1
|
Goupell MJ, Stecker GC, Williams BT, Bilokon A, Tollin DJ. The Rapid Decline in Interaural-Time-Difference Sensitivity for Pure Tones Can Be Explained by Peripheral Filtering. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2024:10.1007/s10162-024-00949-y. [PMID: 38769250 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-024-00949-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The interaural time difference (ITD) is a primary horizontal-plane sound localization cue computed in the auditory brainstem. ITDs are accessible in the temporal fine structure of pure tones with a frequency of no higher than about 1400 Hz. How listeners' ITD sensitivity transitions from very best sensitivity near 700 Hz to impossible to detect within 1 octave currently lacks a fully compelling physiological explanation. Here, it was hypothesized that the rapid decline in ITD sensitivity is dictated not by a central neural limitation but by initial peripheral sound encoding, specifically, the low-frequency (apical) portion of the cochlear excitation pattern produced by a pure tone. METHODS ITD sensitivity was measured in 16 normal-hearing listeners as a joint function of frequency (900-1500 Hz) and level (10-50 dB sensation level). RESULTS Performance decreased with increasing frequency and decreasing sound level. The slope of performance decline was 90 dB/octave, consistent with the low-frequency slope of the cochlear excitation pattern. CONCLUSION Fine-structure ITD sensitivity near 1400 Hz may be conveyed primarily by "off-frequency" activation of neurons tuned to lower frequencies near 700 Hz. Physiologically, this could be realized by having neurons sensitive to fine-structure ITD up to only about 700 Hz. A more extreme model would have only a single narrow channel near 700 Hz that conveys fine-structure ITDs. Such a model is a major simplification and departure from the classic formulation of the binaural display, which consists of a matrix of neurons tuned to a wide range of relevant frequencies and ITDs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Goupell
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| | - G Christopher Stecker
- Center for Hearing Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 555 N 30th St, Omaha, NE, 68131, USA
| | - Brittany T Williams
- Center for Hearing Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 555 N 30th St, Omaha, NE, 68131, USA
| | - Anhelina Bilokon
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Daniel J Tollin
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tsai Do BS, Bush ML, Weinreich HM, Schwartz SR, Anne S, Adunka OF, Bender K, Bold KM, Brenner MJ, Hashmi AZ, Keenan TA, Kim AH, Moore DJ, Nieman CL, Palmer CV, Ross EJ, Steenerson KK, Zhan KY, Reyes J, Dhepyasuwan N. Clinical Practice Guideline: Age-Related Hearing Loss. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2024; 170 Suppl 2:S1-S54. [PMID: 38687845 DOI: 10.1002/ohn.750] [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: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a prevalent but often underdiagnosed and undertreated condition among individuals aged 50 and above. It is associated with various sociodemographic factors and health risks including dementia, depression, cardiovascular disease, and falls. While the causes of ARHL and its downstream effects are well defined, there is a lack of priority placed by clinicians as well as guidance regarding the identification, education, and management of this condition. PURPOSE The purpose of this clinical practice guideline is to identify quality improvement opportunities and provide clinicians trustworthy, evidence-based recommendations regarding the identification and management of ARHL. These opportunities are communicated through clear actionable statements with explanation of the support in the literature, evaluation of the quality of the evidence, and recommendations on implementation. The target patients for the guideline are any individuals aged 50 years and older. The target audience is all clinicians in all care settings. This guideline is intended to focus on evidence-based quality improvement opportunities judged most important by the guideline development group (GDG). It is not intended to be a comprehensive, general guide regarding the management of ARHL. The statements in this guideline are not intended to limit or restrict care provided by clinicians based on their experience and assessment of individual patients. ACTION STATEMENTS The GDG made strong recommendations for the following key action statements (KASs): (KAS 4) If screening suggests hearing loss, clinicians should obtain or refer to a clinician who can obtain an audiogram. (KAS 8) Clinicians should offer, or refer to a clinician who can offer, appropriately fit amplification to patients with ARHL. (KAS 9) Clinicians should refer patients for an evaluation of cochlear implantation candidacy when patients have appropriately fit amplification and persistent hearing difficulty with poor speech understanding. The GDG made recommendations for the following KASs: (KAS 1) Clinicians should screen patients aged 50 years and older for hearing loss at the time of a health care encounter. (KAS 2) If screening suggests hearing loss, clinicians should examine the ear canal and tympanic membrane with otoscopy or refer to a clinician who can examine the ears for cerumen impaction, infection, or other abnormalities. (KAS 3) If screening suggests hearing loss, clinicians should identify sociodemographic factors and patient preferences that influence access to and utilization of hearing health care. (KAS 5) Clinicians should evaluate and treat or refer to a clinician who can evaluate and treat patients with significant asymmetric hearing loss, conductive or mixed hearing loss, or poor word recognition on diagnostic testing. (KAS 6) Clinicians should educate and counsel patients with hearing loss and their family/care partner(s) about the impact of hearing loss on their communication, safety, function, cognition, and quality of life (QOL). (KAS 7) Clinicians should counsel patients with hearing loss on communication strategies and assistive listening devices. (KAS 10) For patients with hearing loss, clinicians should assess if communication goals have been met and if there has been improvement in hearing-related QOL at a subsequent health care encounter or within 1 year. The GDG offered the following KAS as an option: (KAS 11) Clinicians should assess hearing at least every 3 years in patients with known hearing loss or with reported concern for changes in hearing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew L Bush
- University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Kaye Bender
- Mississippi Public Health Association, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Ana H Kim
- Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Carrie L Nieman
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Joe Reyes
- American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
| | - Nui Dhepyasuwan
- American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Hu H, Ewert SD, Kollmeier B, Vickers D. Rate dependent neural responses of interaural-time-difference cues in fine-structure and envelope. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17104. [PMID: 38680894 PMCID: PMC11055513 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Advancements in cochlear implants (CIs) have led to a significant increase in bilateral CI users, especially among children. Yet, most bilateral CI users do not fully achieve the intended binaural benefit due to potential limitations in signal processing and/or surgical implant positioning. One crucial auditory cue that normal hearing (NH) listeners can benefit from is the interaural time difference (ITD), i.e., the time difference between the arrival of a sound at two ears. The ITD sensitivity is thought to be heavily relying on the effective utilization of temporal fine structure (very rapid oscillations in sound). Unfortunately, most current CIs do not transmit such true fine structure. Nevertheless, bilateral CI users have demonstrated sensitivity to ITD cues delivered through envelope or interaural pulse time differences, i.e., the time gap between the pulses delivered to the two implants. However, their ITD sensitivity is significantly poorer compared to NH individuals, and it further degrades at higher CI stimulation rates, especially when the rate exceeds 300 pulse per second. The overall purpose of this research thread is to improve spatial hearing abilities in bilateral CI users. This study aims to develop electroencephalography (EEG) paradigms that can be used with clinical settings to assess and optimize the delivery of ITD cues, which are crucial for spatial hearing in everyday life. The research objective of this article was to determine the effect of CI stimulation pulse rate on the ITD sensitivity, and to characterize the rate-dependent degradation in ITD perception using EEG measures. To develop protocols for bilateral CI studies, EEG responses were obtained from NH listeners using sinusoidal-amplitude-modulated (SAM) tones and filtered clicks with changes in either fine structure ITD (ITDFS) or envelope ITD (ITDENV). Multiple EEG responses were analyzed, which included the subcortical auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) and cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) elicited by stimuli onset, offset, and changes. Results indicated that acoustic change complex (ACC) responses elicited by ITDENV changes were significantly smaller or absent compared to those elicited by ITDFS changes. The ACC morphologies evoked by ITDFS changes were similar to onset and offset CAEPs, although the peak latencies were longest for ACC responses and shortest for offset CAEPs. The high-frequency stimuli clearly elicited subcortical ASSRs, but smaller than those evoked by lower carrier frequency SAM tones. The 40-Hz ASSRs decreased with increasing carrier frequencies. Filtered clicks elicited larger ASSRs compared to high-frequency SAM tones, with the order being 40 > 160 > 80> 320 Hz ASSR for both stimulus types. Wavelet analysis revealed a clear interaction between detectable transient CAEPs and 40-Hz ASSRs in the time-frequency domain for SAM tones with a low carrier frequency.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Hu
