Neuroanatomical characteristics and speech perception in noise in older adults.
Neuroanatomical characteristics and speech perception in noise in older adults.
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DOI：
10.1097/aud.0b013e3181d709c2
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发表时间：
2010-08
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Dhar S
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Wong PC;Ettlinger M;Sheppard JP;Gunasekera GM;Dhar S
先前的研究将老年人在噪声中感知语音的困难归因于外周听力损失。然而，最近的研究提出了一个更复杂的图景，并暗示中枢神经系统与感觉和感觉缺陷有关。本研究探讨了老年人认知区域的神经解剖结构与在噪声中感知语音的能力之间的关系。特别是，左腹侧和背侧前额叶皮层的神经解剖学特征被认为是相对于标准的噪音听力措施。参与者是15名年长者和14名年轻者，他们都是以美国英语为母语的右撇子，没有神经系统缺陷，在标准化认知测试中得分高于正常人。我们测量了参与者的周边听力能力，以及他们的能力，感知语音噪音使用标准化测试。解剖磁共振图像进行了分析，以提取几个关键的神经解剖结构的区域体积和厚度。结果表明，青年人的听觉灵敏度和噪声言语感知能力均优于老年人。对于老年人，左三角部的体积和左上级额回的皮质厚度是显着的预测性能的语音噪声测试。这些发现表明，除了外周结构，中枢神经系统也有助于在噪音中感知语音的能力。因此，在老年人中，前额叶皮质（PFC）的体积和皮质厚度在衰老过程中的下降可能是在自然环境中感知言语能力下降的一个因素。我们的研究表明，解剖结构之间的PFC和老年人的言语知觉。这些发现与衰退补偿假说是一致的，该假说指出，由于认知老化导致的感觉处理的下降可能伴随着更一般的认知区域的招募增加作为补偿的手段。我们发现，较大的PFC音量可以补偿周边听力下降。在临床上，认识到大脑皮层的贡献，扩大了老年人听力损失的治疗可能性，而不仅仅是外周助听器，还包括改善认知功能的策略。我们的结论是考虑几种机制，PFC可能促进语音感知噪声，包括抑制控制，注意，跨模态补偿，语音工作记忆，虽然没有明确的结论可以得出。
Previous research has attributed older adult’s difficulty with perceiving speech in noise to peripheral hearing loss. Recent studies have suggested a more complex picture, however, and implicate the central nervous system in sensation and sensory deficits. This study examines the relationship between the neuroanatomical structure of cognitive regions and the ability to perceive speech in noise in older adults. In particular, the neuroanatomical characteristics of the left ventral and dorsal prefrontal cortex are considered relative to standard measures of hearing in noise. The participants were fifteen older and fourteen younger right-handed native speakers of American English who had no neurological deficits and scored better than normal on standardized cognitive tests. We measured the participants’ peripheral hearing ability as well as their ability to perceive speech in noise using standardized tests. Anatomical magnetic resonance images were taken and analyzed to extract regional volumes and thicknesses of several key neuroanatomical structures. The results showed that younger adults had better hearing sensitivity and better speech perception in noise ability than older adults. For the older adults only, the volume of the left pars triangularis and the cortical thickness of the left superior frontal gyrus were significant predictors of performance on the speech-in-noise test. These findings suggest that, in addition to peripheral structures, the central nervous system also contributes to the ability to perceive speech in noise. In older adults, a decline in the volume and cortical thickness of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during aging can therefore be a factor in a declining ability to perceive speech in a naturalistic environment. Our study shows a link between anatomy of PFC and speech perception in older adults. These findings are consistent with the decline-compensation hypothesis, which states that a decline in sensory processing due to cognitive aging can be accompanied by an increase in the recruitment of more general cognitive areas as a means of compensation. We found that a larger PFC volume may compensate for declining peripheral hearing. Clinically, recognizing the contribution of the cerebral cortex expands treatment possibilities for hearing loss in older adults beyond peripheral hearing aids to include strategies for improving cognitive function. We conclude by considering several mechanisms by which the PFC may facilitate speech perception in noise including inhibitory control, attention, cross-modal compensation, and phonological working memory, though no definitive conclusion can be drawn.