scholarly journals Audiograms of howling monkeys: are extreme loud calls the result of runaway selection?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa A. Ramsier ◽  
Andrew J. Cunningham ◽  
May R. Patiño ◽  
Kenneth E. Glander ◽  
Nathaniel J. Dominy
Keyword(s):  
Sound Propagation ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Alouatta Palliata ◽  
Frequency Region ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Loud Calls ◽  
Infant Distress ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Brainstem Response ◽  
Howling Monkeys

AbstractThe eponymous vocalizations of howling monkeys (genus Alouatta) are associated with territorial defense and male-male competition, yet the extreme loudness of howls, which are among the loudest vocalizations of any terrestrial mammal, have yet to be fully explained. Loudness facilitates long-distance sound propagation but the effectiveness of any vocal signal depends in part on the auditory capabilities of the intended receiver, and the auditory sensitivities of howling monkeys are unknown. To better understand the evolution of loud calls, we used the auditory brainstem response (ABR) method to estimate the auditory sensitivities of Alouatta palliata. The mean estimated audiogram of four wild-caught adults displayed a w-shaped pattern with two regions of enhanced sensitivity centered at 0.7-1.0 and 11.3 kHz. The lower-frequency region of auditory sensitivity is pitched moderately higher than the fundamental frequencies of howling, whereas the higher-frequency region corresponds well with harmonics in an infant distress call, the wrah-ha. Fitness advantages from detecting infants amid low-frequency background noise, including howling, could explain the incongruity between our ABR thresholds and the fundamental frequencies of howling. Attending to infant calls is expected to enhance reproductive success within an infanticidal genus, and we suggest that the extraordinary loudness of male howling is an indirect (runaway) result of positive feedback between the selective pressures of hearing infant distress calls and deterring infanticide.

scholarly journals Re-emergence of the leaf clip gesture during an alpha takeover affects variation in male chimpanzee loud calls

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ammie K. Kalan ◽  
Christophe Boesch
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Loud Calls ◽  
Fundamental Frequencies ◽  
Leaf Clipping ◽  
Pant Hoot ◽  
Population Comparisons

Loud calls are used by many species as long-distance signals for group defense, mate attraction, and inter- and intragroup spacing. Chimpanzee loud calls, or pant hoots, are used in a variety of contexts including group coordination and during male contests. Here, we observed an alpha male takeover in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) during which the leaf clipping gesture re-emerged after disappearing for almost two years in this community. Leaf clipping only occurred in males and was observed almost exclusively prior to pant hoot vocalizations, as has been observed in other chimpanzee communities of the Taï forest in Côte d’Ivoire. Consequently, we hypothesized that leaf clipping may be important for male-male competition by affecting variation in the acoustic properties of male chimpanzee loud calls. We therefore investigated whether pant hoots preceded by leaf clipping differed acoustically from those without, while also testing the influence of social context on pant hoot variation, namely male dominance rank and hierarchy instability, i.e., before, during and after the alpha takeover. We found that pant hoots preceded by leaf clipping were longer, contained more call elements and drum beats, and lower fundamental and peak frequencies. Moreover, during the alpha takeover pant hoots were shorter, contained fewer drum beats and higher fundamental frequencies. Additionally, pant hoot and aggression rates were also highest during the alpha takeover with leaf clipping more likely to occur on days when pant hooting rates were high. Overall social rank had limited effects on pant hoot variation. We suggest that elevated arousal and aggression during the alpha takeover triggered the re-emergence of leaf clipping and the associated acoustic changes in pant hoots. Further research should focus on the potential mechanisms by which leaf clipping is connected to variation in pant hoots and cross-population comparisons of the behaviour.

Hit and False-Alarm Rates of Selected ABR Indices in Differentiating Cochlear Disorders From Acoustic Tumors

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank E. Musiek ◽  
Cynthia A. McCormick ◽  
Raymond M. Hurley
Keyword(s):  
False Alarm ◽  
Amplitude Ratio ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Latency Difference ◽  
Cochlear Pathology ◽  
Brainstem Response ◽  
Absolute Latency ◽  
Two Indices ◽  
Low Sensitivity

We performed a retrospective study of 26 patients with acoustic tumors and 26 patients with otologically diagnosed cochlear pathology to determine the sensitivity (hit rate), specificity (false-alarm rate), and efficiency of six auditory brainstem response indices. In addition, a utility value was determined for each of these six indices. The I–V interwave interval, the interaural latency difference, and the absolute latency of wave V provided the highest hit rates, the best A’ values and good utility. The V/I amplitude ratio index provided high specificity but low sensitivity scores. In regard to sensitivity and specificity, using the combination of two indices provided little overall improvement over the best one-index measures.

