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Auditory Electrophysiological and Perceptual Measures in Student Musicians with High Sound Exposure. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:diagnostics13050934. [PMID: 36900080 PMCID: PMC10000734 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13050934] [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: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to determine (a) the influence of noise exposure background (NEB) on the peripheral and central auditory system functioning and (b) the influence of NEB on speech recognition in noise abilities in student musicians. Twenty non-musician students with self-reported low NEB and 18 student musicians with self-reported high NEB completed a battery of tests that consisted of physiological measures, including auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) at three different stimulus rates (11.3 Hz, 51.3 Hz, and 81.3 Hz), and P300, and behavioral measures including conventional and extended high-frequency audiometry, consonant-vowel nucleus-consonant (CNC) word test and AzBio sentence test for assessing speech perception in noise abilities at -9, -6, -3, 0, and +3 dB signal to noise ratios (SNRs). The NEB was negatively associated with performance on the CNC test at all five SNRs. A negative association was found between NEB and performance on the AzBio test at 0 dB SNR. No effect of NEB was found on the amplitude and latency of P300 and the ABR wave I amplitude. More investigations of larger datasets with different NEB and longitudinal measurements are needed to investigate the influence of NEB on word recognition in noise and to understand the specific cognitive processes contributing to the impact of NEB on word recognition in noise.
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Sutcliffe R, Du K, Ruffman T. Music Making and Neuropsychological Aging: A Review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 113:479-491. [PMID: 32302600 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Aging is associated with a decline in social understanding and general cognition. Both are integral to wellbeing and rely on similar brain regions. Thus, as the population ages, there is a growing need for knowledge on the types of activities that maintain brain health in older adulthood. Active engagement in music making might be one such activity because it places a demand on brain networks tapping into multisensory integration, learning, reward, and cognition. It has been hypothesized that this demand may promote plasticity in the frontal and temporal lobes by taxing cognitive abilities and, hence, increase resistance to age-related neurodegeneration. We examine research relevant to this hypothesis and note that there is a lack of intervention studies with a well-matched control condition and random assignment. Thus, we discuss potential causal mechanisms underlying training-related neuropsychological changes, and provide suggestions for future research. It is argued that although music training might be a valuable tool for supporting healthy neuropsychological aging and mental wellbeing, well-controlled intervention studies are necessary to provide clear evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Sutcliffe
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, New Zealand.
| | - Kangning Du
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - Ted Ruffman
- Department of Psychology, University of Otago, New Zealand.
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Gnanateja GN, Maruthy S. Dichotic phase effects on frequency following responses reveal phase variant and invariant harmonic distortion products. Hear Res 2019; 380:84-99. [PMID: 31212114 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The dichotic frequency following responses (FFR) have been used in studies to infer about dichotic auditory processing. In the present study, we hypothesize that the proximity of the binaural neural generators of the FFR would result in interference of the volume-conducted electrical fields. This might lead to contamination of the scalp-recorded dichotic FFRs due to which it might be difficult to infer about true dichotic processing in the putative neural generators. We investigated this by recording FFRs to binaurally presented 200 Hz pure tone with graded dichotic phase offsets (0°, 90°, 180° and 270°) in normal hearing young adults. Spectral analysis of the FFRs was performed for the estimation of the magnitude and phase at the component frequencies. FFR spectra were compared using non-parametric paired randomizations within the subjects. We found that the brainstem responses to a 200 Hz pure tone consisted of prominent peaks at 200 Hz, and at frequencies corresponding to the harmonics of 200 Hz. The FFR spectral magnitude at 200 Hz diminished with a phase offset of 180°. Phase offsets of 90° and 270° showed reduced spectral magnitudes at 200 Hz than those in the 0° condition. Our findings, in line with the hypothesis, show that the dichotic FFRs do not reflect true dichotic processing and that they are contaminated during volume conduction. Additionally, we found harmonic distortion products (HDP) in the FFRs. We found that the response at 200 Hz and the 3rd HDP systematically varied with a change in phase of the stimulus, while the even HDPs (2nd and 4th) were phase-invariant. Based on our findings, and modeling FFRs using auditory models, we propose a rectification process as the contributors for the generation of HDPs. We also discuss the implications of this HDP generating mechanism in understanding the pitch represented in FFRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Nike Gnanateja
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Forbes Tower, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
| | - Sandeep Maruthy
- Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru, Karnataka, 570006, India.
