrs) completed a phonemic discrimination task in a spoken native (English) and non-native (Hindi) language while undergoing functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. Behaviorally, deaf CI users who received a CI early versus later in life showed better English phonemic discrimination, albeit phonemic discrimination was poor relative to hearing individuals. Importantly, the age of exposure to ASL was not related to phonemic discrimination. Neurally, early-life language exposure, irrespective of modality, was associated with greater neural activation of left-hemisphere language areas critically involved in phonological processing during the phonemic discrimination task in deaf CI users. In particular, early exposure to ASL was associated with increased activation in the left hemisphere's classic language regions for native versus non-native language phonemic contrasts for deaf CI users who received a CI later in life. For deaf CI users who received a CI early in life, the age of exposure to ASL was not related to neural activation during phonemic discrimination. Together, the findings suggest that early signed language exposure does not negatively impact spoken language processing in deaf CI users, but may instead potentially offset the negative effects of language deprivation that deaf children without any signed language exposure experience prior to implantation. This empirical evidence aligns with and lends support to recent perspectives regarding the impact of ASL exposure in the context of CI usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakhlo Nematova
- Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Benjamin Zinszer
- Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
| | - Thierry Morlet
- Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - Giovanna Morini
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| | - Laura-Ann Petitto
- Brain and Language Center for Neuroimaging, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kaja K. Jasińska
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Yang L, Wang S, Chen Y, Liang Y, Chen T, Wang Y, Fu X, Wang S. Effects of Age on the Auditory Cortex During Speech Perception in Noise: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Ear Hear 2024; 45:742-752. [PMID: 38268081 PMCID: PMC11008455 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000001460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Age-related speech perception difficulties may be related to a decline in central auditory processing abilities, particularly in noisy or challenging environments. However, how the activation patterns related to speech stimulation in different noise situations change with normal aging has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of noisy environments and aging on patterns of auditory cortical activation. DESIGN We analyzed the functional near-infrared spectroscopy signals of 20 young adults, 21 middle-aged adults, and 21 elderly adults, and evaluated their cortical response patterns to speech stimuli under five different signal to noise ratios (SNRs). In addition, we analyzed the behavior score, activation intensity, oxyhemoglobin variability, and dominant hemisphere, to investigate the effects of aging and noisy environments on auditory cortical activation. RESULTS Activation intensity and oxyhemoglobin variability both showed a decreasing trend with aging at an SNR of 0 dB; we also identified a strong correlation between activation intensity and age under this condition. However, we observed an inconsistent activation pattern when the SNR was 5 dB. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that the left hemisphere may be more susceptible to aging than the right hemisphere. Activation in the right hemisphere was more evident in older adults than in the left hemisphere; in contrast, younger adults showed leftward lateralization. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis showed that with aging, auditory cortical regions gradually become inflexible in noisy environments. Furthermore, changes in cortical activation patterns with aging may be related to SNR conditions, and that understandable speech with a low SNR ratio but still understandable may induce the highest level of activation. We also found that the left hemisphere was more affected by aging than the right hemisphere in speech perception tasks; the left-sided dominance observed in younger individuals gradually shifted to the right hemisphere with aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Yang
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Songjian Wang
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Younuo Chen
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Liang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Fundamental Research on Biomechanics in Clinical Application, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Chen
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Fundamental Research on Biomechanics in Clinical Application, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xinxing Fu
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (Capital Medical University), Ministry of Education, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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Mohammadi Y, Graversen C, Manresa JB, Østergaard J, Andersen OK. Effects of Background Noise and Linguistic Violations on Frontal Theta Oscillations During Effortful Listening. Ear Hear 2024; 45:721-729. [PMID: 38287477 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000001464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Background noise and linguistic violations have been shown to increase the listening effort. The present study aims to examine the effects of the interaction between background noise and linguistic violations on subjective listening effort and frontal theta oscillations during effortful listening. DESIGN Thirty-two normal-hearing listeners participated in this study. The linguistic violation was operationalized as sentences versus random words (strings). Behavioral and electroencephalography data were collected while participants listened to sentences and strings in background noise at different signal to noise ratios (SNRs) (-9, -6, -3, 0 dB), maintained them in memory for about 3 sec in the presence of background noise, and then chose the correct sequence of words from a base matrix of words. RESULTS Results showed the interaction effects of SNR and speech type on effort ratings. Although strings were inherently more effortful than sentences, decreasing SNR from 0 to -9 dB (in 3 dB steps), increased effort rating more for sentences than strings in each step, suggesting the more pronounced effect of noise on sentence processing that strings in low SNRs. Results also showed a significant interaction between SNR and speech type on frontal theta event-related synchronization during the retention interval. This interaction indicated that strings exhibited higher frontal theta event-related synchronization than sentences at SNR of 0 dB, suggesting increased verbal working memory demand for strings under challenging listening conditions. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrated that the interplay between linguistic violation and background noise shapes perceived effort and cognitive load during speech comprehension under challenging listening conditions. The differential impact of noise on processing sentences versus strings highlights the influential role of context and cognitive resource allocation in the processing of speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousef Mohammadi
