The influence of individual differences in brain rhythms on speech perception with and without age-related hearing loss

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

There are currently 430 million people worldwide with debilitating hearing loss (WHO) and this number will increase dramatically over the next decades due to the ageing population. In the UK alone, one in six individuals (an estimated 11 to 12 million) is currently affected by at least a mild hearing loss. Arguably the most devastating consequence of hearing loss is the difficulty to understand speech, which impacts communication, mental health, and cognitive processes in affected individuals. The single biggest cause of hearing loss are age-related changes, and this will affect nearly everyone to some extent in their life. While some individuals require hearing aids early on, others deal surprisingly well with hearing loss, likely through compensatory cortical processes. In this project, we will discover why some individuals with hearing loss can understand speech better than others, even though they might have similar hearing abilities. We will comprehensively model brain rhythms involved in speech comprehension with different levels of hearing loss. Brain rhythms are rhythmic patterns of brain activation that have a role in all behavioural, perceptual, and cognitive processes. Individual brain rhythm profiles will be measured in resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) recordings using our previously developed spectral fingerprinting approach. Speech comprehension will be measured in three listening situations that can be encountered in real life, and that have been shown to be affected by hearing loss (noisy, rapid, and interrupted speech). Hearing levels will be measured using state-of-the-art, efficient machine learning procedures. This will be done in a large sample of the population, spanning all ages and backgrounds. The innovative combination of comprehensive electrophysiological analyses and detailed psycho-physical testing will lead to the most comprehensive picture to date about the role of intrinsic brain rhythms in speech perception in the typical population with varying levels of hearing loss. Moreover, we will test whether it is possible to improve natural speech perception by non-invasively enhancing brain rhythms with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This approach will have the potential to delay or even avoid the use of hearing aids for individuals with beginning age-related hearing loss and improve social and health outcomes.