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4
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Weaver AJ, DiGiovanni JJ, Ries DT. Pspan: A New Tool for Assessing Pitch Temporal Processing and Patterning Capacity. Am J Audiol 2019; 28:322-332. [PMID: 31084578 DOI: 10.1044/2019_aja-18-0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether merging the clinical pitch pattern test procedure with psychoacoustic adaptive methods would create a new tool feasible to capture individual differences in pitch temporal processing and patterning capacity of children and adults. Method Sixty-six individuals, young children (ages 10-12 years, n = 22), older children (ages 13-15 years, n = 23), and adults (ages 18-33 years, n = 21), were recruited and assigned to subgroups based on reported duration (years) of instrumental music instruction. Additional background information was collected in order to assess if the pitch temporal processing and patterning span developed, the Pspan, was sensitive to individual differences across participants. Results The evaluation of the Pspan task as a scale indicated good parallel reliability across runs assessed by Cronbach's alpha, and scores were normally distributed. Between-subjects analysis of variance indicated main effects for both age groups and music groups recruited for the study. A multiple regression analysis with the Pspan scores as the dependent variable found that 3 measures of music instruction, age in years, and paternal education were predictive of enhanced temporal processing and patterning capacity for pitch input. Conclusions The outcomes suggest that the Pspan task is a time-efficient data collection tool that is sensitive to the duration of instrumental music instruction, maturation, and paternal education. In addition, results indicate that the task is sensitive to age-related auditory temporal processing and patterning performance changes during adolescence when children are 10-15 years old.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora J. Weaver
- Auditory Psychophysics and Signal Processing Lab, Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ohio University, Athens
- Auditory and Music Perception Lab, Department of Communication Disorders, Auburn University, AL
| | - Jeffrey J. DiGiovanni
- Auditory Psychophysics and Signal Processing Lab, Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ohio University, Athens
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, OH
| | - Dennis T. Ries
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado–Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
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Fostick L. Card playing enhances speech perception among aging adults: comparison with aging musicians. Eur J Ageing 2019; 16:481-489. [PMID: 31798372 DOI: 10.1007/s10433-019-00512-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Speech perception and auditory processing have been shown to be enhanced among aging musicians as compared to non-musicians. In the present study, the aim was to test whether these functions are also enhanced among those who are engaged in a non-musical mentally challenging leisure activity (card playing). Three groups of 23 aging adults, aged 60-80 years, were recruited for the study: Musicians, Card players, and Controls. Participants were matched for age, gender, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III Matrix Reasoning, and Digit Span scores. Their performance was measured using auditory spectral and spatial temporal order judgment tests, and four tasks of speech perception in conditions of: no background noise, background noise of speech frequencies, background noise of white noise, and 60% compressed speech. Musicians were better in auditory and speech perception than the other two groups. Card players were similar to Controls in auditory perception tasks, but were better in the speech perception tasks. Non-musician aging adults may be able to improve their speech perception ability by engaging in leisure activity requiring cognitive effort.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Fostick
- Department of Communication Disorders, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
