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The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Apr 2024The auditory sensitivity of a small songbird, the red-cheeked cordon bleu, was measured using the standard methods of animal psychophysics. Hearing in cordon bleus is...
The auditory sensitivity of a small songbird, the red-cheeked cordon bleu, was measured using the standard methods of animal psychophysics. Hearing in cordon bleus is similar to other small passerines with best hearing in the frequency region from 2 to 4 kHz and sensitivity declining at the rate of about 10 dB/octave below 2 kHz and about 35 dB/octave as frequency increases from 4 to 9 kHz. While critical ratios are similar to other songbirds, the long-term average power spectrum of cordon bleu song falls above the frequency of best hearing in this species.
Topics: Animals; Vocalization, Animal; Hearing; Songbirds; Acoustic Stimulation; Auditory Threshold; Male; Psychoacoustics; Sound Spectrography; Female
PubMed: 38656337
DOI: 10.1121/10.0025764 -
American Journal of Audiology Jun 2024Military-affiliated individuals (MIs) are at a higher risk of developing hearing loss and tinnitus. While these disorders are well-studied in MIs, their impact relative...
PURPOSE
Military-affiliated individuals (MIs) are at a higher risk of developing hearing loss and tinnitus. While these disorders are well-studied in MIs, their impact relative to non-military-affiliated individuals (non-MIs) remains understudied. Our study compared hearing, speech-in-noise (SIN) perception, and tinnitus characteristics between MIs and non-MIs.
METHOD
MIs ( = 84) and non-MIs ( = 193) underwent hearing threshold assessment and Quick Speech-in-Noise Test. Participants with tinnitus completed psychoacoustic tinnitus matching, numeric rating scale (NRS) for loudness and annoyance, and Tinnitus Functional Index. Comorbid conditions such as anxiety, depression, and hyperacusis were assessed. We used a linear mixed-effects model to compare hearing thresholds and SIN scores between MIs and non-MIs. A multivariate analysis of variance compared tinnitus characteristics between MIs and non-MIs, and a stepwise regression was performed to identify predictors of tinnitus severity.
RESULTS
MIs exhibited better hearing sensitivity than non-MIs; however, their SIN scores were similar. MIs matched their tinnitus loudness to a lower intensity than non-MIs, but their loudness ratings (NRS) were comparable. MIs reported greater tinnitus annoyance and severity on the relaxation subscale, indicating increased difficulty engaging in restful activities. Tinnitus severity was influenced by hyperacusis and depression in both MIs and non-MIs; however, hearing loss uniquely contributed to severity in MIs.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that while MIs may exhibit better or comparable listening abilities, they were significantly more affected by tinnitus than non-MIs. Furthermore, our study highlights the importance of assessing tinnitus-related distress across multiple dimensions, facilitating customization of management strategies for both MIs and non-MIs.
Topics: Humans; Tinnitus; Male; Female; Military Personnel; Adult; Middle Aged; Hearing Loss; Auditory Threshold; Speech Perception; Hyperacusis; Severity of Illness Index; Noise; Depression; Young Adult
PubMed: 38652004
DOI: 10.1044/2024_AJA-24-00010 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2024Musical roundness perception relies on consonance/dissonance within a rule-based harmonic context, but also on individual characteristics of the listener. The present...
INTRODUCTION
Musical roundness perception relies on consonance/dissonance within a rule-based harmonic context, but also on individual characteristics of the listener. The present work tackles these aspects in a combined psychoacoustic and neurophysiological study, taking into account participant's musical aptitude.
METHODS
Our paradigm employed cadence-like four-chord progressions, based on Western music theory. Chord progressions comprised naturalistic and artificial sounds; moreover, their single chords varied regarding consonance/dissonance and harmonic function. Thirty participants listened to the chord progressions while their cortical activity was measured with magnetoencephalography; afterwards, they rated the individual chord progressions with respect to their perceived roundness.
RESULTS
Roundness ratings differed according to the degree of dissonance in the dominant chord at the progression's third position; this effect was pronounced in listeners with high musical aptitude. Interestingly, a corresponding pattern occurred in the neuromagnetic N1m response to the chord (i.e., at the progression's resolution), again with somewhat stronger differentiation among musical listeners. The N1m magnitude seemed to increase during chord progressions that were considered particularly round, with the maximum difference after the final chord; here, however, the musical aptitude effect just missed significance.