- SOUND Lab, Cambridge Hearing Group, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Stephan D. Ewert
- Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Birger Kollmeier
- Department of Medical Physics and Acoustics, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Deborah Vickers
- SOUND Lab, Cambridge Hearing Group, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Goupell MJ, Stecker GC, Williams BT, Bilokon A, Tollin DJ. The rapid decline in interaural-time-difference sensitivity for pure tones can be explained by peripheral filtering. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.08.04.551950. [PMID: 37577552 PMCID: PMC10418179 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.04.551950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Purpose The interaural time difference (ITD) is a primary horizontal-plane sound localization cue computed in the auditory brainstem. ITDs are accessible in the temporal fine structure of pure tones with a frequency of no higher than about 1400 Hz. Explaining how listeners' ITD sensitivity transitions from very best sensitivity near 700 Hz to impossible to detect within 1 octave currently lacks a fully compelling physiological explanation. Here, it was hypothesized that the rapid decline in ITD sensitivity is dictated not by a central neural limitation but by initial peripheral sound encoding, specifically, the low-frequency (apical) edge of the cochlear excitation pattern produced by a pure tone. Methods ITD sensitivity was measured in 16 normal-hearing listeners as a joint function of frequency (900-1500 Hz) and level (10-50 dB sensation level). Results Performance decreased with increasing frequency and decreasing sound level. The slope of performance decline was 90 dB/octave, consistent with the low-frequency slope of the cochlear excitation pattern. Conclusion Fine-structure ITD sensitivity near 1400 Hz may be conveyed primarily by "off-frequency" activation of neurons tuned to lower frequencies near 700 Hz. Physiologically, this could be realized by having neurons sensitive to fine-structure ITD up to only about 700 Hz. A more extreme model would have only a single narrow channel near 700 Hz that conveys fine-structure ITDs. Such a model is a major simplification and departure from the classic formulation of the binaural display, which consists of a matrix of neurons tuned to a wide range of relevant frequencies and ITDs.
Collapse
|
5
|
Nisha KV, Uppunda AK, Konadath S. Effects of Maturation and Chronological Aging on Auditory Spatial Processing: A Cross-Sectional Study Across Life Span. Am J Audiol 2023; 32:119-134. [PMID: 36548963 DOI: 10.1044/2022_aja-22-00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The primary aim of the research was to document spatial acuity changes across the life span using a battery of psychoacoustical and perceptual tests. The secondary aim was to identify the optimal metric for measuring spatial processing changes across the life span (ages 10-70 years). DESIGN AND STUDY SAMPLE A cross-sectional study comprising 115 participants with clinically normal hearing was conducted. Purposive sampling was adopted to recruit participants in the study, who were divided into six groups based on their chronological age. METHOD Temporal, intensity, spectral, and composite correlates of spatial acuity were assessed using psychoacoustic measures and perceptual questionnaires. The temporal (interaural time difference [ITD]) and intensity correlates (interaural level difference [ILD]) of spatial perception were obtained using a MATLAB (v 2020a), whereas the composite correlate (virtual auditory space identification scores [VASIs]) and perceptual ratings of spatial processing were measured using Paradigm software and speech spatial and qualities in Kannada (SSQ-K). RESULTS Results across all tests (multivariate analyses variance: 6 age groups × 4 tests, followed by post hoc tests) consistently demonstrate poor ITD and ILD thresholds and overall lower spatial accuracy (VASI, SSQ-K) with increasing age. Discriminant function analyses (DFAs) revealed that VASI had a higher predictive power in capturing age-related changes in auditory spatial processing. The group segregation on spatial performance in DFA became evident after 50 years. CONCLUSION This study provides evidence of gradual change in all three correlates of spatial processing, with statistically demonstrable deficits appearing from fourth decade of life on VASI and fifth decade of life on binaural processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ajith Kumar Uppunda
- Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Manasagangothri, Mysuru
| | - Sreeraj Konadath
- Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Manasagangothri, Mysuru
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bianco R, Chait M. No Link Between Speech-in-Noise Perception and Auditory Sensory Memory - Evidence From a Large Cohort of Older and Younger Listeners. Trends Hear 2023; 27:23312165231190688. [PMID: 37828868 PMCID: PMC10576936 DOI: 10.1177/23312165231190688] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing literature is demonstrating a link between working memory (WM) and speech-in-noise (SiN) perception. However, the nature of this correlation and which components of WM might underlie it, are being debated. We investigated how SiN reception links with auditory sensory memory (aSM) - the low-level processes that support the short-term maintenance of temporally unfolding sounds. A large sample of old (N = 199, 60-79 yo) and young (N = 149, 20-35 yo) participants was recruited online and performed a coordinate response measure-based speech-in-babble task that taps listeners' ability to track a speech target in background noise. We used two tasks to investigate implicit and explicit aSM. Both were based on tone patterns overlapping in processing time scales with speech (presentation rate of tones 20 Hz; of patterns 2 Hz). We hypothesised that a link between SiN and aSM may be particularly apparent in older listeners due to age-related reduction in both SiN reception and aSM. We confirmed impaired SiN reception in the older cohort and demonstrated reduced aSM performance in those listeners. However, SiN and aSM did not share variability. Across the two age groups, SiN performance was predicted by a binaural processing test and age. The results suggest that previously observed links between WM and SiN may relate to the executive components and other cognitive demands of the used tasks. This finding helps to constrain the search for the perceptual and cognitive factors that explain individual variability in SiN performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Bianco
- Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Neuroscience of Perception and Action Lab, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Chait
- Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Stenbäck V, Marsja E, Hällgren M, Lyxell B, Larsby B. Informational Masking and Listening Effort in Speech Recognition in Noise: The Role of Working Memory Capacity and Inhibitory Control in Older Adults With and Without Hearing Impairment. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2022; 65:4417-4428. [PMID: 36283680 DOI: 10.1044/2022_jslhr-21-00674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The study aimed to assess the relationship between (a) speech recognition in noise, mask type, working memory capacity (WMC), and inhibitory control and (b) self-rated listening effort, speech material, and mask type, in older adults with and without hearing impairment. It was of special interest to assess the relationship between WMC, inhibitory control, and speech recognition in noise when informational maskers masked target speech. METHOD A mixed design was used. A group (N = 24) of older (Mage = 69.7 years) individuals with hearing impairment and a group of age normal-hearing adults (Mage = 59.3 years, SD = 6.5) participated in the study. The participants were presented with auditory tests in a sound-attenuated room and with cognitive tests in a quiet office. The participants were asked to rate listening effort after being presented with energetic and informational background maskers in two different speech materials used in this study (i.e., Hearing In Noise Test and Hagerman test). Linear mixed-effects models were set up to assess the effect of the two different speech materials, energetic and informational maskers, hearing ability, WMC, inhibitory control, and self-rated listening effort. RESULTS Results showed that WMC and inhibitory control were of importance for speech recognition in noise, even when controlling for pure-tone average 4 hearing thresholds and age, when the maskers were informational. Concerning listening effort, on the other hand, the results suggest that hearing ability, but not cognitive abilities, is important for self-rated listening effort in speech recognition in noise. CONCLUSIONS Speech-in-noise recognition is more dependent on WMC for older adults in informational maskers than in energetic maskers. Hearing ability is a stronger predictor than cognition for self-rated listening effort. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21357648.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Stenbäck
- Disability Research Division, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden
- Division of Education, Teaching and Learning, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - Erik Marsja
- Disability Research Division, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - Mathias Hällgren
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology in Östergötland and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - Björn Lyxell
- Disability Research Division, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Sweden
- Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Birgitta Larsby
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology in Östergötland and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Füllgrabe C, Öztürk OC. Immediate Effects of (Simulated) Age-Related Hearing Loss on Cognitive Processing and Performance for the Backward-Digit-Span Task. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:912746. [PMID: 36420309 PMCID: PMC9677092 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.912746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The recall of auditorily presented sequences of digits in reverse order (also known as the Backward Digit Span, BDS) is considered to reflect a person's information storage and processing abilities which have been linked to speech-in-noise intelligibility. However, especially in aging research and audiology, persons who are administered the BDS task are often affected by hearing loss (HL). If uncorrected, HL can have immediate assessment-format-related effects on cognitive-test performance and can result, in the long term, in neuroplastic changes impacting cognitive functioning. In the present study, an impairment-simulation approach, mimicking mild-to-moderate age-related HLs typical for persons aged 65, 75, and 85 years, was used in 19 young normal-hearing participants to evaluate the impact of HL on cognitive performance and the cognitive processes probed by the BDS task. Participants completed the BDS task in several listening conditions, as well as several commonly used visual tests of short-term and working memory. The results indicated that BDS performance was impaired by a simulated HL representing that of persons aged 75 years and above. In the normal-hearing condition, BDS performance correlated positively with both performance on tests of short-term memory and performance on tests of working memory. In the listening condition simulating moderate HL (as experienced by the average 85-year-old person), BDS performance only correlated with performance on working-memory tests. In conclusion, simulated (and, by extrapolation, actual) age-related HL negatively affects cognitive-test performance and may change the composition of the cognitive processes associated with the completion of a cognitive task.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ozan Cem Öztürk
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Goupell MJ. Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural Interference. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:887401. [PMID: 35966775 PMCID: PMC9363899 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.887401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-frequency interaural time differences and high-frequency interaural level differences (ILDs) are used to localize sounds in the horizontal plane. Older listeners appear to be worse at horizontal-plane sound localization to compared younger listeners, but little is understood about age-related changes to across-frequency binaural processing. This study investigated if the frequency dependence of across-frequency ILD processing is altered for older compared to younger listeners, which was done by using an across-frequency binaural interference task (when the interaural difference sensitivity for a target sound is decreased by a spectrally remote interfering sound with zero interaural differences). It was hypothesized that as listeners experience advancing age and age-related high-frequency hearing loss (i.e., presbycusis), they will demonstrate worse binaural performance and experience more across-channel binaural interference (because of age-related temporal processing deficits), and will increasingly be affected by interferers at lower frequencies (because of age-related hearing loss) when compared to younger listeners. There were 11 older (>65 yrs) and 20 younger (<30 yrs) listeners with normal to near-normal audiometric thresholds up to 2 kHz. They were tested using a left-right ILD lateralization discrimination task. Single-tone ILD discrimination thresholds and across-frequency binaural interference were measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz. ILD thresholds and interference were about twice as large for older compared to younger listeners. Interferers ≤1 kHz produced 2-3 times as much across-frequency binaural interference for older compared to younger listeners. Hearing thresholds were significant predictors of single-tone ILD thresholds; in addition, both target and interferer hearing thresholds were significant predictors of binaural interference. The results suggest a reweighting of binaural information that occurs with advancing age and age-related high-frequency hearing loss. This evidence of plasticity may help explain some of the age-related changes in spatial-hearing abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Goupell
- Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States,Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States,*Correspondence: Matthew J. Goupell
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Nisha KV, Durai R, Konadath S. Musical Training and Its Association With Age-Related Changes in Binaural, Temporal, and Spatial Processing. Am J Audiol 2022; 31:669-683. [PMID: 35772171 DOI: 10.1044/2022_aja-21-00227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This article aimed to assess the relationship between musical training and age-related changes in binaural, temporal, and spatial processing abilities. DESIGN A standard group comparison study was conducted involving both musicians and nonmusicians. The effect of musical training was assessed using a battery of psychoacoustical tests (interaural time and level difference thresholds: ITD & ILD, binaural gap detection threshold, and virtual auditory space identification test) and subjective ratings (Spatial-Hearing subsection of Speech, Spatial, and Quality of Hearing scale in Kannada). STUDY SAMPLE A total of 60 participants, between 41 and 70 years, were divided into three groups of 20 each, based on their age (41-50, 51-60, and 61-70 years). Each of these three groups was subdivided into two, one comprising 10 musicians (vocalists practicing South-Indian classical music) and the other comprising 10 nonmusicians. RESULTS Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that musicians performed significantly better (p < .001) than nonmusicians in all the tests. Analyses of variance showed that whereas age had no effect (p > .05) on performance in any of the tests in musicians, age affected the performance of nonmusicians significantly in terms of ITD (p = .02) and ILD (p = .01) thresholds. CONCLUSION Musical training appears to have the potential to slow down age-related decline in binaural, temporal, and spatial processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ranjini Durai
- Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru
| | - Sreeraj Konadath
- Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Zhang C, Cheng M, Dong N, Sun D, Ma H. General Transcription Factor IIF Polypeptide 2: A Novel Therapeutic Target for Depression Identified Using an Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:918217. [PMID: 35711908 PMCID: PMC9197343 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.918217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression currently affects 4% of the world’s population; it is associated with disability in 11% of the global population. Moreover, there are limited resources to treat depression effectively. Therefore, we aimed to identify a promising novel therapeutic target for depression using bioinformatic analysis. The GSE54568, GSE54570, GSE87610, and GSE92538 gene expression data profiles were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We prepared the four GEO profiles for differential analysis, protein–protein interaction (PPI) network construction, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Gene Ontology functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes metabolic pathway analyses were conducted to determine the key functions of the corresponding genes. Additionally, we performed correlation analyses of the hub genes with transcription factors, immune genes, and N6-methyladenosine (m6A) genes to reveal the functional landscape of the core genes associated with depression. Compared with the control samples, the depression samples contained 110 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which comprised 56 downregulated and 54 upregulated DEGs. Moreover, using the WGCNA and PPI clustering analysis, the blue module and cluster 1 were found to be significantly correlated with depression. GTF2F2 was the only common gene identified using the differential analysis and WGCNA; thus, it was used as the hub gene. According to the enrichment analyses, GTF2F2 was predominantly involved in the cell cycle and JAK-STAT, PI3K-Akt, and p53 signaling pathways. Furthermore, differential and correlation analyses revealed that 9 transcription factors, 12 immune genes, and 2 m6A genes were associated with GTF2F2 in depression samples. GTF2F2 may serve as a promising diagnostic biomarker and treatment target of depression, and this study provides a novel perspective and valuable information to explore the molecular mechanism of depression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chi Zhang
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Min Cheng
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Naifu Dong
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Dongjie Sun
- College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Dongjie Sun,
| | - Haichun Ma
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Haichun Ma,
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Ding Y, Liang Y, Cao C, Zhang Y, Hu M. Relationships Among Temporal Fine Structure Sensitivity, Transient Storage Capacity, and Ultra-High Frequency Hearing Thresholds in Tinnitus Patients and Normal Adults of Different Ages. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:869708. [PMID: 35557835 PMCID: PMC9087330 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.869708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Elderlies and tinnitus patients often find it challenging to process acoustic signals in noisy environments. The sensitivity to temporal fine structure (TFS), the transient storage capacity for TFS, and the ultra-high frequency (UHF) thresholds are all associated with aging-related damage, evidenced by speech-in-noise perception deficits. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationships among TFS sensitivity, transient storage capacity, and UHF thresholds in tinnitus patients and normal adults of different ages. Methods In the present study, 38 tinnitus patients (age ranging from 21 to 65) and 23 non-tinnitus adults (age ranging from 22 to 56) were enrolled, and some of their auditory indicators were examined, including the TFS-adaptive frequency (TFS-AF), break in interaural correlation (BIAC) delay threshold, and UHF thresholds. Results We found no significant difference in TFS-AF thresholds and BIAC delay thresholds between the tinnitus group and normal group, while their relationships with age were more evident in the tinnitus group. Moreover, these two tests were only significantly correlated in the tinnitus group. UHF thresholds were significantly correlated with TFS-AF thresholds only in the tinnitus group, suggesting that the UHF hearing was positively associated with the TFS sensitivity. Conclusion These findings indicated that the influencing factors, such as tinnitus and UHF thresholds, should be fully considered when examining age-related hearing decline, because the combination of tinnitus and poor UHF hearing might play a role in affecting hearing ability, such as TFS sensitivity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Ding
- Division of Sports Science and Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yibo Liang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Institute of Otolaryngology of Tianjin, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Auditory Speech and Balance Medicine, Tianjin, China.,Key Clinical Discipline of Tianjin (Otolaryngology), Tianjin, China.,Otolaryngology Clinical Quality Control Centre, Tianjin, China
| | - Chunmei Cao
- Division of Sports Science and Physical Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yueqi Zhang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Institute of Otolaryngology of Tianjin, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Auditory Speech and Balance Medicine, Tianjin, China.,Key Clinical Discipline of Tianjin (Otolaryngology), Tianjin, China.,Otolaryngology Clinical Quality Control Centre, Tianjin, China
| | - Ming Hu
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Institute of Otolaryngology of Tianjin, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Auditory Speech and Balance Medicine, Tianjin, China.,Key Clinical Discipline of Tianjin (Otolaryngology), Tianjin, China.,Otolaryngology Clinical Quality Control Centre, Tianjin, China
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Weissgerber T, Müller C, Stöver T, Baumann U. Age Differences in Speech Perception in Noise and Sound Localization in Individuals With Subjective Normal Hearing. Front Psychol 2022; 13:845285. [PMID: 35496254 PMCID: PMC9051364 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.845285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hearing loss in old age, which often goes untreated, has far-reaching consequences. Furthermore, reduction of cognitive abilities and dementia can also occur, which also affects quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the hearing performance of seniors without hearing complaints with respect to speech perception in noise and the ability to localize sounds. Results were tested for correlations with age and cognitive performance. The study included 40 subjects aged between 60 and 90 years (mean age: 69.3 years) with not self-reported hearing problems. The subjects were screened for dementia. Audiological tests included pure-tone audiometry and speech perception in two types of background noise (continuous and amplitude-modulated noise) which was either co-located or spatially separated (multi-source noise field, MSNF) from the target speech. Sound localization ability was assessed and hearing performance was self-evaluated by a questionnaire. Speech in noise and sound localization was compared with young normal hearing adults. Although considering themselves as hearing normal, 17 subjects had at least a mild hearing loss. There was a significant negative correlation between hearing loss and dementia screening (DemTect) score. Speech perception in noise decreased significantly with age. There were significant negative correlations between speech perception in noise and DemTect score for both spatial configurations. Mean SRTs obtained in the co-located noise condition with amplitude-modulated noise were on average 3.1 dB better than with continuous noise. This gap-listening effect was severely diminished compared to a younger normal hearing subject group. In continuous noise, spatial separation of speech and noise led to better SRTs compared to the co-located masker condition. SRTs in MSNF deteriorated in modulated noise compared to continuous noise by 2.6 dB. Highest impact of age was found for speech perception scores using noise stimuli with temporal modulation in binaural test conditions. Mean localization error was in the range of young adults. Mean amount of front/back confusions was 11.5% higher than for young adults. Speech perception tests in the presence of temporally modulated noise can serve as a screening method for early detection of hearing disorders in older adults. This allows for early prescription of hearing aids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Weissgerber
- Audiological Acoustics, Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- *Correspondence: Tobias Weissgerber,
| | - Carmen Müller
- Audiological Acoustics, Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Timo Stöver
- Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Uwe Baumann
- Audiological Acoustics, Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Chen Y, Wong LLN, Chan SS, Yu J. Speech Perception in Noise Is Associated With Different Cognitive Abilities in Chinese-Speaking Older Adults With and Without Hearing Aids. Front Psychol 2022; 12:640300. [PMID: 35058826 PMCID: PMC8764161 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Chinese-speaking older adults usually do not perceive a hearing problem until audiometric thresholds exceed 45 dB HL, and the audiometric thresholds of the average hearing-aid (HA) user often exceed 60 dB HL. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between cognitive and hearing functions (measured as audiometric or speech reception thresholds) in older Chinese adults with HAs and with untreated hearing loss (HL). Participants were 49 Chinese older adults who used HAs and had moderate to severe HL (HA group), and 46 older Chinese who had mild to moderately severe HL but did not use HAs (untreated; or UT group). Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to evaluate how well age, education level, audiometric thresholds, and speech perception in noise were related to performance on general cognitive function, working memory, executive function, attention, and verbal learning tests. Results showed that speech perception in noise alone accounted for 13–25% of the variance in general cognitive function, working memory, and executive function in the UT group, and 9–21% of the variance in general cognitive function and verbal learning in the HA group (i.e., medium effect sizes). Audiometric thresholds did not explain any proportion of the variance in cognitive functioning in the HA or UT group. Thus, speech perception in noise accounts for more variance in cognitive performance than audiometric thresholds, and is significantly associated with different cognitive functions in older Chinese adults with HAs and with untreated HL.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Chen
- Department of Special Education and Counseling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Lena L N Wong
- Clinical Hearing Sciences (CHearS) Laboratory, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shaina Shing Chan
- Clinical Hearing Sciences (CHearS) Laboratory, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Joannie Yu
- Audiology Centre, Union Hospital, Tai Wai, Hong Kong SAR, China
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Best V, Baltzell LS, Colburn HS. Effects of Hearing Loss on Interaural Time Difference Sensitivity at Low and High Frequencies. Trends Hear 2022; 26:23312165221095357. [PMID: 35754372 PMCID: PMC9244940 DOI: 10.1177/23312165221095357] [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] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
While many studies have reported a loss of sensitivity to interaural time differences (ITDs) carried in the fine structure of low-frequency signals for listeners with hearing loss, relatively few data are available on the perception of ITDs carried in the envelope of high-frequency signals in this population. The relevant studies found stronger effects of hearing loss at high frequencies than at low frequencies in most cases, but small subject numbers and several confounding effects prevented strong conclusions from being drawn. In the present study, we revisited this question while addressing some of the issues identified in previous studies. Participants were ten young adults with normal hearing (NH) and twenty adults with sensorineural hearing impairment (HI) spanning a range of ages. ITD discrimination thresholds were measured for octave-band-wide “rustle” stimuli centered at 500 Hz or 4000 Hz, which were presented at 20 or 40 dB sensation level. Broadband rustle stimuli and 500-Hz pure-tone stimuli were also tested. Thresholds were poorer on average for the HI group than the NH group. The ITD deficit, relative to the NH group, was similar at low and high frequencies for most HI participants. For a small number of participants, however, the deficit was strongly frequency-dependent. These results provide new insights into the binaural perception of complex sounds and may inform binaural models that incorporate effects of hearing loss.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Best
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, 1846Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lucas S Baltzell
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, 1846Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - H Steven Colburn
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, 1846Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Scheuregger O, Hjortkjær J, Dau T. Identification and Discrimination of Sound Textures in Hearing-Impaired and Older Listeners. Trends Hear 2021; 25:23312165211065608. [PMID: 34939472 PMCID: PMC8721370 DOI: 10.1177/23312165211065608] [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] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sound textures are a broad class of sounds defined by their homogeneous temporal structure. It has been suggested that sound texture perception is mediated by time-averaged summary statistics measured from early stages of the auditory system. The ability of young normal-hearing (NH) listeners to identify synthetic sound textures increases as the statistics of the synthetic texture approach those of its real-world counterpart. In sound texture discrimination, young NH listeners utilize the fine temporal stimulus information for short-duration stimuli, whereas they switch to a time-averaged statistical representation as the stimulus' duration increases. The present study investigated how younger and older listeners with a sensorineural hearing impairment perform in the corresponding texture identification and discrimination tasks in which the stimuli were amplified to compensate for the individual listeners' loss of audibility. In both hearing impaired (HI) listeners and NH controls, sound texture identification performance increased as the number of statistics imposed during the synthesis stage increased, but hearing impairment was accompanied by a significant reduction in overall identification accuracy. Sound texture discrimination performance was measured across listener groups categorized by age and hearing loss. Sound texture discrimination performance was unaffected by hearing loss at all excerpt durations. The older listeners' sound texture and exemplar discrimination performance decreased for signals of short excerpt duration, with older HI listeners performing better than older NH listeners. The results suggest that the time-averaged statistic representations of sound textures provide listeners with cues which are robust to the effects of age and sensorineural hearing loss.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Scheuregger
- Hearing Systems Section, Department of Health Technology, 5205Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Jens Hjortkjær
- Hearing Systems Section, Department of Health Technology, 5205Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.,Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Kettegård Allé 30, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Torsten Dau
- Hearing Systems Section, Department of Health Technology, 5205Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Drennan WR. Identifying Subclinical Hearing Loss: Extended Audiometry and Word Recognition in Noise. Audiol Neurootol 2021; 27:217-226. [PMID: 34727540 DOI: 10.1159/000518962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Normal-hearing people often have complaints about the ability to recognize speech in noise. Such disabilities are not typically assessed with conventional audiometry. Suprathreshold temporal deficits might contribute to reduced word recognition in noise as well as reduced temporally based binaural release of masking for speech. Extended high-frequency audibility (>8 kHz) has also been shown to contribute to speech perception in noise. The primary aim of this study was to compare conventional audiometric measures with measures that could reveal subclinical deficits. METHODS Conventional and extended high-frequency audiometry was done with 119 normal-hearing people ranging in age from 18 to 72. The ability to recognize words in noise was evaluated with and without differences in temporally based spatial cues. A low-uncertainty, closed-set word recognition task was used to limit cognitive influences. RESULTS In normal-hearing listeners, word recognition in noise ability decreases significantly with increasing pure-tone average (PTA). On average, signal-to-noise ratios worsened by 5.7 and 6.0 dB over the normal range, for the diotic and dichotic conditions, respectively. When controlling for age, a significant relationship remained in the diotic condition. Measurement error was estimated at 1.4 and 1.6 dB for the diotic and dichotic conditions, respectively. Controlling for both PTA and age, EHF-PTAs showed significant partial correlations with SNR50 in both conditions (ρ = 0.30 and 0.23). Temporally based binaural release of masking worsened with age by 1.94 dB from 18 to 72 years old but showed no significant relationship with either PTA. CONCLUSIONS All three assessments in this study demonstrated hearing problems independently of those observed in conventional audiometry. Considerable degradations in word recognition in noise abilities were observed as PTAs increased within the normal range. The use of an efficient words-in-noise measure might help identify functional hearing problems for individuals that are traditionally normal hearing. Extended audiometry provided additional predictive power for word recognition in noise independent of both the PTA and age. Temporally based binaural release of masking for word recognition decreased with age independent of PTAs within the normal range, indicating multiple mechanisms of age-related decline with potential clinical impact.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ward R Drennan
