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Hoarau C, Pralus A, Moulin A, Bedoin N, Ginzburg J, Fornoni L, Aguera PE, Tillmann B, Caclin A. Deficits in congenital amusia: pitch, music, speech, and beyond. Neuropsychologia 2024:108960. [PMID: 39032629 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108960] [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: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Congenital amusia is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits of music perception and production, which are related to altered pitch processing. The present study used a wide variety of tasks to test potential patterns of processing impairment in individuals with congenital amusia (N=18) in comparison to matched controls (N=19), notably classical pitch processing tests (i.e., pitch change detection, pitch direction of change identification, and pitch short-term memory tasks) together with tasks assessing other aspects of pitch-related auditory cognition, such as emotion recognition in speech, sound segregation in tone sequences, and speech-in-noise perception. Additional behavioral measures were also collected, including text reading/copying tests, visual control tasks, and a subjective assessment of hearing abilities. As expected, amusics' performance was impaired for the three pitch-specific tasks compared to controls. This deficit of pitch perception had a self-perceived impact on amusics' quality of hearing. Moreover, participants with amusia were impaired in emotion recognition in vowels compared to controls, but no group difference was observed for emotion recognition in sentences, replicating previous data. Despite pitch processing deficits, participants with amusia did not differ from controls in sound segregation and speech-in-noise perception. Text reading and visual control tests did not reveal any impairments in participants with amusia compared to controls. However, the copying test revealed more numerous eye-movements and a smaller memory span. These results allow us to refine the pattern of pitch processing and memory deficits in congenital amusia, thus contributing further to understand pitch-related auditory cognition. Together with previous reports suggesting a comorbidity between congenital amusia and dyslexia, the findings call for further investigation of language-related abilities in this disorder even in the absence of neurodevelopmental language disorder diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caliani Hoarau
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France; Humans Matter, Lyon, France.
| | - Agathe Pralus
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France; Humans Matter, Lyon, France
| | - Annie Moulin
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Nathalie Bedoin
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France; Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, France
| | - Jérémie Ginzburg
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Lesly Fornoni
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Pierre-Emmanuel Aguera
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France
| | - Barbara Tillmann
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France; Laboratory for Research on Learning and Development, Université de Bourgogne, LEAD-CNRS UMR5022, Dijon, France
| | - Anne Caclin
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM, CNRS, Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, F-69500, Bron, France
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2
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Bidelman GM, Sisson A, Rizzi R, MacLean J, Baer K. Myogenic artifacts masquerade as neuroplasticity in the auditory frequency-following response. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1422903. [PMID: 39040631 PMCID: PMC11260751 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1422903] [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: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The frequency-following response (FFR) is an evoked potential that provides a neural index of complex sound encoding in the brain. FFRs have been widely used to characterize speech and music processing, experience-dependent neuroplasticity (e.g., learning and musicianship), and biomarkers for hearing and language-based disorders that distort receptive communication abilities. It is widely assumed that FFRs stem from a mixture of phase-locked neurogenic activity from the brainstem and cortical structures along the hearing neuraxis. In this study, we challenge this prevailing view by demonstrating that upwards of ~50% of the FFR can originate from an unexpected myogenic source: contamination from the postauricular muscle (PAM) vestigial startle reflex. We measured PAM, transient auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), and sustained frequency-following response (FFR) potentials reflecting myogenic (PAM) and neurogenic (ABR/FFR) responses in young, normal-hearing listeners with varying degrees of musical training. We first establish that PAM artifact is present in all ears, varies with electrode proximity to the muscle, and can be experimentally manipulated by directing listeners' eye gaze toward the ear of sound stimulation. We then show this muscular noise easily confounds auditory FFRs, spuriously amplifying responses 3-4-fold with tandem PAM contraction and even explaining putative FFR enhancements observed in highly skilled musicians. Our findings expose a new and unrecognized myogenic source to the FFR that drives its large inter-subject variability and cast doubt on whether changes in the response typically attributed to neuroplasticity/pathology are solely of brain origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin M. Bidelman
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Alexandria Sisson
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Rose Rizzi
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Jessica MacLean
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Kaitlin Baer
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, United States
- Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Memphis, TN, United States
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3
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Shen J, Sun J, Zhang Z, Sun B, Li H, Liu Y. The Effect of Hearing Loss and Working Memory Capacity on Context Use and Reliance on Context in Older Adults. Ear Hear 2024; 45:787-800. [PMID: 38273447 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000001470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Older adults often complain of difficulty in communicating in noisy environments. Contextual information is considered an important cue for identifying everyday speech. To date, it has not been clear exactly how context use (CU) and reliance on context in older adults are affected by hearing status and cognitive function. The present study examined the effects of semantic context on the performance of speech recognition, recall, perceived listening effort (LE), and noise tolerance, and further explored the impacts of hearing loss and working memory capacity on CU and reliance on context among older adults. DESIGN Fifty older adults with normal hearing and 56 older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss between the ages of 60 and 95 years participated in this study. A median split of the backward digit span further classified the participants into high working memory (HWM) and low working memory (LWM) capacity groups. Each participant performed high- and low-context Repeat and Recall tests, including a sentence repeat and delayed recall task, subjective assessments of LE, and tolerable time under seven signal to noise ratios (SNRs). CU was calculated as the difference between high- and low-context sentences for each outcome measure. The proportion of context use (PCU) in high-context performance was taken as the reliance on context to explain the degree to which participants relied on context when they repeated and recalled high-context sentences. RESULTS Semantic context helps improve the performance of speech recognition and delayed recall, reduces perceived LE, and prolongs noise tolerance in older adults with and without hearing loss. In addition, the adverse effects of hearing loss on the performance of repeat tasks were more pronounced in low context than in high context, whereas the effects on recall tasks and noise tolerance time were more significant in high context than in low context. Compared with other tasks, the CU and PCU in repeat tasks were more affected by listening status and working memory capacity. In the repeat phase, hearing loss increased older adults' reliance on the context of a relatively challenging listening environment, as shown by the fact that when the SNR was 0 and -5 dB, the PCU (repeat) of the hearing loss group was significantly greater than that of the normal-hearing group, whereas there was no significant difference between the two hearing groups under the remaining SNRs. In addition, older adults with LWM had significantly greater CU and PCU in repeat tasks than those with HWM, especially at SNRs with moderate task demands. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, semantic context not only improved speech perception intelligibility but also released cognitive resources for memory encoding in older adults. Mild-to-moderate hearing loss and LWM capacity in older adults significantly increased the use and reliance on semantic context, which was also modulated by the level of SNR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayuan Shen
- School of Medical Technology and Information Engineering, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiayu Sun
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhikai Zhang
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Baoxuan Sun
- Training Department, Widex Hearing Aid (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | - Haitao Li
- Department of Neurology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work and are co-corresponding authors
| | - Yuhe Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work and are co-corresponding authors
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4
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Bidelman G, Sisson A, Rizzi R, MacLean J, Baer K. Myogenic artifacts masquerade as neuroplasticity in the auditory frequency-following response (FFR). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.27.564446. [PMID: 37961324 PMCID: PMC10634913 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.27.564446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The frequency-following response (FFR) is an evoked potential that provides a "neural fingerprint" of complex sound encoding in the brain. FFRs have been widely used to characterize speech and music processing, experience-dependent neuroplasticity (e.g., learning, musicianship), and biomarkers for hearing and language-based disorders that distort receptive communication abilities. It is widely assumed FFRs stem from a mixture of phase-locked neurogenic activity from brainstem and cortical structures along the hearing neuraxis. Here, we challenge this prevailing view by demonstrating upwards of ~50% of the FFR can originate from a non-neural source: contamination from the postauricular muscle (PAM) vestigial startle reflex. We first establish PAM artifact is present in all ears, varies with electrode proximity to the muscle, and can be experimentally manipulated by directing listeners' eye gaze toward the ear of sound stimulation. We then show this muscular noise easily confounds auditory FFRs, spuriously amplifying responses by 3-4x fold with tandem PAM contraction and even explaining putative FFR enhancements observed in highly skilled musicians. Our findings expose a new and unrecognized myogenic source to the FFR that drives its large inter-subject variability and cast doubt on whether changes in the response typically attributed to neuroplasticity/pathology are solely of brain origin.
