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Journal of the American Academy of... Mar 2010The visual speech signal can provide sufficient information to support successful communication. However, individual differences in the ability to appreciate that... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The visual speech signal can provide sufficient information to support successful communication. However, individual differences in the ability to appreciate that information are large, and relatively little is known about their sources.
PURPOSE
Here a body of research is reviewed regarding the development of a theoretical framework in which to study speechreading and individual differences in that ability. Based on the hypothesis that visual speech is processed via the same perceptual-cognitive machinery as auditory speech, a theoretical framework was developed by adapting a theoretical framework originally developed for auditory spoken word recognition.
CONCLUSION
The evidence to date is consistent with the conclusion that visual spoken word recognition is achieved via a process similar to auditory word recognition provided differences in perceptual similarity are taken into account. Words perceptually similar to many other words and that occur infrequently in the input stream are at a distinct disadvantage within this process. The results to date are also consistent with the conclusion that deaf individuals, regardless of speechreading ability, recognize spoken words via a process similar to individuals with hearing.
Topics: Aptitude; Deafness; Humans; Lipreading; Pattern Recognition, Physiological; Visual Perception
PubMed: 20211120
DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.21.3.4 -
Journal of the Association For Research... Jun 2002Previous experiments have demonstrated that the correct tonotopic representation of spectral information is important for speech recognition. However, in prosthetic...
Previous experiments have demonstrated that the correct tonotopic representation of spectral information is important for speech recognition. However, in prosthetic devices, such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, there may be a frequency/place mismatch due in part to the signal processing of the device and in part to the pathology that caused the hearing loss. Local regions of damaged neurons may create a "hole" in the tonotopic representation of spectral information, further distorting the frequency-to-place mapping. The present experiment was performed to quantitatively assess the impact of spectral holes on speech recognition. Speech was processed by a 20-band processor: SPEAK for cochlear implant (CI) listeners, and a 20-band noise processor for normal-hearing (NH) listeners. Holes in the tonotopic representation (from 1.5 to 6 mm in extent) were created by eliminating electrodes or noise carrier bands in the basal, middle, or apical regions of the cochlea. Vowel, consonant, and sentence recognition were measured as a function of the location and size of the hole. In addition, the spectral information that would normally be represented in the hole region was either: (1) dropped, (2) assigned to the apical side of the hole, (3) assigned to the basal side of the hole, or (4) split evenly to both sides of the hole. In general, speech features that are highly dependent on spectral cues (consonant place, vowel identity) were more affected by the presence of tonotopic holes than temporal features (consonant voicing and manner). Holes in the apical region were more damaging than holes in the basal or middle regions. A similar pattern of performance was observed for NH and CI listeners, suggesting that the loss of spectral information was the primary cause of the effects. The Speech Intelligibility Index was able to account for both NH and CI listeners' results. No significant differences were observed among the four conditions that redistributed the spectral information around the hole, suggesting that rerouting spectral information around a hole was no better than simply dropping it.
Topics: Adult; Cochlear Implants; Deafness; Female; Hearing Aids; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Speech Acoustics; Speech Intelligibility; Speech Perception
PubMed: 12162368
DOI: 10.1007/s101620020021 -
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2006Congenital sensorineural deafness (CSD) occurs in Border Collies, but its prevalence and inheritance are unknown. This study estimated the prevalence of CSD in Border...
BACKGROUND
Congenital sensorineural deafness (CSD) occurs in Border Collies, but its prevalence and inheritance are unknown. This study estimated the prevalence of CSD in Border Collies and investigated its association with phenotypic attributes linked to the merle gene, including coat pigmentation and iris color.
HYPOTHESIS
Deafness in Border Collies is associated with pigmentation patterns linked to the merle gene.
ANIMALS
A total of 2597 Border Collies from the United Kingdom.
METHODS
A retrospective study of Border Collies tested, during 1994-2002, by using brainstem auditory evoked responses. Associations between deafness and phenotypic attributes were assessed by using generalized logistic regression.
RESULTS
The prevalence of CSD in puppies was estimated as 2.8%. The corresponding rates of unilateral and bilateral CSD were 2.3 and 0.5%, respectively. Adjustment for clustering of hearing status by litter reduced the overall prevalence estimate to 1.6%. There was no association between CSD and sex (P = .2). Deaf Border Collies had higher rates of merle coat pigmentation, blue iris pigment, and excess white on the head than normal hearing Border Collies (all P < .001). The odds of deafness were increased by a factor of 14 for Border Collies with deaf dams, relative to the odds for dogs with normal dams (P = .007), after adjustment for phenotypic attributes.
CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
Associations between CSD and pigmentation patterns linked to the merle gene were demonstrated for Border Collies. Evidence for an inherited component to CSD in Border Collies supports selective breeding from only tested and normal parents to reduce the prevalence of this disease.
Topics: Age Factors; Animals; Breeding; Deafness; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Eye Color; Female; Genotype; Male; Pedigree; Phenotype; Pigmentation; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Sex Factors
PubMed: 17186850
DOI: 10.1892/0891-6640(2006)20[1355:pouabd]2.0.co;2 -
The Journal of the Royal College of... Apr 1973
Topics: Acupuncture Therapy; Anesthesia; China; Deafness; Humans; Male
PubMed: 4730675
DOI: No ID Found -
Journal of the Royal College of... Jan 1992
Topics: Deafness; Famous Persons; Germany; History, 19th Century; Humans; Music; Syphilis
PubMed: 1573578
DOI: No ID Found -
Tidsskrift For Den Norske Laegeforening... Sep 2002
Topics: Child, Preschool; Deafness; Hearing Loss; Hearing Tests; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Mass Screening
PubMed: 12426889
DOI: No ID Found -
Hearing Research Jan 2017While many individuals can benefit substantially from cochlear implantation, the ability to perceive and understand auditory speech with a cochlear implant (CI) remains... (Review)
Review
While many individuals can benefit substantially from cochlear implantation, the ability to perceive and understand auditory speech with a cochlear implant (CI) remains highly variable amongst adult recipients. Importantly, auditory performance with a CI cannot be reliably predicted based solely on routinely obtained information regarding clinical characteristics of the CI candidate. This review argues that central factors, notably cortical function and plasticity, should also be considered as important contributors to the observed individual variability in CI outcome. Superior temporal cortex (STC), including auditory association areas, plays a crucial role in the processing of auditory and visual speech information. The current review considers evidence of cortical plasticity within bilateral STC, and how these effects may explain variability in CI outcome. Furthermore, evidence of audio-visual interactions in temporal and occipital cortices is examined, and relation to CI outcome is discussed. To date, longitudinal examination of changes in cortical function and plasticity over the period of rehabilitation with a CI has been restricted by methodological challenges. The application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in studying cortical function in CI users is becoming increasingly recognised as a potential solution to these problems. Here we suggest that fNIRS offers a powerful neuroimaging tool to elucidate the relationship between audio-visual interactions, cortical plasticity during deafness and following cochlear implantation, and individual variability in auditory performance with a CI.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Adaptation, Physiological; Adaptation, Psychological; Animals; Cochlear Implantation; Cochlear Implants; Comprehension; Cues; Deafness; Electric Stimulation; Hearing; Humans; Neuroimaging; Neuronal Plasticity; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Photic Stimulation; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Speech Intelligibility; Speech Perception; Temporal Lobe; Visual Perception
PubMed: 27473501
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2016.07.013 -
European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology,... Apr 2014To determine the diagnostic approach to severe or profound bilateral postmeningitic deafness and to propose management guidelines.
OBJECTIVES
To determine the diagnostic approach to severe or profound bilateral postmeningitic deafness and to propose management guidelines.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A retrospective review of five patients (two adolescents and three infants) with rapidly progressive severe bilateral deafness following an episode of meningitis managed between 2004 and 2010.
RESULTS
The two adolescents presented Neisseria meningitidis meningitis and the three infants presented Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis. Acquired bilateral deafness was diagnosed by audiometry an average of 68.8 days (range: 9-210) after the episode of meningitis. Behavioural audiological testing, adapted to age and state of health, was performed in all patients. Deafness was confirmed by Auditory Brainstem Response tests. All five patients were assessed by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within ten days. T2-weighted MRI sequences showed endolymph changes in four patients. CT scan demonstrated ossification in only one patient. Bilateral cochlear implant was performed in all patients, with complete electrode array insertion for eight implants and partial insertion for two implants (20 and 21 out of 22 electrodes inserted). Good results were obtained with cochlear implants in four cases.
CONCLUSIONS
Bilateral deafness can occur immediately or several months after bacterial meningitis, regardless of the micro-organism responsible, justifying screening by behavioural audiological testing adapted to age for two years following bacterial meningitis. Auditory Brainstem Response testing can confirm audiometric findings. When severe or profound bilateral deafness is observed, MRI must be performed urgently to detect endolymph inflammation or ossification. Early bilateral cochlear implantation is recommended in the presence of ossification.
