1
|
Ribas-Prats T, Arenillas-Alcón S, Martínez SIF, Gómez-Roig MD, Escera C. The frequency-following response in late preterm neonates: a pilot study. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1341171. [PMID: 38784610 PMCID: PMC11112609 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1341171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Infants born very early preterm are at high risk of language delays. However, less is known about the consequences of late prematurity. Hence, the aim of the present study is to characterize the neural encoding of speech sounds in late preterm neonates in comparison with those born at term. Methods The speech-evoked frequency-following response (FFR) was recorded to a consonant-vowel stimulus /da/ in 36 neonates in three different groups: 12 preterm neonates [mean gestational age (GA) 36.05 weeks], 12 "early term neonates" (mean GA 38.3 weeks), and "late term neonates" (mean GA 41.01 weeks). Results From the FFR recordings, a delayed neural response and a weaker stimulus F0 encoding in premature neonates compared to neonates born at term was observed. No differences in the response time onset nor in stimulus F0 encoding were observed between the two groups of neonates born at term. No differences between the three groups were observed in the neural encoding of the stimulus temporal fine structure. Discussion These results highlight alterations in the neural encoding of speech sounds related to prematurity, which were present for the stimulus F0 but not for its temporal fine structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Ribas-Prats
- Brainlab–Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group. Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sonia Arenillas-Alcón
- Brainlab–Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group. Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Silvia Irene Ferrero Martínez
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- BCNatal–Barcelona Center for Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Hospital Clínic), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Dolores Gómez-Roig
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- BCNatal–Barcelona Center for Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Hospital Clínic), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Escera
- Brainlab–Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group. Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Montes-Lourido P, Kar M, Pernia M, Parida S, Sadagopan S. Updates to the guinea pig animal model for in-vivo auditory neuroscience in the low-frequency hearing range. Hear Res 2022; 424:108603. [PMID: 36099806 PMCID: PMC9922531 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2022.108603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
For gaining insight into general principles of auditory processing, it is critical to choose model organisms whose set of natural behaviors encompasses the processes being investigated. This reasoning has led to the development of a variety of animal models for auditory neuroscience research, such as guinea pigs, gerbils, chinchillas, rabbits, and ferrets; but in recent years, the availability of cutting-edge molecular tools and other methodologies in the mouse model have led to waning interest in these unique model species. As laboratories increasingly look to include in-vivo components in their research programs, a comprehensive description of procedures and techniques for applying some of these modern neuroscience tools to a non-mouse small animal model would enable researchers to leverage unique model species that may be best suited for testing their specific hypotheses. In this manuscript, we describe in detail the methods we have developed to apply these tools to the guinea pig animal model to answer questions regarding the neural processing of complex sounds, such as vocalizations. We describe techniques for vocalization acquisition, behavioral testing, recording of auditory brainstem responses and frequency-following responses, intracranial neural signals including local field potential and single unit activity, and the expression of transgenes allowing for optogenetic manipulation of neural activity, all in awake and head-fixed guinea pigs. We demonstrate the rich datasets at the behavioral and electrophysiological levels that can be obtained using these techniques, underscoring the guinea pig as a versatile animal model for studying complex auditory processing. More generally, the methods described here are applicable to a broad range of small mammals, enabling investigators to address specific auditory processing questions in model organisms that are best suited for answering them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pilar Montes-Lourido
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Manaswini Kar
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Marianny Pernia
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Satyabrata Parida
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Srivatsun Sadagopan
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Easwar V, Chung L. The influence of phoneme contexts on adaptation in vowel-evoked envelope following responses. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:4572-4582. [PMID: 35804282 PMCID: PMC9543495 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Repeated stimulus presentation leads to neural adaptation and consequent amplitude reduction in vowel-evoked envelope following responses (EFRs)-a response that reflects neural activity phase-locked to envelope periodicity. EFRs are elicited by vowels presented in isolation or in the context of other phonemes such as in syllables. While context phonemes could exert some forward influence on vowel-evoked EFRs, they may reduce the degree of adaptation. Here, we evaluated whether the properties of context phonemes between consecutive vowel stimuli influence adaptation. EFRs were elicited by the low-frequency first formant (resolved harmonics) and mid-to-high frequency second and higher formants (unresolved harmonics) of a male-spoken/i/when the presence, number, and predictability of context phonemes (/s/, /a/, /∫/, /u/) between vowel repetitions varied. Monitored over four iterations of /i/, adaptation was evident only for EFRs elicited by the unresolved harmonics. EFRs elicited by the unresolved harmonics decreased in amplitude by ~16-20 nV (10-17%) after the first presentation of/i/and remained stable thereafter. EFR adaptation was reduced by the presence of a context phoneme, but the reduction did not change with their number or predictability. The presence of a context phoneme, however, attenuated EFRs by a degree similar to that caused by adaptation (~21-23 nV). Such a trade-off in the short- and long-term influence of context phonemes suggests that the benefit of interleaving EFR-eliciting vowels with other context phonemes depends on whether the use of consonant-vowel syllables is critical to improve the validity of EFR applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vijayalakshmi Easwar