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Washington, VM Bloedel Hearing Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Vicente T, Buchholz JM, Lavandier M. Modelling binaural unmasking and the intelligibility of speech in noise and reverberation for normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 150:3275. [PMID: 34852607 DOI: 10.1121/10.0006736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of hearing loss on binaural unmasking (BU) for the intelligibility of speech in noise. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured with normal-hearing (NH) listeners and older mildly hearing-impaired (HI) listeners while varying the presentation level of the stimuli, reverberation, modulation of the noise masker, and spatial separation of the speech and noise sources. On average across conditions, the NH listeners benefited more (by 0.6 dB) from BU than HI listeners. The binaural intelligibility model developed by Vicente, Lavandier, and Buchholz [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 148, 3305-3317 (2020)] was used to describe the data, accurate predictions were obtained for the conditions considering moderate noise levels [50 and 60 dB sound pressure level (SPL)]. The interaural jitters that were involved in the prediction of BU had to be revised to describe the data measured at a lower level (40 dB SPL). Across all tested conditions, the correlation between the measured and predicted SRTs was 0.92, whereas the mean prediction error was 0.9 dB.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thibault Vicente
- Department of Linguistics-Audiology, Australian Hearing Hub, Macquarie University, New South Wales, 2109, Australia
| | - Jörg M Buchholz
- Department of Linguistics-Audiology, Australian Hearing Hub, Macquarie University, New South Wales, 2109, Australia
| | - Mathieu Lavandier
- Univ. Lyon, ENTPE, Laboratoire de Tribologie et Dynamique des Systèmes UMR 5513, Rue M. Audin, 69518 Vaulx-en-Velin Cedex, France
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Flanagan SA, Moore BCJ, Wilson AM, Gabrielczyk FC, MacFarlane A, Mandke K, Goswami U. Development of binaural temporal fine structure sensitivity in children. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 150:2967. [PMID: 34717481 DOI: 10.1121/10.0006665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The highest frequency for which the temporal fine structure (TFS) of a sinewave can be compared across ears varies between listeners with an upper limit of about 1400 Hz for young normal-hearing adults (YNHA). In this study, binaural TFS sensitivity was investigated for 63 typically developing children, aged 5 years, 6 months to 9 years, 4 months using the temporal fine structure-adaptive frequency (TFS-AF) test of Füllgrabe, Harland, Sęk, and Moore [Int. J. Audiol. 56, 926-935 (2017)]. The test assesses the highest frequency at which an interaural phase difference (IPD) of ϕ° can be distinguished from an IPD of 0°. The values of ϕ were 30° and 180°. The starting frequency was 200 Hz. The thresholds for the children were significantly lower (worse) than the thresholds reported by Füllgrabe, Harland, Sęk, and Moore [Int. J. Audiol. 56, 926-935 (2017)] for YNHA. For both values of ϕ, the median age at which children performed above chance level was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than for those who performed at chance. For the subgroup of 40 children who performed above chance for ϕ = 180°, the linear regression analyses showed that the thresholds for ϕ = 180° increased (improved) significantly with increasing age (p < 0.001) with adult-like thresholds predicted to be reached at 10 years, 2 months of age. The implications for spatial release from masking are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sheila A Flanagan
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Brian C J Moore
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Angela M Wilson
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona C Gabrielczyk
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Annabel MacFarlane
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Kanad Mandke
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Usha Goswami
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Neuroscience in Education, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Gallun FJ. Impaired Binaural Hearing in Adults: A Selected Review of the Literature. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:610957. [PMID: 33815037 PMCID: PMC8017161 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.610957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite over 100 years of study, there are still many fundamental questions about binaural hearing that remain unanswered, including how impairments of binaural function are related to the mechanisms of binaural hearing. This review focuses on a number of studies that are fundamental to understanding what is known about the effects of peripheral hearing loss, aging, traumatic brain injury, strokes, brain tumors, and multiple sclerosis (MS) on binaural function. The literature reviewed makes clear that while each of these conditions has the potential to impair the binaural system, the specific abilities of a given patient cannot be known without performing multiple behavioral and/or neurophysiological measurements of binaural sensitivity. Future work in this area has the potential to bring awareness of binaural dysfunction to patients and clinicians as well as a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of binaural hearing, but it will require the integration of clinical research with animal and computational modeling approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frederick J. Gallun
- Oregon Hearing Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Carcagno S, Plack CJ. Effects of age on psychophysical measures of auditory temporal processing and speech reception at low and high levels. Hear Res 2020; 400:108117. [PMID: 33253994 PMCID: PMC7812372 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2020.108117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
We found little evidence of greater age-related hearing declines at high sound levels. There are age-related temporal-processing declines independent of hearing loss. No evidence of age-related speech-reception deficits independent of hearing loss.
Age-related cochlear synaptopathy (CS) has been shown to occur in rodents with minimal noise exposure, and has been hypothesized to play a crucial role in age-related hearing declines in humans. It is not known to what extent age-related CS occurs in humans, and how it affects the coding of supra-threshold sounds and speech in noise. Because in rodents CS affects mainly low- and medium-spontaneous rate (L/M-SR) auditory-nerve fibers with rate-level functions covering medium-high levels, it should lead to greater deficits in the processing of sounds at high than at low stimulus levels. In this cross-sectional study the performance of 102 listeners across the age range (34 young, 34 middle-aged, 34 older) was assessed in a set of psychophysical temporal processing and speech reception in noise tests at both low, and high stimulus levels. Mixed-effect multiple regression models were used to estimate the effects of age while partialing out effects of audiometric thresholds, lifetime noise exposure, cognitive abilities (assessed with additional tests), and musical experience. Age was independently associated with performance deficits on several tests. However, only for one out of 13 tests were age effects credibly larger at the high compared to the low stimulus level. Overall these results do not provide much evidence that age-related CS, to the extent to which it may occur in humans according to the rodent model of greater L/M-SR synaptic loss, has substantial effects on psychophysical measures of auditory temporal processing or on speech reception in noise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samuele Carcagno
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YF, United Kingdom.