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Integrative Neuroscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Carina Graversen
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Integrative Neuroscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - José Biurrun Manresa
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Institute for Research and Development in Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) - National University of Entre Ríos (UNER), Oro Verde, Argentina
| | - Jan Østergaard
- Department of Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Ole Kæseler Andersen
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Integrative Neuroscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Department of Health Science and Technology, Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
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Li Y, Wang J, Liang J, Zhu C, Zhang Z, Luo W. The impact of degraded vision on emotional perception of audiovisual stimuli: An event-related potential study. Neuropsychologia 2024; 194:108785. [PMID: 38159799 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Emotion recognition will be challenged for individuals when visual signals are degraded in real-life scenarios. Recently, researchers have conducted many studies on the distinct neural activity between clear and degraded audiovisual stimuli. These findings addressed the "how" question, but the precise stage of the distinct activity that occurred remains unknown. Therefore, it is crucial to use event-related potential (ERP) to explore the "when" question, just the time course of the neural activity of degraded audiovisual stimuli. In the present research, we established two conditions: clear auditory + degraded visual (AcVd) and clear auditory + clear visual (AcVc) multisensory conditions. We enlisted 31 participants to evaluate the emotional valence of audiovisual stimuli. The resulting data were analyzed using ERP in time domains and Microstate analysis. Current results suggest that degraded vision impairs the early-stage processing of audiovisual stimuli, with the superior parietal lobule (SPL) regulating audiovisual processing in a top-down fashion. Additionally, our findings indicate that negative and positive stimuli elicit greater EPN compared to neutral stimuli, pointing towards a subjective motivation-related attentional regulation. To sum up, in the early stage of emotional audiovisual processing, the degraded visual signal affected the perception of the physical attributes of audiovisual stimuli and had a further influence on emotion extraction processing, leading to the different regulation of top-down attention resources in the later stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Li
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China; Institute of Psychology, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, 216053, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Dalian, 116029, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Dalian, 116029, China
| | - Junyu Liang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China; School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Dalian, 116029, China
| | - Chuanlin Zhu
- School of Educational Science, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225002, China.
| | - Zhao Zhang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China; Institute of Psychology, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, 216053, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Dalian, 116029, China.
| | - Wenbo Luo
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, 116029, China; Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Dalian, 116029, China.
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Nourski KV, Steinschneider M, Rhone AE, Berger JI, Dappen ER, Kawasaki H, Howard III MA. Intracranial electrophysiology of spectrally degraded speech in the human cortex. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 17:1334742. [PMID: 38318272 PMCID: PMC10839784 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1334742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Cochlear implants (CIs) are the treatment of choice for severe to profound hearing loss. Variability in CI outcomes remains despite advances in technology and is attributed in part to differences in cortical processing. Studying these differences in CI users is technically challenging. Spectrally degraded stimuli presented to normal-hearing individuals approximate input to the central auditory system in CI users. This study used intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) to investigate cortical processing of spectrally degraded speech. Methods Participants were adult neurosurgical epilepsy patients. Stimuli were utterances /aba/ and /ada/, spectrally degraded using a noise vocoder (1-4 bands) or presented without vocoding. The stimuli were presented in a two-alternative forced choice task. Cortical activity was recorded using depth and subdural iEEG electrodes. Electrode coverage included auditory core in posteromedial Heschl's gyrus (HGPM), superior temporal gyrus (STG), ventral and dorsal auditory-related areas, and prefrontal and sensorimotor cortex. Analysis focused on high gamma (70-150 Hz) power augmentation and alpha (8-14 Hz) suppression. Results Chance task performance occurred with 1-2 spectral bands and was near-ceiling for clear stimuli. Performance was variable with 3-4 bands, permitting identification of good and poor performers. There was no relationship between task performance and participants demographic, audiometric, neuropsychological, or clinical profiles. Several response patterns were identified based on magnitude and differences between stimulus conditions. HGPM responded strongly to all stimuli. A preference for clear speech emerged within non-core auditory cortex. Good performers typically had strong responses to all stimuli along the dorsal stream, including posterior STG, supramarginal, and precentral gyrus; a minority of sites in STG and supramarginal gyrus had a preference for vocoded stimuli. In poor performers, responses were typically restricted to clear speech. Alpha suppression was more pronounced in good performers. In contrast, poor performers exhibited a greater involvement of posterior middle temporal gyrus when listening to clear speech. Discussion Responses to noise-vocoded speech provide insights into potential factors underlying CI outcome variability. The results emphasize differences in the balance of neural processing along the dorsal and ventral stream between good and poor performers, identify specific cortical regions that may have diagnostic and prognostic utility, and suggest potential targets for neuromodulation-based CI rehabilitation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill V. Nourski
