Musical training enhances neural processing of comodulation masking release in the auditory brainstem

Musical training strengthens segregation the target signal from background noise. Musicians have enhanced stream segregation, which can be considered a process similar to comodulation masking release. In the current study, we surveyed psychoacoustical comodulation masking release in musicians and non-musicians. We then recorded the brainstem responses to complex stimuli in comodulated and unmodulated maskers to investigate the effect of musical training on the neural representation of comodulation masking release for the first time. The musicians showed significantly greater amplitudes and earlier brainstem response timing for stimulus in the presence of comodulated maskers than nonmusicians. In agreement with the results of psychoacoustical experiment, musicians showed greater comodulation masking release than non-musicians. These results reveal a physiological explanation for behavioral enhancement of comodulation masking release and stream segregation in musicians.

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Ultra-fine temporal resolution in auditory processing is preserved in aged mice without peripheral hearing loss

10.1101/363994 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Lasse Osterhagen ◽

K. Jannis Hildebrandt

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Auditory Cortex ◽

Temporal Processing ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Auditory Brainstem ◽

Neural Representation ◽

Gap Detection ◽

Detection Thresholds ◽

Age Related ◽

Brainstem Response

AbstractAge-related hearing loss (presbycusis) is caused by damage to the periphery as well as deterioration of central auditory processing. Gap detection is a paradigm to study age-related temporal processing deficits, which is assumed to be determined primarily by the latter. However, peripheral hearing loss is a strong confounding factor when using gap detection to measure temporal processing. In this study, we used mice from the CAST line, which is known to maintain excellent peripheral hearing, to rule out any contribution of peripheral hearing loss to gap detection performance. We employed an operant Go/No-go paradigm to obtain psychometric functions of gap in noise (GIN) detection at young and middle age. Besides, we measured auditory brainstem responses (ABR) and multiunit recordings in the auditory cortex (AC) in order to disentangle the processing stages of gap detection. We found detection thresholds around 0.6 ms in all measurement modalities. Detection thresholds did not increase with age. In the ABR, GIN stimuli are coded as onset responses to the noise that follows the gap, strikingly similar to the ABR of noise bursts in silence (NBIS). The simplicity of the neural representation of the gap together with the preservation of detection threshold in aged CAST mice suggests that GIN detection in the mouse is primarily determined by peripheral, not central processing.AbbreviaionsGINgap in noiseABRauditory brainstem responseACauditory cortexNBISnoise burst in silenceIINinhibitory interneuron

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Applicability of Evoked Auditory Brainstem Responses with Complex Stimuli in Adults with Hearing Loss

International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology ◽

10.1055/s-0037-1605341 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 (03) ◽

pp. 239-244 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Bruna Peixe ◽

Débora Silva ◽

Eliara Biaggio ◽

Rúbia Bruno ◽

Taissane Sanguebuche ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Auditory Brainstem ◽

Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽

Study Group ◽

Auditory Thresholds ◽

High Frequencies ◽

Complex Stimuli ◽

Brainstem Response ◽

Normal Standards ◽

Complex Manner

Introduction The use of the speech-evoked auditory brainstem response (ABR) shows how the brainstem operates up to the subcortex in a more complex manner than when the click-evoked ABR is used. Objective To study the applicability of the speech-evoked ABR in adults with hearing loss. Methods The sample was composed of a study group of 11 subjects, with ages ranging between 18 and 59 years, and auditory thresholds within normal standards, with loss of up to 65 dB at high frequencies or up to moderately severe symmetric sensorineural hearing loss. The sample underwent a basic audiological assessment, as well as speech-evoked ABR and click-evoked ABR, in which waves I, III and V, and V, A, C, D, E, F were respectively marked. The electrophysiological assessments were performed using the SmartEP device (Intelligent Hearing Systems, Miami, FL, US). Results For the speech-evoked ABR, the reference values were used in the identification and analysis of the study group. Those values found for the study group were: V = 8.56; A = 10.97; C = 21.33; D = 29.51; E = 37.93; F = 46.96; and O = 55.97. In the comparison between groups, the study group presented an increase in latency only in wave C. Conclusion The speech-evoked ABR can be performed in subjects with up to moderately severe hearing loss, and the test proved to be appropriate, because, unlike the click-evoked ABR, the former does not suffer influence of peripheral hearing loss.

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Hit and False-Alarm Rates of Selected ABR Indices in Differentiating Cochlear Disorders From Acoustic Tumors

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/1059-0889.0501.90 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 90-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Frank E. Musiek ◽

Cynthia A. McCormick ◽

Raymond M. Hurley

Keyword(s):

False Alarm ◽

Amplitude Ratio ◽

High Specificity ◽

Auditory Brainstem ◽

Latency Difference ◽

Cochlear Pathology ◽

Brainstem Response ◽

Absolute Latency ◽

Two Indices ◽

Low Sensitivity

We performed a retrospective study of 26 patients with acoustic tumors and 26 patients with otologically diagnosed cochlear pathology to determine the sensitivity (hit rate), specificity (false-alarm rate), and efficiency of six auditory brainstem response indices. In addition, a utility value was determined for each of these six indices. The I–V interwave interval, the interaural latency difference, and the absolute latency of wave V provided the highest hit rates, the best A’ values and good utility. The V/I amplitude ratio index provided high specificity but low sensitivity scores. In regard to sensitivity and specificity, using the combination of two indices provided little overall improvement over the best one-index measures.

