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Lee YJ, Heo H, Joo HA, Choi Y, Shim WH, Park HJ. Cortical volumetric changes after cochlear implantation in postlingually deaf adults: correlation with speech perception abilities. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17524. [PMID: 39080361 PMCID: PMC11289407 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-68002-9] [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: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
This study aims to analyse the volumetric changes in brain MRI after cochlear implantation (CI), focusing on the speech perception in postlingually deaf adults. We conducted a prospective cohort study with 16 patients who had bilateral hearing loss and received unilateral CI. Based on the surgical side, patients were categorized into left and right CI groups. Volumetric T1-weighted brain MRI were obtained before and one year after the surgery. To overcome the artifact caused by the internal device in post-CI scan, image reconstruction method was newly devised and applied using the contralateral hemisphere of the pre-CI MRI data, to run FreeSurfer. We conducted within-subject template estimation for unbiased longitudinal image analysis, based on the linear mixed effect models. When analyzing the contralateral cerebral hemisphere before and after CI, a substantial increase in superior frontal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus (STG) volumes was observed in the left CI group. A positive correlation was observed in the STG and post-CI word recognition score in both groups. As far as we know, this is the first study attempting longitudinal brain volumetry based on post-CI MRI scans. We demonstrate that better auditory performance after CI is associated with structural restoration in central auditory structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Ji Lee
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwon Heo
- Department of Convergence Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Ah Joo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonjoo Choi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Woo Hyun Shim
- Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hong Ju Park
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Mai G, Jiang Z, Wang X, Tachtsidis I, Howell P. Neuroplasticity of Speech-in-Noise Processing in Older Adults Assessed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). Brain Topogr 2024:10.1007/s10548-024-01070-2. [PMID: 39042322 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-024-01070-2] [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: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a non-invasive optical neuroimaging technique that is portable and acoustically silent, has become a promising tool for evaluating auditory brain functions in hearing-vulnerable individuals. This study, for the first time, used fNIRS to evaluate neuroplasticity of speech-in-noise processing in older adults. Ten older adults, most of whom had moderate-to-mild hearing loss, participated in a 4-week speech-in-noise training. Their speech-in-noise performances and fNIRS brain responses to speech (auditory sentences in noise), non-speech (spectrally-rotated speech in noise) and visual (flashing chequerboards) stimuli were evaluated pre- (T0) and post-training (immediately after training, T1; and after a 4-week retention, T2). Behaviourally, speech-in-noise performances were improved after retention (T2 vs. T0) but not immediately after training (T1 vs. T0). Neurally, we intriguingly found brain responses to speech vs. non-speech decreased significantly in the left auditory cortex after retention (T2 vs. T0 and T2 vs. T1) for which we interpret as suppressed processing of background noise during speech listening alongside the significant behavioural improvements. Meanwhile, functional connectivity within and between multiple regions of temporal, parietal and frontal lobes was significantly enhanced in the speech condition after retention (T2 vs. T0). We also found neural changes before the emergence of significant behavioural improvements. Compared to pre-training, responses to speech vs. non-speech in the left frontal/prefrontal cortex were decreased significantly both immediately after training (T1 vs. T0) and retention (T2 vs. T0), reflecting possible alleviation of listening efforts. Finally, connectivity was significantly decreased between auditory and higher-level non-auditory (parietal and frontal) cortices in response to visual stimuli immediately after training (T1 vs. T0), indicating decreased cross-modal takeover of speech-related regions during visual processing. The results thus showed that neuroplasticity can be observed not only at the same time with, but also before, behavioural changes in speech-in-noise perception. To our knowledge, this is the first fNIRS study to evaluate speech-based auditory neuroplasticity in older adults. It thus provides important implications for current research by illustrating the promises of detecting neuroplasticity using fNIRS in hearing-vulnerable individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangting Mai
- National Institute for Health and Care Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, UK.
- Academic Unit of Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Zhizhao Jiang
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Xinran Wang
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ilias Tachtsidis
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Howell
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
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Chen Y, Wang S, Yang L, Liu Y, Fu X, Wang Y, Zhang X, Wang S. Features of the speech processing network in post- and prelingually deaf cochlear implant users. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad417. [PMID: 38163443 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad417] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The onset of hearing loss can lead to altered brain structure and functions. However, hearing restoration may also result in distinct cortical reorganization. A differential pattern of functional remodeling was observed between post- and prelingual cochlear implant users, but it remains unclear how these speech processing networks are reorganized after cochlear implantation. To explore the impact of language acquisition and hearing restoration on speech perception in cochlear implant users, we conducted assessments of brain activation, functional connectivity, and graph theory-based analysis using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. We examined the effects of speech-in-noise stimuli on three groups: postlingual cochlear implant users (n = 12), prelingual cochlear implant users (n = 10), and age-matched individuals with hearing controls (HC) (n = 22). The activation of auditory-related areas in cochlear implant users showed a lower response compared with the HC group. Wernicke's area and Broca's area demonstrated differences network attributes in speech processing networks in post- and prelingual cochlear implant users. In addition, cochlear implant users maintain a high efficiency of the speech processing network to process speech information. Taken together, our results characterize the speech processing networks, in varying noise environments, in post- and prelingual cochlear implant users and provide new insights for theories of how implantation modes impact remodeling of the speech processing functional networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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 100005, China
| | - 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 100005, China
| | - Liu Yang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University, No. 10, Xitoutiao, YouAnMen, Fengtai District, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Yi Liu
- 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 100005, 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 100005, 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 100005, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Capital Medical University, No. 10, Xitoutiao, YouAnMen, Fengtai District, Beijing 100069, 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 100005, China
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Girolamo T, Butler L, Canale R, Aslin RN, Eigsti IM. fNIRS Studies of Individuals with Speech and Language Impairment Underreport Sociodemographics: A Systematic Review. Neuropsychol Rev 2023:10.1007/s11065-023-09618-y. [PMID: 37747652 PMCID: PMC10961255 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-023-09618-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a promising tool for scientific discovery and clinical application. However, its utility depends upon replicable reporting. We evaluate reporting of sociodemographics in fNIRS studies of speech and language impairment and asked the following: (1) Do refereed fNIRS publications report participant sociodemographics? (2) For what reasons are participants excluded from analysis? This systematic review was preregistered with PROSPERO (CRD42022342959) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol. Searches in August 2022 included the terms: (a) fNIRS or functional near-infrared spectroscopy or NIRS or near-infrared spectroscopy, (b) speech or language, and (c) disorder or impairment or delay. Searches yielded 38 qualifying studies from 1997 to present. Eight studies (5%) reported at least partial information on race or ethnicity. Few studies reported SES (26%) or language background (47%). Most studies reported geographic location (100%) and gender/sex (89%). Underreporting of sociodemographics in fNIRS studies of speech and language impairment hinders the generalizability of findings. Replicable reporting is imperative for advancing the utility of fNIRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Girolamo
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
- Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Storrs, CT, USA.