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Mitchell Steinschneider
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Ariane E. Rhone
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Joel I. Berger
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Emily R. Dappen
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Hiroto Kawasaki
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Matthew A. Howard III
- Department of Neurosurgery, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
- Pappajohn Biomedical Institute, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
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Vaisberg JM, Gilmore S, Qian J, Russo FA. The Benefit of Hearing Aids as Measured by Listening Accuracy, Subjective Listening Effort, and Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Trends Hear 2024; 28:23312165241273346. [PMID: 39195628 PMCID: PMC11363059 DOI: 10.1177/23312165241273346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
There is broad consensus that listening effort is an important outcome for measuring hearing performance. However, there remains debate on the best ways to measure listening effort. This study sought to measure neural correlates of listening effort using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in experienced adult hearing aid users. The study evaluated impacts of amplification and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on cerebral blood oxygenation, with the expectation that easier listening conditions would be associated with less oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex. Thirty experienced adult hearing aid users repeated sentence-final words from low-context Revised Speech Perception in Noise Test sentences. Participants repeated words at a hard SNR (individual SNR-50) or easy SNR (individual SNR-50 + 10 dB), while wearing hearing aids fit to prescriptive targets or without wearing hearing aids. In addition to assessing listening accuracy and subjective listening effort, prefrontal blood oxygenation was measured using fNIRS. As expected, easier listening conditions (i.e., easy SNR, with hearing aids) led to better listening accuracy, lower subjective listening effort, and lower oxygenation across the entire prefrontal cortex compared to harder listening conditions. Listening accuracy and subjective listening effort were also significant predictors of oxygenation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sean Gilmore
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jinyu Qian
- Innovation Centre Toronto, Sonova Canada Inc., Kitchener, ON, Canada
- Department of Communicative Sciences Disorders and Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Frank A. Russo
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Mohammadi Y, Østergaard J, Graversen C, Andersen OK, Biurrun Manresa J. Validity and reliability of self-reported and neural measures of listening effort. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:4357-4370. [PMID: 37984406 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Listening effort can be defined as a measure of cognitive resources used by listeners to perform a listening task. Various methods have been proposed to measure this effort, yet their reliability remains unestablished, a crucial step before their application in research or clinical settings. This study encompassed 32 participants undertaking speech-in-noise tasks across two sessions, approximately a week apart. They listened to sentences and word lists at varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) (-9, -6, -3 and 0 dB), then retaining them for roughly 3 s. We evaluated the test-retest reliability of self-reported effort ratings, theta (4-7 Hz) and alpha (8-13 Hz) oscillatory power, suggested previously as neural markers of listening effort. Additionally, we examined the reliability of correct word percentages. Both relative and absolute reliability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. We also computed the standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC). Our findings indicated heightened frontal midline theta power for word lists compared to sentences during the retention phase under high SNRs (0 dB, -3 dB), likely indicating a greater memory load for word lists. We observed SNR's impact on alpha power in the right central region during the listening phase and frontal theta power during the retention phase in sentences. Overall, the reliability analysis demonstrated satisfactory between-session variability for correct words and effort ratings. However, neural measures (frontal midline theta power and right central alpha power) displayed substantial variability, even though group-level outcomes appeared consistent across sessions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousef Mohammadi
- Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Jan Østergaard
- Department of Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Carina Graversen
- Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Ole Kaeseler Andersen
- Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - José Biurrun Manresa
- Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain (CNAP), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
- Institute for Research and Development in Bioengineering and Bioinformatics (IBB), CONICET-UNER, Oro Verde, Argentina
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8
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Eqlimi E, Bockstael A, Schönwiesner M, Talsma D, Botteldooren D. Time course of EEG complexity reflects attentional engagement during listening to speech in noise. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:4043-4069. [PMID: 37814423 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Auditory distractions are recognized to considerably challenge the quality of information encoding during speech comprehension. This study explores electroencephalography (EEG) microstate dynamics in ecologically valid, noisy settings, aiming to uncover how these auditory distractions influence the process of information encoding during speech comprehension. We examined three listening scenarios: (1) speech perception with background noise (LA), (2) focused attention on the background noise (BA), and (3) intentional disregard of the background noise (BUA). Our findings showed that microstate complexity and unpredictability increased when attention was directed towards speech compared with tasks without speech (LA > BA & BUA). Notably, the time elapsed between the recurrence of microstates increased significantly in LA compared with both BA and BUA. This suggests that coping with background noise during speech comprehension demands more sustained cognitive effort. Additionally, a two-stage time course for both microstate complexity and alpha-to-theta power ratio was observed. Specifically, in the early epochs, a lower level was observed, which gradually increased and eventually reached a steady level in the later epochs. The findings suggest that the initial stage is primarily driven by sensory processes and information gathering, while the second stage involves higher level cognitive engagement, including mnemonic binding and memory encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Eqlimi