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The Effect of Kalman-Weighted Averaging and Artifact Rejection on Residual Noise During Auditory Brainstem Response Testing

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2018_aja-18-0123 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 114-124

Author(s):

Linda W. Norrix ◽

Julie Thein ◽

David Velenovsky

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Auditory Brainstem ◽

Weighted Averaging ◽

Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽

Residual Noise ◽

Electrophysiological Recordings ◽

Artifact Rejection ◽

Brainstem Response ◽

Active Motor ◽

Averaging Time

Purpose Low residual noise (RN) levels are critically important when obtaining electrophysiological recordings of threshold auditory brainstem responses. In this study, we examine the effectiveness and efficiency of Kalman-weighted averaging (KWA) implemented on the Vivosonic Integrity System and artifact rejection (AR) implemented on the Intelligent Hearing Systems SmartEP system for obtaining low RN levels. Method Sixteen adults participated. Electrophysiological measures were obtained using simultaneous recordings by the Vivosonic and Intelligent Hearing Systems for subjects in 2 relaxed conditions and 4 active motor conditions. Three averaging times were used for the relaxed states (1, 1.5, and 3 min) and for the active states (1.5, 3, and 6 min). Repeated-measures analyses of variance were used to examine RN levels as a function of noise reduction strategy (i.e., KWA, AR) and averaging time. Results Lower RN levels were obtained using KWA than AR in both the relaxed and active motor states. Thus, KWA was more effective than was AR under the conditions examined in this study. Using KWA, approximately 3 min of averaging was needed in the relaxed condition to obtain an average RN level of 0.025 μV. In contrast, in the active motor conditions, approximately 6 min of averaging was required using KWA. Mean RN levels of 0.025 μV were not attained using AR. Conclusions When patients are not physiologically quiet, low RN levels are more likely to be obtained and more efficiently obtained using KWA than AR. However, even when using KWA, in active motor states, 6 min of averaging or more may be required to obtain threshold responses. Averaging time needed and whether a low RN level can be attained will depend on the level of motor activity exhibited by the patient.

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Comparisons of Auditory Brainstem Responses Between a Laboratory and Simulated Home Environment

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00383 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (11) ◽

pp. 3877-3892

Author(s):

Ashley Parker ◽

Candace Slack ◽

Erika Skoe

Keyword(s):

Home Environment ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Auditory Brainstem ◽

Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽

Single Family ◽

Adult Participants ◽

Simulated Home Environment ◽

Brainstem Response ◽

Research Populations ◽

Response Consistency

Purpose Miniaturization of digital technologies has created new opportunities for remote health care and neuroscientific fieldwork. The current study assesses comparisons between in-home auditory brainstem response (ABR) recordings and recordings obtained in a traditional lab setting. Method Click-evoked and speech-evoked ABRs were recorded in 12 normal-hearing, young adult participants over three test sessions in (a) a shielded sound booth within a research lab, (b) a simulated home environment, and (c) the research lab once more. The same single-family house was used for all home testing. Results Analyses of ABR latencies, a common clinical metric, showed high repeatability between the home and lab environments across both the click-evoked and speech-evoked ABRs. Like ABR latencies, response consistency and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) were robust both in the lab and in the home and did not show significant differences between locations, although variability between the home and lab was higher than latencies, with two participants influencing this lower repeatability between locations. Response consistency and SNR also patterned together, with a trend for higher SNRs to pair with more consistent responses in both the home and lab environments. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining high-quality ABR recordings within a simulated home environment that closely approximate those recorded in a more traditional recording environment. This line of work may open doors to greater accessibility to underserved clinical and research populations.

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Objective Assessment of Hearing in Children: Update on Procedures and Protocols

Perspectives on Hearing and Hearing Disorders in Childhood ◽

10.1044/hhdc21.2.50 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 50-58

Author(s):

James W. Hall ◽

Anuradha R. Bantwal

Keyword(s):

Psychosocial Development ◽

Otoacoustic Emissions ◽

Objective Assessment ◽

Behavioral Assessment ◽

Auditory Brainstem ◽

Test Battery ◽

Auditory Evoked Responses ◽

Brainstem Response ◽

Assessment Techniques ◽

Pediatric Populations

Early identification and diagnosis of hearing loss in infants and young children is the first step toward appropriate and effective intervention and is critical for optimal communicative and psychosocial development. Limitations of behavioral assessment techniques in pediatric populations necessitate the use of an objective test battery to enable complete and accurate assessment of auditory function. Since the introduction of the cross-check principle 35 years ago, the pediatric diagnostic test battery has expanded to include, in addition to behavioral audiometry, acoustic immittance measures, otoacoustic emissions, and multiple auditory evoked responses (auditory brainstem response, auditory steady state response, and electrocochleography). We offer a concise description of a modern evidence-based audiological test battery that permits early and accurate diagnosis of auditory dysfunction.

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