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Dhatri SD, Gnanateja GN, Kumar UA, Maruthy S. Gender-bias in the sensory representation of infant cry. Neurosci Lett 2018; 678:138-143. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Cortical Correlates of the Auditory Frequency-Following and Onset Responses: EEG and fMRI Evidence. J Neurosci 2017; 37:830-838. [PMID: 28123019 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1265-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The frequency-following response (FFR) is a measure of the brain's periodic sound encoding. It is of increasing importance for studying the human auditory nervous system due to numerous associations with auditory cognition and dysfunction. Although the FFR is widely interpreted as originating from brainstem nuclei, a recent study using MEG suggested that there is also a right-lateralized contribution from the auditory cortex at the fundamental frequency (Coffey et al., 2016b). Our objectives in the present work were to validate and better localize this result using a completely different neuroimaging modality and to document the relationships between the FFR, the onset response, and cortical activity. Using a combination of EEG, fMRI, and diffusion-weighted imaging, we show that activity in the right auditory cortex is related to individual differences in FFR-fundamental frequency (f0) strength, a finding that was replicated with two independent stimulus sets, with and without acoustic energy at the fundamental frequency. We demonstrate a dissociation between this FFR-f0-sensitive response in the right and an area in left auditory cortex that is sensitive to individual differences in the timing of initial response to sound onset. Relationships to timing and their lateralization are supported by parallels in the microstructure of the underlying white matter, implicating a mechanism involving neural conduction efficiency. These data confirm that the FFR has a cortical contribution and suggest ways in which auditory neuroscience may be advanced by connecting early sound representation to measures of higher-level sound processing and cognitive function. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The frequency-following response (FFR) is an EEG signal that is used to explore how the auditory system encodes temporal regularities in sound and is related to differences in auditory function between individuals. It is known that brainstem nuclei contribute to the FFR, but recent findings of an additional cortical source are more controversial. Here, we use fMRI to validate and extend the prediction from MEG data of a right auditory cortex contribution to the FFR. We also demonstrate a dissociation between FFR-related cortical activity from that related to the latency of the response to sound onset, which is found in left auditory cortex. The findings provide a clearer picture of cortical processes for analysis of sound features.
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Heald SLM, Van Hedger SC, Nusbaum HC. Perceptual Plasticity for Auditory Object Recognition. Front Psychol 2017; 8:781. [PMID: 28588524 PMCID: PMC5440584 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In our auditory environment, we rarely experience the exact acoustic waveform twice. This is especially true for communicative signals that have meaning for listeners. In speech and music, the acoustic signal changes as a function of the talker (or instrument), speaking (or playing) rate, and room acoustics, to name a few factors. Yet, despite this acoustic variability, we are able to recognize a sentence or melody as the same across various kinds of acoustic inputs and determine meaning based on listening goals, expectations, context, and experience. The recognition process relates acoustic signals to prior experience despite variability in signal-relevant and signal-irrelevant acoustic properties, some of which could be considered as "noise" in service of a recognition goal. However, some acoustic variability, if systematic, is lawful and can be exploited by listeners to aid in recognition. Perceivable changes in systematic variability can herald a need for listeners to reorganize perception and reorient their attention to more immediately signal-relevant cues. This view is not incorporated currently in many extant theories of auditory perception, which traditionally reduce psychological or neural representations of perceptual objects and the processes that act on them to static entities. While this reduction is likely done for the sake of empirical tractability, such a reduction may seriously distort the perceptual process to be modeled. We argue that perceptual representations, as well as the processes underlying perception, are dynamically determined by an interaction between the uncertainty of the auditory signal and constraints of context. This suggests that the process of auditory recognition is highly context-dependent in that the identity of a given auditory object may be intrinsically tied to its preceding context. To argue for the flexible neural and psychological updating of sound-to-meaning mappings across speech and music, we draw upon examples of perceptual categories that are thought to be highly stable. This framework suggests that the process of auditory recognition cannot be divorced from the short-term context in which an auditory object is presented. Implications for auditory category acquisition and extant models of auditory perception, both cognitive and neural, are discussed.
