scholarly journals Weak neural signatures of spatial selective auditory attention in hearing-impaired listeners

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia M. Bonacci ◽  
Lengshi Dai ◽  
Barbara G. Shinn-Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Interaural Time Difference ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Auditory Attention ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Spatial Difference ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Spatial Features

AbstractSpatial attention may be used to select target speech in one location while suppressing irrelevant speech in another. However, if perceptual resolution of spatial cues is weak, spatially focused attention may work poorly, leading to difficulty communicating in noisy settings. In electroencephalography (EEG), the distribution of alpha (8–14 Hz) power over parietal sensors reflects the spatial focus of attention (Banerjee et al., 2011; Foxe and Snyder, 2011). If spatial attention is degraded, however, alpha may not be modulated across parietal sensors. A previously published behavioral and EEG study found that, compared to normal-hearing (NH) listeners, hearing-impaired (HI) listeners often had higher interaural time difference (ITD) thresholds, worse performance when asked to report the content of an acoustic stream from a particular location, and weaker attentional modulation of neural responses evoked by sounds in a mixture (Dai et al., 2018). This study explored whether these same HI listeners also showed weaker alpha lateralization during the previously reported task. In NH listeners, hemispheric parietal alpha power was greater when the ipsilateral location was attended; this lateralization was stronger when competing melodies were separated by a larger spatial difference. In HI listeners, however, alpha was not lateralized across parietal sensors, consistent with a degraded ability to use spatial features to selectively attend.

scholarly journals Non-spatial features reduce the reliance on sustained spatial auditory attention

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia M. Bonacci ◽  
Scott Bressler ◽  
Barbara G. Shinn-Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Target Location ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Auditory Attention ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Target Sound ◽  
Spatial Features ◽  
Auditory Cue ◽  
Pitch Information

AbstractTop-down spatial attention is effective at selecting a target sound from a mixture. However, non-spatial features often distinguish sources in addition to location. This study explores whether redundant non-spatial features are used to maintain selective auditory attention for a spatially defined target. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while subjects focused attention on one of three simultaneous melodies. In one experiment, subjects (n = 17) were given an auditory cue indicating both the location and pitch of the target melody. In a second experiment (n = 17 subjects), the cue only indicated target location, and we compared two conditions: one in which the pitch separation of competing melodies was large, and one in which this separation was small. In both experiments, responses evoked by onsets of events in sound streams were modulated equally as strong by attention, suggesting that the target stimuli were correctly selected regardless of the cue or pitch information available. In all cases, parietal alpha was lateralized following the cue, but prior to melody onset, indicating that subjects always initially focused attention in space. During the stimulus presentation, however, this lateralization weakened when pitch cues were strong, suggesting that strong pitch cues reduced reliance on sustained spatial attention. These results demonstrate that once a well-defined target stream at a known location is selected, top-down spatial attention is unnecessary to filter out a segregated competing stream.

scholarly journals Topographic specificity of alpha power during auditory spatial attention

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqi Deng ◽  
Inyong Choi ◽  
Barbara Shinn-Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Spectral Band ◽  
Attentional Focus ◽  
Auditory Attention ◽  
Target Sequence ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Visual Spatial Attention ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Topographical Distribution ◽  
Subject Specific

AbstractVisual and somatosensory spatial attention both induce parietal alpha (7-14 Hz) oscillations whose topographical distribution depends on the direction of spatial attentional focus. In the auditory domain, contrasts of parietal alpha power for leftward and rightward attention reveal a qualitatively similar lateralization; however, it is not clear whether alpha lateralization changes monotonically with the direction of auditory attention as it does for visual spatial attention. In addition, most previous studies of alpha oscillation did not consider subject-specific differences in alpha frequency, but simply analyzed power in a fixed spectral band. Here, we recorded electroencephalography in human subjects when they directed attention to one of five azimuthal locations. After a cue indicating the direction of an upcoming target sequence of spoken syllables (yet before the target began), alpha power changed in a task specific manner. Subject-specific peak alpha frequencies differed consistently between frontocentral electrodes and parieto-occipital electrodes, suggesting multiple neural generators of task-related alpha. Parieto-occipital alpha increased over the hemisphere ipsilateral to attentional focus compared to the contralateral hemisphere, and changed systematically as the direction of attention shifted from far left to far right. These results showing that parietal alpha lateralization changes smoothly with the direction of auditory attention as in visual spatial attention provide further support to the growing evidence that the frontoparietal attention network is supramodal.