DISCUSSION
The roundness of chord progressions is reflected in participant's psychoacoustic ratings and in their transient cortical activity, with stronger differentiation among listeners with high musical aptitude. The concept of roundness might help to reframe consonance/dissonance to a more holistic, gestalt-like understanding that covers chord relations in Western music.
PubMed: 38650622
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1383554 -
Ear and HearingPostlingually deaf adults with cochlear implants (CIs) have difficulties with perceiving differences in speakers' voice characteristics and benefit little from voice...
Prelingually Deaf Children With Cochlear Implants Show Better Perception of Voice Cues and Speech in Competing Speech Than Postlingually Deaf Adults With Cochlear Implants.
OBJECTIVES
Postlingually deaf adults with cochlear implants (CIs) have difficulties with perceiving differences in speakers' voice characteristics and benefit little from voice differences for the perception of speech in competing speech. However, not much is known yet about the perception and use of voice characteristics in prelingually deaf implanted children with CIs. Unlike CI adults, most CI children became deaf during the acquisition of language. Extensive neuroplastic changes during childhood could make CI children better at using the available acoustic cues than CI adults, or the lack of exposure to a normal acoustic speech signal could make it more difficult for them to learn which acoustic cues they should attend to. This study aimed to examine to what degree CI children can perceive voice cues and benefit from voice differences for perceiving speech in competing speech, comparing their abilities to those of normal-hearing (NH) children and CI adults.
DESIGN
CI children's voice cue discrimination (experiment 1), voice gender categorization (experiment 2), and benefit from target-masker voice differences for perceiving speech in competing speech (experiment 3) were examined in three experiments. The main focus was on the perception of mean fundamental frequency (F0) and vocal-tract length (VTL), the primary acoustic cues related to speakers' anatomy and perceived voice characteristics, such as voice gender.
RESULTS
CI children's F0 and VTL discrimination thresholds indicated lower sensitivity to differences compared with their NH-age-equivalent peers, but their mean discrimination thresholds of 5.92 semitones (st) for F0 and 4.10 st for VTL indicated higher sensitivity than postlingually deaf CI adults with mean thresholds of 9.19 st for F0 and 7.19 st for VTL. Furthermore, CI children's perceptual weighting of F0 and VTL cues for voice gender categorization closely resembled that of their NH-age-equivalent peers, in contrast with CI adults. Finally, CI children had more difficulties in perceiving speech in competing speech than their NH-age-equivalent peers, but they performed better than CI adults. Unlike CI adults, CI children showed a benefit from target-masker voice differences in F0 and VTL, similar to NH children.
CONCLUSION
Although CI children's F0 and VTL voice discrimination scores were overall lower than those of NH children, their weighting of F0 and VTL cues for voice gender categorization and their benefit from target-masker differences in F0 and VTL resembled that of NH children. Together, these results suggest that prelingually deaf implanted CI children can effectively utilize spectrotemporally degraded F0 and VTL cues for voice and speech perception, generally outperforming postlingually deaf CI adults in comparable tasks. These findings underscore the presence of F0 and VTL cues in the CI signal to a certain degree and suggest other factors contributing to the perception challenges faced by CI adults.
Topics: Humans; Cochlear Implants; Deafness; Male; Speech Perception; Female; Cues; Child; Adult; Cochlear Implantation; Young Adult; Adolescent; Voice; Case-Control Studies; Child, Preschool; Middle Aged
PubMed: 38616318
DOI: 10.1097/AUD.0000000000001489 -
Heliyon Apr 2024In order to improve the interior sound quality of electric vehicles (EVs) under acceleration and uniform speed conditions, to balance the comfort and dynamics of the...
