Neural encoding of speech envelopes during development: A frequency-specific investigation

发育过程中语音包络的神经编码：特定频率的研究

• 批准号: 10190883
• 负责人: VIJAYALAKSHMI EASWAR
• 金额: $ 5.68万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-06-12 至 2022-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10190883
• 关键词: Adult; Age; Age of Onset; Auditory system; Behavioral; Binding; Brain Stem; Calibration; Child; Childhood; Cochlea; Cochlear Hearing Loss; Complex; Cueing for speech; Cues; Development; Devices; Dimensions; Disease; Ear; Early Intervention; Electroencephalogram; Electroencephalography; Frequencies; Gender; Goals; Head; Hearing Aids; Hearing Tests; Human; Interest Group; Investigation; Knowledge; Measures; Methods; Nature; Neural Pathways; Noise; Outcome; Participant; Pathway interactions; Perception; Periodicity; Phase; Process; Research; Scalp structure; Signal Transduction; Speech; Speech Discrimination; Speech Sound; Stimulus; Testing; Time; Voice; Work; age group; age related; auditory processing; base; childhood hearing loss; comparison group; experience; hearing impairment; infancy; neurodevelopment; normal hearing; novel; relating to nervous system; response; signal processing; sound; tool

Project Summary An important time-based cue for understanding speech in quiet and in the presence of noise is the periodicity in voicing at the fundamental frequency (f0). The ability of children to use f0-rate information for speech understand- ing depends on how well their auditory system extracts this information in each frequency region. The ability to extract such information could be influenced by the cochlear-place-specific development of neural pathways and the tendency for auditory processing to develop earlier in pathways innervating the cochlear base. f0 encod- ing can be evaluated using envelope following response (EFRs)—an electroencephalogram-based method that reflects neural activity phase-locked to the periodic f0 envelope. However, little is known about the frequency- specific development of f0 encoding because of the predominant use of broadband vowels to elicit EFRs. To this end, our goal is to systematically evaluate the frequency-specific developmental time course of f0 encoding. The proposed studies will use novel band-limited speech stimuli to investigate the developmental time course of f0 encoding initiated in different cochlear regions corresponding to low, mid and high frequencies. In addition to using a frequency-specific approach, f0 encoding will be assessed as a function of (i) f0 rate—a parameter that changes by talker age and gender, (ii) decreasing signal-to-noise ratio—a parameter that simulates challenging listening conditions especially for children, and (iii) behavioral relevance of the stimulus—a parameter that can disambiguate the impact of everyday listening experience. The two pediatric age groups of interest with immature perception of f0-rate envelope periodicity are, 0.3-1 years and 5-8 years, as they align with mature cochlear, and cochlear and brainstem function, respectively. For rigorous adult-child comparisons of f0 encoding in the presence of age-dependent ear and head sizes, the approach will entail: (i) stimulus calibration in each test ear to equalize stimulus level across all test ears, (ii) use of phase coherence—a normalized response measure independent of absolute response strength and latency—as the maturity metric, and (iii) between-group comparisons of stimulus- induced changes rather than raw EFR measures. Findings will reveal if f0 encoding at low frequencies is the last to achieve adult-like processing and if such a developmental trajectory is specific to speech. The proposed research has important implications for children with cochlear hearing loss who may experience frequency-specific abnormal f0 encoding as a function of hearing loss degree. The age-, frequency-, rate-, signal- to-noise ratio-, and stimulus-specific development of f0 encoding from the proposed work will advance our ability to detect and assess the nature and extent of abnormal f0 encoding due to cochlear hearing loss and/or signal processing in devices like hearing aids. The use of EFRs will enable assessment of f0 encoding in children too young to participate in behavioral hearing tests and in turn, offer the opportunity to inform changes in intervention earlier than behavioral hearing tests can.

项目概要 在安静和有噪音的情况下理解语音的一个重要的基于时间的线索是周期性 以基频 (f0) 发声。儿童使用 f0 速率信息进行语音理解的能力 听力取决于他们的听觉系统在每个频率区域提取此信息的能力。能力 提取此类信息可能会受到耳蜗位置特定的神经通路发育的影响 听觉处理在支配耳蜗基底的通路中较早发展的趋势。 f0 编码- 可以使用包络跟踪响应 (EFR) 进行评估，这是一种基于脑电图的方法， 反映锁相到周期性 f0 包络的神经活动。然而，人们对频率知之甚少—— 由于主要使用宽带元音来引出 EFR，因此 f0 编码的具体开发。对此 最后，我们的目标是系统地评估 f0 编码的特定频率发展时间过程。 拟议的研究将使用新颖的限带语音刺激来研究发育时间过程 f0 编码在对应低、中、高频的不同耳蜗区域启动。此外 使用特定于频率的方法，f0 编码将被评估为 (i) f0 速率的函数——该参数 随说话者年龄和性别的变化，(ii) 降低信噪比——模拟挑战性的参数 听力条件，尤其是儿童的听力条件，以及（iii）刺激的行为相关性——一个可以 消除日常聆听体验的影响。两个感兴趣的儿童年龄组 f0 速率包络周期的感知为 0.3-1 年和 5-8 年，因为它们与成熟的耳蜗一致，并且 分别是耳蜗和脑干功能。用于在存在 f0 编码的情况下进行严格的成人与儿童比较 根据年龄相关的耳朵和头部尺寸，该方法将需要：（i）每个测试耳的刺激校准以均衡 所有测试耳的刺激水平，(ii) 使用相位相干性——一种独立于 绝对反应强度和潜伏期——作为成熟度指标，以及（iii）刺激的组间比较—— 诱发的变化而不是原始的 EFR 措施。研究结果将揭示低频 f0 编码是否是最后一个 实现类似成人的处理能力，并且这种发展轨迹是否特定于言语。 拟议的研究对于患有耳蜗听力损失的儿童具有重要意义，他们可能会经历 频率特定的异常 f0 编码作为听力损失程度的函数。年龄-、频率-、速率-、信号- 根据提议的工作对 f0 编码进行信噪比和特定刺​​激的开发将提高我们的能力 检测和评估由于耳蜗听力损失和/或信号导致的异常 f0 编码的性质和程度 助听器等设备中的处理。 EFR 的使用也将能够评估儿童的 f0 编码 年轻人参加行为听力测试，从而提供了解干预措施变化的机会 比行为听力测试更早。