| | - Lindsay Butler
- Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Rebecca Canale
- Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Richard N Aslin
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Child Study Center and Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Inge-Marie Eigsti
- Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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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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Koirala N, Deroche MLD, Wolfe J, Neumann S, Bien AG, Doan D, Goldbeck M, Muthuraman M, Gracco VL. Dynamic networks differentiate the language ability of children with cochlear implants. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1141886. [PMID: 37409105 PMCID: PMC10318154 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1141886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cochlear implantation (CI) in prelingually deafened children has been shown to be an effective intervention for developing language and reading skill. However, there is a substantial proportion of the children receiving CI who struggle with language and reading. The current study-one of the first to implement electrical source imaging in CI population was designed to identify the neural underpinnings in two groups of CI children with good and poor language and reading skill. Methods Data using high density electroencephalography (EEG) under a resting state condition was obtained from 75 children, 50 with CIs having good (HL) or poor language skills (LL) and 25 normal hearing (NH) children. We identified coherent sources using dynamic imaging of coherent sources (DICS) and their effective connectivity computing time-frequency causality estimation based on temporal partial directed coherence (TPDC) in the two CI groups compared to a cohort of age and gender matched NH children. Findings Sources with higher coherence amplitude were observed in three frequency bands (alpha, beta and gamma) for the CI groups when compared to normal hearing children. The two groups of CI children with good (HL) and poor (LL) language ability exhibited not only different cortical and subcortical source profiles but also distinct effective connectivity between them. Additionally, a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm using these sources and their connectivity patterns for each CI group across the three frequency bands was able to predict the language and reading scores with high accuracy. Interpretation Increased coherence in the CI groups suggest overall that the oscillatory activity in some brain areas become more strongly coupled compared to the NH group. Moreover, the different sources and their connectivity patterns and their association to language and reading skill in both groups, suggest a compensatory adaptation that either facilitated or impeded language and reading development. The neural differences in the two groups of CI children may reflect potential biomarkers for predicting outcome success in CI children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabin Koirala
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | | | - Jace Wolfe
- Hearts for Hearing Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Sara Neumann
- Hearts for Hearing Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Alexander G. Bien
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University of Oklahoma Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Derek Doan
- University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Michael Goldbeck
- University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
| | - Muthuraman Muthuraman
- Department of Neurology, Neural Engineering with Signal Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (NESA-AI), Universitätsklinikum Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Vincent L. Gracco
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Zhou XQ, Zhang QL, Xi X, Leng MR, Liu H, Liu S, Zhang T, Yuan W. Cortical responses correlate with speech performance in pre-lingually deaf cochlear implant children. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1126813. [PMID: 37332858 PMCID: PMC10272438 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1126813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Cochlear implantation is currently the most successful intervention for severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, particularly in deaf infants and children. Nonetheless, there remains a significant degree of variability in the outcomes of CI post-implantation. The purpose of this study was to understand the cortical correlates of the variability in speech outcomes with a cochlear implant in pre-lingually deaf children using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging brain-imaging technique. Methods In this experiment, cortical activities when processing visual speech and two levels of auditory speech, including auditory speech in quiet and in noise with signal-to-noise ratios of 10 dB, were examined in 38 CI recipients with pre-lingual deafness and 36 normally hearing children whose age and sex matched CI users. The HOPE corpus (a corpus of Mandarin sentences) was used to generate speech stimuli. The regions of interest (ROIs) for the fNIRS measurements were fronto-temporal-parietal networks involved in language processing, including bilateral superior temporal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, and bilateral inferior parietal lobes. Results The fNIRS results confirmed and extended findings previously reported in the neuroimaging literature. Firstly, cortical responses of superior temporal gyrus to both auditory and visual speech in CI users were directly correlated to auditory speech perception scores, with the strongest positive association between the levels of cross-modal reorganization and CI outcome. Secondly, compared to NH controls, CI users, particularly those with good speech perception, showed larger cortical activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus in response to all speech stimuli used in the experiment. Discussion In conclusion, cross-modal activation to visual speech in the auditory cortex of pre-lingually deaf CI children may be at least one of the neural bases of highly variable CI performance due to its beneficial effects for speech understanding, thus supporting the prediction and assessment of CI outcomes in clinic. Additionally, cortical activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus may be a cortical marker for effortful listening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Qing Zhou
- Department of Otolaryngology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
- Department of Otolaryngology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Qing-Ling Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
- Department of Otolaryngology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Xin Xi
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ming-Rong Leng
- Chongqing Integrated Service Center for Disabled Persons, Chongqing, China
| | - Hao Liu
- Chongqing Integrated Service Center for Disabled Persons, Chongqing, China
| | - Shu Liu
- Chongqing Integrated Service Center for Disabled Persons, Chongqing, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Chongqing Integrated Service Center for Disabled Persons, Chongqing, China
| | - Wei Yuan
- Department of Otolaryngology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing, China
- Department of Otolaryngology, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, China
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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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Schvartz-Leyzac KC, Colesa DJ, Swiderski DL, Raphael Y, Pfingst BE. Cochlear Health and Cochlear-implant Function. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2023; 24:5-29. [PMID: 36600147 PMCID: PMC9971430 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-022-00882-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The cochlear implant (CI) is widely considered to be one of the most innovative and successful neuroprosthetic treatments developed to date. Although outcomes vary, CIs are able to effectively improve hearing in nearly all recipients and can substantially improve speech understanding and quality of life for patients with significant hearing loss. A wealth of research has focused on underlying factors that contribute to success with a CI, and recent evidence suggests that the overall health of the cochlea could potentially play a larger role than previously recognized. This article defines and reviews attributes of cochlear health and describes procedures to evaluate cochlear health in humans and animal models in order to examine the effects of cochlear health on performance with a CI. Lastly, we describe how future biologic approaches can be used to preserve and/or enhance cochlear health in order to maximize performance for individual CI recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara C Schvartz-Leyzac
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan, 1150 Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5616, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, 135 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Deborah J Colesa
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan, 1150 Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5616, USA
| | - Donald L Swiderski
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan, 1150 Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5616, USA
| | - Yehoash Raphael
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan, 1150 Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5616, USA
| | - Bryan E Pfingst
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Michigan Medicine, Kresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan, 1150 Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5616, USA.
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10
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Wang Y, Wu M, Wu K, Liu H, Wu S, Zhang Z, Liu M, Wei C, Zhang YX, Liu Y. Differential auditory cortical development in left and right cochlear implanted children. Cereb Cortex 2022; 32:5438-5454. [PMID: 35165693 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Unilateral aural stimulation has been shown to cause massive cortical reorganization in brain with congenital deafness, particularly during the sensitive period of brain development. However, it is unclear which side of stimulation provides most advantages for auditory development. The left hemisphere dominance of speech and linguistic processing in normal hearing adult brain has led to the assumption of functional and developmental advantages of right over left implantation, but existing evidence is controversial. To test this assumption and provide evidence for clinical choice, we examined 34 prelingually deaf children with unilateral cochlear implants using near-infrared spectroscopy. While controlling for age of implantation, residual hearing, and dominant hand, cortical processing of speech showed neither developmental progress nor influence of implantation side weeks to months after implant activation. In sharp contrast, for nonspeech (music signal vs. noise) processing, left implantation showed functional advantages over right implantation that were not yet discernable using clinical, questionnaire-based outcome measures. These findings support the notion that the right hemisphere develops earlier and is better preserved from adverse environmental influences than its left counterpart. This study thus provides, to our knowledge, the first evidence for differential influences of left and right auditory peripheral stimulation on early cortical development of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.,Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital (First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University), Changsha 610041, China
| | - Meiyun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Kun Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Haotian Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.,Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Shinan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zhikai Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.,Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100043, China
| | - Min Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Chaogang Wei
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Yu-Xuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yuhe Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China
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Steinmetzger K, Meinhardt B, Praetorius M, Andermann M, Rupp A. A direct comparison of voice pitch processing in acoustic and electric hearing. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103188. [PMID: 36113196 PMCID: PMC9483634 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In single-sided deafness patients fitted with a cochlear implant (CI) in the affected ear and preserved normal hearing in the other ear, acoustic and electric hearing can be directly compared without the need for an external control group. Although poor pitch perception is a crucial limitation when listening through CIs, it remains unclear how exactly the cortical processing of pitch information differs between acoustic and electric hearing. Hence, we separately presented both ears of 20 of these patients with vowel sequences in which the pitch contours were either repetitive or variable, while simultaneously recording functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and EEG data. Overall, the results showed smaller and delayed auditory cortex activity in electric hearing, particularly for the P2 event-related potential component, which appears to reflect the processing of voice pitch information. Both the fNIRS data and EEG source reconstructions furthermore showed that vowel sequences with variable pitch contours evoked additional activity in posterior right auditory cortex in electric but not acoustic hearing. This surprising discrepancy demonstrates, firstly, that the acoustic detail transmitted by CIs is sufficient to distinguish between speech sounds that only vary regarding their pitch information. Secondly, the absence of a condition difference when stimulating the normal-hearing ears suggests a saturation of cortical activity levels following unilateral deafness. Taken together, these results provide strong evidence in favour of using CIs in this patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt Steinmetzger
- Section of Biomagnetism, Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany,Corresponding author.
| | - Bastian Meinhardt
- Section of Biomagnetism, Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mark Praetorius
- Section of Otology and Neurootology, ENT Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martin Andermann
- Section of Biomagnetism, Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - André Rupp
- Section of Biomagnetism, Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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12
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Zhou X, Feng M, Hu Y, Zhang C, Zhang Q, Luo X, Yuan W. The Effects of Cortical Reorganization and Applications of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Deaf People and Cochlear Implant Users. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12091150. [PMID: 36138885 PMCID: PMC9496692 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12091150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A cochlear implant (CI) is currently the only FDA-approved biomedical device that can restore hearing for the majority of patients with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). While prelingually and postlingually deaf individuals benefit substantially from CI, the outcomes after implantation vary greatly. Numerous studies have attempted to study the variables that affect CI outcomes, including the personal characteristics of CI candidates, environmental variables, and device-related variables. Up to 80% of the results remained unexplainable because all these variables could only roughly predict auditory performance with a CI. Brain structure/function differences after hearing deprivation, that is, cortical reorganization, has gradually attracted the attention of neuroscientists. The cross-modal reorganization in the auditory cortex following deafness is thought to be a key factor in the success of CI. In recent years, the adaptive and maladaptive effects of this reorganization on CI rehabilitation have been argued because the neural mechanisms of how this reorganization impacts CI learning and rehabilitation have not been revealed. Due to the lack of brain processes describing how this plasticity affects CI learning and rehabilitation, the adaptive and deleterious consequences of this reorganization on CI outcomes have recently been the subject of debate. This review describes the evidence for different roles of cross-modal reorganization in CI performance and attempts to explore the possible reasons. Additionally, understanding the core influencing mechanism requires taking into account the cortical changes from deafness to hearing restoration. However, methodological issues have restricted longitudinal research on cortical function in CI. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been increasingly used for the study of brain function and language assessment in CI because of its unique advantages, which are considered to have great potential. Here, we review studies on auditory cortex reorganization in deaf patients and CI recipients, and then we try to illustrate the feasibility of fNIRS as a neuroimaging tool in predicting and assessing speech performance in CI recipients. Here, we review research on the cross-modal reorganization of the auditory cortex in deaf patients and CI recipients and seek to demonstrate the viability of using fNIRS as a neuroimaging technique to predict and evaluate speech function in CI recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Zhou
- Department of Otolaryngolgy, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing 401147, China
- Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Menglong Feng