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Gfeller K, Guthe E, Driscoll V, Brown CJ. A preliminary report of music-based training for adult cochlear implant users: Rationales and development. Cochlear Implants Int 2016; 16 Suppl 3:S22-31. [PMID: 26561884 DOI: 10.1179/1467010015z.000000000269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This paper provides a preliminary report of a music-based training program for adult cochlear implant (CI) recipients. Included in this report are descriptions of the rationale for music-based training, factors influencing program development, and the resulting program components. METHODS Prior studies describing experience-based plasticity in response to music training, auditory training for persons with hearing impairment, and music training for CI recipients were reviewed. These sources revealed rationales for using music to enhance speech, factors associated with successful auditory training, relevant aspects of electric hearing and music perception, and extant evidence regarding limitations and advantages associated with parameters for music training with CI users. This informed the development of a computer-based music training program designed specifically for adult CI users. RESULTS Principles and parameters for perceptual training of music, such as stimulus choice, rehabilitation approach, and motivational concerns were developed in relation to the unique auditory characteristics of adults with electric hearing. An outline of the resulting program components and the outcome measures for evaluating program effectiveness are presented. CONCLUSIONS Music training can enhance the perceptual accuracy of music, but is also hypothesized to enhance several features of speech with similar processing requirements as music (e.g., pitch and timbre). However, additional evaluation of specific training parameters and the impact of music-based training on speech perception of CI users is required.
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Barton C, Robbins AM. Jumpstarting auditory learning in children with cochlear implants through music experiences. Cochlear Implants Int 2015; 16 Suppl 3:S51-62. [PMID: 26561888 DOI: 10.1179/1467010015z.000000000267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Musical experiences are a valuable part of the lives of children with cochlear implants (CIs). In addition to the pleasure, relationships and emotional outlet provided by music, it serves to enhance or 'jumpstart' other auditory and cognitive skills that are critical for development and learning throughout the lifespan. Musicians have been shown to be 'better listeners' than non-musicians with regard to how they perceive and process sound. A heuristic model of music therapy is reviewed, including six modulating factors that may account for the auditory advantages demonstrated by those who participate in music therapy. The integral approach to music therapy is described along with the hybrid approach to pediatric language intervention. These approaches share the characteristics of placing high value on ecologically valid therapy experiences, i.e., engaging in 'real' music and 'real' communication. Music and language intervention techniques used by the authors are presented. It has been documented that children with CIs consistently have lower music perception scores than do their peers with normal hearing (NH). On the one hand, this finding matters a great deal because it provides parameters for setting reasonable expectations and highlights the work still required to improve signal processing with the devices so that they more accurately transmit music to CI listeners. On the other hand, the finding might not matter much if we assume that music, even in its less-than-optimal state, functions for CI children, as for NH children, as a developmental jumpstarter, a language-learning tool, a cognitive enricher, a motivator, and an attention enhancer.
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Park M, Gutyrchik E, Welker L, Carl P, Pöppel E, Zaytseva Y, Meindl T, Blautzik J, Reiser M, Bao Y. Sadness is unique: neural processing of emotions in speech prosody in musicians and non-musicians. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 8:1049. [PMID: 25688196 PMCID: PMC4311618 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.01049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Musical training has been shown to have positive effects on several aspects of speech processing, however, the effects of musical training on the neural processing of speech prosody conveying distinct emotions are yet to be better understood. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate whether the neural responses to speech prosody conveying happiness, sadness, and fear differ between musicians and non-musicians. Differences in processing of emotional speech prosody between the two groups were only observed when sadness was expressed. Musicians showed increased activation in the middle frontal gyrus, the anterior medial prefrontal cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex and the retrosplenial cortex. Our results suggest an increased sensitivity of emotional processing in musicians with respect to sadness expressed in speech, possibly reflecting empathic processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Park
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Parmenides Center for Art and Science Pullach, Germany
| | - Evgeny Gutyrchik
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Parmenides Center for Art and Science Pullach, Germany
| | - Lorenz Welker
- Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Institute of Musicology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany
| | - Petra Carl
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany
| | - Ernst Pöppel