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5
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Gransier R, Carlyon RP, Richardson ML, Middlebrooks JC, Wouters J. Artifact removal by template subtraction enables recordings of the frequency following response in cochlear-implant users. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6158. [PMID: 38486005 PMCID: PMC10940306 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56047-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Electrically evoked frequency-following responses (eFFRs) provide insight in the phase-locking ability of brainstem of cochlear-implant (CI) users. eFFRs can potentially be used to gain insight in the individual differences in the biological limitation on temporal encoding of the electrically stimulated auditory pathway, which can be inherent to the electrical stimulation itself and/or the degenerative processes associated with hearing loss. One of the major challenge of measuring eFFRs in CI users is the process of isolating the stimulation artifact from the neural response, as both the response and the artifact overlap in time and have similar frequency characteristics. Here we introduce a new artifact removal method based on template subtraction that successfully removes the stimulation artifacts from the recordings when CI users are stimulated with pulse trains from 128 to 300 pulses per second in a monopolar configuration. Our results show that, although artifact removal was successful in all CI users, the phase-locking ability of the brainstem to the different pulse rates, as assessed with the eFFR differed substantially across participants. These results show that the eFFR can be measured, free from artifacts, in CI users and that they can be used to gain insight in individual differences in temporal processing of the electrically stimulated auditory pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Gransier
- ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robert P Carlyon
- Cambridge Hearing Group, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Matthew L Richardson
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Center for Hearing Research, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - John C Middlebrooks
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Center for Hearing Research, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
- Departments of Neurobiology and Behavior, Biomedical Engineering, Cognitive Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Jan Wouters
- ExpORL, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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6
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Schüller A, Schilling A, Krauss P, Reichenbach T. The Early Subcortical Response at the Fundamental Frequency of Speech Is Temporally Separated from Later Cortical Contributions. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:475-491. [PMID: 38165737 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Most parts of speech are voiced, exhibiting a degree of periodicity with a fundamental frequency and many higher harmonics. Some neural populations respond to this temporal fine structure, in particular at the fundamental frequency. This frequency-following response to speech consists of both subcortical and cortical contributions and can be measured through EEG as well as through magnetoencephalography (MEG), although both differ in the aspects of neural activity that they capture: EEG is sensitive to both radial and tangential sources as well as to deep sources, whereas MEG is more restrained to the measurement of tangential and superficial neural activity. EEG responses to continuous speech have shown an early subcortical contribution, at a latency of around 9 msec, in agreement with MEG measurements in response to short speech tokens, whereas MEG responses to continuous speech have not yet revealed such an early component. Here, we analyze MEG responses to long segments of continuous speech. We find an early subcortical response at latencies of 4-11 msec, followed by later right-lateralized cortical activities at delays of 20-58 msec as well as potential subcortical activities. Our results show that the early subcortical component of the FFR to continuous speech can be measured from MEG in populations of participants and that its latency agrees with that measured with EEG. They furthermore show that the early subcortical component is temporally well separated from later cortical contributions, enabling an independent assessment of both components toward further aspects of speech processing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Patrick Krauss
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Universitätsklinikum Erlangen
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7
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Jourde HR, Merlo R, Brooks M, Rowe M, Coffey EBJ. The neurophysiology of closed-loop auditory stimulation in sleep: A magnetoencephalography study. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:613-640. [PMID: 37675803 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16132] [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: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Closed-loop auditory stimulation (CLAS) is a brain modulation technique in which sounds are timed to enhance or disrupt endogenous neurophysiological events. CLAS of slow oscillation up-states in sleep is becoming a popular tool to study and enhance sleep's functions, as it increases slow oscillations, evokes sleep spindles and enhances memory consolidation of certain tasks. However, few studies have examined the specific neurophysiological mechanisms involved in CLAS, in part because of practical limitations to available tools. To evaluate evidence for possible models of how sound stimulation during brain up-states alters brain activity, we simultaneously recorded electro- and magnetoencephalography in human participants who received auditory stimulation across sleep stages. We conducted a series of analyses that test different models of pathways through which CLAS of slow oscillations may affect widespread neural activity that have been suggested in literature, using spatial information, timing and phase relationships in the source-localized magnetoencephalography data. The results suggest that auditory information reaches ventral frontal lobe areas via non-lemniscal pathways. From there, a slow oscillation is created and propagated. We demonstrate that while the state of excitability of tissue in auditory cortex and frontal ventral regions shows some synchrony with the electroencephalography (EEG)-recorded up-states that are commonly used for CLAS, it is the state of ventral frontal regions that is most critical for slow oscillation generation. Our findings advance models of how CLAS leads to enhancement of slow oscillations, sleep spindles and associated cognitive benefits and offer insight into how the effectiveness of brain stimulation techniques can be improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo R Jourde
- Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Quebec Bio-Imaging Network (QBIN), Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Mary Brooks
- Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Quebec Bio-Imaging Network (QBIN), Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Emily B J Coffey
- Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Quebec Bio-Imaging Network (QBIN), Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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8
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Schüller A, Schilling A, Krauss P, Rampp S, Reichenbach T. Attentional Modulation of the Cortical Contribution to the Frequency-Following Response Evoked by Continuous Speech. J Neurosci 2023; 43:7429-7440. [PMID: 37793908 PMCID: PMC10621774 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1247-23.2023] [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: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Selective attention to one of several competing speakers is required for comprehending a target speaker among other voices and for successful communication with them. It moreover has been found to involve the neural tracking of low-frequency speech rhythms in the auditory cortex. Effects of selective attention have also been found in subcortical neural activities, in particular regarding the frequency-following response related to the fundamental frequency of speech (speech-FFR). Recent investigations have, however, shown that the speech-FFR contains cortical contributions as well. It remains unclear whether these are also modulated by selective attention. Here we used magnetoencephalography to assess the attentional modulation of the cortical contributions to the speech-FFR. We presented both male and female participants with two competing speech signals and analyzed the cortical responses during attentional switching between the two speakers. Our findings revealed robust attentional modulation of the cortical contribution to the speech-FFR: the neural responses were higher when the speaker was attended than when they were ignored. We also found that, regardless of attention, a voice with a lower fundamental frequency elicited a larger cortical contribution to the speech-FFR than a voice with a higher fundamental frequency. Our results show that the attentional modulation of the speech-FFR does not only occur subcortically but extends to the auditory cortex as well.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Understanding speech in noise requires attention to a target speaker. One of the speech features that a listener can use to identify a target voice among others and attend it is the fundamental frequency, together with its higher harmonics. The fundamental frequency arises from the opening and closing of the vocal folds and is tracked by high-frequency neural activity in the auditory brainstem and in the cortex. Previous investigations showed that the subcortical neural tracking is modulated by selective attention. Here we show that attention affects the cortical tracking of the fundamental frequency as well: it is stronger when a particular voice is attended than when it is ignored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Schüller
- Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Achim Schilling
- Neuroscience Laboratory, University Hospital Erlangen, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Patrick Krauss
- Neuroscience Laboratory, University Hospital Erlangen, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Pattern Recognition Lab, Department Computer Science, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Stefan Rampp
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Erlangen, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Halle (Saale), 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Erlangen, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Tobias Reichenbach
- Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
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9
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Maillard E, Joyal M, Murray MM, Tremblay P. Are musical activities associated with enhanced speech perception in noise in adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2023.100083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
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10
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Price CN, Bidelman GM. Musical experience partially counteracts temporal speech processing deficits in putative mild cognitive impairment. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2022; 1516:114-122. [PMID: 35762658 PMCID: PMC9588638 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14853] [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] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) commonly results in more rapid cognitive and behavioral declines than typical aging. Individuals with MCI can exhibit impaired receptive speech abilities that may reflect neurophysiological changes in auditory-sensory processing prior to usual cognitive deficits. Benefits from current interventions targeting communication difficulties in MCI are limited. Yet, neuroplasticity associated with musical experience has been implicated in improving neural representations of speech and offsetting age-related declines in perception. Here, we asked whether these experience-dependent effects of musical experience might extend to aberrant aging and offer some degree of cognitive protection against MCI. During a vowel categorization task, we recorded single-channel electroencephalograms (EEGs) in older adults with putative MCI to evaluate speech encoding across subcortical and cortical levels of the auditory system. Critically, listeners varied in their duration of formal musical experience (0-21 years). Musical experience sharpened temporal precision in auditory cortical responses, suggesting that musical experience produces more efficient processing of acoustic features by counteracting age-related neural delays. Additionally, robustness of brainstem responses predicted the severity of cognitive decline, suggesting that early speech representations are sensitive to preclinical stages of cognitive impairment. Our results extend prior studies by demonstrating positive benefits of musical experience in older adults with emergent cognitive impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin N. Price
- Department of Audiology & Speech Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Gavin M. Bidelman
- Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
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11
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Wang M, Liu J, Kong L, Zhao Y, Diao T, Ma X. Subjective tinnitus patients with normal pure-tone hearing still suffer more informational masking in the noisy environment. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:983427. [PMID: 36090272 PMCID: PMC9448876 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.983427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Subjective tinnitus patients experience more hearing difficulties than normal peers in complex hearing environments, even though most of these patients have normal pure-tone hearing thresholds. Using speech recognition tasks under different masking conditions can provide insight into whether the effects of tinnitus are lateralized and the mechanisms behind the effects. By simulating sound field recordings, we obtain a target speech sentence that can be perceived as presented on one side and noise or speech masking with or without spatial separation from it. Our study used the virtual sound field technique to investigate the difference in speech recognition ability between chronic subjective tinnitus patients and a normal-hearing control group under the four masking conditions (speech-spectrum noise masking or two-talker speech masking, with or without perceived spatial separation). Experiment 1 showed no differences for target speech perceived location (left or right), which rules out a lateralization of the effect of tinnitus patients. Experiment 2 further found that although tinnitus patients had weaker performance than normal people in very complex auditory scenarios, when the spatial cue of the target speech exists, they can make good use of this cue to make up for the original processing disadvantage and achieve a similar performance as the normal-hearing group. In addition, the current study distinguished the effects of informational masking and energetic masking on speech recognition in patients with tinnitus and normal hearing. The results suggest that the impact of tinnitus on speech recognition in patients is more likely to occur in the auditory center rather than the periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyuan Wang
- School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Jinjun Liu
- School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lingzhi Kong
- School of Communication Sciences, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Lingzhi Kong,
| | - Yixin Zhao
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, People’s Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Yixin Zhao,
| | - Tongxiang Diao
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, People’s Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Tongxiang Diao,
| | - Xin Ma
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, People’s Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Xin Ma,
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12
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Remote Sensing System for Motor Nerve Impulse. SENSORS 2022; 22:s22082823. [PMID: 35458809 PMCID: PMC9027399 DOI: 10.3390/s22082823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we present our research achievements regarding the development of a remote sensing system for motor pulse acquisition, as a first step towards a complete neuroprosthetic arm. We present the fabrication process of an implantable electrode for nerve impulse acquisition, together with an innovative wirelessly controlled system. In our study, these were combined into an implantable device for attachment to peripheral nerves. Mechanical and biocompatibility tests were performed, as well as in vivo testing on pigs using the developed system. This testing and the experimental results are presented in a comprehensive manner, demonstrating that the system is capable of accomplishing the requirements of its designed application. Most significantly, neural electrical signals were acquired and transmitted out of the body during animal experiments, which were conducted according to ethical regulations in the field.
