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The Relationship between Psychoacoustic and Electrophysiological Assessments of Temporal Resolution.Journal of the American Academy of... Mar 2021Temporal resolution is essential to speech acoustic perception. However, it may alter in individuals with auditory disorders, impairing the development of spoken and...
BACKGROUND
Temporal resolution is essential to speech acoustic perception. However, it may alter in individuals with auditory disorders, impairing the development of spoken and written language. The envelope of speech signals contains amplitude modulation (AM) that has critical information. Any problem reducing the listener's sensitivity to these amplitude variations (auditory temporal acuity) is likely to cause speech comprehension problems. The modulation detection threshold (MDT) test is a measure for evaluating temporal resolution. However, this test cannot be used for patients with poor cooperation; therefore, objective evaluation of MDT is essential.
PURPOSE
The main aim of this study is to find the association between the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) and psychoacoustic measurement of MDT at different intensity levels and to assess the amplitude and phase of ASSR as a function of modulation depth.
DESIGN
This was a correlational research.
STUDY SAMPLE
Eighteen individuals (nine males and nine females) with normal hearing sensitivity, aged between 18 and 23 years, participated in this study.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
ASSR was recorded at fixed AM rates and variable AM depths for carrier frequencies of 1,000 and 2,000 Hz with varying intensities. The least AM depth, efficient to evoke an ASSR response, was interpreted as the physiological detection threshold of AM. The ASSR amplitude and phase, as a function of AM depth, were also evaluated at an intensity level of 60 dB hearing level (HL) with modulation rates of 40 and 100 Hz. Moreover, the Natus instrument (Biologic Systems) was used for the electrophysiological measurements. An AC40 clinical audiometer (Intra-acoustic, Denmark) was also used for the psychoacoustic measurement of MDT in a similar setting to ASSR, using the two-alternative forced choice method. Pearson's correlation test and linear regression model and paired -test were used for statistical analyses.
RESULTS
A significant positive correlation was found between psychoacoustic and electrophysiological measurements at a carrier frequency of 1000 Hz, with a modulation rate of 40 Hz at intensity levels of 60 dB HL ( = 0.63, = 0.004), 50 dB HL ( = 0.52, = 0.02). A significant positive correlation was also found at a carrier frequency of 2000 Hz, with a modulation rate of 47 Hz at 60 dB HL ( = 0.55, = 0.01) and 50 dB HL ( = 0.67, = 0.002) and a modulation rate of 97 Hz at 60 dB HL ( = 0.65, = 0.003). Moreover, a significant association was found between the modulation depth and ASSR amplitude and phase increment at carrier frequencies of 1,000 and 2000 Hz, with modulation rates of 40 and 100 Hz.
CONCLUSION
There was a significant correlation between ASSR and behavioral measurement of MDT, even at low intensities with low modulation rates of 40 and 47 Hz. The ASSR amplitude and phase increment was a function of modulation depth increase. The findings of this study can be used as a basis for evaluating the relationship between two approaches in the clinical population.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Adolescent; Adult; Audiometry; Auditory Perception; Auditory Threshold; Female; Hearing Tests; Humans; Male; Psychoacoustics; Young Adult
PubMed: 33873218
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1722983 -
Science (New York, N.Y.) Nov 2019What is universal about music, and what varies? We built a corpus of ethnographic text on musical behavior from a representative sample of the world's societies, as well...
What is universal about music, and what varies? We built a corpus of ethnographic text on musical behavior from a representative sample of the world's societies, as well as a discography of audio recordings. The ethnographic corpus reveals that music (including songs with words) appears in every society observed; that music varies along three dimensions (formality, arousal, religiosity), more within societies than across them; and that music is associated with certain behavioral contexts such as infant care, healing, dance, and love. The discography-analyzed through machine summaries, amateur and expert listener ratings, and manual transcriptions-reveals that acoustic features of songs predict their primary behavioral context; that tonality is widespread, perhaps universal; that music varies in rhythmic and melodic complexity; and that elements of melodies and rhythms found worldwide follow power laws.