scholarly journals Impoverished auditory cues fail to engage brain networks controlling spatial selective attention

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqi Deng ◽  
Inyong Choi ◽  
Barbara Shinn-Cunningham ◽  
Robert Baumgartner
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Auditory Attention ◽  
Sensory Response ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Oscillatory Power ◽  
Interaural Differences ◽  
Natural Settings

AbstractSpatial selective attention enables listeners to process a signal of interest in natural settings. However, most past studies on auditory spatial attention used impoverished spatial cues: presenting competing sounds to different ears, using only interaural differences in time (ITDs) and/or intensity (IIDs), or using non-individualized head-related transfer functions (HRTFs). Here we tested the hypothesis that impoverished spatial cues impair spatial auditory attention by only weakly engaging relevant cortical networks. Eighteen normal-hearing listeners reported the content of one of two competing syllable streams simulated at roughly +30 ° and −30° azimuth. The competing streams consisted of syllables from two different-sex talkers. Spatialization was based on natural spatial cues (individualized HRTFs), individualized IIDs, or generic ITDs. We measured behavioral performance as well as electroencephalographic markers of selective attention. Behaviorally, subjects recalled target streams most accurately with natural cues. Neurally, spatial attention significantly modulated early evoked sensory response magnitudes only for natural cues, not in conditions using only ITDs or IIDs. Consistent with this, parietal oscillatory power in the alpha band (8-14 Hz; associated with filtering out distracting events from unattended directions) showed significantly less attentional modulation with isolated spatial cues than with natural cues. Our findings support the hypothesis that spatial selective attention networks are only partially engaged by impoverished spatial auditory cues. These results not only suggest that studies using unnatural spatial cues underestimate the neural effects of spatial auditory attention, they also illustrate the importance of preserving natural spatial cues in assistive listening devices to support robust attentional control.

scholarly journals Probing the limits of alpha power lateralization as a neural marker of selective attention in middle-aged and older listeners

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Tune ◽  
Malte Wöstmann ◽  
Jonas Obleser
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Auditory Attention ◽  
Hemispheric Lateralization ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Auditory Spatial Attention ◽  
Neural Marker

AbstractIn recent years, hemispheric lateralization of alpha power has emerged as a neural mechanism thought to underpin spatial attention across sensory modalities. Yet, how healthy aging, beginning in middle adulthood, impacts the modulation of lateralized alpha power supporting auditory attention remains poorly understood. In the current electroencephalography (EEG) study, middle-aged and older adults (N = 29; ~40-70 years) performed a dichotic listening task that simulates a challenging, multi-talker scenario. We examined the extent to which the modulation of 8-12 Hz alpha power would serve as neural marker of listening success across age. With respect to the increase in inter-individual variability with age, we examined an extensive battery of behavioral, perceptual, and neural measures. Similar to findings on younger adults, middle-aged and older listeners′ auditory spatial attention induced robust lateralization of alpha power, which synchronized with the speech rate. Notably, the observed relationship between this alpha lateralization and task performance did not co-vary with age. Instead, task performance was strongly related to an individual’s attentional and working memory capacity. Multivariate analyses revealed a separation of neural and behavioral variables independent of age. Our results suggest that in age-varying samples as the present one, the lateralization of alpha power is neither a sufficient nor necessary neural strategy for an individual’s auditory spatial attention, as higher age might come with increased use of alternative, compensatory mechanisms. Our findings emphasize that explaining inter-individual variability will be key to understanding the role of alpha oscillations in auditory attention in the aging listener.