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13
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Bsharat-Maalouf D, Karawani H. Bilinguals' speech perception in noise: Perceptual and neural associations. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264282. [PMID: 35196339 PMCID: PMC8865662 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The current study characterized subcortical speech sound processing among monolinguals and bilinguals in quiet and challenging listening conditions and examined the relation between subcortical neural processing and perceptual performance. A total of 59 normal-hearing adults, ages 19–35 years, participated in the study: 29 native Hebrew-speaking monolinguals and 30 Arabic-Hebrew-speaking bilinguals. Auditory brainstem responses to speech sounds were collected in a quiet condition and with background noise. The perception of words and sentences in quiet and background noise conditions was also examined to assess perceptual performance and to evaluate the perceptual-physiological relationship. Perceptual performance was tested among bilinguals in both languages (first language (L1-Arabic) and second language (L2-Hebrew)). The outcomes were similar between monolingual and bilingual groups in quiet. Noise, as expected, resulted in deterioration in perceptual and neural responses, which was reflected in lower accuracy in perceptual tasks compared to quiet, and in more prolonged latencies and diminished neural responses. However, a mixed picture was observed among bilinguals in perceptual and physiological outcomes in noise. In the perceptual measures, bilinguals were significantly less accurate than their monolingual counterparts. However, in neural responses, bilinguals demonstrated earlier peak latencies compared to monolinguals. Our results also showed that perceptual performance in noise was related to subcortical resilience to the disruption caused by background noise. Specifically, in noise, increased brainstem resistance (i.e., fewer changes in the fundamental frequency (F0) representations or fewer shifts in the neural timing) was related to better speech perception among bilinguals. Better perception in L1 in noise was correlated with fewer changes in F0 representations, and more accurate perception in L2 was related to minor shifts in auditory neural timing. This study delves into the importance of using neural brainstem responses to speech sounds to differentiate individuals with different language histories and to explain inter-subject variability in bilinguals’ perceptual abilities in daily life situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Bsharat-Maalouf
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Hanin Karawani
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- * E-mail:
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14
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Rimmele JM, Kern P, Lubinus C, Frieler K, Poeppel D, Assaneo MF. Musical Sophistication and Speech Auditory-Motor Coupling: Easy Tests for Quick Answers. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:764342. [PMID: 35058741 PMCID: PMC8763673 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.764342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical training enhances auditory-motor cortex coupling, which in turn facilitates music and speech perception. How tightly the temporal processing of music and speech are intertwined is a topic of current research. We investigated the relationship between musical sophistication (Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication index, Gold-MSI) and spontaneous speech-to-speech synchronization behavior as an indirect measure of speech auditory-motor cortex coupling strength. In a group of participants (n = 196), we tested whether the outcome of the spontaneous speech-to-speech synchronization test (SSS-test) can be inferred from self-reported musical sophistication. Participants were classified as high (HIGHs) or low (LOWs) synchronizers according to the SSS-test. HIGHs scored higher than LOWs on all Gold-MSI subscales (General Score, Active Engagement, Musical Perception, Musical Training, Singing Skills), but the Emotional Attachment scale. More specifically, compared to a previously reported German-speaking sample, HIGHs overall scored higher and LOWs lower. Compared to an estimated distribution of the English-speaking general population, our sample overall scored lower, with the scores of LOWs significantly differing from the normal distribution, with scores in the ∼30th percentile. While HIGHs more often reported musical training compared to LOWs, the distribution of training instruments did not vary across groups. Importantly, even after the highly correlated subscores of the Gold-MSI were decorrelated, particularly the subscales Musical Perception and Musical Training allowed to infer the speech-to-speech synchronization behavior. The differential effects of musical perception and training were observed, with training predicting audio-motor synchronization in both groups, but perception only in the HIGHs. Our findings suggest that speech auditory-motor cortex coupling strength can be inferred from training and perceptual aspects of musical sophistication, suggesting shared mechanisms involved in speech and music perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M. Rimmele
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- Max Planck NYU Center for Language, Music and Emotion, New York, NY, United States
| | - Pius Kern
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Christina Lubinus
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Klaus Frieler
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - David Poeppel
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- Max Planck NYU Center for Language, Music and Emotion, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute for Neuroscience, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - M. Florencia Assaneo
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, México
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15
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Perugia E, BinKhamis G, Schlittenlacher J, Kluk K. On prediction of aided behavioural measures using speech auditory brainstem responses and decision trees. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260090. [PMID: 34784399 PMCID: PMC8594837 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Current clinical strategies to assess benefits from hearing aids (HAs) are based on self-reported questionnaires and speech-in-noise (SIN) tests; which require behavioural cooperation. Instead, objective measures based on Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABRs) to speech stimuli would not require the individuals' cooperation. Here, we re-analysed an existing dataset to predict behavioural measures with speech-ABRs using regression trees. Ninety-two HA users completed a self-reported questionnaire (SSQ-Speech) and performed two aided SIN tests: sentences in noise (BKB-SIN) and vowel-consonant-vowels (VCV) in noise. Speech-ABRs were evoked by a 40 ms [da] and recorded in 2x2 conditions: aided vs. unaided and quiet vs. background noise. For each recording condition, two sets of features were extracted: 1) amplitudes and latencies of speech-ABR peaks, 2) amplitudes and latencies of speech-ABR F0 encoding. Two regression trees were fitted for each of the three behavioural measures with either feature set and age, digit-span forward and backward, and pure tone average (PTA) as possible predictors. The PTA was the only predictor in the SSQ-Speech trees. In the BKB-SIN trees, performance was predicted by the aided latency of peak F in quiet for participants with PTAs between 43 and 61 dB HL. In the VCV trees, performance was predicted by the aided F0 encoding latency and the aided amplitude of peak VA in quiet for participants with PTAs ≤ 47 dB HL. These findings indicate that PTA was more informative than any speech-ABR measure, as these were relevant only for a subset of the participants. Therefore, speech-ABRs evoked by a 40 ms [da] are not a clinical predictor of behavioural measures in HA users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuele Perugia
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ghada BinKhamis
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Department of Communication and Swallowing Disorders, Rehabilitation Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Josef Schlittenlacher
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Karolina Kluk
- Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
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16
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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.
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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
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17
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Mai G, Howell P. Causal Relationship between the Right Auditory Cortex and Speech-Evoked Envelope-Following Response: Evidence from Combined Transcranial Stimulation and Electroencephalography. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1437-1454. [PMID: 34424956 PMCID: PMC8971082 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab298] [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: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Speech-evoked envelope-following response (EFR) reflects brain encoding of speech periodicity that serves as a biomarker for pitch and speech perception and various auditory and language disorders. Although EFR is thought to originate from the subcortex, recent research illustrated a right-hemispheric cortical contribution to EFR. However, it is unclear whether this contribution is causal. This study aimed to establish this causality by combining transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and measurement of EFR (pre- and post-tDCS) via scalp-recorded electroencephalography. We applied tDCS over the left and right auditory cortices in right-handed normal-hearing participants and examined whether altering cortical excitability via tDCS causes changes in EFR during monaural listening to speech syllables. We showed significant changes in EFR magnitude when tDCS was applied over the right auditory cortex compared with sham stimulation for the listening ear contralateral to the stimulation site. No such effect was found when tDCS was applied over the left auditory cortex. Crucially, we further observed a hemispheric laterality where aftereffect was significantly greater for tDCS applied over the right than the left auditory cortex in the contralateral ear condition. Our finding thus provides the first evidence that validates the causal relationship between the right auditory cortex and EFR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangting Mai
- Hearing Theme, National Institute for Health Research Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre, Nottingham NG1 5DU, UK.,Division of Clinical Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - Peter Howell
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
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18
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Li X, Zatorre RJ, Du Y. The Microstructural Plasticity of the Arcuate Fasciculus Undergirds Improved Speech in Noise Perception in Musicians. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:3975-3985. [PMID: 34037726 PMCID: PMC8328222 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical training is thought to be related to improved language skills, for example, understanding speech in background noise. Although studies have found that musicians and nonmusicians differed in morphology of bilateral arcuate fasciculus (AF), none has associated such white matter features with speech-in-noise (SIN) perception. Here, we tested both SIN and the diffusivity of bilateral AF segments in musicians and nonmusicians using diffusion tensor imaging. Compared with nonmusicians, musicians had higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right direct AF and lower radial diffusivity in the left anterior AF, which correlated with SIN performance. The FA-based laterality index showed stronger right lateralization of the direct AF and stronger left lateralization of the posterior AF in musicians than nonmusicians, with the posterior AF laterality predicting SIN accuracy. Furthermore, hemodynamic activity in right superior temporal gyrus obtained during a SIN task played a full mediation role in explaining the contribution of the right direct AF diffusivity on SIN performance, which therefore links training-related white matter plasticity, brain hemodynamics, and speech perception ability. Our findings provide direct evidence that differential microstructural plasticity of bilateral AF segments may serve as a neural foundation of the cross-domain transfer effect of musical experience to speech perception amid competing noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaonan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Robert J Zatorre
- Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.,International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Yi Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai 200031, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
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19
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Coffey EBJ, Arseneau-Bruneau I, Zhang X, Baillet S, Zatorre RJ. Oscillatory Entrainment of the Frequency-following Response in Auditory Cortical and Subcortical Structures. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4073-4087. [PMID: 33731448 PMCID: PMC8176755 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2313-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
