scholarly journals Neural signatures of disordered multi-talker speech perception in adults with normal hearing

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aravindakshan Parthasarathy ◽  
Kenneth E Hancock ◽  
Kara Bennett ◽  
Victor DeGruttola ◽  
Daniel B Polley
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Active Listening ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Eeg Recordings ◽  
Ear Canals ◽  
The Individual

AbstractIn social settings, speech waveforms from nearby speakers mix together in our ear canals. The brain unmixes the attended speech stream from the chorus of background speakers using a combination of fast temporal processing and cognitive active listening mechanisms. Multi-talker speech perception is vulnerable to aging or auditory abuse. We found that ∼10% of adult visitors to our clinic have no measurable hearing loss, yet offer a primary complaint of poor hearing. Multi-talker speech intelligibility in these adults was strongly correlated with neural phase locking to frequency modulation (FM) cues, as determined from ear canal EEG recordings. Combining neural temporal fine structure (TFS) processing with pupil-indexed measures of cognitive listening effort could predict most of the individual variance in speech intelligibility thresholds. These findings identify a confluence of disordered bottom-up and top-down processes that predict poor multi-talker speech perception and could be useful in next-generation tests of hidden hearing disorders.

scholarly journals Bottom-up and top-down neural signatures of disordered multi-talker speech perception in adults with normal hearing

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aravindakshan Parthasarathy ◽  
Kenneth E Hancock ◽  
Kara Bennett ◽  
Victor DeGruttola ◽  
Daniel B Polley
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Active Listening ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Clinically Normal ◽  
Social Settings

In social settings, speech waveforms from nearby speakers mix together in our ear canals. Normally, the brain unmixes the attended speech stream from the chorus of background speakers using a combination of fast temporal processing and cognitive active listening mechanisms. Of >100,000 patient records,~10% of adults visited our clinic because of reduced hearing, only to learn that their hearing was clinically normal and should not cause communication difficulties. We found that multi-talker speech intelligibility thresholds varied widely in normal hearing adults, but could be predicted from neural phase-locking to frequency modulation (FM) cues measured with ear canal EEG recordings. Combining neural temporal fine structure processing, pupil-indexed listening effort, and behavioral FM thresholds accounted for 78% of the variability in multi-talker speech intelligibility. The disordered bottom-up and top-down markers of poor multi-talker speech perception identified here could inform the design of next-generation clinical tests for hidden hearing disorders.

Noise and acoustic conditions of premises for hearing-impaired people in Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-85
Author(s):  
Cheol-Ho Jeong ◽  
Wan-Ho Cho ◽  
Ji-Ho Chang ◽  
Sung-Hyun Lee ◽  
Chang-Wook Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Noise Levels ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
Impaired People ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Primary School Pupils ◽  
Acoustic Conditions

Hearing-impaired people need more stringent acoustic and noise requirements than normal-hearing people in terms of speech intelligibility and listening effort. Multiple guidelines recommend a maximum reverberation time of 0.4 s in classrooms, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) greater than 15 dB, and ambient noise levels lower than 35 dBA. We measured noise levels and room acoustic parameters of 12 classrooms in two schools for hearing-impaired pupils, a dormitory apartment for the hearing-impaired, and a church mainly for the hearing-impaired in the Republic of Korea. Additionally, subjective speech clarity and quality of verbal communication were evaluated through questionnaires and interviews with hearing-impaired students in one school. Large differences in subjective speech perception were found between younger primary school pupils and older pupils. Subjective data from the questionnaire and interview were inconsistent; major challenges in obtaining reliable subjective speech perception and limitations of the results are discussed.

scholarly journals Creating Clarity in Noisy Environments by Using Deep Learning in Hearing Aids

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (03) ◽  
pp. 260-281
Author(s):  
Asger Heidemann Andersen ◽  
Sébastien Santurette ◽  
Michael Syskind Pedersen ◽  
Emina Alickovic ◽  
Lorenz Fiedler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Noisy Environments ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Sound Processing ◽  
Listening Environments ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual

AbstractHearing aids continue to acquire increasingly sophisticated sound-processing features beyond basic amplification. On the one hand, these have the potential to add user benefit and allow for personalization. On the other hand, if such features are to benefit according to their potential, they require clinicians to be acquainted with both the underlying technologies and the specific fitting handles made available by the individual hearing aid manufacturers. Ensuring benefit from hearing aids in typical daily listening environments requires that the hearing aids handle sounds that interfere with communication, generically referred to as “noise.” With this aim, considerable efforts from both academia and industry have led to increasingly advanced algorithms that handle noise, typically using the principles of directional processing and postfiltering. This article provides an overview of the techniques used for noise reduction in modern hearing aids. First, classical techniques are covered as they are used in modern hearing aids. The discussion then shifts to how deep learning, a subfield of artificial intelligence, provides a radically different way of solving the noise problem. Finally, the results of several experiments are used to showcase the benefits of recent algorithmic advances in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, speech intelligibility, selective attention, and listening effort.

scholarly journals Listening effort: Not just a function of speech intelligibility scores