- WAVES Research Group, Department of Information Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Annelies Bockstael
- WAVES Research Group, Department of Information Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Durk Talsma
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dick Botteldooren
- WAVES Research Group, Department of Information Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Sheffield SW, Larson E, Butera IM, DeFreese A, Rogers BP, Wallace MT, Stecker GC, Lee AKC, Gifford RH. Sound Level Changes the Auditory Cortical Activation Detected with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Brain Topogr 2023; 36:686-697. [PMID: 37393418 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00981-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a viable non-invasive technique for functional neuroimaging in the cochlear implant (CI) population; however, the effects of acoustic stimulus features on the fNIRS signal have not been thoroughly examined. This study examined the effect of stimulus level on fNIRS responses in adults with normal hearing or bilateral CIs. We hypothesized that fNIRS responses would correlate with both stimulus level and subjective loudness ratings, but that the correlation would be weaker with CIs due to the compression of acoustic input to electric output. METHODS Thirteen adults with bilateral CIs and 16 with normal hearing (NH) completed the study. Signal-correlated noise, a speech-shaped noise modulated by the temporal envelope of speech stimuli, was used to determine the effect of stimulus level in an unintelligible speech-like stimulus between the range of soft to loud speech. Cortical activity in the left hemisphere was recorded. RESULTS Results indicated a positive correlation of cortical activation in the left superior temporal gyrus with stimulus level in both NH and CI listeners with an additional correlation between cortical activity and perceived loudness for the CI group. The results are consistent with the literature and our hypothesis. CONCLUSIONS These results support the potential of fNIRS to examine auditory stimulus level effects at a group level and the importance of controlling for stimulus level and loudness in speech recognition studies. Further research is needed to better understand cortical activation patterns for speech recognition as a function of both stimulus presentation level and perceived loudness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sterling W Sheffield
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Science, University of Florida, 1225 Center Drive Room 2130, Gainesville, FL, 32160, USA.
| | - Eric Larson
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Iliza M Butera
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Andrea DeFreese
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Baxter P Rogers
- Department of Radiology & Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mark T Wallace
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Adrian K C Lee
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rene H Gifford
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
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10
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Cartocci G, Inguscio BMS, Giliberto G, Vozzi A, Giorgi A, Greco A, Babiloni F, Attanasio G. Listening Effort in Tinnitus: A Pilot Study Employing a Light EEG Headset and Skin Conductance Assessment during the Listening to a Continuous Speech Stimulus under Different SNR Conditions. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1084. [PMID: 37509014 PMCID: PMC10377270 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13071084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background noise elicits listening effort. What else is tinnitus if not an endogenous background noise? From such reasoning, we hypothesized the occurrence of increased listening effort in tinnitus patients during listening tasks. Such a hypothesis was tested by investigating some indices of listening effort through electroencephalographic and skin conductance, particularly parietal and frontal alpha and electrodermal activity (EDA). Furthermore, tinnitus distress questionnaires (THI and TQ12-I) were employed. Parietal alpha values were positively correlated to TQ12-I scores, and both were negatively correlated to EDA; Pre-stimulus frontal alpha correlated with the THI score in our pilot study; finally, results showed a general trend of increased frontal alpha activity in the tinnitus group in comparison to the control group. Parietal alpha during the listening to stimuli, positively correlated to the TQ12-I, appears to reflect a higher listening effort in tinnitus patients and the perception of tinnitus symptoms. The negative correlation between both listening effort (parietal alpha) and tinnitus symptoms perception (TQ12-I scores) with EDA levels could be explained by a less responsive sympathetic nervous system to prepare the body to expend increased energy during the "fight or flight" response, due to pauperization of energy from tinnitus perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Cartocci
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Research and Development, BrainSigns Ltd., 00198 Rome, Italy
| | - Bianca Maria Serena Inguscio
- Department of Research and Development, BrainSigns Ltd., 00198 Rome, Italy
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Giliberto
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Vozzi
- Department of Research and Development, BrainSigns Ltd., 00198 Rome, Italy
- SAIMLAL Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Giorgi
- Department of Research and Development, BrainSigns Ltd., 00198 Rome, Italy
- SAIMLAL Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Babiloni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Research and Development, BrainSigns Ltd., 00198 Rome, Italy
- Department of Computer Science, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310005, China
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11