- Department of Otolaryngolgy, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing 401147, China
- Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Yaqin Hu
- Department of Otolaryngolgy, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing 401147, China
- Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Chanyuan Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngolgy, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing 401147, China
- Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Qingling Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngolgy, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing 401147, China
- Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Xiaoqin Luo
- Department of Otolaryngolgy, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing 401147, China
- Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Wei Yuan
- Department of Otolaryngolgy, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing 401147, China
- Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
- Chongqing School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-23-63535180
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13
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Sherafati A, Dwyer N, Bajracharya A, Hassanpour MS, Eggebrecht AT, Firszt JB, Culver JP, Peelle JE. Prefrontal cortex supports speech perception in listeners with cochlear implants. eLife 2022; 11:e75323. [PMID: 35666138 PMCID: PMC9225001 DOI: 10.7554/elife.75323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cochlear implants are neuroprosthetic devices that can restore hearing in people with severe to profound hearing loss by electrically stimulating the auditory nerve. Because of physical limitations on the precision of this stimulation, the acoustic information delivered by a cochlear implant does not convey the same level of acoustic detail as that conveyed by normal hearing. As a result, speech understanding in listeners with cochlear implants is typically poorer and more effortful than in listeners with normal hearing. The brain networks supporting speech understanding in listeners with cochlear implants are not well understood, partly due to difficulties obtaining functional neuroimaging data in this population. In the current study, we assessed the brain regions supporting spoken word understanding in adult listeners with right unilateral cochlear implants (n=20) and matched controls (n=18) using high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT), a quiet and non-invasive imaging modality with spatial resolution comparable to that of functional MRI. We found that while listening to spoken words in quiet, listeners with cochlear implants showed greater activity in the left prefrontal cortex than listeners with normal hearing, specifically in a region engaged in a separate spatial working memory task. These results suggest that listeners with cochlear implants require greater cognitive processing during speech understanding than listeners with normal hearing, supported by compensatory recruitment of the left prefrontal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arefeh Sherafati
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Noel Dwyer
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Aahana Bajracharya
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | | | - Adam T Eggebrecht
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Jill B Firszt
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Joseph P Culver
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Physics, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Jonathan E Peelle
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. LouisSt. LouisUnited States
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14
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Intartaglia B, Prud'homme MA, Foster NE, Zeitouni AG, Lehmann A. Visual cortex plasticity in cochlear implant users revealed in a visual motion detection task. Clin Neurophysiol 2022; 137:11-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2022.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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15
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Zhou X, Sobczak GS, McKay CM, Litovsky RY. Effects of degraded speech processing and binaural unmasking investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267588. [PMID: 35468160 PMCID: PMC9037936 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of degraded speech perception and binaural unmasking using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Normal hearing listeners were tested when attending to unprocessed or vocoded speech, presented to the left ear at two speech-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Additionally, by comparing monaural versus diotic masker noise, we measured binaural unmasking. Our primary research question was whether the prefrontal cortex and temporal cortex responded differently to varying listening configurations. Our a priori regions of interest (ROIs) were located at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and auditory cortex (AC). The left DLPFC has been reported to be involved in attentional processes when listening to degraded speech and in spatial hearing processing, while the AC has been reported to be sensitive to speech intelligibility. Comparisons of cortical activity between these two ROIs revealed significantly different fNIRS response patterns. Further, we showed a significant and positive correlation between self-reported task difficulty levels and fNIRS responses in the DLPFC, with a negative but non-significant correlation for the left AC, suggesting that the two ROIs played different roles in effortful speech perception. Our secondary question was whether activity within three sub-regions of the lateral PFC (LPFC) including the DLPFC was differentially affected by varying speech-noise configurations. We found significant effects of spectral degradation and SNR, and significant differences in fNIRS response amplitudes between the three regions, but no significant interaction between ROI and speech type, or between ROI and SNR. When attending to speech with monaural and diotic noises, participants reported the latter conditions being easier; however, no significant main effect of masker condition on cortical activity was observed. For cortical responses in the LPFC, a significant interaction between SNR and masker condition was observed. These findings suggest that binaural unmasking affects cortical activity through improving speech reception threshold in noise, rather than by reducing effort exerted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhou
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Gabriel S. Sobczak
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Colette M. McKay
- The Bionics Institute of Australia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Bionics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ruth Y. Litovsky
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
- Division of Otolaryngology, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
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16
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Bálint A, Wimmer W, Caversaccio M, Weder S. Neural Activity during Audiovisual Speech Processing: Protocol for a Functional Neuroimaging Study (Preprint). JMIR Res Protoc 2022; 11:e38407. [PMID: 35727624 PMCID: PMC9239541 DOI: 10.2196/38407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies have demonstrated associations between hearing outcomes after cochlear implantation and plastic brain changes. However, inconsistent results make it difficult to draw conclusions. A major problem is that many variables need to be controlled. To gain further understanding, a careful preparation and planning of such a functional neuroimaging task is key. Objective Using fNIRS, our main objective is to develop a well-controlled audiovisual speech comprehension task to study brain activation in individuals with normal hearing and hearing impairment (including cochlear implant users). The task should be deductible from clinically established tests, induce maximal cortical activation, use optimal coverage of relevant brain regions, and be reproducible by other research groups. Methods The protocol will consist of a 5-minute resting state and 2 stimulation periods that are 12 minutes each. During the stimulation periods, 13-second video recordings of the clinically established Oldenburg Sentence Test (OLSA) will be presented. Stimuli will be presented in 4 different modalities: (1) speech in quiet, (2) speech in noise, (3) visual only (ie, lipreading), and (4) audiovisual speech. Each stimulus type will be repeated 10 times in a counterbalanced block design. Interactive question windows will monitor speech comprehension during the task. After the measurement, we will perform a 3D scan to digitize optode positions and verify the covered anatomical locations. Results This paper reports the study protocol. Enrollment for the study started in August 2021. We expect to publish our first results by the end of 2022. Conclusions The proposed audiovisual speech comprehension task will help elucidate neural correlates to speech understanding. The comprehensive study will have the potential to provide additional information beyond the conventional clinical standards about the underlying plastic brain changes of a hearing-impaired person. It will facilitate more precise indication criteria for cochlear implantation and better planning of rehabilitation. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/38407
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Affiliation(s)
- András Bálint
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Hearing Research Laboratory, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Wilhelm Wimmer
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Hearing Research Laboratory, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marco Caversaccio
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Hearing Research Laboratory, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Weder
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Hearing Research Laboratory, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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17
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Butera IM, Larson ED, DeFreese AJ, Lee AKC, Gifford RH, Wallace MT. Functional localization of audiovisual speech using near infrared spectroscopy. Brain Topogr 2022; 35:416-430. [PMID: 35821542 PMCID: PMC9334437 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-022-00904-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Visual cues are especially vital for hearing impaired individuals such as cochlear implant (CI) users to understand speech in noise. Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a light-based imaging technology that is ideally suited for measuring the brain activity of CI users due to its compatibility with both the ferromagnetic and electrical components of these implants. In a preliminary step toward better elucidating the behavioral and neural correlates of audiovisual (AV) speech integration in CI users, we designed a speech-in-noise task and measured the extent to which 24 normal hearing individuals could integrate the audio of spoken monosyllabic words with the corresponding visual signals of a female speaker. In our behavioral task, we found that audiovisual pairings provided average improvements of 103% and 197% over auditory-alone listening conditions in -6 and -9 dB signal-to-noise ratios consisting of multi-talker background noise. In an fNIRS task using similar stimuli, we measured activity during auditory-only listening, visual-only lipreading, and AV listening conditions. We identified cortical activity in all three conditions over regions of middle and superior temporal cortex typically associated with speech processing and audiovisual integration. In addition, three channels active during the lipreading condition showed uncorrected correlations associated with behavioral measures of audiovisual gain as well as with the McGurk effect. Further work focusing primarily on the regions of interest identified in this study could test how AV speech integration may differ for CI users who rely on this mechanism for daily communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iliza M. Butera
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Eric D. Larson
- grid.34477.330000000122986657Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle Washington, USA
| | - Andrea J. DeFreese
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Adrian KC Lee
- grid.34477.330000000122986657Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle Washington, USA ,grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA
| | - René H. Gifford
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
| | - Mark T. Wallace
- grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.152326.10000 0001 2264 7217Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA ,grid.412807.80000 0004 1936 9916Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN USA
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18
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Mushtaq F, Wiggins IM, Kitterick PT, Anderson CA, Hartley DEH. Investigating Cortical Responses to Noise-Vocoded Speech in Children with Normal Hearing Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2021; 22:703-717. [PMID: 34581879 PMCID: PMC8599557 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-021-00817-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Whilst functional neuroimaging has been used to investigate cortical processing of degraded speech in adults, much less is known about how these signals are processed in children. An enhanced understanding of cortical correlates of poor speech perception in children would be highly valuable to oral communication applications, including hearing devices. We utilised vocoded speech stimuli to investigate brain responses to degraded speech in 29 normally hearing children aged 6-12 years. Intelligibility of the speech stimuli was altered in two ways by (i) reducing the number of spectral channels and (ii) reducing the amplitude modulation depth of the signal. A total of five different noise-vocoded conditions (with zero, partial or high intelligibility) were presented in an event-related format whilst participants underwent functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging. Participants completed a word recognition task during imaging, as well as a separate behavioural speech perception assessment. fNIRS recordings revealed statistically significant sensitivity to stimulus intelligibility across several brain regions. More intelligible stimuli elicited stronger responses in temporal regions, predominantly within the left hemisphere, while right inferior parietal regions showed an opposite, negative relationship. Although there was some evidence that partially intelligible stimuli elicited the strongest responses in the left inferior frontal cortex, a region previous studies have suggested is associated with effortful listening in adults, this effect did not reach statistical significance. These results further our understanding of cortical mechanisms underlying successful speech perception in children. Furthermore, fNIRS holds promise as a clinical technique to help assess speech intelligibility in paediatric populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faizah Mushtaq
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, UK.
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK.
| | - Ian M Wiggins
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, UK
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Pádraig T Kitterick
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, UK
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Carly A Anderson
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
| | - Douglas E H Hartley
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, UK
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK
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19
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Harrison SC, Lawrence R, Hoare DJ, Wiggins IM, Hartley DEH. Use of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Predict and Measure Cochlear Implant Outcomes: A Scoping Review. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11111439. [PMID: 34827438 PMCID: PMC8615917 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Outcomes following cochlear implantation vary widely for both adults and children, and behavioral tests are currently relied upon to assess this. However, these behavioral tests rely on subjective judgements that can be unreliable, particularly for infants and young children. The addition of an objective test of outcome following cochlear implantation is therefore desirable. The aim of this scoping review was to comprehensively catalogue the evidence for the potential of functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to be used as a tool to objectively predict and measure cochlear implant outcomes. A scoping review of the literature was conducted following the PRISMA extension for scoping review framework. Searches were conducted in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and Web of Science electronic databases, with a hand search conducted in Google Scholar. Key terms relating to near infrared spectroscopy and cochlear implants were used to identify relevant publications. Eight records met the criteria for inclusion. Seven records reported on adult populations, with five records only including post-lingually deaf individuals and two including both pre- and post-lingually deaf individuals. Studies were either longitudinal or cross-sectional, and all studies compared fNIRS measurements with receptive speech outcomes. This review identified and collated key work in this field. The homogeneity of the populations studied so far identifies key gaps for future research, including the use of fNIRS in infants. By mapping the literature on this important topic, this review contributes knowledge towards the improvement of outcomes following cochlear implantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C. Harrison
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK; (R.L.); (D.J.H.); (I.M.W.); (D.E.H.H.)
