Binaural infrasound perception

双耳次声感知

• 批准号: 513548136
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Jesko L. Verhey
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Abteilung für Experimentelle Audiologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/513548136?language=en
• 关键词: Binaural; infrasound; perception

An increasing number of individuals are being exposed to infrasound, e.g. due to the energy transition. This can lead to a significant reduction in the quality of life due to a range of complaints (sleep disturbances, concentration disorders, restlessness, migraines). Several studies indicate that infrasound is perceived by the auditory system. How infrasound is processed by the auditory system is still largely unclear. For example, it is not yet clear to what extent the concepts of binaural perception known from the classical audible frequency range can be transferred to infrasound perception. Insights into binaural processing are of great interest because environmental sounds usually reach both ears and the brain has to form from the signals arriving at both ears a unified percept. The goal of the project is to describe aspects of binaural perception of infrasound experimentally and with models, so that in the future the effects of infrasound on humans can be better studied. At the beginning of the project, a binaural reproduction system will be developed on the basis of an already established low-distortion reproduction system, which is designed for monaural infrasound reproduction. In listening tests, this binaural reproduction system is then used to determine thresholds in quiet (infrasound without background noise) and masking thresholds (infrasound in the presence of background noise). It is tested if concepts for binaural processing in the classical audible frequency range are also valid in the infrasound frequency range. These concepts include not only an improvement of perception by binaural presentation (binaural integration) but also that the auditory system is able to better detect a target signal in the presence of a noise by comparing the two ear signals (binaural unmasking). In addition, it will be investigated whether listeners can also perceive binaural beats for infrasound stimuli, which, in the classical audible frequency range, are seen as further evidence for specific binaural processing. For the aspect of binaural beats, in addition to auditory experiments, the electrical response of the brain is recorded by electroencephalography (EEG). Based on the experimental results, models of binaural infrasound perception will be developed. The long-term goal is to use the findings of the project for the protection against possible health damages caused by infrasound and the adequate description of the emission of infrasound sources. The findings will thus be of importance both for health protection in general and specifically with regard to the energy transition (infrasound emissions from heat pumps, wind turbines, and other technical facilities).

越来越多的人接触到次声，例如由于能量转换。由于一系列的抱怨（睡眠障碍、注意力不集中、烦躁不安、偏头痛），这可能导致生活质量的显著下降。几项研究表明，次声是由听觉系统感知的。听觉系统是如何处理次声的，这在很大程度上仍不清楚。例如，目前尚不清楚从经典可听频率范围已知的双耳感知概念在多大程度上可以转移到次声感知。对双耳处理的深入了解是非常有趣的，因为环境声音通常到达两只耳朵，大脑必须从到达两只耳朵的信号中形成一个统一的感知。该项目的目标是通过实验和模型描述次声双耳感知的各个方面，以便将来可以更好地研究次声对人类的影响。在项目开始时，将在已经建立的低失真复制系统的基础上开发双耳复制系统，该系统专为单声次声复制而设计。在听力测试中，这种双耳再现系统随后用于确定安静（无背景噪声的次声）和掩蔽阈值（有背景噪声的次声）的阈值。对经典可听频率范围内的双耳处理概念在次声频率范围内是否也有效进行了检验。这些概念不仅包括通过双耳呈现（双耳整合）改善感知，还包括听觉系统能够通过比较两耳信号（双耳去掩蔽）更好地检测存在噪声的目标信号。此外，还将研究听者是否也能感知到次声刺激的双耳节拍，这在经典的可听频率范围内被视为特定双耳处理的进一步证据。在双耳节拍方面，除了听觉实验外，还通过脑电图（EEG）记录大脑的电反应。以实验结果为基础，建立双耳次声感知模型。长期目标是利用该项目的研究结果防止次声可能造成的健康损害，并充分说明次声源的发射情况。因此，研究结果对于一般的健康保护，特别是能源转换（热泵、风力涡轮机和其他技术设施的次声排放）具有重要意义。