In order to improve the interior sound quality of electric vehicles (EVs) under acceleration and uniform speed conditions, to balance the comfort and dynamics of the interior sound, and to improve the accuracy and performance of the active sound generation system (ASGS), this article carries out the research related to the parameter design, sound calibration, evaluation methodology, and control system of the EV ASGS. Propose an in-vehicle sound design method focusing on three dimensions, including engine order composition, spectral energy distribution, and sound amplitude enhancement in the typical speed range, and determine the in-vehicle sound design scheme and the total sound value target. Focus on the sound parameter design, calibration and evaluation methods of EV ASGS considering the frequency response characteristics of the loudspeaker, sound amplitude control accuracy, sound quality, and psychoacoustic parameters, clarify the active sound parameter settings of EVs, complete the analysis of sound extraction methods, complete the engine order sound fitting, and design the ASGS of the EV interior by combining the subjective and objective evaluations. Develop the control software and hardware of the ASGS, complete the construction and accuracy verification of the ASGS based on the in-vehicle sound system, and realize the sound calibration of the ASGS under the static conditions of the real vehicle and the verification of the target achievement. The real-vehicle test shows that the ASGS reduces the sharpness of 1.0 acum and 0.52 acum under acceleration and constant speed conditions, respectively, and improves the comfort and dynamics of in-vehicle sound. The objective and subjective evaluation results show that the parameter design, selection and accuracy of the sound calibration and evaluation methods of the ASGS in the EV determines the accuracy and effect of the ASGS.
PubMed: 38590864
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27407 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2024Temporal envelope modulations (TEMs) are one of the most important features that cochlear implant (CI) users rely on to understand speech. Electroencephalographic...
Temporal envelope modulations (TEMs) are one of the most important features that cochlear implant (CI) users rely on to understand speech. Electroencephalographic assessment of TEM encoding could help clinicians to predict speech recognition more objectively, even in patients unable to provide active feedback. The acoustic change complex (ACC) and the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) evoked by low-frequency amplitude-modulated pulse trains can be used to assess TEM encoding with electrical stimulation of individual CI electrodes. In this study, we focused on amplitude modulation detection (AMD) and amplitude modulation frequency discrimination (AMFD) with stimulation of a basal versus an apical electrode. In twelve adult CI users, we (a) assessed behavioral AMFD thresholds and (b) recorded cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs), AMD-ACC, AMFD-ACC, and ASSR in a combined 3-stimulus paradigm. We found that the electrophysiological responses were significantly higher for apical than for basal stimulation. Peak amplitudes of AMFD-ACC were small and (therefore) did not correlate with speech-in-noise recognition. We found significant correlations between speech-in-noise recognition and (a) behavioral AMFD thresholds and (b) AMD-ACC peak amplitudes. AMD and AMFD hold potential to develop a clinically applicable tool for assessing TEM encoding to predict speech recognition in CI users.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Psychoacoustics; Speech Perception; Speech; Acoustic Stimulation; Cochlear Implants; Cochlear Implantation; Evoked Potentials, Auditory
PubMed: 38589483
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58225-1 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024In this perspective paper, we explore the use of haptic feedback to enhance human-human interaction during musical tasks. We start by providing an overview of the...
In this perspective paper, we explore the use of haptic feedback to enhance human-human interaction during musical tasks. We start by providing an overview of the theoretical foundation that underpins our approach, which is rooted in the embodied music cognition framework, and by briefly presenting the concepts of action-perception loop, sensorimotor coupling and entrainment. Thereafter, we focus on the role of haptic information in music playing and we discuss the use of wearable technologies, namely lightweight exoskeletons, for the exchange of haptic information between humans. We present two experimental scenarios in which the effectiveness of this technology for enhancing musical interaction and learning might be validated. Finally, we briefly discuss some of the theoretical and pedagogical implications of the use of technologies for haptic communication in musical contexts, while also addressing the potential barriers to the widespread adoption of exoskeletons in such contexts.
PubMed: 38515976
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1327992 -
European Archives of... Mar 2024To describe the clinical, audiological, and psychometric features observed in patients with chronic tinnitus and rare variants in the ANK2 gene.
PURPOSE
To describe the clinical, audiological, and psychometric features observed in patients with chronic tinnitus and rare variants in the ANK2 gene.