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-115-823-2640
| | - Rachael Lawrence
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK; (R.L.); (D.J.H.); (I.M.W.); (D.E.H.H.)
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK
- Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
| | - Derek J. Hoare
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK; (R.L.); (D.J.H.); (I.M.W.); (D.E.H.H.)
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK
| | - Ian M. Wiggins
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK; (R.L.); (D.J.H.); (I.M.W.); (D.E.H.H.)
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK
| | - Douglas E. H. Hartley
- NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK; (R.L.); (D.J.H.); (I.M.W.); (D.E.H.H.)
- Hearing Sciences, Mental Health and Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK
- Nottingham University Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
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20
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Defenderfer J, Forbes S, Wijeakumar S, Hedrick M, Plyler P, Buss AT. Frontotemporal activation differs between perception of simulated cochlear implant speech and speech in background noise: An image-based fNIRS study. Neuroimage 2021; 240:118385. [PMID: 34256138 PMCID: PMC8503862 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate neural responses in normal-hearing adults as a function of speech recognition accuracy, intelligibility of the speech stimulus, and the manner in which speech is distorted. Participants listened to sentences and reported aloud what they heard. Speech quality was distorted artificially by vocoding (simulated cochlear implant speech) or naturally by adding background noise. Each type of distortion included high and low-intelligibility conditions. Sentences in quiet were used as baseline comparison. fNIRS data were analyzed using a newly developed image reconstruction approach. First, elevated cortical responses in the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) were associated with speech recognition during the low-intelligibility conditions. Second, activation in the MTG was associated with recognition of vocoded speech with low intelligibility, whereas MFG activity was largely driven by recognition of speech in background noise, suggesting that the cortical response varies as a function of distortion type. Lastly, an accuracy effect in the MFG demonstrated significantly higher activation during correct perception relative to incorrect perception of speech. These results suggest that normal-hearing adults (i.e., untrained listeners of vocoded stimuli) do not exploit the same attentional mechanisms of the frontal cortex used to resolve naturally degraded speech and may instead rely on segmental and phonetic analyses in the temporal lobe to discriminate vocoded speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Defenderfer
- Speech and Hearing Science, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, TN, United States.
| | - Samuel Forbes
- Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England.
| | | | - Mark Hedrick
- Speech and Hearing Science, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, TN, United States.
| | - Patrick Plyler
- Speech and Hearing Science, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Knoxville, TN, United States.
| | - Aaron T Buss
- Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States.
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21
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Bernstein CM, Brewer DM, Bakke MH, Olson AD, Machmer EJ, Spitzer JB, Schauer PC, Sydlowski SA, Levitt H. Maximizing Cochlear Implant Outcomes with Short-Term Aural Rehabilitation. J Am Acad Audiol 2021; 32:144-156. [PMID: 33890268 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1722987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing numbers of adults are receiving cochlear implants (CIs) and many achieve high levels of speech perception and improved quality of life. However, a proportion of implant recipients still struggle due to limited speech recognition and/or greater communication demands in their daily lives. For these individuals a program of aural rehabilitation (AR) has the potential to improve outcomes. PURPOSE The study investigated the effects of a short-term AR intervention on speech recognition, functional communication, and psychosocial outcomes in post lingually deafened adult CI users. RESEARCH DESIGN The experimental design was a multisite clinical study with participants randomized to either an AR treatment or active control group. Each group completed 6 weekly 90-minute individual treatment sessions. Assessments were completed pretreatment, 1 week and 2 months post-treatment. STUDY SAMPLE Twenty-five post lingually deafened adult CI recipients participated. AR group: mean age 66.2 (48-80); nine females, four males; months postactivation 7.7 (3-16); mean years severe to profound deafness 18.4 (2-40). Active control group: mean age 62.8 (47-85); eight females, four males; months postactivation 7.0 (3-13); mean years severe to profound deafness 18.8 (1-55). INTERVENTION The AR protocol consisted of auditory training (words, sentences, speech tracking), and psychosocial counseling (informational and communication strategies). Active control group participants engaged in cognitive stimulation activities (e.g., crosswords, sudoku, etc.). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Repeated measures ANOVA or analysis of variance, MANOVA or multivariate analysis of variance, and planned contrasts were used to compare group performance on the following measures: CasperSent; Hearing Handicap Inventory; Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire; Client Oriented Scale of Improvement; Glasgow Benefit Inventory. RESULTS The AR group showed statistically significant improvements on speech recognition performance, psychosocial function, and communication goals with no significant improvement seen in the control group. The two groups were statistically equivalent on all outcome measures at preassessment. The robust improvements for the AR group were maintained at 2 months post-treatment. CONCLUSION Results of this clinical study provide evidence that a short-term AR intervention protocol can maximize outcomes for adult post lingually deafened CI users. The impact of this brief multidimensional AR intervention to extend CI benefit is compelling, and may serve as a template for best practices with adult CI users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Marcus Bernstein
- Department of Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences, Gallaudet University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Diane Majerus Brewer
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Matthew H Bakke
- Department of Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences, Gallaudet University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Anne D Olson
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences, Lexington, Kentucky
| | - Elizabeth Jackson Machmer
- National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Center for Educational Research Partnerships, Rochester, New York
| | - Jaclyn B Spitzer
- Columbia University Medical Center, Audiology and Speech Pathology in Otolaryngology, New York, New York.,Montclair State University, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Bloomfield, New Jersey
| | - Paula C Schauer
- Prince Georges County School System, Instructional Specialist Audiology, Landover, Maryland
| | | | - Harry Levitt
- Advanced Hearing Concepts, Bodega Bay, California
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22
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Lawrence RJ, Wiggins IM, Hodgson JC, Hartley DEH. Evaluating cortical responses to speech in children: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study. Hear Res 2021; 401:108155. [PMID: 33360183 PMCID: PMC7937787 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.108155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging of speech processing has both research and clinical potential. This work is facilitating an ever-increasing understanding of the complex neural mechanisms involved in the processing of speech. Neural correlates of speech understanding also have potential clinical value, especially for infants and children, in whom behavioural assessments can be unreliable. Such measures would not only benefit normally hearing children experiencing speech and language delay, but also hearing impaired children with and without hearing devices. In the current study, we examined cortical correlates of speech intelligibility in normally hearing paediatric listeners. Cortical responses were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that is fully compatible with hearing devices, including cochlear implants. In nineteen normally hearing children (aged 6 - 13 years) we measured activity in temporal and frontal cortex bilaterally whilst participants listened to both clear- and noise-vocoded sentences targeting four levels of speech intelligibility. Cortical activation in superior temporal and inferior frontal cortex was generally stronger in the left hemisphere than in the right. Activation in left superior temporal cortex grew monotonically with increasing speech intelligibility. In the same region, we identified a trend towards greater activation on correctly vs. incorrectly perceived trials, suggesting a possible sensitivity to speech intelligibility per se, beyond sensitivity to changing acoustic properties across stimulation conditions. Outside superior temporal cortex, we identified other regions in which fNIRS responses varied with speech intelligibility. For example, channels overlying posterior middle temporal regions in the right hemisphere exhibited relative deactivation during sentence processing (compared to a silent baseline condition), with the amplitude of that deactivation being greater in more difficult listening conditions. This finding may represent sensitivity to components of the default mode network in lateral temporal regions, and hence effortful listening in normally hearing paediatric listeners. Our results indicate that fNIRS has the potential to provide an objective marker of speech intelligibility in normally hearing children. Should these results be found to apply to individuals experiencing language delay or to those listening through a hearing device, such as a cochlear implant, fNIRS may form the basis of a clinically useful measure of speech understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael J Lawrence
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham NG1 5DU, United Kingdom; Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom; Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom.