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA.,Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| | - Lauren Chung
- Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA.,Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gnanateja GN, Rupp K, Llanos F, Remick M, Pernia M, Sadagopan S, Teichert T, Abel TJ, Chandrasekaran B. Frequency-Following Responses to Speech Sounds Are Highly Conserved across Species and Contain Cortical Contributions. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0451-21.2021. [PMID: 34799409 PMCID: PMC8704423 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0451-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Time-varying pitch is a vital cue for human speech perception. Neural processing of time-varying pitch has been extensively assayed using scalp-recorded frequency-following responses (FFRs), an electrophysiological signal thought to reflect integrated phase-locked neural ensemble activity from subcortical auditory areas. Emerging evidence increasingly points to a putative contribution of auditory cortical ensembles to the scalp-recorded FFRs. However, the properties of cortical FFRs and precise characterization of laminar sources are still unclear. Here we used direct human intracortical recordings as well as extracranial and intracranial recordings from macaques and guinea pigs to characterize the properties of cortical sources of FFRs to time-varying pitch patterns. We found robust FFRs in the auditory cortex across all species. We leveraged representational similarity analysis as a translational bridge to characterize similarities between the human and animal models. Laminar recordings in animal models showed FFRs emerging primarily from the thalamorecipient layers of the auditory cortex. FFRs arising from these cortical sources significantly contributed to the scalp-recorded FFRs via volume conduction. Our research paves the way for a wide array of studies to investigate the role of cortical FFRs in auditory perception and plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G Nike Gnanateja
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Kyle Rupp
- Department of Neurological Surgery, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
| | - Fernando Llanos
- Department of Linguistics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Madison Remick
- Department of Neurological Surgery, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
| | - Marianny Pernia
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Srivatsun Sadagopan
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
| | - Tobias Teichert
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
| | - Taylor J Abel
- Department of Neurological Surgery, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
| | - Bharath Chandrasekaran
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang X, Gong Q. Context-dependent Plasticity and Strength of Subcortical Encoding of Musical Sounds Independently Underlie Pitch Discrimination for Music Melodies. Neuroscience 2021; 472:68-89. [PMID: 34358631 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.07.032] [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: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Subcortical auditory nuclei contribute to pitch perception, but how subcortical sound encoding is related to pitch processing for music perception remains unclear. Conventionally, enhanced subcortical sound encoding is considered underlying superior pitch discrimination. However, associations between superior auditory perception and the context-dependent plasticity of subcortical sound encoding are also documented. Here, we explored the subcortical neural correlates to music pitch perception by analyzing frequency-following responses (FFRs) to musical sounds presented in a predictable context and a random context. We found that the FFR inter-trial phase-locking (ITPL) was negatively correlated with behavioral performances of discrimination of pitches in music melodies. It was also negatively correlated with the plasticity indices measuring the variability of FFRs to physically identical sounds between the two contexts. The plasticity indices were consistently positively correlated with pitch discrimination performances, suggesting the subcortical context-dependent plasticity underlying music pitch perception. Moreover, the raw FFR spectral strength was not significantly correlated with pitch discrimination performances. However, it was positively correlated with behavioral performances when the FFR ITPL was controlled by partial correlations, suggesting that the strength of subcortical sound encoding underlies music pitch perception. When the spectral strength was controlled by partial correlations, the negative ITPL-behavioral correlations were maintained. Furthermore, the FFR ITPL, the plasticity indices, and the FFR spectral strength were more correlated with pitch than with rhythm discrimination performances. These findings suggest that the context-dependent plasticity and the strength of subcortical encoding of musical sounds are independently and perhaps specifically associated with pitch perception for music melodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaochen Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Qin Gong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Llanos F, German JS, Gnanateja GN, Chandrasekaran B. The neural processing of pitch accents in continuous speech. Neuropsychologia 2021; 158:107883. [PMID: 33989647 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Pitch accents are local pitch patterns that convey differences in word prominence and modulate the information structure of the discourse. Despite the importance to discourse in languages like English, neural processing of pitch accents remains understudied. The current study investigates the neural processing of pitch accents by native and non-native English speakers while they are listening to or ignoring 45 min of continuous, natural speech. Leveraging an approach used to study phonemes in natural speech, we analyzed thousands of electroencephalography (EEG) segments time-locked to pitch accents in a prosodic transcription. The optimal neural discrimination between pitch accent categories emerged at latencies between 100 and 200 ms. During these latencies, we found a strong structural alignment between neural and phonetic representations of pitch accent categories. In the same latencies, native listeners exhibited more robust processing of pitch accent contrasts than non-native listeners. However, these group differences attenuated when the speech signal was ignored. We can reliably capture the neural processing of discrete and contrastive pitch accent categories in continuous speech. Our analytic approach also captures how language-specific knowledge and selective attention influences the neural processing of pitch accent categories.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Llanos