There is much debate about the existence and function of neural oscillatory mechanisms in the auditory system. The frequency-following response (FFR) is an index of neural periodicity encoding that can provide a vehicle to study entrainment in frequency ranges relevant to speech and music processing. Criteria for entrainment include the presence of poststimulus oscillations and phase alignment between stimulus and endogenous activity. To test the hypothesis of entrainment, in experiment 1 we collected FFR data for a repeated syllable using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography in 20 male and female human adults. We observed significant oscillatory activity after stimulus offset in auditory cortex and subcortical auditory nuclei, consistent with entrainment. In these structures, the FFR fundamental frequency converged from a lower value over 100 ms to the stimulus frequency, consistent with phase alignment, and diverged to a lower value after offset, consistent with relaxation to a preferred frequency. In experiment 2, we tested how transitions between stimulus frequencies affected the MEG FFR to a train of tone pairs in 30 people. We found that the FFR was affected by the frequency of the preceding tone for up to 40 ms at subcortical levels, and even longer durations at cortical levels. Our results suggest that oscillatory entrainment may be an integral part of periodic sound representation throughout the auditory neuraxis. The functional role of this mechanism is unknown, but it could serve as a fine-scale temporal predictor for frequency information, enhancing stability and reducing susceptibility to degradation that could be useful in real-life noisy environments.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neural oscillations are proposed to be a ubiquitous aspect of neural function, but their contribution to auditory encoding is not clear, particularly at higher frequencies associated with pitch encoding. In a magnetoencephalography experiment, we found converging evidence that the frequency-following response has an oscillatory component according to established criteria: poststimulus resonance, progressive entrainment of the neural frequency to the stimulus frequency, and relaxation toward the original state on stimulus offset. In a second experiment, we found that the frequency and amplitude of the frequency-following response to tones are affected by preceding stimuli. These findings support the contribution of intrinsic oscillations to the encoding of sound, and raise new questions about their functional roles, possibly including stabilization and low-level predictive coding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B J Coffey
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Quebec H3G 2A8, Canada
| | - Isabelle Arseneau-Bruneau
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Quebec H3G 2A8, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E3, Canada
| | - Xiaochen Zhang
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, People's Republic of China
| | - Sylvain Baillet
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Quebec H3G 2A8, Canada
| | - Robert J Zatorre
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
- Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, Quebec H3G 2A8, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1E3, Canada
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20
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Gransier R, Guérit F, Carlyon RP, Wouters J. Frequency following responses and rate change complexes in cochlear implant users. Hear Res 2021; 404:108200. [PMID: 33647574 PMCID: PMC8052190 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2021.108200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The upper limit of rate-based pitch perception and rate discrimination can differ substantially across cochlear implant (CI) users. One potential reason for this difference is the presence of a biological limitation on temporal encoding in the electrically-stimulated auditory pathway, which can be inherent to the electrical stimulation itself and/or to the degenerative processes associated with hearing loss. Electrophysiological measures, like the electrically-evoked frequency following response (eFFR) and auditory change complex (eACC), could potentially provide valuable insights in the temporal processing limitations at the level of the brainstem and cortex in the electrically-stimulated auditory pathway. Obtaining these neural responses, free from stimulation artifacts, is challenging, especially when the neural response is phase-locked to the stimulation rate, as is the case for the eFFR. In this study we investigated the feasibility of measuring eFFRs, free from stimulation artifacts, to stimulation rates ranging from 94 to 196 pulses per second (pps) and eACCs to pulse rate changes ranging from 36 to 108%, when stimulating in a monopolar configuration. A high-sampling rate EEG system was used to measure the electrophysiological responses in five CI users, and linear interpolation was applied to remove the stimulation artifacts from the EEG. With this approach, we were able to measure eFFRs for pulse rates up to 162 pps and eACCs to the different rate changes. Our results show that it is feasible to measure electrophysiological responses, free from stimulation artifacts, that could potentially be used as neural correlates for rate and pitch processing in CI users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Gransier
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, ExpORL, Herestraat 49, Box 721, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
| | - Franҫois Guérit
- Cambridge Hearing Group, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Robert P Carlyon
- Cambridge Hearing Group, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Wouters
- KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, ExpORL, Herestraat 49, Box 721, Leuven 3000, Belgium
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21
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Hennessy S, Wood A, Wilcox R, Habibi A. Neurophysiological improvements in speech-in-noise task after short-term choir training in older adults. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:9468-9495. [PMID: 33824226 PMCID: PMC8064162 DOI: 10.18632/aging.202931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Perceiving speech in noise (SIN) is important for health and well-being and decreases with age. Musicians show improved speech-in-noise abilities and reduced age-related auditory decline, yet it is unclear whether short term music engagement has similar effects. In this randomized control trial we used a pre-post design to investigate whether a 12-week music intervention in adults aged 50-65 without prior music training and with subjective hearing loss improves well-being, speech-in-noise abilities, and auditory encoding and voluntary attention as indexed by auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in a syllable-in-noise task, and later AEPs in an oddball task. Age and gender-matched adults were randomized to a choir or control group. Choir participants sang in a 2-hr ensemble with 1-hr home vocal training weekly; controls listened to a 3-hr playlist weekly, attended concerts, and socialized online with fellow participants. From pre- to post-intervention, no differences between groups were observed on quantitative measures of well-being or behavioral speech-in-noise abilities. In the choir group, but not the control group, changes in the N1 component were observed for the syllable-in-noise task, with increased N1 amplitude in the passive condition and decreased N1 latency in the active condition. During the oddball task, larger N1 amplitudes to the frequent standard stimuli were also observed in the choir but not control group from pre to post intervention. Findings have implications for the potential role of music training to improve sound encoding in individuals who are in the vulnerable age range and at risk of auditory decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Hennessy
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Alison Wood
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Rand Wilcox
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Assal Habibi
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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22
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Price CN, Bidelman GM. Attention reinforces human corticofugal system to aid speech perception in noise. Neuroimage 2021; 235:118014. [PMID: 33794356 PMCID: PMC8274701 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceiving speech-in-noise (SIN) demands precise neural coding between brainstem and cortical levels of the hearing system. Attentional processes can then select and prioritize task-relevant cues over competing background noise for successful speech perception. In animal models, brainstem-cortical interplay is achieved via descending corticofugal projections from cortex that shape midbrain responses to behaviorally-relevant sounds. Attentional engagement of corticofugal feedback may assist SIN understanding but has never been confirmed and remains highly controversial in humans. To resolve these issues, we recorded source-level, anatomically constrained brainstem frequency-following responses (FFRs) and cortical event-related potentials (ERPs) to speech via high-density EEG while listeners performed rapid SIN identification tasks. We varied attention with active vs. passive listening scenarios whereas task difficulty was manipulated with additive noise interference. Active listening (but not arousal-control tasks) exaggerated both ERPs and FFRs, confirming attentional gain extends to lower subcortical levels of speech processing. We used functional connectivity to measure the directed strength of coupling between levels and characterize "bottom-up" vs. "top-down" (corticofugal) signaling within the auditory brainstem-cortical pathway. While attention strengthened connectivity bidirectionally, corticofugal transmission disengaged under passive (but not active) SIN listening. Our findings (i) show attention enhances the brain's transcription of speech even prior to cortex and (ii) establish a direct role of the human corticofugal feedback system as an aid to cocktail party speech perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin N Price
- Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Memphis, 4055 North Park Loop, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
| | - Gavin M Bidelman
- Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Memphis, 4055 North Park Loop, Memphis, TN 38152, USA; Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
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23
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MEG Intersubject Phase Locking of Stimulus-Driven Activity during Naturalistic Speech Listening Correlates with Musical Training. J Neurosci 2021; 41:2713-2722. [PMID: 33536196 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0932-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical training is associated with increased structural and functional connectivity between auditory sensory areas and higher-order brain networks involved in speech and motor processing. Whether such changed connectivity patterns facilitate the cortical propagation of speech information in musicians remains poorly understood. We here used magnetoencephalography (MEG) source imaging and a novel seed-based intersubject phase-locking approach to investigate the effects of musical training on the interregional synchronization of stimulus-driven neural responses during listening to naturalistic continuous speech presented in silence. MEG data were obtained from 20 young human subjects (both sexes) with different degrees of musical training. Our data show robust bilateral patterns of stimulus-driven interregional phase synchronization between auditory cortex and frontotemporal brain regions previously associated with speech processing. Stimulus-driven phase locking was maximal in the delta band, but was also observed in the theta and alpha bands. The individual duration of musical training was positively associated with the magnitude of stimulus-driven alpha-band phase locking between auditory cortex and parts of the dorsal and ventral auditory processing streams. These findings provide evidence for a positive relationship between musical training and the propagation of speech-related information between auditory sensory areas and higher-order processing networks, even when speech is presented in silence. We suggest that the increased synchronization of higher-order cortical regions to auditory cortex may contribute to the previously described musician advantage in processing speech in background noise.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Musical training has been associated with widespread structural and functional brain plasticity. It has been suggested that these changes benefit the production and perception of music but can also translate to other domains of auditory processing, such as speech. We developed a new magnetoencephalography intersubject analysis approach to study the cortical synchronization of stimulus-driven neural responses during the perception of continuous natural speech and its relationship to individual musical training. Our results provide evidence that musical training is associated with higher synchronization of stimulus-driven activity between brain regions involved in early auditory sensory and higher-order processing. We suggest that the increased synchronized propagation of speech information may contribute to the previously described musician advantage in processing speech in background noise.