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Winn ◽  
Katherine H. Teece
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Wrong Answer ◽  
Percent Correct ◽  
Sentence Repetition ◽  
Whole Word

Speech perception and listening effort are complicated and interrelated concepts. One might assume that intelligibility performance (percent correct) is a proxy for listening effort, but there are some reasons to challenge whether that is actually true. Correct responses in speech perception tests could reflect effortful mental processing, and a completely wrong answer could evoke very little effort, especially if the misperception itself is linguistically well-formed and sensible. This paper presents evidence that listening effort is not a function of the proportion of words correct, but is rather driven by the types of errors, position of errors within a sentence, and the need to resolve ambiguity, reflecting how easily the listener can make sense of a perception. We offer a taxonomy of error types that is both intuitive and also consistent with data from two experiments measuring listening effort with careful controls to either elicit specific kinds of mistakes or to track specific mistakes retrospectively. Participants included individuals with normal hearing or with cochlear implants. In two experiments of sentence repetition, listening effort – indexed by changes in pupil size – was found to scale with the amount of perceptual restoration needed (phoneme versus whole word), and also scale with the sensibility of responses, but not with the number of intelligibility errors. Although mental corrective action and number of mistakes can scale together in many experiments, it is possible to dissociate them in order to advance toward a more explanatory (rather than correlational) account of listening effort.

scholarly journals Listening Effort Is Not the Same as Speech Intelligibility Score

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 233121652110276
Author(s):  
Matthew B. Winn ◽  
Katherine H. Teece
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Pupil Size ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Sentence Repetition ◽  
Intelligibility Score ◽  
Important Notion

Listening effort is a valuable and important notion to measure because it is among the primary complaints of people with hearing loss. It is tempting and intuitive to accept speech intelligibility scores as a proxy for listening effort, but this link is likely oversimplified and lacks actionable explanatory power. This study was conducted to explain the mechanisms of listening effort that are not captured by intelligibility scores, using sentence-repetition tasks where specific kinds of mistakes were prospectively planned or analyzed retrospectively. Effort measured as changes in pupil size among 20 listeners with normal hearing and 19 listeners with cochlear implants. Experiment 1 demonstrates that mental correction of misperceived words increases effort even when responses are correct. Experiment 2 shows that for incorrect responses, listening effort is not a function of the proportion of words correct but is rather driven by the types of errors, position of errors within a sentence, and the need to resolve ambiguity, reflecting how easily the listener can make sense of a perception. A simple taxonomy of error types is provided that is both intuitive and consistent with data from these two experiments. The diversity of errors in these experiments implies that speech perception tasks can be designed prospectively to elicit the mistakes that are more closely linked with effort. Although mental corrective action and number of mistakes can scale together in many experiments, it is possible to dissociate them to advance toward a more explanatory (rather than correlational) account of listening effort.

Motor theory modulated by task load: strategies of phonological processing in frontal aphasia revealed by tDCS over the LIFG

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lílian Rodrigues de Almeida ◽  
Paul A. Pope ◽  
Peter Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Inferior Frontal Gyrus ◽  
Dorsal Stream ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Motor Theory ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs ◽  
The Individual

In our previous studies we supported the claim that the motor theory is modulated by task load. Motoric participation in phonological processing increases from speech perception to speech production, with the endpoints of the dorsal stream having changing and complementary weightings for processing: the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) being increasingly relevant and the left superior temporal gyrus (LSTG) being decreasingly relevant. Our previous results for neurostimulation of the LIFG support this model. In this study we investigated whether our claim that the motor theory is modulated by task load holds in (frontal) aphasia. Person(s) with aphasia (PWA) after stroke typically have damage on brain areas responsible for phonological processing. They may present variable patterns of recovery and, consequently, variable strategies of phonological processing. Here these strategies were investigated in two PWA with simultaneous fMRI and tDCS of the LIFG during speech perception and speech production tasks. Anodal tDCS excitation and cathodal tDCS inhibition should increase with the relevance of the target for the task. Cathodal tDCS over a target of low relevance could also induce compensation by the remaining nodes. Responses of PWA to tDCS would further depend on their pattern of recovery. Responses would depend on the responsiveness of the perilesional area, and could be weaker than in controls due to an overall hypoactivation of the cortex. Results suggest that the analysis of motor codes for articulation during phonological processing remains in frontal aphasia and that tDCS is a promising diagnostic tool to investigate the individual processing strategies.

scholarly journals Logatome Discrimination in Cochlear Implant Users: Subjective Tests Compared to the Mismatch Negativity

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 329-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torsten Rahne ◽  
Michael Ziese ◽  
Dorothea Rostalski ◽  
Roland Mühler
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Mismatch Negativity ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Discrimination Test ◽  
Speech Database ◽  
Automated Speech Recognition ◽  
Related Potentials

