Suprathreshold Differences in Competing Speech Perception in Older Listeners With Normal and Impaired Hearing

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 2141-2161
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Venezia ◽  
Marjorie R. Leek ◽  
Michael P. Lindeman
Keyword(s):  
Poor Performance ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Spectral Distortion ◽  
Multinomial Regression ◽  
Auditory Temporal Processing ◽  
Auditory Grouping ◽  
Classification Image ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Competing Speech ◽  
Number Of Segments

Purpose Age-related declines in auditory temporal processing and cognition make older listeners vulnerable to interference from competing speech. This vulnerability may be increased in older listeners with sensorineural hearing loss due to additional effects of spectral distortion and accelerated cognitive decline. The goal of this study was to uncover differences between older hearing-impaired (OHI) listeners and older normal-hearing (ONH) listeners in the perceptual encoding of competing speech signals. Method Age-matched groups of 10 OHI and 10 ONH listeners performed the coordinate response measure task with a synthetic female target talker and a male competing talker at a target-to-masker ratio of +3 dB. Individualized gain was provided to OHI listeners. Each listener completed 50 baseline and 800 “bubbles” trials in which randomly selected segments of the speech modulation power spectrum (MPS) were retained on each trial while the remainder was filtered out. Average performance was fixed at 50% correct by adapting the number of segments retained. Multinomial regression was used to estimate weights showing the regions of the MPS associated with performance (a “classification image” or CImg). Results The CImg weights were significantly different between the groups in two MPS regions: a region encoding the shared phonetic content of the two talkers and a region encoding the competing (male) talker's voice. The OHI listeners demonstrated poorer encoding of the phonetic content and increased vulnerability to interference from the competing talker. Individual differences in CImg weights explained over 75% of the variance in baseline performance in the OHI listeners, whereas differences in high-frequency pure-tone thresholds explained only 10%. Conclusion Suprathreshold deficits in the encoding of low- to mid-frequency (~5–10 Hz) temporal modulations—which may reflect poorer “dip listening”—and auditory grouping at a perceptual and/or cognitive level are responsible for the relatively poor performance of OHI versus ONH listeners on a different-gender competing speech task. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12568472

scholarly journals Can patients with cerebellar disease switch learning mechanisms to reduce their adaptation deficits?

Brain ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 662-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron L Wong ◽  
Cherie L Marvel ◽  
Jordan A Taylor ◽  
John W Krakauer
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Error ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Visuomotor Adaptation ◽  
Cerebellar Degeneration ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Cerebellar Disease ◽  
Learning Mechanisms ◽  
Visuomotor Rotation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Sensory Prediction

Abstract Systematic perturbations in motor adaptation tasks are primarily countered by learning from sensory-prediction errors, with secondary contributions from other learning processes. Despite the availability of these additional processes, particularly the use of explicit re-aiming to counteract observed target errors, patients with cerebellar degeneration are surprisingly unable to compensate for their sensory-prediction error deficits by spontaneously switching to another learning mechanism. We hypothesized that if the nature of the task was changed—by allowing vision of the hand, which eliminates sensory-prediction errors—patients could be induced to preferentially adopt aiming strategies to solve visuomotor rotations. To test this, we first developed a novel visuomotor rotation paradigm that provides participants with vision of their hand in addition to the cursor, effectively setting the sensory-prediction error signal to zero. We demonstrated in younger healthy control subjects that this promotes a switch to strategic re-aiming based on target errors. We then showed that with vision of the hand, patients with cerebellar degeneration could also switch to an aiming strategy in response to visuomotor rotations, performing similarly to age-matched participants (older controls). Moreover, patients could retrieve their learned aiming solution after vision of the hand was removed (although they could not improve beyond what they retrieved), and retain it for at least 1 year. Both patients and older controls, however, exhibited impaired overall adaptation performance compared to younger healthy controls (age 18–33 years), likely due to age-related reductions in spatial and working memory. Patients also failed to generalize, i.e. they were unable to adopt analogous aiming strategies in response to novel rotations. Hence, there appears to be an inescapable obligatory dependence on sensory-prediction error-based learning—even when this system is impaired in patients with cerebellar disease. The persistence of sensory-prediction error-based learning effectively suppresses a switch to target error-based learning, which perhaps explains the unexpectedly poor performance by patients with cerebellar degeneration in visuomotor adaptation tasks.

Physician don't heal thyself: a descriptive study of impaired older doctors

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 974-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Peisah ◽  
K. Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Work Patterns ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Sense Of Obligation ◽  
Medical Morbidity ◽  
Aging Medical

Background: The growing and welcome interest in the issues leading to distress and impairment in younger doctors has not been mirrored by a focus on the similar issues in older doctors which is surprising given the aging medical workforce.Objectives: To improve understanding of impairment in older doctors and to facilitate the planning of primary prevention strategies.Method: Consecutive case records of notifications to the Impaired Registrants Program of the New South Wales Medical Board, Australia, of doctors over 60 years from January 2000 to January 2006 (N = 41) were examined. Details of demographics, type of practice, nature of referral, medical morbidity, cognitive examination, psychiatric diagnosis and outcome of assessment were recorded.Results: Impaired older doctors suffered cognitive impairment (54%), substance abuse (29%) and depression (22%) and 17% had two comorbid psychiatric conditions. Twelve percent had frank dementia. Two work patterns – the “workhorse” and the “dabbler” – were observed, as was a culture of postponed retirement due to a sense of obligation and working “until you drop.” Impaired older doctors were found to have higher chronic illness burden compared with community norms. Almost half were the subject of patient complaints or of poor performance within ten years of presentation.Conclusion: To our knowledge there has been no other comprehensive examination of patterns of impairment in older doctors. Older doctors are prone to suffer “the four Ds”: dementia, drugs, drink and depression. We need to encourage mature doctors to adapt to age-related changes and illness and validate their right to timely and appropriate retirement.