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Perea Pérez F, Hartley DEH, Kitterick PT, Zekveld AA, Naylor G, Wiggins IM. Listening efficiency in adult cochlear-implant users compared with normally-hearing controls at ecologically relevant signal-to-noise ratios. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1214485. [PMID: 37520928 PMCID: PMC10379644 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1214485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Due to having to work with an impoverished auditory signal, cochlear-implant (CI) users may experience reduced speech intelligibility and/or increased listening effort in real-world listening situations, compared to their normally-hearing (NH) peers. These two challenges to perception may be usefully integrated in a measure of listening efficiency: conceptually, the amount of accuracy achieved for a certain amount of effort expended. Methods We describe a novel approach to quantifying listening efficiency based on the rate of evidence accumulation toward a correct response in a linear ballistic accumulator (LBA) model of choice decision-making. Estimation of this objective measure within a hierarchical Bayesian framework confers further benefits, including full quantification of uncertainty in parameter estimates. We applied this approach to examine the speech-in-noise performance of a group of 24 CI users (M age: 60.3, range: 20-84 years) and a group of 25 approximately age-matched NH controls (M age: 55.8, range: 20-79 years). In a laboratory experiment, participants listened to reverberant target sentences in cafeteria noise at ecologically relevant signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of +20, +10, and +4 dB SNR. Individual differences in cognition and self-reported listening experiences were also characterised by means of cognitive tests and hearing questionnaires. Results At the group level, the CI group showed much lower listening efficiency than the NH group, even in favourable acoustic conditions. At the individual level, within the CI group (but not the NH group), higher listening efficiency was associated with better cognition (i.e., working-memory and linguistic-closure) and with more positive self-reported listening experiences, both in the laboratory and in daily life. Discussion We argue that listening efficiency, measured using the approach described here, is: (i) conceptually well-motivated, in that it is theoretically impervious to differences in how individuals approach the speed-accuracy trade-off that is inherent to all perceptual decision making; and (ii) of practical utility, in that it is sensitive to differences in task demand, and to differences between groups, even when speech intelligibility remains at or near ceiling level. Further research is needed to explore the sensitivity and practical utility of this metric across diverse listening situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisca Perea Pérez
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas E. H. Hartley
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Pádraig T. Kitterick
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adriana A. Zekveld
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Ear and Hearing, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Graham Naylor
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ian M. Wiggins
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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12
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Shatzer HE, Russo FA. Brightening the Study of Listening Effort with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: A Scoping Review. Semin Hear 2023; 44:188-210. [PMID: 37122884 PMCID: PMC10147513 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1766105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Listening effort is a long-standing area of interest in auditory cognitive neuroscience. Prior research has used multiple techniques to shed light on the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying listening during challenging conditions. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is growing in popularity as a tool for cognitive neuroscience research, and its recent advances offer many potential advantages over other neuroimaging modalities for research related to listening effort. This review introduces the basic science of fNIRS and its uses for auditory cognitive neuroscience. We also discuss its application in recently published studies on listening effort and consider future opportunities for studying effortful listening with fNIRS. After reading this article, the learner will know how fNIRS works and summarize its uses for listening effort research. The learner will also be able to apply this knowledge toward generation of future research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E. Shatzer
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Frank A. Russo
- Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada
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13
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Richter M, Buhiyan T, Bramsløw L, Innes-Brown H, Fiedler L, Hadley LV, Naylor G, Saunders GH, Wendt D, Whitmer WM, Zekveld AA, Kramer SE. Combining Multiple Psychophysiological Measures of Listening Effort: Challenges and Recommendations. Semin Hear 2023; 44:95-105. [PMID: 37122882 PMCID: PMC10147512 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1767669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
About one-third of all recently published studies on listening effort have used at least one physiological measure, providing evidence of the popularity of such measures in listening effort research. However, the specific measures employed, as well as the rationales used to justify their inclusion, vary greatly between studies, leading to a literature that is fragmented and difficult to integrate. A unified approach that assesses multiple psychophysiological measures justified by a single rationale would be preferable because it would advance our understanding of listening effort. However, such an approach comes with a number of challenges, including the need to develop a clear definition of listening effort that links to specific physiological measures, customized equipment that enables the simultaneous assessment of multiple measures, awareness of problems caused by the different timescales on which the measures operate, and statistical approaches that minimize the risk of type-I error inflation. This article discusses in detail the various obstacles for combining multiple physiological measures in listening effort research and provides recommendations on how to overcome them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Richter
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | | | - Lars Bramsløw
- Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
| | - Hamish Innes-Brown
- Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
- Hearing Systems Section, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Lorenz Fiedler
- Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
| | - Lauren V. Hadley
- Hearing Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Graham Naylor
- Hearing Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Gabrielle H. Saunders
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Dorothea Wendt
- Eriksholm Research Centre, Oticon A/S, Snekkersten, Denmark
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - William M. Whitmer
- Hearing Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Adriana A. Zekveld
- Section of Ear and Hearing, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sophia E. Kramer
- Section of Ear and Hearing, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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14