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Parmenides Center for Art and Science Pullach, Germany ; Department of Psychology and Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (MoE), Peking University Beijing, China ; Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China
| | - Yuliya Zaytseva
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Parmenides Center for Art and Science Pullach, Germany ; Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry Moscow, Russia ; Prague Psychiatric Centre, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Meindl
- Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany
| | - Janusch Blautzik
- Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany
| | - Maximilian Reiser
- Institute of Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany
| | - Yan Bao
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Human Science Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany ; Parmenides Center for Art and Science Pullach, Germany ; Department of Psychology and Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (MoE), Peking University Beijing, China
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Pinheiro AP, Vasconcelos M, Dias M, Arrais N, Gonçalves ÓF. The music of language: an ERP investigation of the effects of musical training on emotional prosody processing. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2015; 140:24-34. [PMID: 25461917 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2014.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Revised: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 10/22/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated the positive effects of musical training on the perception of vocally expressed emotion. This study investigated the effects of musical training on event-related potential (ERP) correlates of emotional prosody processing. Fourteen musicians and fourteen control subjects listened to 228 sentences with neutral semantic content, differing in prosody (one third with neutral, one third with happy and one third with angry intonation), with intelligible semantic content (semantic content condition--SCC) and unintelligible semantic content (pure prosody condition--PPC). Reduced P50 amplitude was found in musicians. A difference between SCC and PPC conditions was found in P50 and N100 amplitude in non-musicians only, and in P200 amplitude in musicians only. Furthermore, musicians were more accurate in recognizing angry prosody in PPC sentences. These findings suggest that auditory expertise characterizing extensive musical training may impact different stages of vocal emotional processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana P Pinheiro
- Neuropsychophysiology Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Margarida Vasconcelos
- Neuropsychophysiology Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Marcelo Dias
- Neuropsychophysiology Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Nuno Arrais
- Music Department, Institute of Arts and Human Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Óscar F Gonçalves
- Neuropsychophysiology Lab, CIPsi, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; Spaulding Center of Neuromodulation, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Parsons CE, Young KS, Jegindø EME, Vuust P, Stein A, Kringelbach ML. Music training and empathy positively impact adults' sensitivity to infant distress. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1440. [PMID: 25566122 PMCID: PMC4271597 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Crying is the most powerful auditory signal of infant need. Adults' ability to perceive and respond to crying is important for infant survival and in the provision of care. This study investigated a number of listener variables that might impact on adults' perception of infant cry distress, namely parental status, musical training, and empathy. Sensitivity to infant distress was tested using a previously validated task, which experimentally manipulated distress by varying the pitch of infant cries. This task required that participants discriminate between pitch differences and interpret these as differences in infant distress. Parents with musical training showed a significant advantage on this task when compared with parents without. The extent of the advantage was correlated with the amount of self-reported musical training. For non-parents, individual differences in empathy were associated with task performance, with higher empathy scores corresponding to greater sensitivity to infant distress. We suggest that sensitivity to infant distress can be impacted by a number of listener variables, and may be amenable to training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine E. Parsons
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Katherine S. Young
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Peter Vuust
- Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Alan Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Morten L. Kringelbach