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Subcortical rather than cortical sources of the frequency-following response (FFR) relate to speech-in-noise perception in normal-hearing listeners. Neurosci Lett 2021; 746:135664. [PMID: 33497718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Scalp-recorded frequency-following responses (FFRs) reflect a mixture of phase-locked activity across the auditory pathway. FFRs have been widely used as a neural barometer of complex listening skills, especially speech-in noise (SIN) perception. Applying individually optimized source reconstruction to speech-FFRs recorded via EEG (FFREEG), we assessed the relative contributions of subcortical [auditory nerve (AN), brainstem/midbrain (BS)] and cortical [bilateral primary auditory cortex, PAC] source generators with the aim of identifying which source(s) drive the brain-behavior relation between FFRs and SIN listening skills. We found FFR strength declined precipitously from AN to PAC, consistent with diminishing phase-locking along the ascending auditory neuroaxis. FFRs to the speech fundamental (F0) were robust to noise across sources, but were largest in subcortical sources (BS > AN > PAC). PAC FFRs were only weakly observed above the noise floor and only at the low pitch of speech (F0≈100 Hz). Brain-behavior regressions revealed (i) AN and BS FFRs were sufficient to describe listeners' QuickSIN scores and (ii) contrary to neuromagnetic (MEG) FFRs, neither left nor right PAC FFREEG related to SIN performance. Our findings suggest subcortical sources not only dominate the electrical FFR but also the link between speech-FFRs and SIN processing in normal-hearing adults as observed in previous EEG studies.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The medial olivocochlear (MOC) reflex provides efferent feedback from the brainstem to cochlear outer hair cells. Physiologic studies have demonstrated that the MOC reflex is involved in "unmasking" of signals-in-noise at the level of the auditory nerve; however, its functional importance in human hearing remains unclear. DESIGN This study examined relationships between pre-neural measurements of MOC reflex strength (click-evoked otoacoustic emission inhibition; CEOAE) and neural measurements of speech-in-noise encoding (speech frequency following response; sFFR) in four conditions (Quiet, Contralateral Noise, Ipsilateral Noise, and Ipsilateral + Contralateral Noise). Three measures of CEOAE inhibition (amplitude reduction, effective attenuation, and input-output slope inhibition) were used to quantify pre-neural MOC reflex strength. Correlations between pre-neural MOC reflex strength and sFFR "unmasking" (i.e. response recovery from masking effects with activation of the MOC reflex in time and frequency domains) were assessed. STUDY SAMPLE 18 young adults with normal hearing. RESULTS sFFR unmasking effects were insignificant, and there were no correlations between pre-neural MOC reflex strength and sFFR unmasking in the time or frequency domain. CONCLUSION Our results do not support the hypothesis that the MOC reflex is involved in speech-in-noise neural encoding, at least for features that are represented in the sFFR at the SNR tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- S B Smith
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - B Cone
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Kulasingham JP, Brodbeck C, Presacco A, Kuchinsky SE, Anderson S, Simon JZ. High gamma cortical processing of continuous speech in younger and older listeners. Neuroimage 2020; 222:117291. [PMID: 32835821 PMCID: PMC7736126 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural processing along the ascending auditory pathway is often associated with a progressive reduction in characteristic processing rates. For instance, the well-known frequency-following response (FFR) of the auditory midbrain, as measured with electroencephalography (EEG), is dominated by frequencies from ∼100 Hz to several hundred Hz, phase-locking to the acoustic stimulus at those frequencies. In contrast, cortical responses, whether measured by EEG or magnetoencephalography (MEG), are typically characterized by frequencies of a few Hz to a few tens of Hz, time-locking to acoustic envelope features. In this study we investigated a crossover case, cortically generated responses time-locked to continuous speech features at FFR-like rates. Using MEG, we analyzed responses in the high gamma range of 70-200 Hz to continuous speech using neural source-localized reverse correlation and the corresponding temporal response functions (TRFs). Continuous speech stimuli were presented to 40 subjects (17 younger, 23 older adults) with clinically normal hearing and their MEG responses were analyzed in the 70-200 Hz band. Consistent with the relative insensitivity of MEG to many subcortical structures, the spatiotemporal profile of these response components indicated a cortical origin with ∼40 ms peak latency and a right hemisphere bias. TRF analysis was performed using two separate aspects of the speech stimuli: a) the 70-200 Hz carrier of the speech, and b) the 70-200 Hz temporal modulations in the spectral envelope of the speech stimulus. The response was dominantly driven by the envelope modulation, with a much weaker contribution from the carrier. Age-related differences were also analyzed to investigate a reversal previously seen along the ascending auditory pathway, whereby older listeners show weaker midbrain FFR responses than younger listeners, but, paradoxically, have stronger cortical low frequency responses. In contrast to both these earlier results, this study did not find clear age-related differences in high gamma cortical responses to continuous speech. Cortical responses at FFR-like frequencies shared some properties with midbrain responses at the same frequencies and with cortical responses at much lower frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua P Kulasingham
- (a)Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States.
| | - Christian Brodbeck
- (b)Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States.
| | - Alessandro Presacco
- (b)Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States.
| | - Stefanie E Kuchinsky
- (c)Audiology and Speech Pathology Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, United States.
| | - Samira Anderson
- (d)Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States.
| | - Jonathan Z Simon
- (a)Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States; (b)Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States; (e)Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States.
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Speech frequency-following response in human auditory cortex is more than a simple tracking. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117545. [PMID: 33186711 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human auditory cortex is recently found to contribute to the frequency following response (FFR) and the cortical component has been shown to be more relevant to speech perception. However, it is not clear how cortical FFR may contribute to the processing of speech fundamental frequency (F0) and the dynamic pitch. Using intracranial EEG recordings, we observed a significant FFR at the fundamental frequency (F0) for both speech and speech-like harmonic complex stimuli in the human auditory cortex, even in the missing fundamental condition. Both the spectral amplitude and phase coherence of the cortical FFR showed a significant harmonic preference, and attenuated from the primary auditory cortex to the surrounding associative auditory cortex. The phase coherence of the speech FFR was found significantly higher than that of the harmonic complex stimuli, especially in the left hemisphere, showing a high timing fidelity of the cortical FFR in tracking dynamic F0 in speech. Spectrally, the frequency band of the cortical FFR was largely overlapped with the range of the human vocal pitch. Taken together, our study parsed the intrinsic properties of the cortical FFR and reveals a preference for speech-like sounds, supporting its potential role in processing speech intonation and lexical tones.
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Andermann M, Günther M, Patterson RD, Rupp A. Early cortical processing of pitch height and the role of adaptation and musicality. Neuroimage 2020; 225:117501. [PMID: 33169697 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pitch is an important perceptual feature; however, it is poorly understood how its cortical correlates are shaped by absolute vs relative fundamental frequency (f0), and by neural adaptation. In this study, we assessed transient and sustained auditory evoked fields (AEFs) at the onset, progression, and offset of short pitch height sequences, taking into account the listener's musicality. We show that neuromagnetic activity reflects absolute f0 at pitch onset and offset, and relative f0 at transitions within pitch sequences; further, sequences with fixed f0 lead to larger response suppression than sequences with variable f0 contour, and to enhanced offset activity. Musical listeners exhibit stronger f0-related AEFs and larger differences between their responses to fixed vs variable sequences, both within sequences and at pitch offset. The results resemble prominent psychoacoustic phenomena in the perception of pitch contours; moreover, they suggest a strong influence of adaptive mechanisms on cortical pitch processing which, in turn, might be modulated by a listener's musical expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Andermann
- Section of Biomagnetism, Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Melanie Günther
- Section of Biomagnetism, Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Roy D Patterson
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EG, United Kingdom
| | - André Rupp
- Section of Biomagnetism, Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Abstract
Being able to pick out particular sounds, such as speech, against a background of other sounds represents one of the key tasks performed by the auditory system. Understanding how this happens is important because speech recognition in noise is particularly challenging for older listeners and for people with hearing impairments. Central to this ability is the capacity of neurons to adapt to the statistics of sounds reaching the ears, which helps to generate noise-tolerant representations of sounds in the brain. In more complex auditory scenes, such as a cocktail party — where the background noise comprises other voices, sound features associated with each source have to be grouped together and segregated from those belonging to other sources. This depends on precise temporal coding and modulation of cortical response properties when attending to a particular speaker in a multi-talker environment. Furthermore, the neural processing underlying auditory scene analysis is shaped by experience over multiple timescales.
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Musical Experience Offsets Age-Related Decline in Understanding Speech-in-Noise: Type of Training Does Not Matter, Working Memory Is the Key. Ear Hear 2020; 42:258-270. [PMID: 32826504 DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000000921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Speech comprehension under "cocktail party" scenarios deteriorates with age even in the absence of measurable hearing loss. Musical training is suggested to counteract the age-related decline in speech-in-noise (SIN) perception, yet which aspect of musical plasticity contributes to this compensation remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of musical experience and aging on SIN perception ability. We hypothesized a key mediation role of auditory working memory in ameliorating deficient SIN perception in older adults by musical training. DESIGN Forty-eight older musicians, 29 older nonmusicians, 48 young musicians, and 24 young nonmusicians all with (near) normal peripheral hearing were recruited. The SIN task was recognizing nonsense speech sentences either perceptually colocated or separated with a noise masker (energetic masking) or a two-talker speech masker (informational masking). Auditory working memory was measured by auditory digit span. Path analysis was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of musical expertise and age on SIN perception performance. RESULTS Older musicians outperformed older nonmusicians in auditory working memory and all SIN conditions (noise separation, noise colocation, speech separation, speech colocation), but such musician advantages were absent in young adults. Path analysis showed that age and musical training had opposite effects on auditory working memory, which played a significant mediation role in SIN perception. In addition, the type of musical training did not differentiate SIN perception regardless of age. CONCLUSIONS These results provide evidence that musical training offsets age-related speech perception deficit at adverse listening conditions by preserving auditory working memory. Our findings highlight auditory working memory in supporting speech perception amid competing noise in older adults, and underline musical training as a means of "cognitive reserve" against declines in speech comprehension and cognition in aging populations.