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Gustafson SJ, Ortiz C, Nelson L. Test-Retest Reliability and the Role of Task Instructions when Measuring Listening Effort Using a Verbal Response Time Paradigm. Semin Hear 2023; 44:140-154. [PMID: 37122885 PMCID: PMC10147505 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1767667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Listening amidst competing noise taxes one's limited cognitive resources, leading to increased listening effort. As such, there is interest in incorporating a reliable test of listening effort into the clinical test battery. One clinically promising method for measuring listening effort is verbal response time (VRT) because it can be obtained using already-established clinical tasks. In order for widespread implementation of the VRT paradigm, a better understanding of the psychometric properties is needed. The purpose of this work was to improve the understanding of the reliability and sensitivity of the VRT listening task. Using within-subject study designs, we completed a pilot study to evaluate the test-retest reliability (Study 1) and the effects of task instructions and listening condition (Study 2). Preliminary results show that the VRT paradigm enjoys good to excellent test-retest reliability and that neither task instructions nor listening condition meaningfully influence VRT once measurement error is accounted for. Future studies should account for measurement error when considering statistically significant versus meaningful effects of experimental parameters when using listening effort tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha J. Gustafson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Crystal Ortiz
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Loren Nelson
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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15
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Wang D, Huang Y, Liang S, Meng Q, Yu H. The identification of interacting brain networks during robot-assisted training with multimodal stimulation. J Neural Eng 2023; 20. [PMID: 36548992 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/acae05] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Objective.Robot-assisted rehabilitation training is an effective way to assist rehabilitation therapy. So far, various robotic devices have been developed for automatic training of central nervous system following injury. Multimodal stimulation such as visual and auditory stimulus and even virtual reality technology were usually introduced in these robotic devices to improve the effect of rehabilitation training. This may need to be explained from a neurological perspective, but there are few relevant studies.Approach.In this study, ten participants performed right arm rehabilitation training tasks using an upper limb rehabilitation robotic device. The tasks were completed under four different feedback conditions including multiple combinations of visual and auditory components: auditory feedback; visual feedback; visual and auditory feedback (VAF); non-feedback. The functional near-infrared spectroscopy devices record blood oxygen signals in bilateral motor, visual and auditory areas. Using hemoglobin concentration as an indicator of cortical activation, the effective connectivity of these regions was then calculated through Granger causality.Main results.We found that overall stronger activation and effective connectivity between related brain regions were associated with VAF. When participants completed the training task without VAF, the trends in activation and connectivity were diminished.Significance.This study revealed cerebral cortex activation and interacting networks of brain regions in robot-assisted rehabilitation training with multimodal stimulation, which is expected to provide indicators for further evaluation of the effect of rehabilitation training, and promote further exploration of the interaction network in the brain during a variety of external stimuli, and to explore the best sensory combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duojin Wang
- Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, People's Republic of China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanping Huang
- Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, People's Republic of China
| | - Sailan Liang
- Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, People's Republic of China
| | - Qingyun Meng
- College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, 279 Zhouzhu Road, Shanghai 201318, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongliu Yu
- Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, People's Republic of China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, People's Republic of China
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Shields C, Sladen M, Bruce IA, Kluk K, Nichani J. Exploring the Correlations Between Measures of Listening Effort in Adults and Children: A Systematic Review with Narrative Synthesis. Trends Hear 2023; 27:23312165221137116. [PMID: 36636020 PMCID: PMC9982391 DOI: 10.1177/23312165221137116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Listening effort (LE) describes the cognitive resources needed to process an auditory message. Our understanding of this notion remains in its infancy, hindering our ability to appreciate how it impacts individuals with hearing impairment effectively. Despite the myriad of proposed measurement tools, a validated method remains elusive. This is complicated by the seeming lack of association between tools demonstrated via correlational analyses. This review aims to systematically review the literature relating to the correlational analyses between different measures of LE. Five databases were used- PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and CINAHL. The quality of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE criteria and risk of bias with ROBINS-I/GRADE tools. Each statistically significant analysis was classified using an approved system for medical correlations. The final analyses included 48 papers, equating to 274 correlational analyses, of which 99 reached statistical significance (36.1%). Within these results, the most prevalent classifications were poor or fair. Moreover, when moderate or very strong correlations were observed, they tended to be dependent on experimental conditions. The quality of evidence was graded as very low. These results show that measures of LE are poorly correlated and supports the multi-dimensional concept of LE. The lack of association may be explained by considering where each measure operates along the effort perception pathway. Moreover, the fragility of significant correlations to specific conditions further diminishes the hope of finding an all-encompassing tool. Therefore, it may be prudent to focus on capturing the consequences of LE rather than the notion itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callum Shields
- ENT department, Royal Manchester
Children's Hospital, Manchester, UK,University of Manchester, Manchester, UK,Callum Shields, ENT department, Royal
Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester, UK.