| | - Christopher J Plack
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YF, United Kingdom; Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, University of Manchester, Academic Health Science Centre, M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Ruiz R, Fontan L, Fillol H, Füllgrabe C. Senescent Decline in Verbal-Emotion Identification by Older Hearing-Impaired Listeners - Do Hearing Aids Help? Clin Interv Aging 2020; 15:2073-2081. [PMID: 33173288 PMCID: PMC7648619 DOI: 10.2147/cia.s281469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To assess the ability of older-adult hearing-impaired (OHI) listeners to identify verbal expressions of emotions, and to evaluate whether hearing-aid (HA) use improves identification performance in those listeners. Methods Twenty-nine OHI listeners, who were experienced bilateral-HA users, participated in the study. They listened to a 20-sentence-long speech passage rendered with six different emotional expressions (“happiness”, “pleasant surprise”, “sadness”, “anger”, “fear”, and “neutral”). The task was to identify the emotion portrayed in each version of the passage. Listeners completed the task twice in random order, once unaided, and once wearing their own bilateral HAs. Seventeen young-adult normal-hearing (YNH) listeners were also tested unaided as controls. Results Most YNH listeners (89.2%) correctly identified emotions compared to just over half of the OHI listeners (58.7%). Within the OHI group, verbal emotion identification was significantly correlated with age, but not with audibility-related factors. The number of OHI listeners who were able to correctly identify the different emotions did not significantly change when HAs were worn (54.8%). Conclusion In line with previous investigations using shorter speech stimuli, there were clear age differences in the recognition of verbal emotions, with OHI listeners showing a significant reduction in unaided verbal-emotion identification performance that progressively declined with age across older adulthood. Rehabilitation through HAs did not provide compensation for the impaired ability to perceive emotions carried by speech sounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Ruiz
- Laboratoire de Recherche en Audiovisuel (LARA-SEPPIA), Université Toulouse II Jean Jaurès, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Hugo Fillol
- Service d'Oto-Rhino-Laryngologie, d'Oto-Neurologie et d'ORL Pédiatrique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.,Ecole d'Audioprothèse de Cahors, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Christian Füllgrabe
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Koerner TK, Muralimanohar RK, Gallun FJ, Billings CJ. Age-Related Deficits in Electrophysiological and Behavioral Measures of Binaural Temporal Processing. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:578566. [PMID: 33192263 PMCID: PMC7654338 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.578566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Binaural processing, particularly the processing of interaural phase differences, is important for sound localization and speech understanding in background noise. Age has been shown to impact the neural encoding and perception of these binaural temporal cues even in individuals with clinically normal hearing sensitivity. This work used a new electrophysiological response, called the interaural phase modulation-following response (IPM-FR), to examine the effects of age on the neural encoding of interaural phase difference cues. Relationships between neural recordings and performance on several behavioral measures of binaural processing were used to determine whether the IPM-FR is predictive of interaural phase difference sensitivity and functional speech understanding deficits. Behavioral binaural frequency modulation detection thresholds were measured to assess sensitivity to interaural phase differences while spatial release-from-masking thresholds were used to assess speech understanding abilities in spatialized noise. Thirty adults between the ages of 35 to 74 years with normal low-frequency hearing thresholds were used in this study. Data showed that older participants had weaker neural responses to the interaural phase difference cue and were less able to take advantage of binaural cues for speech understanding compared to younger participants. Results also showed that the IPM-FR was predictive of performance on the binaural frequency modulation detection task, but not on the spatial release-from-masking task after accounting the effects of age. These results confirm previous work that showed that the IPM-FR reflects age-related declines in binaural temporal processing and provide further evidence that this response may represent a useful objective tool for assessing binaural function. However, further research is needed to understand how the IPM-FR is related to speech understanding abilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tess K. Koerner
- VA RR&D National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Ramesh Kumar Muralimanohar
- VA RR&D National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Frederick J. Gallun
- VA RR&D National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Curtis J. Billings
- VA RR&D National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Whiteford KL, Kreft HA, Oxenham AJ. The role of cochlear place coding in the perception of frequency modulation. eLife 2020; 9:58468. [PMID: 32996463 PMCID: PMC7556860 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural sounds convey information via frequency and amplitude modulations (FM and AM). Humans are acutely sensitive to the slow rates of FM that are crucial for speech and music. This sensitivity has long been thought to rely on precise stimulus-driven auditory-nerve spike timing (time code), whereas a coarser code, based on variations in the cochlear place of stimulation (place code), represents faster FM rates. We tested this theory in listeners with normal and impaired hearing, spanning a wide range of place-coding fidelity. Contrary to predictions, sensitivity to both slow and fast FM correlated with place-coding fidelity. We also used incoherent AM on two carriers to simulate place coding of FM and observed poorer sensitivity at high carrier frequencies and fast rates, two properties of FM detection previously ascribed to the limits of time coding. The results suggest a unitary place-based neural code for FM across all rates and carrier frequencies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly L Whiteford
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Heather A Kreft
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| | - Andrew J Oxenham
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Moore BCJ. Diagnosis and quantification of military noise-induced hearing loss. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 148:884. [PMID: 32873002 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The diagnosis and quantification of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in a medico-legal context are usually based on the pattern of hearing loss that is typically associated with long-term exposure to steady broadband noises, such as occur in noisy factories. Evidence is reviewed showing that this pattern is not typical for hearing loss produced by intense impulsive sounds of the type that military personnel are exposed to. The audiometric characteristics of noise-exposed military personnel are reviewed. A set of audiograms from a sample of 58 hearing-impaired noise-exposed military veterans was analyzed and used to develop methods for the diagnosis and quantification of military NIHL. Three requirements are specified for diagnosing military NIHL. Quantification of any loss is done by comparison with audiometric thresholds for non-noise exposed individuals, as specified in ISO7029 [International Organization for Standardization, 2017].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian C J Moore
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Füllgrabe C. On the Possible Overestimation of Cognitive Decline: The Impact of Age-Related Hearing Loss on Cognitive-Test Performance. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:454. [PMID: 32581666 PMCID: PMC7296091 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual differences and age-related normal and pathological changes in mental abilities require the use of cognitive screening and assessment tools. However, simultaneously occurring deficits in sensory processing, whose prevalence increases especially in old age, may negatively impact cognitive-test performance and thus result in an overestimation of cognitive decline. This hypothesis was tested using an impairment-simulation approach. Young normal-hearing university students performed three memory tasks, using auditorily presented speech stimuli that were either unprocessed or processed to mimic some of the perceptual consequences of age-related hearing loss (ARHL). Both short-term-memory and working-memory capacities were significantly lower in the simulated-hearing-loss condition, despite good intelligibility of the test stimuli. The findings are consistent with the notion that, in case of ARHL, the perceptual processing of auditory stimuli used in cognitive assessments requires additional (cognitive) resources that cannot be used toward the execution of the cognitive task itself. Researchers and clinicians would be well advised to consider sensory impairments as a confounding variable when administering cognitive tasks and interpreting their results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian Füllgrabe
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Strelcyk O, Zahorik P, Shehorn J, Patro C, Derleth RP. Sensitivity to Interaural Phase in Older Hearing-Impaired Listeners Correlates With Nonauditory Trail Making Scores and With a Spatial Auditory Task of Unrelated Peripheral Origin. Trends Hear 2020; 23:2331216519864499. [PMID: 31455167 PMCID: PMC6755865 DOI: 10.1177/2331216519864499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Interaural phase difference (IPD) discrimination upper frequency limits and just-noticeable differences (JNDs), interaural level difference (ILD) JNDs, and diotic intensity JNDs were measured for 20 older hearing-impaired listeners with matched moderate sloping to severe sensorineural hearing losses. The JNDs were measured using tone stimuli at 500 Hz. In addition to these auditory tests, the participants completed a cognitive test (Trail Making Test). Significant performance improvements in IPD discrimination were observed across test sessions. Strong correlations were found between IPD and ILD discrimination performance. Very strong correlations were observed between IPD discrimination and Trail Making performance as well as strong correlations between ILD discrimination and Trail Making performance. These relationships indicate that interindividual variability in IPD discrimination performance did not exclusively reflect deficits specific to any auditory processing, including early auditory processing of temporal information. The observed relationships between spatial audition and cognition may instead be attributable to a modality-general spatial processing deficit and/or individual differences in global processing speed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olaf Strelcyk