| | - Ian M Wiggins
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham NG1 5DU, United Kingdom; Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica C Hodgson
- Lincoln Medical School - Universities of Nottingham and Lincoln, Charlotte Scott Building, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas E H Hartley
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham NG1 5DU, United Kingdom; Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom; Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
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23
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James CJ, Graham PL, Betances Reinoso FA, Breuning SN, Durko M, Huarte Irujo A, Royo López J, Müller L, Perenyi A, Jaramillo Saffon R, Salinas Garcia S, Schüssler M, Schwarz Langer MJ, Skarzynski PH, Mecklenburg DJ. The Listening Network and Cochlear Implant Benefits in Hearing-Impaired Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:589296. [PMID: 33716706 PMCID: PMC7947658 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.589296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Older adults with mild or no hearing loss make more errors and expend more effort listening to speech. Cochlear implants (CI) restore hearing to deaf patients but with limited fidelity. We hypothesized that patient-reported hearing and health-related quality of life in CI patients may similarly vary according to age. Speech Spatial Qualities (SSQ) of hearing scale and Health Utilities Index Mark III (HUI) questionnaires were administered to 543 unilaterally implanted adults across Europe, South Africa, and South America. Data were acquired before surgery and at 1, 2, and 3 years post-surgery. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models with visit, age group (18–34, 35–44, 45–54, 55–64, and 65+), and side of implant as main factors and adjusted for other covariates. Tinnitus and dizziness prevalence did not vary with age, but older groups had more preoperative hearing. Preoperatively and postoperatively, SSQ scores were significantly higher (Δ0.75–0.82) for those aged <45 compared with those 55+. However, gains in SSQ scores were equivalent across age groups, although postoperative SSQ scores were higher in right-ear implanted subjects. All age groups benefited equally in terms of HUI gain (0.18), with no decrease in scores with age. Overall, younger adults appeared to cope better with a degraded hearing before and after CI, leading to better subjective hearing performance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Petra L Graham
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | | | | | - Marcin Durko
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Oncology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Alicia Huarte Irujo
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Juan Royo López
- Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Lida Müller
- Tygerberg Hospital-Stellenbosch University Cochlear Implant Unit, Tygerberg, South Africa
| | - Adam Perenyi
- Department of Otolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery, Albert Szent Györgyi Medical Center, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | | | - Sandra Salinas Garcia
- Servicio de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial, Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mark Schüssler
- Deutsches HörZentrum Hannover der HNO-Klinik, Medizische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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24
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Bell L, Peng ZE, Pausch F, Reindl V, Neuschaefer-Rube C, Fels J, Konrad K. fNIRS Assessment of Speech Comprehension in Children with Normal Hearing and Children with Hearing Aids in Virtual Acoustic Environments: Pilot Data and Practical Recommendations. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 7:E219. [PMID: 33171753 PMCID: PMC7695031 DOI: 10.3390/children7110219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The integration of virtual acoustic environments (VAEs) with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers novel avenues to investigate behavioral and neural processes of speech-in-noise (SIN) comprehension in complex auditory scenes. Particularly in children with hearing aids (HAs), the combined application might offer new insights into the neural mechanism of SIN perception in simulated real-life acoustic scenarios. Here, we present first pilot data from six children with normal hearing (NH) and three children with bilateral HAs to explore the potential applicability of this novel approach. Children with NH received a speech recognition benefit from low room reverberation and target-distractors' spatial separation, particularly when the pitch of the target and the distractors was similar. On the neural level, the left inferior frontal gyrus appeared to support SIN comprehension during effortful listening. Children with HAs showed decreased SIN perception across conditions. The VAE-fNIRS approach is critically compared to traditional SIN assessments. Although the current study shows that feasibility still needs to be improved, the combined application potentially offers a promising tool to investigate novel research questions in simulated real-life listening. Future modified VAE-fNIRS applications are warranted to replicate the current findings and to validate its application in research and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Bell
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (V.R.); (K.K.)
| | - Z. Ellen Peng
- Teaching and Research Area of Medical Acoustics, Institute of Technical Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (F.P.); (J.F.)
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA;
| | - Florian Pausch
- Teaching and Research Area of Medical Acoustics, Institute of Technical Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (F.P.); (J.F.)
| | - Vanessa Reindl
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (V.R.); (K.K.)
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, 52428 Juelich, Germany
| | - Christiane Neuschaefer-Rube
- Clinic of Phoniatrics, Pedaudiology, and Communication Disorders, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany;
| | - Janina Fels
- Teaching and Research Area of Medical Acoustics, Institute of Technical Acoustics, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (F.P.); (J.F.)
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany; (V.R.); (K.K.)
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, 52428 Juelich, Germany
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25
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Pollonini L, Hernandez SAM, Park L, Miao H, Mathis K, Ahn H. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Assess Central Pain Responses in a Nonpharmacologic Treatment Trial of Osteoarthritis. J Neuroimaging 2020; 30:808-814. [PMID: 32896933 PMCID: PMC7719610 DOI: 10.1111/jon.12782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common source of pain in older adults. Although OA-induced pain can be relieved with analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, the current opioid epidemic is fostering the exploration of nonpharmacologic strategies for pain mitigation. Amongs these, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and mindfulness-based meditation (MBM) hold potential for pain-relief efficacy due to their neuromodulatory effects of the central nervous system, which is known to play a fundamental role in pain perception and processing. METHODS In this double-blind study, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the effects of tDCS combined with MBM on underlying pain processing mechanisms at the central nervous level in older adults with knee OA. Nineteen subjects were randomly assigned to two groups undergoing a 10-day active tDCS and MBM regimen and a sham tDCS and MBM regimen, respectively. RESULTS Our results showed that the neuromodulatory intervention significantly relieved pain only in the group receiving active treatment. We also found that only the active treatment group showed a significant increase in oxyhemoglobin activation of the superior motor and somatosensory cortices colocated to the placement of the tDCS anodal electrode. To our knowledge, this is the first study in which the combined effect of tDCS and MBM is investigated using fNIRS. CONCLUSION In conclusion, fNIRS can be effectively used to investigate neural mechanisms of pain at the cortical level in association with nonpharmacological, self-administered treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pollonini
- Department of Engineering Technology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Lindsey Park
- Cizik School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hongyu Miao
- School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kenneth Mathis
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hyochol Ahn
- Cizik School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA
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26
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Mushtaq F, Wiggins IM, Kitterick PT, Anderson CA, Hartley DEH. The Benefit of Cross-Modal Reorganization on Speech Perception in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients Revealed Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:308. [PMID: 32922273 PMCID: PMC7457128 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cochlear implants (CIs) are the most successful treatment for severe-to-profound deafness in children. However, speech outcomes with a CI often lag behind those of normally-hearing children. Some authors have attributed these deficits to the takeover of the auditory temporal cortex by vision following deafness, which has prompted some clinicians to discourage the rehabilitation of pediatric CI recipients using visual speech. We studied this cross-modal activity in the temporal cortex, along with responses to auditory speech and non-speech stimuli, in experienced CI users and normally-hearing controls of school-age, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Strikingly, CI users displayed significantly greater cortical responses to visual speech, compared with controls. Importantly, in the same regions, the processing of auditory speech, compared with non-speech stimuli, did not significantly differ between the groups. This suggests that visual and auditory speech are processed synergistically in the temporal cortex of children with CIs, and they should be encouraged, rather than discouraged, to use visual speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faizah Mushtaq
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ian M. Wiggins
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Pádraig T. Kitterick
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Carly A. Anderson
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas E. H. Hartley
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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27
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Butler LK, Kiran S, Tager-Flusberg H. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in the Study of Speech and Language Impairment Across the Life Span: A Systematic Review. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2020; 29:1674-1701. [PMID: 32640168 PMCID: PMC7893520 DOI: 10.1044/2020_ajslp-19-00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Functional brain imaging is playing an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders, yet many populations and settings are incompatible with functional magnetic resonance imaging and other commonly used techniques. We conducted a systematic review of neuroimaging studies using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) with individuals with speech or language impairment across the life span. We aimed to answer the following question: To what extent has fNIRS been used to investigate the neural correlates of speech-language impairment? Method This systematic review was preregistered with PROSPERO, the international prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42019136464). We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol for preferred reporting items for systematic reviews. The database searches were conducted between February and March of 2019 with the following search terms: (a) fNIRS or functional near-infrared spectroscopy or NIRS or near-infrared spectroscopy, (b) speech or language, and (c) disorder or impairment or delay. Results We found 34 fNIRS studies that involved individuals with speech or language impairment across nine categories: (a) autism spectrum disorders; (b) developmental speech and language disorders; (c) cochlear implantation and deafness; (d) dementia, dementia of the Alzheimer's type, and mild cognitive impairment; (e) locked-in syndrome; (f) neurologic speech disorders/dysarthria; (g) stroke/aphasia; (h) stuttering; and (i) traumatic brain injury. Conclusions Though it is not without inherent challenges, fNIRS may have advantages over other neuroimaging techniques in the areas of speech and language impairment. fNIRS has clinical applications that may lead to improved early and differential diagnosis, increase our understanding of response to treatment, improve neuroprosthetic functioning, and advance neurofeedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay K. Butler
- Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, MA
| | - Swathi Kiran
- Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, MA
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28
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Yamazaki H, Kanazawa Y, Omori K. Advantages of double density alignment of fNIRS optodes to evaluate cortical activities related to phonological short-term memory using NIRS-SPM. Hear Res 2020; 395:108024. [PMID: 32679442 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.108024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Phonological short-term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) capacity, which is temporal storage of phonological information, facilitates language development. This capacity is often impaired in cochlear implant (CI) users who have congenital hearing loss. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is potentially useful to reveal underlying mechanisms of this impairment due to its tolerance to magnetic and electrical artifacts generated by CIs. The spatial resolution of the standard fNIRS, however, seems inadequate to evaluate cortical activity associated with the maintenance of phonological information in the STM/WM tasks. In the present study recruiting 14 normal hearing adults, we applied a double density alignment of fNIRS optodes to improve spatial resolution in the generalized linear model (GLM)-based statistical analysis using NIRS-SPM, in which cortical activities were estimated during each of three stages (encoding, maintenance, and retrieval) in pseudoword STM tasks with auditory or visual presentation. Since the double density alignment of fNIRS optodes contains two sets of standard density arrays, in the off-line analysis the measured cortical hemodynamic responses can be analyzed as data from two independent standard density arrays as well as those from one double density array (DD-array) which has two times higher density of channels. The two standard arrays demonstrated a similar pattern of cortical activation at each stage of the auditory and visual tasks, which proved the reliability of our fNIRS analysis, but failed to detect significant cortical activation in 2 of 12 conditions including the maintenance stage in the visual task. On the other hand, DD-array revealed significant cortical activation in all conditions. These differences were observed when estimated cortical activation was localized in small regions, which suggests higher spatial resolution in DD-array than the standard arrays. In our knowledge, this is the first clinical study supporting the previous experimental phantom study which demonstrated improvement of spatial resolution in the double density arrangement of fNIRS optodes. These findings imply that the double density alignment of fNIRS optodes improves reliability and spatial resolution in fNIRS-based estimation of cortical activity in the STM/WM studies, although further studies are required to determine usefulness of this method in the CI population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Yamazaki
- Hearing Research Division, Center for Clinical Research and Innovation, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, 650-0047, Japan; Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, 650-0047, Japan; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
| | - Yuji Kanazawa
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan; Department of Otolaryngology, Shiga Medical Center for Children, Moriyama, 524-0022, Japan
| | - Koichi Omori
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
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29
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Lee SY, Shim YJ, Han JH, Song JJ, Koo JW, Oh SH, Lee S, Oh DY, Choi BY. The molecular etiology of deafness and auditory performance in the postlingually deafened cochlear implantees. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5768. [PMID: 32238869 PMCID: PMC7113281 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62647-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in molecular genetic testing (MGT) have improved identification of genetic aetiology of candidates for cochlear implantation (CI). However, whether genetic information increases CI outcome predictability in post-lingual deafness remains unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the outcomes of CI with respect to genetic aetiology and clinical predictors by comparing the data of study subjects; those with an identified genetic aetiology (GD group), and those without identifiable variants (GUD group). First, we identified the genetic aetiology in 21 of 40 subjects and also observed genetic etiologic heterogeneity. The GD group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in speech perception scores over a 1-year period than did the GUD group. Further, inverse correlation between deafness duration and the 1-year improvement in speech perception scores was tighter in the GD group than in the GUD group. The weak correlation between deafness duration and CI outcomes in the GUD group might suggest the pathophysiology underlying GUD already significantly involves the cortex, leading to lesser sensitivity to further cortex issues such as deafness duration. Under our MGT protocol, the correlation between deafness duration and CI outcomes were found to rely on the presence of identifiable genetic aetiology, strongly advocating early CI in individual with proven genetic aetiologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Yeon Lee
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Ye Ji Shim
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Healthcare System Gangnam Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jin-Hee Han
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Jae-Jin Song
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Ja-Won Koo
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Seung Ha Oh
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seungmin Lee
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Doo-Yi Oh
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Byung Yoon Choi
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea.