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Linguistics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - James S German
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, LPL, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - G Nike Gnanateja
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Bharath Chandrasekaran
- Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Tabas A, von Kriegstein K. Adjudicating Between Local and Global Architectures of Predictive Processing in the Subcortical Auditory Pathway. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:644743. [PMID: 33776657 PMCID: PMC7994860 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.644743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Predictive processing, a leading theoretical framework for sensory processing, suggests that the brain constantly generates predictions on the sensory world and that perception emerges from the comparison between these predictions and the actual sensory input. This requires two distinct neural elements: generative units, which encode the model of the sensory world; and prediction error units, which compare these predictions against the sensory input. Although predictive processing is generally portrayed as a theory of cerebral cortex function, animal and human studies over the last decade have robustly shown the ubiquitous presence of prediction error responses in several nuclei of the auditory, somatosensory, and visual subcortical pathways. In the auditory modality, prediction error is typically elicited using so-called oddball paradigms, where sequences of repeated pure tones with the same pitch are at unpredictable intervals substituted by a tone of deviant frequency. Repeated sounds become predictable promptly and elicit decreasing prediction error; deviant tones break these predictions and elicit large prediction errors. The simplicity of the rules inducing predictability make oddball paradigms agnostic about the origin of the predictions. Here, we introduce two possible models of the organizational topology of the predictive processing auditory network: (1) the global view, that assumes that predictions on the sensory input are generated at high-order levels of the cerebral cortex and transmitted in a cascade of generative models to the subcortical sensory pathways; and (2) the local view, that assumes that independent local models, computed using local information, are used to perform predictions at each processing stage. In the global view information encoding is optimized globally but biases sensory representations along the entire brain according to the subjective views of the observer. The local view results in a diminished coding efficiency, but guarantees in return a robust encoding of the features of sensory input at each processing stage. Although most experimental results to-date are ambiguous in this respect, recent evidence favors the global model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Tabas
- Chair of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katharina von Kriegstein
- Chair of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lau JCY, To CKS, Kwan JSK, Kang X, Losh M, Wong PCM. Lifelong Tone Language Experience does not Eliminate Deficits in Neural Encoding of Pitch in Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 51:3291-3310. [PMID: 33216279 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04796-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Atypical pitch processing is a feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which affects non-tone language speakers' communication. Lifelong auditory experience has been demonstrated to modify genetically-predisposed risks for pitch processing. We examined individuals with ASD to test the hypothesis that lifelong auditory experience in tone language may eliminate impaired pitch processing in ASD. We examined children's and adults' Frequency-following Response (FFR), a neurophysiological component indexing early neural sensory encoding of pitch. Univariate and machine-learning-based analytics suggest less robust pitch encoding and diminished pitch distinctions in the FFR from individuals with ASD. Contrary to our hypothesis, results point to a linguistic pitch encoding impairment associated with ASD that may not be eliminated even by lifelong sensory experience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph C Y Lau
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Carol K S To
- Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Judy S K Kwan
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xin Kang
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Molly Losh
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Patrick C M Wong
- Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Richard C, Neel ML, Jeanvoine A, Connell SM, Gehred A, Maitre NL. Characteristics of the Frequency-Following Response to Speech in Neonates and Potential Applicability in Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:1618-1635. [PMID: 32407639 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose We sought to critically analyze and evaluate published evidence regarding feasibility and clinical potential for predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes of the frequency-following responses (FFRs) to speech recordings in neonates (birth to 28 days). Method A systematic search of MeSH terms in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied HealthLiterature, Embase, Google Scholar, Ovid Medline (R) and E-Pub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and Daily, Web of Science, SCOPUS, COCHRANE Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov was performed. Manual review of all items identified in the search was performed by two independent reviewers. Articles were evaluated based on the level of methodological quality and evidence according to the RTI item bank. Results Seven articles met inclusion criteria. None of the included studies reported neurodevelopmental outcomes past 3 months of age. Quality of the evidence ranged from moderate to high. Protocol variations were frequent. Conclusions Based on this systematic review, the FFR to speech can capture both temporal and spectral acoustic features in neonates. It can accurately be recorded in a fast and easy manner at the infant's bedside. However, at this time, further studies are needed to identify and validate which FFR features could be incorporated as an addition to standard evaluation of infant sound processing evaluation in subcortico-cortical networks. This review identifies the need for further research focused on identifying specific features of the neonatal FFRs, those with predictive value for early childhood outcomes to help guide targeted early speech and hearing interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Céline Richard
- Center for Perinatal Research and Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
- Laboratory for Investigative Neurophysiology, Department of Radiology and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mary Lauren Neel
- Center for Perinatal Research and Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
| | - Arnaud Jeanvoine
- Center for Perinatal Research and Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
| | - Sharon Mc Connell
- Center for Perinatal Research and Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
| | - Alison Gehred
- Medical Library Division, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
| | - Nathalie L Maitre
- Center for Perinatal Research and Department of Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Interactive effects of linguistic abstraction and stimulus statistics in the online modulation of neural speech encoding. Atten Percept Psychophys 2018; 81:1020-1033. [PMID: 30565097 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-018-1621-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Speech processing is highly modulated by context. Prior studies examining frequency-following responses (FFRs), an electrophysiological 'neurophonic' potential that faithfully reflects phase-locked activity from neural ensembles within the auditory network, have demonstrated that stimulus context modulates the integrity of speech encoding. The extent to which context-dependent encoding reflects general auditory properties or interactivities between statistical and higher-level linguistic processes remains unexplored. Our study examined whether speech encoding, as reflected by FFRs, is modulated by abstract phonological relationships between a stimulus and surrounding contexts. FFRs were elicited to a Mandarin rising-tone syllable (/ji-TR/, 'second') randomly presented with other syllables in three contexts from 17 native listeners. In a contrastive context, /ji-TR/ occurred with meaning-contrastive high-level-tone syllables (/ji-H/, 'one'). In an allotone context, TR occurred with dipping-tone syllables /ji-D/, a non-meaning-contrastive variant of /ji-TR/. In a repetitive context, the same /ji-TR/ occurred with other speech tokens of /ji-TR/. Consistent with prior work, neural tracking of /ji-TR/ pitch contour was more faithful in the repetitive condition wherein /ji-TR/ occurred more predictably (p = 1) than in the contrastive condition (p = 0.34). Crucially, in the allotone context, neural tracking of /ji-TR/ was more accurate relative to the contrastive context, despite both having an identical transitional probability (p = 0.34). Mechanistically, the non-meaning-contrastive relationship may have augmented the probability to /ji-TR/ occurrence in the allotone context. Results indicate online interactions between bottom-up and top-down mechanisms, which facilitate speech perception. Such interactivities may predictively fine-tune incoming speech encoding using linguistic and statistical information from prior context.
Collapse
|
11
|
Bidelman GM. Sonification of scalp-recorded frequency-following responses (FFRs) offers improved response detection over conventional statistical metrics. J Neurosci Methods 2018; 293:59-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
12
|
Hidden Markov modeling of frequency-following responses to Mandarin lexical tones. J Neurosci Methods 2017; 291:101-112. [PMID: 28807860 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The frequency-following response (FFR) is a scalp-recorded electrophysiological potential reflecting phase-locked activity from neural ensembles in the auditory system. The FFR is often used to assess the robustness of subcortical pitch processing. Due to low signal-to-noise ratio at the single-trial level, FFRs are typically averaged across thousands of stimulus repetitions. Prior work using this approach has shown that subcortical encoding of linguistically-relevant pitch patterns is modulated by long-term language experience. NEW METHOD We examine the extent to which a machine learning approach using hidden Markov modeling (HMM) can be utilized to decode Mandarin tone-categories from scalp-record electrophysiolgical activity. We then assess the extent to which the HMM can capture biologically-relevant effects (language experience-driven plasticity). To this end, we recorded FFRs to four Mandarin tones from 14 adult native speakers of Chinese and 14 of native English. We trained a HMM to decode tone categories from the FFRs with varying size of averages. RESULTS AND COMPARISONS WITH EXISTING METHODS Tone categories were decoded with above-chance accuracies using HMM. The HMM derived metric (decoding accuracy) revealed a robust effect of language experience, such that FFRs from native Chinese speakers yielded greater accuracies than native English speakers. Critically, the language experience-driven plasticity was captured with average sizes significantly smaller than those used in the extant literature. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate the feasibility of HMM in assessing the robustness of neural pitch. Machine-learning approaches can complement extant analytical methods that capture auditory function and could reduce the number of trials needed to capture biological phenomena.
Collapse
|