The Timing of Neural Activity during Shifts of Spatial Attention

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 2369-2383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora Brignani ◽  
Jöran Lepsien ◽  
Matthew F. S. Rushworth ◽  
Anna Christina Nobre
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Behavioral Experiment ◽  
Focused Attention ◽  
Transient Effects ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Posterior Parietal

We developed a new experimental task to investigate the relative timing of neural activity during shifts of spatial attention with event-related potentials. The task enabled the investigation of nonlateralized as well as lateralized neural activity associated with spatial shifts. Participants detected target stimuli within one of two peripheral streams of visual letters. Colored letters embedded within the streams indicated which stream was to be used for target detection, signaling that participants should “hold” or “shift” their current focus of spatial attention. A behavioral experiment comparing performance in these focused-attention conditions with performance in a divided-attention condition confirmed the efficacy of the spatial cues. Another behavioral experiment showed that overt shifts of spatial attention were mainly complete by around 400 msec, placing an upper boundary for isolating neural activity that was instrumental in controlling spatial shifts. Event-related potentials recorded during a covert version of the focused-attention task showed a large amount of nonlateralized neural activity associated with spatial shifts, with significant effects starting around 330 msec. The effects started over posterior scalp regions, where they remained pronounced. Transient effects were also observed over frontal scalp regions. The results are compatible with a pivotal role of posterior parietal areas in initiating shifts of spatial attention.

scholarly journals Perception of Auditory Distance in Normal-Hearing and Moderate-to-Profound Hearing-Impaired Listeners

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 233121651988761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Courtois ◽  
Vincent Grimaldi ◽  
Hervé Lissek ◽  
Philippe Estoppey ◽  
Eleftheria Georganti
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Normal Hearing ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Linear Amplification ◽  
Profound Hearing Loss ◽  
Wireless Microphone ◽  
Auditory Distance ◽  
Non Linear

The auditory system allows the estimation of the distance to sound-emitting objects using multiple spatial cues. In virtual acoustics over headphones, a prerequisite to render auditory distance impression is sound externalization, which denotes the perception of synthesized stimuli outside of the head. Prior studies have found that listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss are able to perceive auditory distance and are sensitive to externalization. However, this ability may be degraded by certain factors, such as non-linear amplification in hearing aids or the use of a remote wireless microphone. In this study, 10 normal-hearing and 20 moderate-to-profound hearing-impaired listeners were instructed to estimate the distance of stimuli processed with different methods yielding various perceived auditory distances in the vicinity of the listeners. Two different configurations of non-linear amplification were implemented, and a novel feature aiming to restore a sense of distance in wireless microphone systems was tested. The results showed that the hearing-impaired listeners, even those with a profound hearing loss, were able to discriminate nearby and far sounds that were equalized in level. Their perception of auditory distance was however more contracted than in normal-hearing listeners. Non-linear amplification was found to distort the original spatial cues, but no adverse effect on the ratings of auditory distance was evident. Finally, it was shown that the novel feature was successful in allowing the hearing-impaired participants to perceive externalized sounds with wireless microphone systems.

scholarly journals Endogenous Spatial Attention Modulates the Magnitude of the Colavita Visual Dominance Effect

i-Perception ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 204166952110271
Author(s):  
Aijun Wang ◽  
Heng Zhou ◽  
Yuanyuan Hu ◽  
Qiong Wu ◽  
Tianyang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Dominance Effect ◽  
Uncued Location ◽  
Reaction Time Difference ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Auditory Cues ◽  
Colavita Effect ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Visual Dominance Effect