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Skoe E, Kraus N. Musical training heightens auditory brainstem function during sensitive periods in development. Front Psychol 2013; 4:622. [PMID: 24065935 PMCID: PMC3777166 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Experience has a profound influence on how sound is processed in the brain. Yet little is known about how enriched experiences interact with developmental processes to shape neural processing of sound. We examine this question as part of a large cross-sectional study of auditory brainstem development involving more than 700 participants, 213 of whom were classified as musicians. We hypothesized that experience-dependent processes piggyback on developmental processes, resulting in a waxing-and-waning effect of experience that tracks with the undulating developmental baseline. This hypothesis led to the prediction that experience-dependent plasticity would be amplified during periods when developmental changes are underway (i.e., early and later in life) and that the peak in experience-dependent plasticity would coincide with the developmental apex for each subcomponent of the auditory brainstem response (ABR). Consistent with our predictions, we reveal that musicians have heightened response features at distinctive times in the life span that coincide with periods of developmental change. The effect of musicianship is also quite specific: we find that only select components of auditory brainstem activity are affected, with musicians having heightened function for onset latency, high-frequency phase-locking, and response consistency, and with little effect observed for other measures, including lower-frequency phase-locking and non-stimulus-related activity. By showing that musicianship imparts a neural signature that is especially evident during childhood and old age, our findings reinforce the idea that the nervous system's response to sound is “chiseled” by how a person interacts with his specific auditory environment, with the effect of the environment wielding its greatest influence during certain privileged windows of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Skoe
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Department of Psychology Affiliate, Cognitive Sciences Program, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, USA
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15
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Speech intonation and melodic contour recognition in children with cochlear implants and with normal hearing. Otol Neurotol 2013; 34:490-8. [PMID: 23442568 DOI: 10.1097/mao.0b013e318287c985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cochlear implant (CI) users have difficulty perceiving some intonation cues in speech and melodic contours because of poor frequency selectivity in the cochlear implant signal. OBJECTIVES To assess perceptual accuracy of normal hearing (NH) children and pediatric CI users on speech intonation (prosody), melodic contour, and pitch ranking, and to determine potential predictors of outcomes. HYPOTHESIS Does perceptual accuracy for speech intonation or melodic contour differ as a function of auditory status (NH, CI), perceptual category (falling versus rising intonation/contour), pitch perception, or individual differences (e.g., age, hearing history)? METHOD NH and CI groups were tested on recognition of falling intonation/contour versus rising intonation/contour presented in both spoken and melodic (sung) conditions. Pitch ranking was also tested. Outcomes were correlated with variables of age, hearing history, HINT, and CNC scores. RESULTS The CI group was significantly less accurate than the NH group in spoken (CI, M = 63.1%; NH, M = 82.1%) and melodic (CI, M = 61.6%; NH, M = 84.2%) conditions. The CI group was more accurate in recognizing rising contour in the melodic condition compared with rising intonation in the spoken condition. Pitch ranking was a significant predictor of outcome for both groups in falling intonation and rising melodic contour; age at testing and hearing history variables were not predictive of outcomes. CONCLUSION Children with CIs were less accurate than NH children in perception of speech intonation, melodic contour, and pitch ranking. However, the larger pitch excursions of the melodic condition may assist in recognition of the rising inflection associated with the interrogative form.
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Abstract
Songbirds spend much of their time learning, producing, and listening to complex vocal sequences we call songs. Songs are learned via cultural transmission, and singing, usually by males, has a strong impact on the behavioral state of the listeners, often promoting affiliation, pair bonding, or aggression. What is it in the acoustic structure of birdsong that makes it such a potent stimulus? We suggest that birdsong potency might be driven by principles similar to those that make music so effective in inducing emotional responses in humans: a combination of rhythms and pitches-and the transitions between acoustic states-affecting emotions through creating expectations, anticipations, tension, tension release, or surprise. Here we propose a framework for investigating how birdsong, like human music, employs the above "musical" features to affect the emotions of avian listeners. First we analyze songs of thrush nightingales (Luscinia luscinia) by examining their trajectories in terms of transitions in rhythm and pitch. These transitions show gradual escalations and graceful modifications, which are comparable to some aspects of human musicality. We then explore the feasibility of stripping such putative musical features from the songs and testing how this might affect patterns of auditory responses, focusing on fMRI data in songbirds that demonstrate the feasibility of such approaches. Finally, we explore ideas for investigating whether musical features of birdsong activate avian brains and affect avian behavior in manners comparable to music's effects on humans. In conclusion, we suggest that birdsong research would benefit from current advances in music theory by attempting to identify structures that are designed to elicit listeners' emotions and then testing for such effects experimentally. Birdsong research that takes into account the striking complexity of song structure in light of its more immediate function - to affect behavioral state in listeners - could provide a useful animal model for studying basic principles of music neuroscience in a system that is very accessible for investigation, and where developmental auditory and social experience can be tightly controlled.