Topics: Anthropology, Cultural; Auditory Perception; Behavior; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Dancing; Humans; Infant Care; Infant, Newborn; Love; Music; Psychoacoustics; Religion; Singing
PubMed: 31753969
DOI: 10.1126/science.aax0868 -
Neuroscience Oct 2018Predictive coding is possibly one of the most influential, comprehensive, and controversial theories of neural function. While proponents praise its explanatory... (Review)
Review
Predictive coding is possibly one of the most influential, comprehensive, and controversial theories of neural function. While proponents praise its explanatory potential, critics object that key tenets of the theory are untested or even untestable. The present article critically examines existing evidence for predictive coding in the auditory modality. Specifically, we identify five key assumptions of the theory and evaluate each in the light of animal, human and modeling studies of auditory pattern processing. For the first two assumptions - that neural responses are shaped by expectations and that these expectations are hierarchically organized - animal and human studies provide compelling evidence. The anticipatory, predictive nature of these expectations also enjoys empirical support, especially from studies on unexpected stimulus omission. However, for the existence of separate error and prediction neurons, a key assumption of the theory, evidence is lacking. More work exists on the proposed oscillatory signatures of predictive coding, and on the relation between attention and precision. However, results on these latter two assumptions are mixed or contradictory. Looking to the future, more collaboration between human and animal studies, aided by model-based analyses will be needed to test specific assumptions and implementations of predictive coding - and, as such, help determine whether this popular grand theory can fulfill its expectations.
Topics: Animals; Auditory Cortex; Humans; Models, Neurological; Motivation; Neurons; Psychoacoustics
PubMed: 28782642
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.07.061 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Nov 2019Exposure to prolonged or high intensity noise increases the risk for permanent hearing impairment. Over several decades, researchers characterized the nature of harmful... (Review)
Review
Exposure to prolonged or high intensity noise increases the risk for permanent hearing impairment. Over several decades, researchers characterized the nature of harmful noise exposures and worked to establish guidelines for effective protection. Recent laboratory studies, primarily conducted in rodent models, indicate that the auditory system may be more vulnerable to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) than previously thought, driving renewed inquiries into the harmful effects of noise in humans. To bridge the translational gaps between rodents and humans, nonhuman primates (NHPs) may serve as key animal models. The phylogenetic proximity of NHPs to humans underlies tremendous similarity in many features of the auditory system (genomic, anatomical, physiological, behavioral), all of which are important considerations in the assessment and treatment of NIHL. This review summarizes the literature pertaining to NHPs as models of hearing and noise-induced hearing loss, discusses factors relevant to the translation of diagnostics and therapeutics from animals to humans, and concludes with some of the practical considerations involved in conducting NHP research.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Humans; Primates; Psychoacoustics; Translational Research, Biomedical
PubMed: 31795680
DOI: 10.1121/1.5132709 -
Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology 2020Tinnitus is characterized by the presence of a sound in the absence of external sound stimulus. In individuals with normal audiometry, it may be associated with auditory...
INTRODUCTION
Tinnitus is characterized by the presence of a sound in the absence of external sound stimulus. In individuals with normal audiometry, it may be associated with auditory attention difficulty, especially in those who report high tinnitus annoyance.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate auditory attention ability in individuals with tinnitus complaint.
METHODS
Cross-sectional analytical observational study. We evaluated 30 volunteers with normal hearing (up to 25dBHL): 15 with tinnitus (test group) and 15 with no complaints (control group), aged between 18-40 years. The volunteers answered the tinnitus handicap inventory questionnaire and a visual analogue scale. Subsequently, a basic audiological evaluation (meatoscopy, tonal and vocal audiometry, and imittanciometry) and psychoacoustic measures of tinnitus (loudness and pitch) were performed. To evaluate auditory attention, the following tests were performed: auditory cognitive evoked potential (P300), central auditory processing tests (dichotic digits test and speech-in-noise test) and sustained auditory attention ability test.