The Effect of Kalman-Weighted Averaging and Artifact Rejection on Residual Noise During Auditory Brainstem Response Testing

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-124
Author(s):  
Linda W. Norrix ◽  
Julie Thein ◽  
David Velenovsky
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Weighted Averaging ◽  
Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽  
Residual Noise ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Artifact Rejection ◽  
Brainstem Response ◽  
Active Motor ◽  
Averaging Time

Purpose Low residual noise (RN) levels are critically important when obtaining electrophysiological recordings of threshold auditory brainstem responses. In this study, we examine the effectiveness and efficiency of Kalman-weighted averaging (KWA) implemented on the Vivosonic Integrity System and artifact rejection (AR) implemented on the Intelligent Hearing Systems SmartEP system for obtaining low RN levels. Method Sixteen adults participated. Electrophysiological measures were obtained using simultaneous recordings by the Vivosonic and Intelligent Hearing Systems for subjects in 2 relaxed conditions and 4 active motor conditions. Three averaging times were used for the relaxed states (1, 1.5, and 3 min) and for the active states (1.5, 3, and 6 min). Repeated-measures analyses of variance were used to examine RN levels as a function of noise reduction strategy (i.e., KWA, AR) and averaging time. Results Lower RN levels were obtained using KWA than AR in both the relaxed and active motor states. Thus, KWA was more effective than was AR under the conditions examined in this study. Using KWA, approximately 3 min of averaging was needed in the relaxed condition to obtain an average RN level of 0.025 μV. In contrast, in the active motor conditions, approximately 6 min of averaging was required using KWA. Mean RN levels of 0.025 μV were not attained using AR. Conclusions When patients are not physiologically quiet, low RN levels are more likely to be obtained and more efficiently obtained using KWA than AR. However, even when using KWA, in active motor states, 6 min of averaging or more may be required to obtain threshold responses. Averaging time needed and whether a low RN level can be attained will depend on the level of motor activity exhibited by the patient.

Comparisons of Auditory Brainstem Responses Between a Laboratory and Simulated Home Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 3877-3892
Author(s):  
Ashley Parker ◽  
Candace Slack ◽  
Erika Skoe
Keyword(s):  
Home Environment ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Simulated Home Environment ◽  
Brainstem Response ◽  
Research Populations ◽  
Response Consistency

Purpose Miniaturization of digital technologies has created new opportunities for remote health care and neuroscientific fieldwork. The current study assesses comparisons between in-home auditory brainstem response (ABR) recordings and recordings obtained in a traditional lab setting. Method Click-evoked and speech-evoked ABRs were recorded in 12 normal-hearing, young adult participants over three test sessions in (a) a shielded sound booth within a research lab, (b) a simulated home environment, and (c) the research lab once more. The same single-family house was used for all home testing. Results Analyses of ABR latencies, a common clinical metric, showed high repeatability between the home and lab environments across both the click-evoked and speech-evoked ABRs. Like ABR latencies, response consistency and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were robust both in the lab and in the home and did not show significant differences between locations, although variability between the home and lab was higher than latencies, with two participants influencing this lower repeatability between locations. Response consistency and SNR also patterned together, with a trend for higher SNRs to pair with more consistent responses in both the home and lab environments. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining high-quality ABR recordings within a simulated home environment that closely approximate those recorded in a more traditional recording environment. This line of work may open doors to greater accessibility to underserved clinical and research populations.

Objective Assessment of Hearing in Children: Update on Procedures and Protocols

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-58
Author(s):  
James W. Hall ◽  
Anuradha R. Bantwal
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Development ◽  
Otoacoustic Emissions ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Test Battery ◽  
Auditory Evoked Responses ◽  
Brainstem Response ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
Pediatric Populations

Early identification and diagnosis of hearing loss in infants and young children is the first step toward appropriate and effective intervention and is critical for optimal communicative and psychosocial development. Limitations of behavioral assessment techniques in pediatric populations necessitate the use of an objective test battery to enable complete and accurate assessment of auditory function. Since the introduction of the cross-check principle 35 years ago, the pediatric diagnostic test battery has expanded to include, in addition to behavioral audiometry, acoustic immittance measures, otoacoustic emissions, and multiple auditory evoked responses (auditory brainstem response, auditory steady state response, and electrocochleography). We offer a concise description of a modern evidence-based audiological test battery that permits early and accurate diagnosis of auditory dysfunction.

Auditory brainstem response in the lesser scaup, a species of diving duck

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara C. Therrien ◽  
Catherine E. Carr ◽  
Elizabeth F. Brittan-Powell ◽  
Alicia M. Wells-Berlin
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Brainstem Response ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Diving Duck ◽  
Lesser Scaup ◽  
Brainstem Response
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