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Looi V, Gfeller K, Driscoll V. MUSIC APPRECIATION AND TRAINING FOR COCHLEAR IMPLANT RECIPIENTS: A REVIEW. Semin Hear 2012; 33:307-334. [PMID: 23459244 DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1329222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, there has been increasing interest in music perception of cochlear implant (CI) recipients, and a growing body of research conducted in this area. The majority of these studies have examined perceptual accuracy for pitch, rhythm, and timbre. Another important, but less commonly studied aspect of music listening is appreciation, or appraisal. Despite the ongoing research into potential technological improvements that may improve music perception for recipients, both perceptual accuracy and appreciation generally remain poor for most recipients. Whilst perceptual accuracy for music is important, appreciation and enjoyment also warrants research as it also contributes to clinical outcomes and perceived benefits. Music training is being shown to offer excellent potential for improving music perception and appreciation for recipients.Therefore, the primary topics of this review are music appreciation and training. However, a brief overview of the psychoacoustic, technical, and physiological factors associated with a recipient's perception of music is provided, as these are important factors in understanding the listening experience for CI recipients. The purpose of this review is to summarize key papers that have investigated these issues, in order to demonstrate that i) music enjoyment and appraisal is an important and valid consideration in evaluating music outcomes for recipients, and ii) that music training can improve music listening for many recipients, and is something that can be offered to persons using current technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Looi
- c/o Cochlear - Asia Pacific, 1 University Ave, Macquarie University 2109 NSW
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Parbery-Clark A, Tierney A, Strait DL, Kraus N. Musicians have fine-tuned neural distinction of speech syllables. Neuroscience 2012; 219:111-9. [PMID: 22634507 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2012] [Revised: 05/09/2012] [Accepted: 05/16/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
One of the benefits musicians derive from their training is an increased ability to detect small differences between sounds. Here, we asked whether musicians' experience discriminating sounds on the basis of small acoustic differences confers advantages in the subcortical differentiation of closely related speech sounds (e.g., /ba/ and /ga/), distinguishable only by their harmonic spectra (i.e., their second formant trajectories). Although the second formant is particularly important for distinguishing stop consonants, auditory brainstem neurons do not phase-lock to its frequency range (above 1000 Hz). Instead, brainstem neurons convert this high-frequency content into neural response timing differences. As such, speech tokens with higher formant frequencies elicit earlier brainstem responses than those with lower formant frequencies. By measuring the degree to which subcortical response timing differs to the speech syllables /ba/, /da/, and /ga/ in adult musicians and nonmusicians, we reveal that musicians demonstrate enhanced subcortical discrimination of closely related speech sounds. Furthermore, the extent of subcortical consonant discrimination correlates with speech-in-noise perception. Taken together, these findings show a musician enhancement for the neural processing of speech and reveal a biological mechanism contributing to musicians' enhanced speech perception in noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Parbery-Clark
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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Subcortical processing of speech regularities underlies reading and music aptitude in children. Behav Brain Funct 2011; 7:44. [PMID: 22005291 PMCID: PMC3233514 DOI: 10.1186/1744-9081-7-44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2011] [Accepted: 10/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities supports fundamental human behaviors such as hearing in noise and reading. Although the failure to encode acoustic regularities in ongoing speech has been associated with language and literacy deficits, how auditory expertise, such as the expertise that is associated with musical skill, relates to the brainstem processing of speech regularities is unknown. An association between musical skill and neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities would not be surprising given the importance of repetition and regularity in music. Here, we aimed to define relationships between the subcortical processing of speech regularities, music aptitude, and reading abilities in children with and without reading impairment. We hypothesized that, in combination with auditory cognitive abilities, neural sensitivity to regularities in ongoing speech provides a common biological mechanism underlying the development of music and reading abilities. Methods We assessed auditory working memory and attention, music aptitude, reading ability, and neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities in 42 school-aged children with a wide range of reading ability. Neural sensitivity to acoustic regularities was assessed by recording brainstem responses to the same speech sound presented in predictable and variable speech streams. Results Through correlation analyses and structural equation modeling, we reveal that music aptitude and literacy both relate to the extent of subcortical adaptation to regularities in ongoing speech as well as with auditory working memory and attention. Relationships between music and speech processing are specifically driven by performance on a musical rhythm task, underscoring the importance of rhythmic regularity for both language and music. Conclusions These data indicate common brain mechanisms underlying reading and music abilities that relate to how the nervous system responds to regularities in auditory input. Definition of common biological underpinnings for music and reading supports the usefulness of music for promoting child literacy, with the potential to improve reading remediation.