RESULTS
In the tinnitus handicap inventory, individuals with tinnitus had a mean score of 37.78 (±27.05), characterized as moderate degree. In the dichotic digits test (binaural separation), a difference was observed between the groups in both ears. Moreover, there was a difference in the speech-in-noise test in both ears (RE: p=0.044; LE: p=0.019), in P300 (p=0.049) and in total sustained auditory attention ability test (p=0.032). Also, there is a negative correlation between sustained auditory attention ability test, decrease in attentiveness and binaural integration (RE: p=0.044; LE: p=0.048).
CONCLUSIONS
Individuals with tinnitus had a poorer performance compared to the control group regarding auditory attention ability. Therefore, it is inferred that tinnitus is associated with poor performance in selective and sustained auditory attention in the assessed volunteers. These aspects should be considered for the management of patients with tinnitus.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Adolescent; Adult; Attention; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Psychoacoustics; Tinnitus; Young Adult
PubMed: 30926455
DOI: 10.1016/j.bjorl.2019.01.011 -
European Archives of... Apr 2020It is not easy to assess how severe and annoying a patient's snoring is. Solid parameters are lacking; snorers cannot deliver a reliable self-assessment and it is... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
PURPOSE
It is not easy to assess how severe and annoying a patient's snoring is. Solid parameters are lacking; snorers cannot deliver a reliable self-assessment and it is uncertain whether bed partners' statements can be relied upon. The purpose of the present study was therefore to investigate whether and how well snoring assessment based on acoustic parameters and bed partners' reporting agree.
METHODS
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on snoring treatment, several acoustic parameters [snoring index (SI), percentage snoring time (ST), sound pressure level, sound energy, loudness, psychoacoustic annoyance and psychoacoustic snore score (PSS)] were measured in 18 subjects during 24 polysomnographies. Bed partners also assessed snoring annoyance and loudness as well as treatment outcome.
RESULTS
No correlation was found between the subjective annoyance caused by snoring and the acoustic parameters. Regarding perceived loudness, there was a moderate, significant correlation with loudness (N) and PSS over the hour with the highest SI. SI, ST, LAeq and maximum sound pressure level dB(A) showed no significant correlation. After the intervention only mean sound energy LAeq over the entire night showed a significant correlation (r = 0.782; p = 0.022) with bed partners' assessments. However, this result was not confirmed in the second control night.
CONCLUSIONS
The non-existent or only weak correlation between bed partners' ratings and objective parameters indicate that snoring severity should be evaluated with caution. Neither acoustic parameters, at least for one measurement over just one night, nor bed partners' ratings should be used as the sole basis for snoring assessment.
Topics: Acoustics; Humans; Polysomnography; Psychoacoustics; Snoring; Sound Spectrography
PubMed: 32016523
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-020-05813-2 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Jan 2021No agreed-upon method currently exists for objective measurement of perceived voice quality. This paper describes validation of a psychoacoustic model designed to fill...