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Zendel BR, Alexander EJ. Autodidacticism and Music: Do Self-Taught Musicians Exhibit the Same Auditory Processing Advantages as Formally Trained Musicians? Front Neurosci 2020; 14:752. [PMID: 32792899 PMCID: PMC7385409 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple studies have demonstrated that musicians have enhanced auditory processing abilities compared to non-musicians. In these studies, musicians are usually defined as having received some sort of formal music training. One issue with this definition is that there are many musicians who are self-taught. The goal of the current study was to determine if self-taught musicians exhibit different auditory enhancements as their formally trained counterparts. Three groups of participants were recruited: formally trained musicians, who received formal music training through the conservatory or private lessons; self-taught musicians, who learned to play music through informal methods, such as with books, videos, or by ear; non-musicians, who had little or no music experience. Auditory processing abilities were assessed using a speech-in-noise task, a passive pitch oddball task done while recording electrical brain activity, and a melodic tonal violation task, done both actively and passively while recording electrical brain activity. For the melodic tonal violation task, formally trained musicians were better at detecting a tonal violation compared to self-taught musicians, who were in turn better than non-musicians. The P600 evoked by a tonal violation was enhanced in formally trained musicians compared to non-musicians. The P600 evoked by an out-of-key note did not differ between formally trained and self-taught musicians, while the P600 evoked by an out-of-tune note was smaller in self-taught musicians compared to formally trained musicians. No differences were observed between the groups for the other tasks. This pattern of results suggests that music training format impacts auditory processing abilities in musical tasks; however, it is possible that these differences arose due to pre-existing factors and not due to the training itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Rich Zendel
- Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.,Aging Research Centre - Newfoundland and Labrador, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, Corner Brook, NL, Canada
| | - Emily J Alexander
- Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.,Program in Psychology, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, Corner Brook, NL, Canada
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Puschmann S, Baillet S, Zatorre RJ. Musicians at the Cocktail Party: Neural Substrates of Musical Training During Selective Listening in Multispeaker Situations. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:3253-3265. [PMID: 30137239 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical training has been demonstrated to benefit speech-in-noise perception. It is however unknown whether this effect translates to selective listening in cocktail party situations, and if so what its neural basis might be. We investigated this question using magnetoencephalography-based speech envelope reconstruction and a sustained selective listening task, in which participants with varying amounts of musical training attended to 1 of 2 speech streams while detecting rare target words. Cortical frequency-following responses (FFR) and auditory working memory were additionally measured to dissociate musical training-related effects on low-level auditory processing versus higher cognitive function. Results show that the duration of musical training is associated with a reduced distracting effect of competing speech on target detection accuracy. Remarkably, more musical training was related to a robust neural tracking of both the to-be-attended and the to-be-ignored speech stream, up until late cortical processing stages. Musical training-related increases in FFR power were associated with a robust speech tracking in auditory sensory areas, whereas training-related differences in auditory working memory were linked to an increased representation of the to-be-ignored stream beyond auditory cortex. Our findings suggest that musically trained persons can use additional information about the distracting stream to limit interference by competing speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Puschmann
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sylvain Baillet
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Robert J Zatorre
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Greenlaw KM, Puschmann S, Coffey EBJ. Decoding of Envelope vs. Fundamental Frequency During Complex Auditory Stream Segregation. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2020; 1:268-287. [PMID: 37215227 PMCID: PMC10158587 DOI: 10.1162/nol_a_00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Hearing-in-noise perception is a challenging task that is critical to human function, but how the brain accomplishes it is not well understood. A candidate mechanism proposes that the neural representation of an attended auditory stream is enhanced relative to background sound via a combination of bottom-up and top-down mechanisms. To date, few studies have compared neural representation and its task-related enhancement across frequency bands that carry different auditory information, such as a sound's amplitude envelope (i.e., syllabic rate or rhythm; 1-9 Hz), and the fundamental frequency of periodic stimuli (i.e., pitch; >40 Hz). Furthermore, hearing-in-noise in the real world is frequently both messier and richer than the majority of tasks used in its study. In the present study, we use continuous sound excerpts that simultaneously offer predictive, visual, and spatial cues to help listeners separate the target from four acoustically similar simultaneously presented sound streams. We show that while both lower and higher frequency information about the entire sound stream is represented in the brain's response, the to-be-attended sound stream is strongly enhanced only in the slower, lower frequency sound representations. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that attended sound representations are strengthened progressively at higher level, later processing stages, and that the interaction of multiple brain systems can aid in this process. Our findings contribute to our understanding of auditory stream separation in difficult, naturalistic listening conditions and demonstrate that pitch and envelope information can be decoded from single-channel EEG data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keelin M. Greenlaw
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS)
- The Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM)
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Campbell J, Nielsen M, LaBrec A, Bean C. Sensory Inhibition Is Related to Variable Speech Perception in Noise in Adults With Normal Hearing. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2020; 63:1595-1607. [PMID: 32402215 DOI: 10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Speech perception in noise (SPiN) varies widely in individuals with normal hearing, which may be attributed to factors that are not reflected in the audiogram, such as inhibition. However, inhibition is involved at both sensory and cognitive stages of auditory perception, and while inhibition at the cognitive level has been shown to be a significant factor in SPiN processes, it is unknown whether sensory inhibition may also contribute to SPiN variability. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate sensory inhibition in adults with normal hearing and mild SPiN impairment. Method Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) were recorded in 49 adults via high-density electroencephalography using an auditory gating paradigm. Participants were categorized according to a median signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss of 1.5 dB: typical SNR loss ≤ 1.5 dB (n = 32), mild SNR loss > 1.5 dB (n = 17). CAEP gating responses were compared and correlated with SNR loss and extended high-frequency thresholds. Current density reconstructions were performed to qualitatively observe underlying cortical inhibitory networks in each group. Results In comparison to adults with typical SPiN ability, adults with mild SPiN impairment showed an absence of the gating response. A CAEP gating component (P2) reflected decreased sensory inhibition and correlated with increased SNR loss. Extended high-frequency thresholds were also found to correlate with SNR loss, but not gating function. An atypical cortical inhibitory network was observed in the mild SNR loss group, with reduced frontal and absent prefrontal activation. Conclusion Sensory inhibition appears to be atypical and related to SPiN deficits in adults with mild impairment. In addition, cortical inhibitory networks appear to be incomplete, with a possible compensatory parietal network. Further research is needed to delineate between types or levels of central inhibitory mechanisms and their contribution to SPiN processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Campbell
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Central Sensory Processes Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Mashhood Nielsen
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Central Sensory Processes Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Alison LaBrec
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Central Sensory Processes Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin
| | - Connor Bean
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Central Sensory Processes Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin
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Venâncio LGA, da Hora LCD, Muniz LF. Critical analysis of the article "Speech-ABR in contralateral noise:" The potential tool to evaluate the rostral part of the auditory efferent system "of Lotfi, Moossavi, Javanbakhta and Zadeh: Letter to the editor. Med Hypotheses 2020; 141:109651. [PMID: 32330773 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- L G A Venâncio
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde da Comunicação Humana, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE - Recife, PE, Brazil.