Topics: Adolescent; Cochlear Implantation; Deafness; Disease Progression; Humans; Infant; Meningitis, Meningococcal; Meningitis, Pneumococcal; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Time Factors
PubMed: 24559741
DOI: 10.1016/j.anorl.2013.04.006 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Sep 2022The aim of this study was to determine whether suprasegmental speech perception contributes unique variance in predictions of reading decoding and comprehension for...
PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to determine whether suprasegmental speech perception contributes unique variance in predictions of reading decoding and comprehension for prelingually deaf children using two devices, at least one of which is a cochlear implant (CI).
METHOD
A total of 104, 5- to 9-year-old CI recipients completed tests of segmental perception (e.g., word recognition in quiet and noise, recognition of vowels and consonants in quiet), suprasegmental perception (e.g., talker and stress discrimination, nonword stress repetition, and emotion identification), and nonverbal intelligence. Two years later, participants completed standardized tests of reading decoding and comprehension. Using regression analyses, the unique contribution of suprasegmental perception to reading skills was determined after controlling for demographic characteristics and segmental perception performance.
RESULTS
Standardized reading scores of the CI recipients increased with nonverbal intelligence for both decoding and comprehension. Female gender was associated with higher comprehension scores. After controlling for gender and nonverbal intelligence, segmental perception accounted for approximately 4% and 2% of the variance in decoding and comprehension, respectively. After controlling for nonverbal intelligence, gender, and segmental perception, suprasegmental perception accounted for an extra 4% and 7% unique variance in reading decoding and reading comprehension, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Suprasegmental perception operates independently from segmental perception to facilitate good reading outcomes for these children with CIs. Clinicians and educators should be mindful that early perceptual skills may have long-term benefits for literacy. Research on how to optimize suprasegmental perception, perhaps through hearing-device programming and/or training strategies, is needed.
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Cochlear Implantation; Cochlear Implants; Deafness; Female; Hearing; Humans; Reading; Speech Perception
PubMed: 36001864
DOI: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00035 -
Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America Dec 2000This article discusses the latest research in the molecular biology and genetics of hearing impairment and its importance to otolaryngologists. Recent research has led... (Review)
Review
This article discusses the latest research in the molecular biology and genetics of hearing impairment and its importance to otolaryngologists. Recent research has led to the discovery of many of the genes and gene products that are responsible for hereditary hearing impairment. State mandated screening of newborn infants for hearing loss ensures that a large number of hearing-impaired children will be detected at a very early age. Additionally, these children often will be referred to the otolaryngologist for evaluation of the hearing impairment. It is the otolaryngologist who must gather a detailed family history and perform a thorough physical examination to fully assess the cause of the hearing impairment. In taking the family history, it is important to note that the diagnosis of a hereditary hearing impairment often involves the evaluation of a large-sized family that has a history of hearing disorders. A history of an affected individual in a small family does not necessarily support a diagnosis of hearing impairment in later affected offspring because of the small sample size. Often, a hearing impairment that is part of a syndrome may not be detected because the physical findings associated with a syndrome are subtle in a young infant. For example, the white forelock seen in patients with Waardenburg's syndrome type I cannot be visualized in the infant who lacks hair. Additionally, some patients with syndromic hearing impairment do not present with physical findings, but rather they exhibit abnormal laboratory studies. Additional points to remember include the following: As infectious iatrogenic causes of hearing impairment decrease, the relative incidence of hereditary hearing impairment will increase. Hereditary hearing impairment can present as an isolated finding, or in association with a number of anomalies recognizable as a syndrome. The study of genetics and molecular biology has led to the identification of genes associated with hearing impairment and will allow for future screening and possible therapy for the hearing-impaired. The screening of newborns for hearing impairment using the techniques of molecular biologists and geneticists will result in early identification and appropriate intervention for those at risk for hereditary hearing impairment. An understanding of the syndromic and nonsyndromic causes of hereditary hearing impairment can help the otolaryngologist make a diagnosis and provide appropriate audiologic and educational management to the patient.
Topics: DNA, Mitochondrial; Deafness; Hearing Tests; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Molecular Biology; Phenotype
PubMed: 11449793
DOI: 10.1016/s0030-6665(05)70287-5