The Colavita effect refers to the phenomenon wherein people tend to not respond to an auditory stimulus when a visual stimulus is simultaneously presented. Although previous studies have shown that endogenous modality attention influences the Colavita effect, whether the Colavita effect is influenced by endogenous spatial attention remains unknown. In the present study, we established endogenous spatial cues to investigate whether the size of the Colavita effect changes under visual or auditory cues. We measured three indexes to investigate the effect of endogenous spatial attention on the size of the Colavita effect. These three indexes were developed based on the following observations in bimodal trials: (a) The proportion of the “only vision” response was significantly higher than that of the “only audition” response; (b) the proportion of the “vision precedes audition” response was significantly higher than that of the “audition precedes vision” response; and (c) the reaction time difference of the “vision precedes audition” response was significantly higher than that of the “audition precedes vision” response. Our results showed that the Colavita effect was always influenced by endogenous spatial attention and that its size was larger at the cued location than at the uncued location; the cue modality (visual vs. auditory) had no effect on the size of the Colavita effect. Taken together, the present results shed light on how endogenous spatial attention affects the Colavita effect.

scholarly journals Frontal eye field microstimulation induces task-dependent gamma oscillations in the lateral intraparietal area

2012 ◽  
Vol 108 (5) ◽  
pp. 1392-1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsie Premereur ◽  
Wim Vanduffel ◽  
Pieter R. Roelfsema ◽  
Peter Janssen
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Oculomotor Control ◽  
Saccade Target ◽  
Frontal Eye Field ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Lateral Intraparietal Area ◽  
Electrical Microstimulation ◽  
Gamma Power

Macaque frontal eye fields (FEF) and the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) are high-level oculomotor control centers that have been implicated in the allocation of spatial attention. Electrical microstimulation of macaque FEF elicits functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activations in area LIP, but no study has yet investigated the effect of FEF microstimulation on LIP at the single-cell or local field potential (LFP) level. We recorded spiking and LFP activity in area LIP during weak, subthreshold microstimulation of the FEF in a delayed-saccade task. FEF microstimulation caused a highly time- and frequency-specific, task-dependent increase in gamma power in retinotopically corresponding sites in LIP: FEF microstimulation produced a significant increase in LIP gamma power when a saccade target appeared and remained present in the LIP receptive field (RF), whereas less specific increases in alpha power were evoked by FEF microstimulation for saccades directed away from the RF. Stimulating FEF with weak currents had no effect on LIP spike rates or on the gamma power during memory saccades or passive fixation. These results provide the first evidence for task-dependent modulations of LFPs in LIP caused by top-down stimulation of FEF. Since the allocation and disengagement of spatial attention in visual cortex have been associated with increases in gamma and alpha power, respectively, the effects of FEF microstimulation on LIP are consistent with the known effects of spatial attention.

scholarly journals Topographic specificity of alpha power during auditory spatial attention

NeuroImage ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 116360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuqi Deng ◽  
Inyong Choi ◽  
Barbara Shinn-Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Auditory Spatial Attention

scholarly journals Specific loss of neural sensitivity to interaural time difference of unmodulated noise stimuli following noise-induced hearing loss

2020 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 1165-1182
Author(s):  
Hariprakash Haragopal ◽  
Ryan Dorkoski ◽  
Austin R. Pollard ◽  
Gareth A. Whaley ◽  
Timothy R. Wohl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Interaural Time Difference ◽  
Acoustic Trauma ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Broadband Noise ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Auditory Midbrain ◽  
Midbrain Neurons ◽  
Perceptual Abilities ◽  
Encode Time

Sensorineural hearing loss compromises perceptual abilities that arise from hearing with two ears, yet its effects on binaural aspects of neural responses are largely unknown. We found that, following severe hearing loss because of acoustic trauma, auditory midbrain neurons specifically lost the ability to encode time differences between the arrival of a broadband noise stimulus to the two ears, whereas the encoding of sound level differences between the two ears remained uncompromised.

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