Hearing Loss- and Hearing Aid-Related Stigma

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan F. Erler ◽  
Dean C. Garstecki
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Impaired Hearing ◽  
Younger Women ◽  
Normal Limits ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Women’S Perceptions

Impaired hearing and the use of hearing aids are often perceived negatively. Many adults deny hearing loss and reject amplification, in part due to such stigma. Women and men differ in how they age and adjust to impaired hearing, yet little is known specifically about women’s perceptions of stigma related to hearing loss and hearing aid use. The purpose of this study was to examine the degree of stigma associated with hearing loss and hearing aid use among women in three age groups (35–45 years, 55–65 years, and 75–85 years). Participants were 191 women with hearing within normal limits based on age-related norms. Using pairs of descriptors (i.e., semantic differentials), participants completed statements related to hearing loss and hearing aid use. Results suggest that negative perceptions associated with hearing loss and hearing aid use are affected by age. Younger women perceive greater stigma than older women. Less stigma is associated with hearing aid use than hearing loss, suggesting a positive effect of hearing loss management. Implications for clinical practice and marketing of hearing instruments are discussed.

scholarly journals Age-Related Temporal Processing Deficits in Word Segments in Adult Cochlear-Implant Users

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 233121651988668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zilong Xie ◽  
Casey R. Gaskins ◽  
Maureen J. Shader ◽  
Sandra Gordon-Salant ◽  
Samira Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Temporal Processing ◽  
Word Identification ◽  
Speech Understanding ◽  
Potential Mechanism ◽  
Auditory Temporal Processing ◽  
Categorization Task ◽  
Performance Differences ◽  
Temporal Cues ◽  
Age Related

Aging may limit speech understanding outcomes in cochlear-implant (CI) users. Here, we examined age-related declines in auditory temporal processing as a potential mechanism that underlies speech understanding deficits associated with aging in CI users. Auditory temporal processing was assessed with a categorization task for the words dish and ditch (i.e., identify each token as the word dish or ditch) on a continuum of speech tokens with varying silence duration (0 to 60 ms) prior to the final fricative. In Experiments 1 and 2, younger CI (YCI), middle-aged CI (MCI), and older CI (OCI) users participated in the categorization task across a range of presentation levels (25 to 85 dB). Relative to YCI, OCI required longer silence durations to identify ditch and exhibited reduced ability to distinguish the words dish and ditch (shallower slopes in the categorization function). Critically, we observed age-related performance differences only at higher presentation levels. This contrasted with findings from normal-hearing listeners in Experiment 3 that demonstrated age-related performance differences independent of presentation level. In summary, aging in CI users appears to degrade the ability to utilize brief temporal cues in word identification, particularly at high levels. Age-specific CI programming may potentially improve clinical outcomes for speech understanding performance by older CI listeners.

scholarly journals Age-related changes in auditory temporal processing in the rat

2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 739-746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Šuta ◽  
Natalia Rybalko ◽  
Jana Pelánová ◽  
Jiří Popelář ◽  
Josef Syka
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Processing ◽  
Auditory Temporal Processing ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Changes

scholarly journals Evidence of degraded representation of speech in noise, in the aging midbrain and cortex

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (5) ◽  
pp. 2346-2355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Presacco ◽  
Jonathan Z. Simon ◽  
Samira Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Auditory Temporal Processing ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Speech Envelope ◽  
Impaired Speech

Humans have a remarkable ability to track and understand speech in unfavorable conditions, such as in background noise, but speech understanding in noise does deteriorate with age. Results from several studies have shown that in younger adults, low-frequency auditory cortical activity reliably synchronizes to the speech envelope, even when the background noise is considerably louder than the speech signal. However, cortical speech processing may be limited by age-related decreases in the precision of neural synchronization in the midbrain. To understand better the neural mechanisms contributing to impaired speech perception in older adults, we investigated how aging affects midbrain and cortical encoding of speech when presented in quiet and in the presence of a single-competing talker. Our results suggest that central auditory temporal processing deficits in older adults manifest in both the midbrain and in the cortex. Specifically, midbrain frequency following responses to a speech syllable are more degraded in noise in older adults than in younger adults. This suggests a failure of the midbrain auditory mechanisms needed to compensate for the presence of a competing talker. Similarly, in cortical responses, older adults show larger reductions than younger adults in their ability to encode the speech envelope when a competing talker is added. Interestingly, older adults showed an exaggerated cortical representation of speech in both quiet and noise conditions, suggesting a possible imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory processes, or diminished network connectivity that may impair their ability to encode speech efficiently.

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