| | - Mark Sladen
- ENT department, Royal Manchester
Children's Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | | | | | - Jaya Nichani
- ENT department, Royal Manchester
Children's Hospital, Manchester, UK
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17
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Bsharat-Maalouf D, Degani T, Karawani H. The Involvement of Listening Effort in Explaining Bilingual Listening Under Adverse Listening Conditions. Trends Hear 2023; 27:23312165231205107. [PMID: 37941413 PMCID: PMC10637154 DOI: 10.1177/23312165231205107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The current review examines listening effort to uncover how it is implicated in bilingual performance under adverse listening conditions. Various measures of listening effort, including physiological, behavioral, and subjective measures, have been employed to examine listening effort in bilingual children and adults. Adverse listening conditions, stemming from environmental factors, as well as factors related to the speaker or listener, have been examined. The existing literature, although relatively limited to date, points to increased listening effort among bilinguals in their nondominant second language (L2) compared to their dominant first language (L1) and relative to monolinguals. Interestingly, increased effort is often observed even when speech intelligibility remains unaffected. These findings emphasize the importance of considering listening effort alongside speech intelligibility. Building upon the insights gained from the current review, we propose that various factors may modulate the observed effects. These include the particular measure selected to examine listening effort, the characteristics of the adverse condition, as well as factors related to the particular linguistic background of the bilingual speaker. Critically, further research is needed to better understand the impact of these factors on listening effort. The review outlines avenues for future research that would promote a comprehensive understanding of listening effort in bilingual individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Bsharat-Maalouf
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tamar Degani
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Hanin Karawani
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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18
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Lanzilotti C, Andéol G, Micheyl C, Scannella S. Cocktail party training induces increased speech intelligibility and decreased cortical activity in bilateral inferior frontal gyri. A functional near-infrared study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277801. [PMID: 36454948 PMCID: PMC9714910 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The human brain networks responsible for selectively listening to a voice amid other talkers remain to be clarified. The present study aimed to investigate relationships between cortical activity and performance in a speech-in-speech task, before (Experiment I) and after training-induced improvements (Experiment II). In Experiment I, 74 participants performed a speech-in-speech task while their cortical activity was measured using a functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device. One target talker and one masker talker were simultaneously presented at three different target-to-masker ratios (TMRs): adverse, intermediate and favorable. Behavioral results show that performance may increase monotonically with TMR in some participants and failed to decrease, or even improved, in the adverse-TMR condition for others. On the neural level, an extensive brain network including the frontal (left prefrontal cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral inferior frontal gyri) and temporal (bilateral auditory cortex) regions was more solicited by the intermediate condition than the two others. Additionally, bilateral frontal gyri and left auditory cortex activities were found to be positively correlated with behavioral performance in the adverse-TMR condition. In Experiment II, 27 participants, whose performance was the poorest in the adverse-TMR condition of Experiment I, were trained to improve performance in that condition. Results show significant performance improvements along with decreased activity in bilateral inferior frontal gyri, the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the left inferior parietal cortex and the right auditory cortex in the adverse-TMR condition after training. Arguably, lower neural activity reflects higher efficiency in processing masker inhibition after speech-in-speech training. As speech-in-noise tasks also imply frontal and temporal regions, we suggest that regardless of the type of masking (speech or noise) the complexity of the task will prompt the implication of a similar brain network. Furthermore, the initial significant cognitive recruitment will be reduced following a training leading to an economy of cognitive resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosima Lanzilotti
- Département Neuroscience et Sciences Cognitives, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny sur Orge, France
- ISAE-SUPAERO, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Thales SIX GTS France, Gennevilliers, France
| | - Guillaume Andéol
- Département Neuroscience et Sciences Cognitives, Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny sur Orge, France