- 1 Sonova U.S. Corporate Services, Warrenville, IL, USA
| | - Pavel Zahorik
- 2 Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Disorders, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,3 Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.,4 Heuser Hearing Research Center, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - James Shehorn
- 4 Heuser Hearing Research Center, Louisville, KY, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Baltzell LS, Swaminathan J, Cho AY, Lavandier M, Best V. Binaural sensitivity and release from speech-on-speech masking in listeners with and without hearing loss. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:1546. [PMID: 32237845 PMCID: PMC7060089 DOI: 10.1121/10.0000812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Listeners with sensorineural hearing loss routinely experience less spatial release from masking (SRM) in speech mixtures than listeners with normal hearing. Hearing-impaired listeners have also been shown to have degraded temporal fine structure (TFS) sensitivity, a consequence of which is degraded access to interaural time differences (ITDs) contained in the TFS. Since these "binaural TFS" cues are critical for spatial hearing, it has been hypothesized that degraded binaural TFS sensitivity accounts for the limited SRM experienced by hearing-impaired listeners. In this study, speech stimuli were noise-vocoded using carriers that were systematically decorrelated across the left and right ears, thus simulating degraded binaural TFS sensitivity. Both (1) ITD sensitivity in quiet and (2) SRM in speech mixtures spatialized using ITDs (or binaural release from masking; BRM) were measured as a function of TFS interaural decorrelation in young normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. This allowed for the examination of the relationship between ITD sensitivity and BRM over a wide range of ITD thresholds. This paper found that, for a given ITD sensitivity, hearing-impaired listeners experienced less BRM than normal-hearing listeners, suggesting that binaural TFS sensitivity can account for only a modest portion of the BRM deficit in hearing-impaired listeners. However, substantial individual variability was observed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas S Baltzell
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Jayaganesh Swaminathan
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Adrian Y Cho
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Mathieu Lavandier
- University of Lyon, ENTPE, Laboratoire Génie Civil et Bâtiment, Rue Maurice Audin, F-69518 Vaulx-en-Velin Cedex, France
| | - Virginia Best
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Fontan L, Cretin-Maitenaz T, Füllgrabe C. Predicting Speech Perception in Older Listeners with Sensorineural Hearing Loss Using Automatic Speech Recognition. Trends Hear 2020; 24:2331216520914769. [PMID: 32233834 PMCID: PMC7119229 DOI: 10.1177/2331216520914769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 02/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to provide proof of concept that the speech intelligibility in quiet of unaided older hearing-impaired (OHI) listeners can be predicted by automatic speech recognition (ASR). Twenty-four OHI listeners completed three speech-identification tasks using speech materials of varying linguistic complexity and predictability (i.e., logatoms, words, and sentences). An ASR system was first trained on different speech materials and then used to recognize the same speech stimuli presented to the listeners but processed to mimic some of the perceptual consequences of age-related hearing loss experienced by each of the listeners: the elevation of hearing thresholds (by linear filtering), the loss of frequency selectivity (by spectrally smearing), and loudness recruitment (by raising the amplitude envelope to a power). Independently of the size of the lexicon used in the ASR system, strong to very strong correlations were observed between human and machine intelligibility scores. However, large root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) were observed for all conditions. The simulation of frequency selectivity loss had a negative impact on the strength of the correlation and the RMSE. Highest correlations and smallest RMSEs were found for logatoms, suggesting that the prediction system reflects mostly the functioning of the peripheral part of the auditory system. In the case of sentences, the prediction of human intelligibility was significantly improved by taking into account cognitive performance. This study demonstrates for the first time that ASR, even when trained on intact independent speech material, can be used to estimate trends in speech intelligibility of OHI listeners.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tom Cretin-Maitenaz
- Service d’Oto-Rhino-Laryngologie, d’Oto-Neurologie et d’ORL Pédiatrique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, France
- Ecole d’Audioprothèse de Cahors, Université Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
MacCutcheon D, Pausch F, Füllgrabe C, Eccles R, van der Linde J, Panebianco C, Fels J, Ljung R. The Contribution of Individual Differences in Memory Span and Language Ability to Spatial Release From Masking in Young Children. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:3741-3751. [PMID: 31619115 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-s-19-0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Working memory capacity and language ability modulate speech reception; however, the respective roles of peripheral and cognitive processing are unclear. The contribution of individual differences in these abilities to utilization of spatial cues when separating speech from informational and energetic masking backgrounds in children has not yet been determined. Therefore, this study explored whether speech reception in children is modulated by environmental factors, such as the type of background noise and spatial configuration of target and noise sources, and individual differences in the cognitive and linguistic abilities of listeners. Method Speech reception thresholds were assessed in 39 children aged 5-7 years in simulated school listening environments. Speech reception thresholds of target sentences spoken by an adult male consisting of number and color combinations were measured using an adaptive procedure, with speech-shaped white noise and single-talker backgrounds that were either collocated (target and back-ground at 0°) or spatially separated (target at 0°, background noise at 90° to the right). Spatial release from masking was assessed alongside memory span and expressive language. Results and Conclusion Significant main effect results showed that speech reception thresholds were highest for informational maskers and collocated conditions. Significant interactions indicated that individual differences in memory span and language ability were related to spatial release from masking advantages. Specifically, individual differences in memory span and language were related to the utilization of spatial cues in separated conditions. Language differences were related to auditory stream segregation abilities in collocated conditions that lack helpful spatial cues, pointing to the utilization of language processes to make up for losses in spatial information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Douglas MacCutcheon
- Department of Building, Energy and Environmental Engineering, Hogskolan i Gavle, Sweden
| | - Florian Pausch
- Medical Acoustics Group, Institute of Technical Acoustics, Rheinisch Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Füllgrabe
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, United Kingdom
| | - Renata Eccles
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Jeannie van der Linde
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Janina Fels
- Medical Acoustics Group, Institute of Technical Acoustics, Rheinisch Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Germany
| | - Robert Ljung
- Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development-Environmental Psychology, Hogskolan i Gavle, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Moore BCJ, Mariathasan S, Sęk AP. Effects of Age and Hearing Loss on the Discrimination of Amplitude and Frequency Modulation for 2- and 10-Hz Rates. Trends Hear 2019; 23:2331216519853963. [PMID: 31250705 PMCID: PMC6600487 DOI: 10.1177/2331216519853963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Detection of frequency modulation (FM) with rate = 10 Hz may depend on conversion of FM to amplitude modulation (AM) in the cochlea, while detection of 2-Hz FM may depend on the use of temporal fine structure (TFS) information. TFS processing may worsen with greater age and hearing loss while AM processing probably does not. A two-stage experiment was conducted to test these ideas while controlling for the effects of detection efficiency. Stage 1 measured psychometric functions for the detection of AM alone and FM alone imposed on a 1-kHz carrier, using 2- and 10-Hz rates. Stage 2 assessed the discrimination of AM from FM at the same modulation rate when the detectability of the AM alone and FM alone was equated. Discrimination was better for the 2-Hz than for the 10-Hz rate for all young normal-hearing subjects and for some older subjects with normal hearing at 1 kHz. Other older subjects with normal hearing showed no clear difference in AM-FM discrimination for the 2- and 10-Hz rates, as was the case for most older hearing-impaired subjects. The results suggest that the ability to use TFS cues is reduced for some older people and most hearing-impaired people.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian C. J. Moore
- Department of Experimental
Psychology, University of Cambridge, England
| | - Sashi Mariathasan
- Department of Experimental
Psychology, University of Cambridge, England
| | - Aleksander P. Sęk
- Faculty of Physics, Institute of
Acoustics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| |
Collapse
|