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Anderson S, Kraus N. Sensory-cognitive interaction in the neural encoding of speech in noise: a review. J Am Acad Audiol 2010; 21:575-85. [PMID: 21241645 PMCID: PMC3075209 DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.21.9.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Speech-in-noise (SIN) perception is one of the most complex tasks faced by listeners on a daily basis. Although listening in noise presents challenges for all listeners, background noise inordinately affects speech perception in older adults and in children with learning disabilities. Hearing thresholds are an important factor in SIN perception, but they are not the only factor. For successful comprehension, the listener must perceive and attend to relevant speech features, such as the pitch, timing, and timbre of the target speaker's voice. Here, we review recent studies linking SIN and brainstem processing of speech sounds. PURPOSE To review recent work that has examined the ability of the auditory brainstem response to complex sounds (cABR), which reflects the nervous system's transcription of pitch, timing, and timbre, to be used as an objective neural index for hearing-in-noise abilities. STUDY SAMPLE We examined speech-evoked brainstem responses in a variety of populations, including children who are typically developing, children with language-based learning impairment, young adults, older adults, and auditory experts (i.e., musicians). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS In a number of studies, we recorded brainstem responses in quiet and babble noise conditions to the speech syllable /da/ in all age groups, as well as in a variable condition in children in which /da/ was presented in the context of seven other speech sounds. We also measured speech-in-noise perception using the Hearing-in-Noise Test (HINT) and the Quick Speech-in-Noise Test (QuickSIN). RESULTS Children and adults with poor SIN perception have deficits in the subcortical spectrotemporal representation of speech, including low-frequency spectral magnitudes and the timing of transient response peaks. Furthermore, auditory expertise, as engendered by musical training, provides both behavioral and neural advantages for processing speech in noise. CONCLUSIONS These results have implications for future assessment and management strategies for young and old populations whose primary complaint is difficulty hearing in background noise. The cABR provides a clinically applicable metric for objective assessment of individuals with SIN deficits, for determination of the biologic nature of disorders affecting SIN perception, for evaluation of appropriate hearing aid algorithms, and for monitoring the efficacy of auditory remediation and training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira Anderson
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Northwestern University
- Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University
| | - Nina Kraus
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Northwestern University
- Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University
- Department of Neurobiology and Physiology, Northwestern University
- Department of Otolaryngology, Northwestern University
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Kraus N, Chandrasekaran B. Music training for the development of auditory skills. Nat Rev Neurosci 2010; 11:599-605. [PMID: 20648064 DOI: 10.1038/nrn2882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 556] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Strait DL, Kraus N, Parbery-Clark A, Ashley R. Musical experience shapes top-down auditory mechanisms: Evidence from masking and auditory attention performance. Hear Res 2010; 261:22-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2009.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2009] [Revised: 12/08/2009] [Accepted: 12/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Kraus N, Skoe E, Parbery-Clark A, Ashley R. Experience-induced malleability in neural encoding of pitch, timbre, and timing. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2009; 1169:543-57. [PMID: 19673837 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04549.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Speech and music are highly complex signals that have many shared acoustic features. Pitch, Timbre, and Timing can be used as overarching perceptual categories for describing these shared properties. The acoustic cues contributing to these percepts also have distinct subcortical representations which can be selectively enhanced or degraded in different populations. Musically trained subjects are found to have enhanced subcortical representations of pitch, timbre, and timing. The effects of musical experience on subcortical auditory processing are pervasive and extend beyond music to the domains of language and emotion. The sensory malleability of the neural encoding of pitch, timbre, and timing can be affected by lifelong experience and short-term training. This conceptual framework and supporting data can be applied to consider sensory learning of speech and music through a hearing aid or cochlear implant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Kraus
- Auditory Neuroscience Lab, Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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