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30
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Pollonini L, Miao H, Ahn H. Longitudinal effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on knee osteoarthritis patients measured by functional infrared spectroscopy: a pilot study. NEUROPHOTONICS 2020; 7:025004. [PMID: 32411812 PMCID: PMC7203445 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.7.2.025004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Significance: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease causing chronic pain and functional alterations (stiffness and swelling) in the elderly population. OA is currently treated pharmacologically with analgesics, although neuromodulation via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has recently generated a growing interest as a safe side-effect free treatment alternative or a complement to medications for chronic pain conditions. Although a number of studies have shown that tDCS has a beneficial effect on behavioral measures of pain, the mechanistic action of neuromodulation on pain sensitivity and coping at the central nervous system is not well understood. Aim: We aimed at observing longitudinal changes of cortical hemodynamics in older adults with knee OA associated with a two-week-long tDCS self-treatment protocol. Approach: Hemodynamics was measured bilaterally in the motor and somatosensory cortices with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in response to thermal pain induced ipsilaterally to the knee primarily affected by OA. Results: We found that both oxyhemoglobin- and deoxyhemoglobin-related functional activations significantly increased during the course of the tDCS treatment, supporting the notion that tDCS yields an increased cortical excitability. Concurrently, clinical measures of pain decreased with tDCS treatment, hinting at a potential spatial dissociation between cortically mediated pain perception and suppression and the prevalence of neuromodulatory effects over cortical pain processing. Conclusions: fNIRS is a valid method for objectively tracking pain in an ambulatory setting and it could potentially be used to inform strategies for optimized tDCS treatment and to develop innovative tDCS protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pollonini
- University of Houston, Department of Engineering Technology, Houston, Texas, United States
- University of Houston, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Houston, Texas, United States
| | - Hongyu Miao
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Houston, Texas, United States
| | - Hyochol Ahn
- University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Cizik School of Nursing, Houston, Texas, United States
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Mushtaq F, Wiggins IM, Kitterick PT, Anderson CA, Hartley DEH. Evaluating time-reversed speech and signal-correlated noise as auditory baselines for isolating speech-specific processing using fNIRS. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219927. [PMID: 31314802 PMCID: PMC6636749 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence using well-established imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and electrocorticography, suggest that speech-specific cortical responses can be functionally localised by contrasting speech responses with an auditory baseline stimulus, such as time-reversed (TR) speech or signal-correlated noise (SCN). Furthermore, these studies suggest that SCN is a more effective baseline than TR speech. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a relatively novel, optically-based imaging technique with features that make it ideal for investigating speech and language function in paediatric populations. However, it is not known which baseline is best at isolating speech activation when imaging using fNIRS. We presented normal speech, TR speech and SCN in an event-related format to 25 normally-hearing children aged 6-12 years. Brain activity was measured across frontal and temporal brain areas in both cerebral hemispheres whilst children passively listened to the auditory stimuli. In all three conditions, significant activation was observed bilaterally in channels targeting superior temporal regions when stimuli were contrasted against silence. Unlike previous findings in infants, we found no significant activation in the region of interest over superior temporal cortex in school-age children when normal speech was contrasted against either TR speech or SCN. Although no statistically significant lateralisation effects were observed in the region of interest, a left-sided channel targeting posterior temporal regions showed significant activity in response to normal speech only, and was investigated further. Significantly greater activation was observed in this left posterior channel compared to the corresponding channel on the right side under the normal speech vs SCN contrast only. Our findings suggest that neither TR speech nor SCN are suitable auditory baselines for functionally isolating speech-specific processing in an experimental set up involving fNIRS with 6-12 year old children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faizah Mushtaq
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ian M. Wiggins
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Pádraig T. Kitterick
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Carly A. Anderson
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas E. H. Hartley
- National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Hearing Sciences, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Luan Y, Wang C, Jiao Y, Tang T, Zhang J, Teng GJ. Prefrontal-Temporal Pathway Mediates the Cross-Modal and Cognitive Reorganization in Sensorineural Hearing Loss With or Without Tinnitus: A Multimodal MRI Study. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:222. [PMID: 30930739 PMCID: PMC6423409 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: Hearing loss, one main risk factor of tinnitus and hyperacusis, is believed to involve significant central functional abnormalities. The recruitment of the auditory cortex in non-auditory sensory and higher-order cognitive processing has been demonstrated in the hearing-deprived brain. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), which has dense anatomical connections with the auditory pathway, is known to play a crucial role in multi-sensory integration, auditory regulation, and cognitive processing. This study aimed to verify the role of the dlPFC in the cross-modal reorganization and cognitive participation of the auditory cortex in long-term sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) by combining functional and structural measurements. Methods: Thirty five patients with long-term bilateral SNHL and 35 matched healthy controls underwent structural imaging, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and neuropsychological assessments. Ten SNHL patients were with subjective tinnitus. Results: No differences in gray matter volume, spontaneous neural activity, or diffusion characteristics in the dlPFC were found between the SNHL and control groups. The functional connectivity (FC) between the dlPFC and the auditory cortex and visual areas, such as the cuneus, fusiform, lingual cortex, and calcarine sulcus was increased in patients with SNHL. ANOVA and post hoc tests revealed similar FC alterations in the SNHL patients with and without tinnitus when compared with the normal hearing controls, and SNHL patients with and without tinnitus showed no difference in the dlPFC FC. The FC in the auditory cortex was associated with the symbol digit modality test (SDMT) scores in the SNHL patients, which reflect attentional function, processing speed, and visual working memory. Hearing-related FC with the dlPFC was found in the lingual cortex. A tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis revealed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) values, mainly in the temporal inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), which showed remarkable negative correlations with the mean hearing thresholds in SNHL. Conclusion: Higher functional coupling between the dlPFC and auditory and visual areas, accompanied by decreased FA along the IFOF connecting the frontal cortex and the occipito-temporal area, might mediate cross-modal plasticity via top-down regulation and facilitate the involvement of the auditory cortex in higher-order cognitive processing following long-term SNHL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Luan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Congxiao Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Jiao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tianyu Tang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Gao-Jun Teng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Zhou X, Seghouane AK, Shah A, Innes-Brown H, Cross W, Litovsky R, McKay CM. Cortical Speech Processing in Postlingually Deaf Adult Cochlear Implant Users, as Revealed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. Trends Hear 2019; 22:2331216518786850. [PMID: 30022732 PMCID: PMC6053859 DOI: 10.1177/2331216518786850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
An experiment was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to image cortical activity in the language areas of cochlear implant (CI) users and to explore the association between the activity and their speech understanding ability. Using fNIRS, 15 experienced CI users and 14 normal-hearing participants were imaged while presented with either visual speech or auditory speech. Brain activation was measured from the prefrontal, temporal, and parietal lobe in both hemispheres, including the language-associated regions. In response to visual speech, the activation levels of CI users in an a priori region of interest (ROI)—the left superior temporal gyrus or sulcus—were negatively correlated with auditory speech understanding. This result suggests that increased cross-modal activity in the auditory cortex is predictive of poor auditory speech understanding. In another two ROIs, in which CI users showed significantly different mean activation levels in response to auditory speech compared with normal-hearing listeners, activation levels were significantly negatively correlated with CI users’ auditory speech understanding. These ROIs were located in the right anterior temporal lobe (including a portion of prefrontal lobe) and the left middle superior temporal lobe. In conclusion, fNIRS successfully revealed activation patterns in CI users associated with their auditory speech understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhou
- 1 Bionics Institute of Australia, East Melbourne, Australia.,2 Department of Medical Bionics, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Abd-Krim Seghouane
- 3 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Adnan Shah
- 3 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Hamish Innes-Brown
- 1 Bionics Institute of Australia, East Melbourne, Australia.,2 Department of Medical Bionics, University of Melbourne, Australia
| | - Will Cross
- 1 Bionics Institute of Australia, East Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ruth Litovsky
- 4 Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | - Colette M McKay
- 1 Bionics Institute of Australia, East Melbourne, Australia.,2 Department of Medical Bionics, University of Melbourne, Australia