| | - L C D da Hora
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde da Comunicação Humana, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE - Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - L F Muniz
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Saúde da Comunicação Humana, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE - Recife, PE, Brazil
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BinKhamis G, Elia Forte A, Reichenbach T, O'Driscoll M, Kluk K. Speech Auditory Brainstem Responses in Adult Hearing Aid Users: Effects of Aiding and Background Noise, and Prediction of Behavioral Measures. Trends Hear 2019; 23:2331216519848297. [PMID: 31264513 PMCID: PMC6607564 DOI: 10.1177/2331216519848297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Evaluation of patients who are unable to provide behavioral responses on standard clinical measures is challenging due to the lack of standard objective (non-behavioral) clinical audiological measures that assess the outcome of an intervention (e.g., hearing aids). Brainstem responses to short consonant-vowel stimuli (speech-auditory brainstem responses [speech-ABRs]) have been proposed as a measure of subcortical encoding of speech, speech detection, and speech-in-noise performance in individuals with normal hearing. Here, we investigated the potential application of speech-ABRs as an objective clinical outcome measure of speech detection, speech-in-noise detection and recognition, and self-reported speech understanding in 98 adults with sensorineural hearing loss. We compared aided and unaided speech-ABRs, and speech-ABRs in quiet and in noise. In addition, we evaluated whether speech-ABR F0 encoding (obtained from the complex cross-correlation with the 40 ms [da] fundamental waveform) predicted aided behavioral speech recognition in noise or aided self-reported speech understanding. Results showed that (a) aided speech-ABRs had earlier peak latencies, larger peak amplitudes, and larger F0 encoding amplitudes compared to unaided speech-ABRs; (b) the addition of background noise resulted in later F0 encoding latencies but did not have an effect on peak latencies and amplitudes or on F0 encoding amplitudes; and (c) speech-ABRs were not a significant predictor of any of the behavioral or self-report measures. These results show that speech-ABR F0 encoding is not a good predictor of speech-in-noise recognition or self-reported speech understanding with hearing aids. However, our results suggest that speech-ABRs may have potential for clinical application as an objective measure of speech detection with hearing aids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghada BinKhamis
- 1 Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.,2 Department of Communication and Swallowing Disorders, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Antonio Elia Forte
- 3 John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tobias Reichenbach
- 4 Department of Bioengineering, Centre for Neurotechnology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Martin O'Driscoll
- 1 Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK.,5 Manchester Auditory Implant Centre, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Karolina Kluk
- 1 Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
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Gasenzer ER, Kanat A, Ozdemir V, Rakici SY, Neugebauer E. Interesting different survival status of musicians with malignant cerebral tumors. Br J Neurosurg 2019; 34:264-270. [DOI: 10.1080/02688697.2019.1701629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Romana Gasenzer
- Faculty of Health, Department of Medicine, Universität Witten/Herdecke, Campus Köln-Merheim, Köln, Institut für Forschung in der OperativenMedizin, Witten, Germany
| | - Ayhan Kanat
- Medical Faculty, Department of Neurosurgery, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey
| | - Vacide Ozdemir
- Department of Medical Nursing, School of Health, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Rize, Turkey
| | - Sema Yilmaz Rakici
- Medical Faculty, Department of Radiation Oncology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey
| | - Edmund Neugebauer
- Faculty of Health, Department of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, Dean of Medical School Brandenburg Theodor Fontane, Neuruppin, Germany
- Health Services Research, Universität Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
- Faculty of Health, Department of Medicine, Campus Neuruppin, Germany
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38
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Dubinsky E, Wood EA, Nespoli G, Russo FA. Short-Term Choir Singing Supports Speech-in-Noise Perception and Neural Pitch Strength in Older Adults With Age-Related Hearing Loss. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1153. [PMID: 31849572 PMCID: PMC6892838 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Prior studies have demonstrated musicianship enhancements of various aspects of auditory and cognitive processing in older adults, but musical training has rarely been examined as an intervention for mitigating age-related declines in these abilities. The current study investigates whether 10 weeks of choir participation can improve aspects of auditory processing in older adults, particularly speech-in-noise (SIN) perception. A choir-singing group and an age- and audiometrically-matched do-nothing control group underwent pre- and post-testing over a 10-week period. Linear mixed effects modeling in a regression analysis showed that choir participants demonstrated improvements in speech-in-noise perception, pitch discrimination ability, and the strength of the neural representation of speech fundamental frequency. Choir participants' gains in SIN perception were mediated by improvements in pitch discrimination, which was in turn predicted by the strength of the neural representation of speech stimuli (FFR), suggesting improvements in pitch processing as a possible mechanism for this SIN perceptual improvement. These findings support the hypothesis that short-term choir participation is an effective intervention for mitigating age-related hearing losses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella Dubinsky
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Emily A. Wood
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gabriel Nespoli
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Frank A. Russo
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Rosenthal MA. A systematic review of the voice-tagging hypothesis of speech-in-noise perception. Neuropsychologia 2019; 136:107256. [PMID: 31715197 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The voice-tagging hypothesis claims that individuals who better represent pitch information in a speaker's voice, as measured with the frequency following response (FFR), will be better at speech-in-noise perception. The hypothesis has been provided to explain how music training might improve speech-in-noise perception. This paper reviews studies that are relevant to the voice-tagging hypothesis, including studies on musicians and nonmusicians. Most studies on musicians show greater f0 amplitude compared to controls. Most studies on nonmusicians do not show group differences in f0 amplitude. Across all studies reviewed, f0 amplitude does not consistently predict accuracy in speech-in-noise perception. The evidence suggests that music training does not improve speech-in-noise perception via enhanced subcortical representation of the f0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Rosenthal
- University of Kansas, 1450 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS, 66045, Department of Psychology, United States.
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40
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Coffey EBJ, Nicol T, White-Schwoch T, Chandrasekaran B, Krizman J, Skoe E, Zatorre RJ, Kraus N. Evolving perspectives on the sources of the frequency-following response. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5036. [PMID: 31695046 PMCID: PMC6834633 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13003-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The auditory frequency-following response (FFR) is a non-invasive index of the fidelity of sound encoding in the brain, and is used to study the integrity, plasticity, and behavioral relevance of the neural encoding of sound. In this Perspective, we review recent evidence suggesting that, in humans, the FFR arises from multiple cortical and subcortical sources, not just subcortically as previously believed, and we illustrate how the FFR to complex sounds can enhance the wider field of auditory neuroscience. Far from being of use only to study basic auditory processes, the FFR is an uncommonly multifaceted response yielding a wealth of information, with much yet to be tapped.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B J Coffey
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 1455 Boulevard de Maisonneuve Ouest, Montréal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada.
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montréal, QC, Canada.
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), McGill University, 3640 de la Montagne, Montréal, QC, H3G 2A8, Canada.
| | - Trent Nicol
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Travis White-Schwoch
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Bharath Chandrasekaran
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Forbes Tower, 3600 Atwood St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Jennifer Krizman
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Erika Skoe
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2 Alethia Drive, Unit 1085, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | - Robert J Zatorre
- International Laboratory for Brain, Music, and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), McGill University, 3640 de la Montagne, Montréal, QC, H3G 2A8, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 3801 rue Université, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Nina Kraus
- Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, 2205 Tech Dr., Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, Northwestern University, 420 E Superior St., Chicago, IL, 6011, USA
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41
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Ross B, Dobri S, Schumann A. Speech-in-noise understanding in older age: The role of inhibitory cortical responses. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 51:891-908. [PMID: 31494988 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Studies of central auditory processing underlying speech-in-noise (SIN) recognition in aging have mainly concerned the degrading neural representation of speech sound in the auditory brainstem and cortex. Less attention has been paid to the aging-related decline of inhibitory function, which reduces the ability to suppress distraction from irrelevant sensory input. In a response suppression paradigm, young and older adults listened to sequences of three short sounds during MEG recording. The amplitudes of the cortical P30 response and the 40-Hz transient gamma response were compared with age, hearing loss and SIN performance. Sensory gating, indicated by the P30 amplitude ratio between the last and the first responses, was reduced in older compared to young listeners. Sensory gating was correlated with age in the older adults but not with hearing loss nor with SIN understanding. The transient gamma response expressed less response suppression. However, the gamma amplitude increased with age and SIN loss. Comparisons of linear multi-variable modeling showed a stronger brain-behavior relationship between the gamma amplitude and SIN performance than between gamma and age or hearing loss. The findings support the hypothesis that aging-related changes in the balance between inhibitory and excitatory neural mechanisms modify the generation of gamma oscillations, which impacts on perceptual binding and consequently on SIN understanding abilities. In conclusion, SIN recognition in older age is less affected by central auditory processing at the level of sensation, indicated by sensory gating, but is strongly affected at the level of perceptual organization, indicated by the correlation with the gamma responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Ross
- Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department for Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Simon Dobri
- Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department for Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Annette Schumann
- Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
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42
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Llanos F, Xie Z, Chandrasekaran B. Biometric identification of listener identity from frequency following responses to speech. J Neural Eng 2019; 16:056004. [PMID: 31039552 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/ab1e01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We investigate the biometric specificity of the frequency following response (FFR), an EEG marker of early auditory processing that reflects phase-locked activity from neural ensembles in the auditory cortex and subcortex (Chandrasekaran and Kraus 2010, Bidelman, 2015a, 2018, Coffey et al 2017b). Our objective is two-fold: demonstrate that the FFR contains information beyond stimulus properties and broad group-level markers, and to assess the practical viability of the FFR as a biometric across different sounds, auditory experiences, and recording days. APPROACH We trained the hidden Markov model (HMM) to decode listener identity from FFR spectro-temporal patterns across multiple frequency bands. Our dataset included FFRs from twenty native speakers of English or Mandarin Chinese (10 per group) listening to Mandarin Chinese tones across three EEG sessions separated by days. We decoded subject identity within the same auditory context (same tone and session) and across different stimuli and recording sessions. MAIN RESULTS The HMM decoded listeners for averaging sizes as small as one single FFR. However, model performance improved for larger averaging sizes (e.g. 25 FFRs), similarity in auditory context (same tone and day), and lack of familiarity with the sounds (i.e. native English relative to native Chinese listeners). Our results also revealed important biometric contributions from frequency bands in the cortical and subcortical EEG. SIGNIFICANCE Our study provides the first deep and systematic biometric characterization of the FFR and provides the basis for biometric identification systems incorporating this neural signal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Llanos
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, United States of America
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43
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Modulation of phase-locked neural responses to speech during different arousal states is age-dependent. Neuroimage 2019; 189:734-744. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.01.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
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44
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Coffey EBJ, Arseneau-Bruneau I, Zhang X, Zatorre RJ. The Music-In-Noise Task (MINT): A Tool for Dissecting Complex Auditory Perception. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:199. [PMID: 30930734 PMCID: PMC6427094 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to segregate target sounds in noisy backgrounds is relevant both to neuroscience and to clinical applications. Recent research suggests that hearing-in-noise (HIN) problems are solved using combinations of sub-skills that are applied according to task demand and information availability. While evidence is accumulating for a musician advantage in HIN, the exact nature of the reported training effect is not fully understood. Existing HIN tests focus on tasks requiring understanding of speech in the presence of competing sound. Because visual, spatial and predictive cues are not systematically considered in these tasks, few tools exist to investigate the most relevant components of cognitive processes involved in stream segregation. We present the Music-In-Noise Task (MINT) as a flexible tool to expand HIN measures beyond speech perception, and for addressing research questions pertaining to the relative contributions of HIN sub-skills, inter-individual differences in their use, and their neural correlates. The MINT uses a match-mismatch trial design: in four conditions (Baseline, Rhythm, Spatial, and Visual) subjects first hear a short instrumental musical excerpt embedded in an informational masker of "multi-music" noise, followed by either a matching or scrambled repetition of the target musical excerpt presented in silence; the four conditions differ according to the presence or absence of additional cues. In a fifth condition (Prediction), subjects hear the excerpt in silence as a target first, which helps to anticipate incoming information when the target is embedded in masking sound. Data from samples of young adults show that the MINT has good reliability and internal consistency, and demonstrate selective benefits of musicianship in the Prediction, Rhythm, and Visual subtasks. We also report a performance benefit of multilingualism that is separable from that of musicianship. Average MINT scores were correlated with scores on a sentence-in-noise perception task, but only accounted for a relatively small percentage of the variance, indicating that the MINT is sensitive to additional factors and can provide a complement and extension of speech-based tests for studying stream segregation. A customizable version of the MINT is made available for use and extension by the scientific community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily B. J. Coffey
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Isabelle Arseneau-Bruneau
- Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Xiaochen Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Robert J. Zatorre
- Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music (CRBLM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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45
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Yellamsetty A, Bidelman GM. Brainstem correlates of concurrent speech identification in adverse listening conditions. Brain Res 2019; 1714:182-192. [PMID: 30796895 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2019.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
When two voices compete, listeners can segregate and identify concurrent speech sounds using pitch (fundamental frequency, F0) and timbre (harmonic) cues. Speech perception is also hindered by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). How clear and degraded concurrent speech sounds are represented at early, pre-attentive stages of the auditory system is not well understood. To this end, we measured scalp-recorded frequency-following responses (FFR) from the EEG while human listeners heard two concurrently presented, steady-state (time-invariant) vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones (ST) presented diotically in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5dB SNR) conditions. Listeners also performed a speeded double vowel identification task in which they were required to identify both vowels correctly. Behavioral results showed that speech identification accuracy increased with F0 differences between vowels, and this perceptual F0 benefit was larger for clean compared to noise degraded (+5dB SNR) stimuli. Neurophysiological data demonstrated more robust FFR F0 amplitudes for single compared to double vowels and considerably weaker responses in noise. F0 amplitudes showed speech-on-speech masking effects, along with a non-linear constructive interference at 0ST, and suppression effects at 4ST. Correlations showed that FFR F0 amplitudes failed to predict listeners' identification accuracy. In contrast, FFR F1 amplitudes were associated with faster reaction times, although this correlation was limited to noise conditions. The limited number of brain-behavior associations suggests subcortical activity mainly reflects exogenous processing rather than perceptual correlates of concurrent speech perception. Collectively, our results demonstrate that FFRs reflect pre-attentive coding of concurrent auditory stimuli that only weakly predict the success of identifying concurrent speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anusha Yellamsetty
- School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA; Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of South Florida, USA.