METHODS
We report a case series of 12 patients with chronic tinnitus and heterozygous variants in the ANK2 gene. Tinnitus phenotyping included audiological (standard and high-frequency audiometry, Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) and Auditory Middle Latency Responses (AMLR)), psychoacoustic and psychometric assessment by a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for tinnitus annoyance, the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the test on Hypersensitivity to Sound (THS-GÜF), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
RESULTS
All patients reported a persistent, unilateral noise-type tinnitus, mainly described as white noise or narrowband noise. Seven patients (58%) were considered to have extreme phenotype (THI score > 76), and all patients reported some degree of hyperacusis (THS-GÜF score > 18 in 75% of patients). Seven patients scored MoCA < 26, regardless of the age reported, suggesting a mild cognitive disorder. ABR showed no significant differences in latencies and amplitudes between ears with or without tinnitus. Similarly, the latencies of Pa, Pb waves, and NaPa complex in the AMLR did not differ based on the presence of tinnitus. However, there were statistical differences in the amplitudes of Pa waves in AMLR, with significantly greater amplitudes observed in ears with tinnitus.
CONCLUSION
Patients with ANK2 variants and severe tinnitus exhibit an endophenotype featuring hyperacusis, persistent noise-like tinnitus, high-frequency hearing loss, and decreased amplitudes in AMLR. However, anxiety, depression, and cognitive symptoms vary among individuals.
PubMed: 38507076
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-024-08561-9 -
Hearing Research Apr 2024Noise sensitivity and hyperacusis are decreased sound tolerance conditions that are not well delineated or defined. This paper presents the correlations and... (Review)
Review
Noise sensitivity and hyperacusis are decreased sound tolerance conditions that are not well delineated or defined. This paper presents the correlations and distributions of the Noise Sensitivity Scale (NSS) and the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ) scores in two distinct large samples. In Study 1, a community-based sample of young healthy adults (n = 103) exhibited a strong correlation (r = 0.74) between the two questionnaires. The mean NSS and HQ scores were 54.4 ± 16.9 and 12.5 ± 7.5, respectively. NSS scores displayed a normal distribution, whereas HQ scores showed a slight positive skew. In Study 2, a clinical sample of Veterans with or without clinical comorbidities (n = 95) showed a moderate correlation (r = 0.58) between the two questionnaires. The mean scores were 66.6 ± 15.6 and 15.3 ± 7.3 on the NSS and HQ, respectively. Both questionnaires' scores followed a normal distribution. In both samples, participants who self-identified as having decreased sound tolerance scored higher on both questionnaires. These findings provide reference data from two diverse sample groups. The moderate to strong correlations observed in both studies suggest a significant overlap between noise sensitivity and hyperacusis. The results underscore that NSS and HQ should not be used interchangeably, as they aim to measure distinct constructs, however to what extent they actually do remains to be determined. Further investigation should distinguish between these conditions through a comprehensive psychometric analysis of the questionnaires and a thorough exploration of psychoacoustic, neurological, and physiological differences that set them apart.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Hyperacusis; Tinnitus; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sound; Psychoacoustics
PubMed: 38492447
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.108992 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2024Acute ischemic stroke, characterized by a localized reduction in blood flow to specific areas of the brain, has been shown to affect binaural auditory perception. In a...
Acute ischemic stroke, characterized by a localized reduction in blood flow to specific areas of the brain, has been shown to affect binaural auditory perception. In a previous study conducted during the acute phase of ischemic stroke, two tasks of binaural hearing were performed: binaural tone-in-noise detection, and lateralization of stimuli with interaural time- or level differences. Various lesion-specific, as well as individual, differences in binaural performance between patients in the acute phase of stroke and a control group were demonstrated. For the current study, we re-invited the same group of patients, whereupon a subgroup repeated the experiments during the subacute and chronic phases of stroke. Similar to the initial study, this subgroup consisted of patients with lesions in different locations, including cortical and subcortical areas. At the group level, the results from the tone-in-noise detection experiment remained consistent across the three measurement phases, as did the number of deviations from normal performance in the lateralization task. However, the performance in the lateralization task exhibited variations over time among individual patients. Some patients demonstrated improvements in their lateralization abilities, indicating recovery, whereas others' lateralization performance deteriorated during the later stages of stroke. Notably, our analyses did not reveal consistent patterns for patients with similar lesion locations. These findings suggest that recovery processes are more individual than the acute effects of stroke on binaural perception. Individual impairments in binaural hearing abilities after the acute phase of ischemic stroke have been demonstrated and should therefore also be targeted in rehabilitation programs.
PubMed: 38482140
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1322762