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Rovetti J, Goy H, Pichora-Fuller MK, Russo FA. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy as a Measure of Listening Effort in Older Adults Who Use Hearing Aids. Trends Hear 2019; 23:2331216519886722. [PMID: 31722613 PMCID: PMC6856975 DOI: 10.1177/2331216519886722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Listening effort may be reduced when hearing aids improve access to the acoustic signal. However, this possibility is difficult to evaluate because many neuroimaging methods used to measure listening effort are incompatible with hearing aid use. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which can be used to measure the concentration of oxygen in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), appears to be well-suited to this application. The first aim of this study was to establish whether fNIRS could measure cognitive effort during listening in older adults who use hearing aids. The second aim was to use fNIRS to determine if listening effort, a form of cognitive effort, differed depending on whether or not hearing aids were used when listening to sound presented at 35 dB SL (flat gain). Sixteen older adults who were experienced hearing aid users completed an auditory n-back task and a visual n-back task; both tasks were completed with and without hearing aids. We found that PFC oxygenation increased with n-back working memory demand in both modalities, supporting the use of fNIRS to measure cognitive effort during listening in this population. PFC oxygenation was weakly and nonsignificantly correlated with self-reported listening effort and reaction time, respectively, suggesting that PFC oxygenation assesses a dimension of listening effort that differs from these other measures. Furthermore, the extent to which hearing aids reduced PFC oxygenation in the left lateral PFC was positively correlated with age and pure-tone average thresholds. The implications of these findings as well as future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Rovetti
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON,
Canada
| | - Huiwen Goy
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON,
Canada
| | | | - Frank A. Russo
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON,
Canada
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, ON, Canada
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35
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Bortfeld H. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy as a tool for assessing speech and spoken language processing in pediatric and adult cochlear implant users. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 61:430-443. [PMID: 30588618 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2018] [Revised: 11/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Much of what is known about the course of auditory learning in following cochlear implantation is based on behavioral indicators that users are able to perceive sound. Both prelingually deafened children and postlingually deafened adults who receive cochlear implants display highly variable speech and language processing outcomes, although the basis for this is poorly understood. To date, measuring neural activity within the auditory cortex of implant recipients of all ages has been challenging, primarily because the use of traditional neuroimaging techniques is limited by the implant itself. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an imaging technology that works with implant users of all ages because it is non-invasive, compatible with implant devices, and not subject to electrical artifacts. Thus, fNIRS can provide insight into processing factors that contribute to variations in spoken language outcomes in implant users, both children and adults. There are important considerations to be made when using fNIRS, particularly with children, to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio and to best identify and interpret cortical responses. This review considers these issues, recent data, and future directions for using fNIRS as a tool to understand spoken language processing in children and adults who hear through a cochlear implant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Bortfeld
- Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, Merced, California
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36
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Lawrence RJ, Wiggins IM, Anderson CA, Davies-Thompson J, Hartley DE. Cortical correlates of speech intelligibility measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Hear Res 2018; 370:53-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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37
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Basura GJ, Hu X, Juan JS, Tessier A, Kovelman I. Human central auditory plasticity: A review of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure cochlear implant performance and tinnitus perception. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol 2018; 3:463-472. [PMID: 30599031 PMCID: PMC6302720 DOI: 10.1002/lio2.185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an emerging noninvasive technology used to study cerebral cortex activity. Being virtually silent and compatible with cochlear implants has helped establish fNIRS as an important tool when investigating auditory cortex as well as cortices involved with hearing and language processing in adults and during child development. With respect to this review article, more recently, fNIRS has also been used to investigate central auditory plasticity following hearing loss and tinnitus or phantom sound perception. METHODS Here, we review the currently available literature reporting the use of fNIRS in human studies with cochlear implants and tinnitus to measure human central auditory cortical circuits. We also provide the reader with detailed reviews of the technology and traditional recording paradigms/methods used in these auditory-based studies. RESULTS The purpose of this review article is to summarize theoretical advancements in our understanding of the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying auditory processes and their plasticity through fNIRS research of human auditory performance with cochlear implantation and plasticity that may contribute to the central percepts of tinnitus. CONCLUSION fNIRS is an emerging noninvasive brain imaging technology that has wide reaching application that can be applied to human studies involving cochlear implants and tinnitus. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE N/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J. Basura
- Center for Human Growth and DevelopmentUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganU.S.A
- Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Kresge Hearing Research InstituteUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganU.S.A
| | - Xiao‐Su Hu
- Center for Human Growth and DevelopmentUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganU.S.A
| | - Juan San Juan
- Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Kresge Hearing Research InstituteUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganU.S.A
| | | | - Ioulia Kovelman
- Center for Human Growth and DevelopmentUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMichiganU.S.A
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38
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van de Rijt LPH, van Wanrooij MM, Snik AFM, Mylanus EAM, van Opstal AJ, Roye A. Measuring Cortical Activity During Auditory Processing with Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 8:9-18. [PMID: 31534793 PMCID: PMC6751080 DOI: 10.17430/1003278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an optical, non-invasive neuroimaging technique that investigates human brain activity by calculating concentrations of oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin. The aim of this publication is to review the current state of the art as to how fNIRS has been used to study auditory function. We address temporal and spatial characteristics of the hemodynamic response to auditory stimulation as well as experimental factors that affect fNIRS data such as acoustic and stimulus-driven effects. The rising importance that fNIRS is generating in auditory neuroscience underlines the strong potential of the technology, and it seems likely that fNIRS will become a useful clinical tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luuk P H van de Rijt
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Biophysics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Marc M van Wanrooij
- Department of Biophysics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ad F M Snik
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Emmanuel A M Mylanus
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - A John van Opstal
- Department of Biophysics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anja Roye
- Department of Biophysics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Cochlear implants restore hearing in deaf individuals, but speech perception remains challenging. Poor discrimination of spectral components is thought to account for limitations of speech recognition in cochlear implant users. We investigated how combined variations of spectral components along two orthogonal dimensions can maximize neural discrimination between two vowels, as measured by mismatch negativity. Adult cochlear implant users and matched normal-hearing listeners underwent electroencephalographic event-related potentials recordings in an optimum-1 oddball paradigm. A standard /a/ vowel was delivered in an acoustic free field along with stimuli having a deviant fundamental frequency (+3 and +6 semitones), a deviant first formant making it a /i/ vowel or combined deviant fundamental frequency and first formant (+3 and +6 semitones /i/ vowels). Speech recognition was assessed with a word repetition task. An analysis of variance between both amplitude and latency of mismatch negativity elicited by each deviant vowel was performed. The strength of correlations between these parameters of mismatch negativity and speech recognition as well as participants' age was assessed. Amplitude of mismatch negativity was weaker in cochlear implant users but was maximized by variations of vowels' first formant. Latency of mismatch negativity was later in cochlear implant users and was particularly extended by variations of the fundamental frequency. Speech recognition correlated with parameters of mismatch negativity elicited by the specific variation of the first formant. This nonlinear effect of acoustic parameters on neural discrimination of vowels has implications for implant processor programming and aural rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Prévost
- 1 Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,2 International Laboratory for Brain, Music & Sound Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Alexandre Lehmann
- 2 International Laboratory for Brain, Music & Sound Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,3 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,4 Centre for Research on Brain, Language & Music, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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40
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Weder S, Zhou X, Shoushtarian M, Innes-Brown H, McKay C. Cortical Processing Related to Intensity of a Modulated Noise Stimulus-a Functional Near-Infrared Study. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2018; 19:273-286. [PMID: 29633049 PMCID: PMC5962476 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-018-0661-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound intensity is a key feature of auditory signals. A profound understanding of cortical processing of this feature is therefore highly desirable. This study investigates whether cortical functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals reflect sound intensity changes and where on the brain cortex maximal intensity-dependent activations are located. The fNIRS technique is particularly suitable for this kind of hearing study, as it runs silently. Twenty-three normal hearing subjects were included and actively participated in a counterbalanced block design task. Four intensity levels of a modulated noise stimulus with long-term spectrum and modulation characteristics similar to speech were applied, evenly spaced from 15 to 90 dB SPL. Signals from auditory processing cortical fields were derived from a montage of 16 optodes on each side of the head. Results showed that fNIRS responses originating from auditory processing areas are highly dependent on sound intensity level: higher stimulation levels led to higher concentration changes. Caudal and rostral channels showed different waveform morphologies, reflecting specific cortical signal processing of the stimulus. Channels overlying the supramarginal and caudal superior temporal gyrus evoked a phasic response, whereas channels over Broca's area showed a broad tonic pattern. This data set can serve as a foundation for future auditory fNIRS research to develop the technique as a hearing assessment tool in the normal hearing and hearing-impaired populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Weder
- The Bionics Institute, East Melbourne, Australia.
- Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Xin Zhou
- The Bionics Institute, East Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Medical Bionics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Hamish Innes-Brown
- The Bionics Institute, East Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Medical Bionics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Colette McKay
- The Bionics Institute, East Melbourne, Australia
- Department of Medical Bionics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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41
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Stevenson RA, Sheffield SW, Butera IM, Gifford RH, Wallace MT. Multisensory Integration in Cochlear Implant Recipients. Ear Hear 2018; 38:521-538. [PMID: 28399064 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000000435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Speech perception is inherently a multisensory process involving integration of auditory and visual cues. Multisensory integration in cochlear implant (CI) recipients is a unique circumstance in that the integration occurs after auditory deprivation and the provision of hearing via the CI. Despite the clear importance of multisensory cues for perception, in general, and for speech intelligibility, specifically, the topic of multisensory perceptual benefits in CI users has only recently begun to emerge as an area of inquiry. We review the research that has been conducted on multisensory integration in CI users to date and suggest a number of areas needing further research. The overall pattern of results indicates that many CI recipients show at least some perceptual gain that can be attributable to multisensory integration. The extent of this gain, however, varies based on a number of factors, including age of implantation and specific task being assessed (e.g., stimulus detection, phoneme perception, word recognition). Although both children and adults with CIs obtain audiovisual benefits for phoneme, word, and sentence stimuli, neither group shows demonstrable gain for suprasegmental feature perception. Additionally, only early-implanted children and the highest performing adults obtain audiovisual integration benefits similar to individuals with normal hearing. Increasing age of implantation in children is associated with poorer gains resultant from audiovisual integration, suggesting a sensitive period in development for the brain networks that subserve these integrative functions, as well as length of auditory experience. This finding highlights the need for early detection of and intervention for hearing loss, not only in terms of auditory perception, but also in terms of the behavioral and perceptual benefits of audiovisual processing. Importantly, patterns of auditory, visual, and audiovisual responses suggest that underlying integrative processes may be fundamentally different between CI users and typical-hearing listeners. Future research, particularly in low-level processing tasks such as signal detection will help to further assess mechanisms of multisensory integration for individuals with hearing loss, both with and without CIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Stevenson
- 1Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; 2Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada; 3Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Audiology and Speech Pathology Center, London, Ontario, Canada; 4Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Nashville, Tennesse; 5Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, Tennesse; 6Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennesse; 7Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennesse; and 8Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennesse
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Zhang M, Mary Ying YL, Ihlefeld A. Spatial Release From Informational Masking: Evidence From Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Trends Hear 2018; 22:2331216518817464. [PMID: 30558491 PMCID: PMC6299332 DOI: 10.1177/2331216518817464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Informational masking (IM) can greatly reduce speech intelligibility, but the neural mechanisms underlying IM are not understood. Binaural differences between target and masker can improve speech perception. In general, improvement in masked speech intelligibility due to provision of spatial cues is called spatial release from masking. Here, we focused on an aspect of spatial release from masking, specifically, the role of spatial attention. We hypothesized that in a situation with IM background sound (a) attention to speech recruits lateral frontal cortex (LFCx) and (b) LFCx activity varies with direction of spatial attention. Using functional near infrared spectroscopy, we assessed LFCx activity bilaterally in normal-hearing listeners. In Experiment 1, two talkers were simultaneously presented. Listeners either attended to the target talker (speech task) or they listened passively to an unintelligible, scrambled version of the acoustic mixture (control task). Target and masker differed in pitch and interaural time difference (ITD). Relative to the passive control, LFCx activity increased during attentive listening. Experiment 2 measured how LFCx activity varied with ITD, by testing listeners on the speech task in Experiment 1, except that talkers either were spatially separated by ITD or colocated. Results show that directing of auditory attention activates LFCx bilaterally. Moreover, right LFCx is recruited more strongly in the spatially separated as compared with colocated configurations. Findings hint that LFCx function contributes to spatial release from masking in situations with IM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Yu-Lan Mary Ying
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Antje Ihlefeld
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
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Investigating the role of temporal lobe activation in speech perception accuracy with normal hearing adults: An event-related fNIRS study. Neuropsychologia 2017; 106:31-41. [PMID: 28888891 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a safe, non-invasive, relatively quiet imaging technique that is tolerant of movement artifact making it uniquely ideal for the assessment of hearing mechanisms. Previous research demonstrates the capacity for fNIRS to detect cortical changes to varying speech intelligibility, revealing a positive relationship between cortical activation amplitude and speech perception score. In the present study, we use an event-related design to investigate the hemodynamic response in the temporal lobe across different listening conditions. We presented participants with a speech recognition task using sentences in quiet, sentences in noise, and vocoded sentences. Hemodynamic responses were examined across conditions and then compared when speech perception was accurate compared to when speech perception was inaccurate in the context of noisy speech. Repeated measures, two-way ANOVAs revealed that the speech in noise condition (-2.8dB signal-to-noise ratio/SNR) demonstrated significantly greater activation than the easier listening conditions on multiple channels bilaterally. Further analyses comparing correct recognition trials to incorrect recognition trials (during the presentation phase of the trial) revealed that activation was significantly greater during correct trials. Lastly, during the repetition phase of the trial, where participants correctly repeated the sentence, the hemodynamic response demonstrated significantly higher deoxyhemoglobin than oxyhemoglobin, indicating a difference between the effects of perception and production on the cortical response. Using fNIRS, the present study adds meaningful evidence to the body of knowledge that describes the brain/behavior relationship related to speech perception.
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Wijayasiri P, Hartley DE, Wiggins IM. Brain activity underlying the recovery of meaning from degraded speech: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study. Hear Res 2017; 351:55-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2017.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Abstract
In this review I introduce the historical context and methods of optical neuroimaging, leading to the modern use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and high-density diffuse optical tomography (HD-DOT) to study human brain function. In its most frequent application, optical neuroimaging measures a hemodynamically-mediated signal indirectly related to neural processing, similar to that captured by fMRI. Compared to other approaches to measuring human brain function, optical imaging has many advantages: it is noninvasive, frequently portable, acoustically silent, robust to motion and muscle movement, and appropriate in many situations in which fMRI is not possible (for example, due to implanted medical devices). Challenges include producing a full-brain field of view, homogenous spatial resolution, and accurate source localization. Experimentally, optical neuroimaging has been used to study phoneme, word, and sentence processing in a variety of paradigms. With continuing technical and methodological improvements the future of optical neuroimaging is increasingly bright.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan E Peelle
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis MO USA
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46
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Anderson CA, Lazard DS, Hartley DEH. Plasticity in bilateral superior temporal cortex: Effects of deafness and cochlear implantation on auditory and visual speech processing. Hear Res 2017; 343:138-149. [PMID: 27473501 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
While many individuals can benefit substantially from cochlear implantation, the ability to perceive and understand auditory speech with a cochlear implant (CI) remains highly variable amongst adult recipients. Importantly, auditory performance with a CI cannot be reliably predicted based solely on routinely obtained information regarding clinical characteristics of the CI candidate. This review argues that central factors, notably cortical function and plasticity, should also be considered as important contributors to the observed individual variability in CI outcome. Superior temporal cortex (STC), including auditory association areas, plays a crucial role in the processing of auditory and visual speech information. The current review considers evidence of cortical plasticity within bilateral STC, and how these effects may explain variability in CI outcome. Furthermore, evidence of audio-visual interactions in temporal and occipital cortices is examined, and relation to CI outcome is discussed. To date, longitudinal examination of changes in cortical function and plasticity over the period of rehabilitation with a CI has been restricted by methodological challenges. The application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in studying cortical function in CI users is becoming increasingly recognised as a potential solution to these problems. Here we suggest that fNIRS offers a powerful neuroimaging tool to elucidate the relationship between audio-visual interactions, cortical plasticity during deafness and following cochlear implantation, and individual variability in auditory performance with a CI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly A Anderson
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, United Kingdom; Otology and Hearing Group, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom.
| | - Diane S Lazard
- Institut Arthur Vernes, ENT Surgery, Paris, 75006, France; Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Derby Road, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom.
| | - Douglas E H Hartley
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Nottingham Hearing Biomedical Research Unit, Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU, United Kingdom; Otology and Hearing Group, Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom; Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Derby Road, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom; Medical Research Council (MRC) Institute of Hearing Research, The University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom.
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Pollonini L, Bortfeld H, Oghalai JS. PHOEBE: a method for real time mapping of optodes-scalp coupling in functional near-infrared spectroscopy. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2016; 7:5104-5119. [PMID: 28018728 PMCID: PMC5175555 DOI: 10.1364/boe.7.005104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Revised: 10/22/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) instrumentation encompasses several dozen of optodes to enable reconstructing a hemodynamic image of the entire cerebral cortex. Despite its potential clinical applicability, widespread use of fNIRS with human subjects is currently limited by unresolved issues, namely the collection from the entirety of optical channels of signals with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) sufficient to carry out a reliable estimation of cortical hemodynamics, and the considerable amount of time that placing numerous optodes take with individuals for whom achieving good optical coupling to the scalp is difficult due to thick or dark hair. To address these issues, we developed a numerical method that: 1) at the channel level, computes an objective measure of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) related to its optical coupling to the scalp, akin to electrode conductivity used in electroencephalography (EEG), and 2) at the optode level, determines and displays the coupling status of all individual optodes in real time on a model of a human head. This approach aims to shorten the pre-acquisition preparation time by visually displaying which optodes require further adjustment for optimum scalp coupling, and to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of all optical channels contributing to the functional hemodynamic mapping. The methodology described in this paper has been implemented in a software tool named PHOEBE (placing headgear optodes efficiently before experimentation) that is freely available for use by the fNIRS community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pollonini
- Department of Engineering Technology, University of Houston, 4734 Calhoun Road, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Heather Bortfeld
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, 5200 N. Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343, USA
| | - John S. Oghalai
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 801 Welch Road, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Abstract
Although hyperbilirubinemia is extremely common among neonates and is usually mild and transient, it sometimes leads to bilirubin-induced neurologic damage (BIND). The auditory pathway is highly sensitive to the effects of elevated total serum/plasma bilirubin (TB) levels, with damage manifesting clinically as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. Compared to full-term neonates, preterm neonates are more susceptible to BIND and suffer adverse effects at lower TB levels with worse long-term outcomes. Furthermore, although standardized guidelines for management of hyperbilirubinemia exist for term and late preterm neonates, similar guidelines for neonates less than 35 weeks gestational age are limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristen Olds
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 801 Welch Road, CA 94305, USA
| | - John S Oghalai
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University, 801 Welch Road, CA 94305, USA.
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