This paper describes a logatome discrimination test for the assessment of speech perception in cochlear implant users (CI users), based on a multilingual speech database, the Oldenburg Logatome Corpus, which was originally recorded for the comparison of human and automated speech recognition. The logatome discrimination task is based on the presentation of 100 logatome pairs (i.e., nonsense syllables) with balanced representations of alternating “vowel-replacement” and “consonant-replacement” paradigms in order to assess phoneme confusions. Thirteen adult normal hearing listeners and eight adult CI users, including both good and poor performers, were included in the study and completed the test after their speech intelligibility abilities were evaluated with an established sentence test in noise. Furthermore, the discrimination abilities were measured electrophysiologically by recording the mismatch negativity (MMN) as a component of auditory event-related potentials. The results show a clear MMN response only for normal hearing listeners and CI users with good performance, correlating with their logatome discrimination abilities. Higher discrimination scores for vowel-replacement paradigms than for the consonant-replacement paradigms were found. We conclude that the logatome discrimination test is well suited to monitor the speech perception skills of CI users. Due to the large number of available spoken logatome items, the Oldenburg Logatome Corpus appears to provide a useful and powerful basis for further development of speech perception tests for CI users.

scholarly journals Measuring the Influence of Noise Reduction on Listening Effort in Hearing-Impaired Listeners Using Response Times to an Arithmetic Task in Noise

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 233121652110144
Author(s):  
Ilja Reinten ◽  
Inge De Ronde-Brons ◽  
Rolph Houben ◽  
Wouter Dreschler
Keyword(s):  
Noise Reduction ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Arithmetic Task ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Influence Of Noise ◽  
Measured Response

Single microphone noise reduction (NR) in hearing aids can provide a subjective benefit even when there is no objective improvement in speech intelligibility. A possible explanation lies in a reduction of listening effort. Previously, we showed that response times (a proxy for listening effort) to an auditory-only dual-task were reduced by NR in normal-hearing (NH) listeners. In this study, we investigate if the results from NH listeners extend to the hearing-impaired (HI), the target group for hearing aids. In addition, we assess the relevance of the outcome measure for studying and understanding listening effort. Twelve HI subjects were asked to sum two digits of a digit triplet in noise. We measured response times to this task, as well as subjective listening effort and speech intelligibility. Stimuli were presented at three signal-to-noise ratios (SNR; –5, 0, +5 dB) and in quiet. Stimuli were processed with ideal or nonideal NR, or unprocessed. The effect of NR on response times in HI listeners was significant only in conditions where speech intelligibility was also affected (–5 dB SNR). This is in contrast to the previous results with NH listeners. There was a significant effect of SNR on response times for HI listeners. The response time measure was reasonably correlated ( R142 = 0.54) to subjective listening effort and showed a sufficient test–retest reliability. This study thus presents an objective, valid, and reliable measure for evaluating an aspect of listening effort of HI listeners.

GENERALIZED SYNCHRONIZATION, FREQUENCY-LOCKING AND PHASE-LOCKING OF COUPLED SINE CIRCLE MAPS

2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (08) ◽  
pp. 2245-2253
Author(s):  
WEN-XIN QIN
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical Systems ◽  
Invariant Manifold ◽  
Coupling Strength ◽  
Phase Locking ◽  
Coupled System ◽  
Generalized Synchronization ◽  
Frequency Locking ◽  
Local Systems ◽  
Circle Maps ◽  
The Individual

Applying invariant manifold theorem, we study the existence of generalized synchronization of a coupled system, with local systems being different sine circle maps. We specify a range of parameters for which the coupled system achieves generalized synchronization. We also investigate the relation between generalized synchronization, predictability and equivalence of dynamical systems. If the parameters are restricted in the specified range, then all the subsystems are topologically equivalent, and each subsystem is predictable from any other subsystem. Moreover, these subsystems are frequency locked even if the frequencies are greatly different in the absence of coupling. If the local systems are identical without coupling, then the widths of the phase-locked intervals of the coupled system are the same as those of the individual map and are independent of the coupling strength.

Listening Effort With Cochlear Implant Simulations

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 1075-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Pals ◽  
Anastasios Sarampalis ◽  
Deniz Başkent
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Spectral Resolution ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cognitive Resources ◽  
Visual Response ◽  
Processing Conditions ◽  
Listening Effort ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Spectral Channels

Purpose Fitting a cochlear implant (CI) for optimal speech perception does not necessarily optimize listening effort. This study aimed to show that listening effort may change between CI processing conditions for which speech intelligibility remains constant. Method Nineteen normal-hearing participants listened to CI simulations with varying numbers of spectral channels. A dual-task paradigm combining an intelligibility task with either a linguistic or nonlinguistic visual response-time (RT) task measured intelligibility and listening effort. The simultaneously performed tasks compete for limited cognitive resources; changes in effort associated with the intelligibility task are reflected in changes in RT on the visual task. A separate self-report scale provided a subjective measure of listening effort. Results All measures showed significant improvements with increasing spectral resolution up to 6 channels. However, only the RT measure of listening effort continued improving up to 8 channels. The effects were stronger for RTs recorded during listening than for RTs recorded between listening. Conclusion The results suggest that listening effort decreases with increased spectral resolution. Moreover, these improvements are best reflected in objective measures of listening effort, such as RTs on a secondary task, rather than intelligibility scores or subjective effort measures.

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