No agreed-upon method currently exists for objective measurement of perceived voice quality. This paper describes validation of a psychoacoustic model designed to fill this gap. This model includes parameters to characterize the harmonic and inharmonic voice sources, vocal tract transfer function, fundamental frequency, and amplitude of the voice, which together serve to completely quantify the integral sound of a target voice sample. In experiment 1, 200 voices with and without diagnosed vocal pathology were fit with the model using analysis-by-synthesis. The resulting synthetic voice samples were not distinguishable from the original voice tokens, suggesting that the model has all the parameters it needs to fully quantify voice quality. In experiment 2 parameters that model the harmonic voice source were removed one by one, and the voice tokens were re-synthesized with the reduced model. In every case the lower-dimensional models provided worse perceptual matches to the quality of the natural tokens than did the original set, indicating that the psychoacoustic model cannot be reduced in dimensionality without loss of fit to the data. Results confirm that this model can be validly applied to quantify voice quality in clinical and research applications.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Psychoacoustics; Speech; Speech Acoustics; Voice; Voice Disorders; Voice Quality
PubMed: 33514179
DOI: 10.1121/10.0003331 -
Journal of Neuroscience Methods Aug 2014Rodent ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) serve as situation-dependent affective signals and convey important communicative functions. In the rat, three major USV types... (Review)
Review
Rodent ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) serve as situation-dependent affective signals and convey important communicative functions. In the rat, three major USV types exist: (I) 40-kHz USV, which are emitted by pups during social isolation; (II) 22-kHz USV, which are produced by juvenile and adult rats in aversive situations, including social defeat; and (III) 50-kHz USV, which are uttered by juvenile and adult rats in appetitive situations, including rough-and-tumble play. Here, evidence for a communicative function of 50-kHz USV is reviewed, focusing on findings obtained in the recently developed 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm. Up to now, the following five acoustic stimuli were tested in this paradigm: (A) natural 50-kHz USV, (B) natural 22-kHz USV, (C) artificial 50-kHz sine wave tones, (D) artificial time- and amplitude-matched white noise, and (E) background noise. All studies using the 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm indicate that 50-kHz USV serve a pro-social affiliative function as social contact calls. While playback of the different kinds of acoustic stimuli used so far elicited distinct behavioral response patterns, 50-kHz USV consistently led to social approach behavior in the recipient, indicating that pro-social ultrasonic communication can be studied in a reliable and highly standardized manner by means of the 50-kHz USV radial maze playback paradigm. This appears to be particularly relevant for rodent models of neurodevelopmental disorders, as there is a tremendous need for reliable behavioral assays with face validity to social communication deficits seen in autism and schizophrenia in order to study underlying genetic and neurobiological alterations.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Animals; Auditory Perception; Behavioral Research; Female; Male; Maze Learning; Psychoacoustics; Rats; Social Behavior; Ultrasonics; Vocalization, Animal
PubMed: 24508146
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.01.023 -
Hearing Research May 2017Pitch is the perceptual dimension along which musical notes are ordered from low to high. It is often described as the perceptual correlate of the periodicity of the...
Pitch is the perceptual dimension along which musical notes are ordered from low to high. It is often described as the perceptual correlate of the periodicity of the sound's waveform. Previous reports have shown that pitch can depend slightly on sound level. We wanted to verify that these observations reflect genuine changes in perceived pitch, and were not due to procedural factors or confusion between dimensions of pitch and level. We first conducted a systematic pitch matching task and confirmed that the pitch of low frequency pure tones, but not complex tones, decreases by an amount equivalent to a change in frequency of more than half a semitone when level increases. We then showed that the structure of pitch shifts is anti-symmetric and transitive, as expected for changes in pitch. We also observed shifts in the same direction (although smaller) in an interval matching task. Finally, we observed that musicians are more precise in pitch matching tasks than non-musicians but show the same average shifts with level. These combined experiments confirm that the pitch of low frequency pure tones depends weakly but systematically on level. These observations pose a challenge to current theories of pitch.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Adult; Female; Humans; Language; Male; Music; Pitch Discrimination; Pitch Perception; Psychoacoustics; Reference Values; Sound; Speech Acoustics; Young Adult
PubMed: 28238889
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2017.02.014 -
Duodecim; Laaketieteellinen... 2015In some cases transgender people spontaneously find vocal expression that is acceptable. The testosterone medication usually lowers the female voice (F to M) enough.... (Review)
Review
In some cases transgender people spontaneously find vocal expression that is acceptable. The testosterone medication usually lowers the female voice (F to M) enough. Feminization of the male voice (M to F) needs more often care. Speech and voice therapy is usually the primary treatment. In some cases pitch-elevating surgery is needed. This will raise the pitch or at least eliminate spontaneous male voicing (cough, laughter). If cosmetically unacceptable, a prominent Adam's apple will be removed.
Topics: Esthetics; Female; Humans; Laryngoplasty; Male; Psychoacoustics; Quality of Life; Social Identification; Transgender Persons; Voice Quality; Voice Training
PubMed: 26237931
DOI: No ID Found