| | - Gavin M Bidelman
- School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA; Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA; University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Memphis, TN, USA.
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46
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Peng F, McKay CM, Mao D, Hou W, Innes-Brown H. Auditory Brainstem Representation of the Voice Pitch Contours in the Resolved and Unresolved Components of Mandarin Tones. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:820. [PMID: 30505262 PMCID: PMC6250765 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate perception of voice pitch plays a vital role in speech understanding, especially for tonal languages such as Mandarin. Lexical tones are primarily distinguished by the fundamental frequency (F0) contour of the acoustic waveform. It has been shown that the auditory system could extract the F0 from the resolved and unresolved harmonics, and the tone identification performance of resolved harmonics was better than unresolved harmonics. To evaluate the neural response to the resolved and unresolved components of Mandarin tones in quiet and in speech-shaped noise, we recorded the frequency-following response. In this study, four types of stimuli were used: speech with either only-resolved harmonics or only-unresolved harmonics, both in quiet and in speech-shaped noise. Frequency-following responses (FFRs) were recorded to alternating-polarity stimuli and were added or subtracted to enhance the neural response to the envelope (FFRENV) or fine structure (FFRTFS), respectively. The neural representation of the F0 strength reflected by the FFRENV was evaluated by the peak autocorrelation value in the temporal domain and the peak phase-locking value (PLV) at F0 in the spectral domain. Both evaluation methods showed that the FFRENV F0 strength in quiet was significantly stronger than in noise for speech including unresolved harmonics, but not for speech including resolved harmonics. The neural representation of the temporal fine structure reflected by the FFRTFS was assessed by the PLV at the harmonic near to F1 (4th of F0). The PLV at harmonic near to F1 (4th of F0) of FFRTFS to resolved harmonics was significantly larger than to unresolved harmonics. Spearman's correlation showed that the FFRENV F0 strength to unresolved harmonics was correlated with tone identification performance in noise (0 dB SNR). These results showed that the FFRENV F0 strength to speech sounds with resolved harmonics was not affected by noise. In contrast, the response to speech sounds with unresolved harmonics, which were significantly smaller in noise compared to quiet. Our results suggest that coding resolved harmonics was more important than coding envelope for tone identification performance in noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Peng
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Chongqing University, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.,The Bionics Institute of Australia, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Medical Bionics Department, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Colette M McKay
- The Bionics Institute of Australia, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Medical Bionics Department, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Darren Mao
- The Bionics Institute of Australia, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Wensheng Hou
- Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology, Chongqing University, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center of Medical Electronics Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hamish Innes-Brown
- The Bionics Institute of Australia, East Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Medical Bionics Department, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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47
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Brainstem-cortical functional connectivity for speech is differentially challenged by noise and reverberation. Hear Res 2018; 367:149-160. [PMID: 29871826 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2018.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Everyday speech perception is challenged by external acoustic interferences that hinder verbal communication. Here, we directly compared how different levels of the auditory system (brainstem vs. cortex) code speech and how their neural representations are affected by two acoustic stressors: noise and reverberation. We recorded multichannel (64 ch) brainstem frequency-following responses (FFRs) and cortical event-related potentials (ERPs) simultaneously in normal hearing individuals to speech sounds presented in mild and moderate levels of noise and reverb. We matched signal-to-noise and direct-to-reverberant ratios to equate the severity between classes of interference. Electrode recordings were parsed into source waveforms to assess the relative contribution of region-specific brain areas [i.e., brainstem (BS), primary auditory cortex (A1), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG)]. Results showed that reverberation was less detrimental to (and in some cases facilitated) the neural encoding of speech compared to additive noise. Inter-regional correlations revealed associations between BS and A1 responses, suggesting subcortical speech representations influence higher auditory-cortical areas. Functional connectivity analyses further showed that directed signaling toward A1 in both feedforward cortico-collicular (BS→A1) and feedback cortico-cortical (IFG→A1) pathways were strong predictors of degraded speech perception and differentiated "good" vs. "poor" perceivers. Our findings demonstrate a functional interplay within the brain's speech network that depends on the form and severity of acoustic interference. We infer that in addition to the quality of neural representations within individual brain regions, listeners' success at the "cocktail party" is modulated based on how information is transferred among subcortical and cortical hubs of the auditory-linguistic network.
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48
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Disbergen NR, Valente G, Formisano E, Zatorre RJ. Assessing Top-Down and Bottom-Up Contributions to Auditory Stream Segregation and Integration With Polyphonic Music. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:121. [PMID: 29563861 PMCID: PMC5845899 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyphonic music listening well exemplifies processes typically involved in daily auditory scene analysis situations, relying on an interactive interplay between bottom-up and top-down processes. Most studies investigating scene analysis have used elementary auditory scenes, however real-world scene analysis is far more complex. In particular, music, contrary to most other natural auditory scenes, can be perceived by either integrating or, under attentive control, segregating sound streams, often carried by different instruments. One of the prominent bottom-up cues contributing to multi-instrument music perception is their timbre difference. In this work, we introduce and validate a novel paradigm designed to investigate, within naturalistic musical auditory scenes, attentive modulation as well as its interaction with bottom-up processes. Two psychophysical experiments are described, employing custom-composed two-voice polyphonic music pieces within a framework implementing a behavioral performance metric to validate listener instructions requiring either integration or segregation of scene elements. In Experiment 1, the listeners' locus of attention was switched between individual instruments or the aggregate (i.e., both instruments together), via a task requiring the detection of temporal modulations (i.e., triplets) incorporated within or across instruments. Subjects responded post-stimulus whether triplets were present in the to-be-attended instrument(s). Experiment 2 introduced the bottom-up manipulation by adding a three-level morphing of instrument timbre distance to the attentional framework. The task was designed to be used within neuroimaging paradigms; Experiment 2 was additionally validated behaviorally in the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) environment. Experiment 1 subjects (N = 29, non-musicians) completed the task at high levels of accuracy, showing no group differences between any experimental conditions. Nineteen listeners also participated in Experiment 2, showing a main effect of instrument timbre distance, even though within attention-condition timbre-distance contrasts did not demonstrate any timbre effect. Correlation of overall scores with morph-distance effects, computed by subtracting the largest from the smallest timbre distance scores, showed an influence of general task difficulty on the timbre distance effect. Comparison of laboratory and fMRI data showed scanner noise had no adverse effect on task performance. These Experimental paradigms enable to study both bottom-up and top-down contributions to auditory stream segregation and integration within psychophysical and neuroimaging experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels R. Disbergen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Giancarlo Valente
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Elia Formisano
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Robert J. Zatorre
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- International Laboratory for Brain Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Montreal, QC, Canada
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49
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Musical training sharpens and bonds ears and tongue to hear speech better. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:13579-13584. [PMID: 29203648 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1712223114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The idea that musical training improves speech perception in challenging listening environments is appealing and of clinical importance, yet the mechanisms of any such musician advantage are not well specified. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we found that musicians outperformed nonmusicians in identifying syllables at varying signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), which was associated with stronger activation of the left inferior frontal and right auditory regions in musicians compared with nonmusicians. Moreover, musicians showed greater specificity of phoneme representations in bilateral auditory and speech motor regions (e.g., premotor cortex) at higher SNRs and in the left speech motor regions at lower SNRs, as determined by multivoxel pattern analysis. Musical training also enhanced the intrahemispheric and interhemispheric functional connectivity between auditory and speech motor regions. Our findings suggest that improved speech in noise perception in musicians relies on stronger recruitment of, finer phonological representations in, and stronger functional connectivity between auditory and frontal speech motor cortices in both hemispheres, regions involved in bottom-up spectrotemporal analyses and top-down articulatory prediction and sensorimotor integration, respectively.
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