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19
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Leannah C, Willis AS, Quandt LC. Perceiving fingerspelling via point-light displays: The stimulus and the perceiver both matter. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272838. [PMID: 35972921 PMCID: PMC9380947 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Signed languages such as American Sign Language (ASL) rely on visuospatial information that combines hand and bodily movements, facial expressions, and fingerspelling. Signers communicate in a wide array of sub-optimal environments, such as in dim lighting or from a distance. While fingerspelling is a common and essential part of signed languages, the perception of fingerspelling in difficult visual environments is not well understood. The movement and spatial patterns of ASL are well-suited to representation by dynamic Point Light Display (PLD) stimuli in which human movement is shown as an array of moving dots affixed to joints on the body. We created PLD videos of fingerspelled location names. The location names were either Real (e.g., KUWAIT) or Pseudo-names (e.g., CLARTAND), and the PLDs showed either a High or a Low number of markers. In an online study, Deaf and Hearing ASL users (total N = 283) watched 27 PLD stimulus videos that varied by Word Type and Number of Markers. Participants watched the videos and typed the names they saw, along with how confident they were in their response. We predicted that when signers see ASL fingerspelling PLDs, language experience in ASL will be positively correlated with accuracy and self-rated confidence scores. We also predicted that Real location names would be understood better than Pseudo names. Our findings supported those predictions. We also discovered a significant interaction between Age and Word Type, which suggests that as people age, they use outside world knowledge to inform their fingerspelling success. Finally, we examined the accuracy and confidence in fingerspelling perception in early ASL users. Studying the relationship between language experience with PLD fingerspelling perception allows us to explore how hearing status, ASL fluency levels, and age of language acquisition affect the core abilities of understanding fingerspelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly Leannah
- Educational Neuroscience, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Athena S. Willis
- Educational Neuroscience, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Lorna C. Quandt
- Educational Neuroscience, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Saksida A, Ghiselli S, Bembich S, Scorpecci A, Giannantonio S, Resca A, Marsella P, Orzan E. Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Study of Listening Effort in Young Children with Cochlear Implants. Audiol Res 2021; 12:1-9. [PMID: 35076472 PMCID: PMC8788282 DOI: 10.3390/audiolres12010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Very early bilateral implantation is thought to significantly reduce the attentional effort required to acquire spoken language, and consequently offer a profound improvement in quality of life. Despite the early intervention, however, auditory and communicative outcomes in children with cochlear implants remain poorer than in hearing children. The distorted auditory input via the cochlear implants requires more auditory attention resulting in increased listening effort and fatigue. Listening effort and fatigue may critically affect attention to speech, and in turn language processing, which may help to explain the variation in language and communication abilities. However, measuring attention to speech and listening effort is demanding in infants and very young children. Three objective techniques for measuring listening effort are presented in this paper that may address the challenges of testing very young and/or uncooperative children with cochlear implants: pupillometry, electroencephalography, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. We review the studies of listening effort that used these techniques in paediatric populations with hearing loss, and discuss potential benefits of the systematic evaluation of listening effort in these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Saksida
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health—IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, 34100 Trieste, Italy; (A.S.); (S.B.)
| | - Sara Ghiselli
- “Guglielmo da Saliceto” Hospital of Piacenza, 29121 Piacenza, Italy;
| | - Stefano Bembich
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health—IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, 34100 Trieste, Italy; (A.S.); (S.B.)
| | - Alessandro Scorpecci
- Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, 00165 Roma, Italy; (A.S.); (S.G.); (A.R.); (P.M.)
| | - Sara Giannantonio
- Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, 00165 Roma, Italy; (A.S.); (S.G.); (A.R.); (P.M.)
| | - Alessandra Resca
- Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, 00165 Roma, Italy; (A.S.); (S.G.); (A.R.); (P.M.)
| | - Pasquale Marsella
- Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, 00165 Roma, Italy; (A.S.); (S.G.); (A.R.); (P.M.)
| | - Eva Orzan
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health—IRCCS “Burlo Garofolo”, 34100 Trieste, Italy; (A.S.); (S.B.)
- Correspondence:
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