Sound Source Segregation

声源隔离

• 批准号: 8118938
• 负责人: MARK A BEE
• 金额: $ 32.14万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2014-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8118938
• 关键词: Acoustics; Address; Algorithms; Amphibia; Animal Model; Animals; Auditory; Auditory system; Auricular prosthesis; Basilar Papilla; Behavior; Biological; Biological Models; Biomimetics; Breeding; Characteristics; Cochlear Implants; Cognitive; Communication; Complement; Computational algorithm; Coupled; Cues; Data; Discrimination; Employee Strikes; Environment; Evolution; Female; Frequencies; Future; Goals; Hearing; Hearing Aids; Human; Individual; Knowledge; Labyrinth; Lead; Life; Literature; Location; Logic; Masks; Mediating; Methods; Modeling; Natural Selections; Neurosciences; Noise; Organism; Partner in relationship; Pattern Recognition; Perception; Physiologic pulse; Problem Solving; Process; Property; Pulse Rates; Rana; Recording of previous events; Relative (related person); Research; Role; Sensory Receptors; Shapes; Signal Transduction; Simulate; Social Environment; Solutions; Source; Stream; System; Testing; Thinking; Time; Trees; Ursidae Family; Vertebrates; Work; analog; base; experience; improved; innovation; insight; interest; male; middle ear; neuromechanism; neurophysiology; novel; pressure; research study; segregation; social; sound; speech recognition; vocalization

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The broad aim of this research is to better understand the mechanisms of sound source perception. A critical aspect of perceiving distinct sound sources in multi-source environments is the auditory system's ability to separate sounds of interest from other overlapping sounds and background noise. Hearing aids and cochlear implants often provide their users little benefit when it comes to segregating multiple sound sources. Similarly, computer algorithms for automated speech recognition (ASR) also have persistent difficulty segregating multiple sources. A major goal of auditory neuroscience is to uncover the neural mechanisms that perform sound source segregation. A better understanding of these mechanisms, in turn, can lead to biologically-inspired improvements in hearing prosthetics and ASR algorithms. Though seldom stated explicitly in hearing research, the logic of this biomimetic approach is based on evolutionary thinking: the aim is to understand how natural selection has already solved problems of sound source segregation in living organisms. Naturally, most of this work is done using mammalian models because their auditory systems are most similar to those of humans. The project proposed here employs similar logic based on the premise that evolution is well known for finding diverse solutions to common problems in different animal lineages. The long-term goal of the proposed research is to increase knowledge about the mechanisms of sound source segregation by integrating perceptual and neurophysiological experiments in a lower vertebrate model (frogs) with a unique auditory system and an evolutionary history of solving difficult problems of source segregation. This project uses well-established methods to investigate how female tree frogs segregate the mating calls of individual males from the overlapping signals of other males and the general din of noise in a large breeding chorus. The problems that frogs encounter (and solve) when communicating in noisy social aggregations share many similarities with the human cocktail party problem. Three specific aims will investigate the spectral, temporal, and spatial cues that promote sound source segregation. Aim 1 (spatial release from masking) will investigate how the frog auditory system exploits spatial separation between signals and noise to achieve a release from auditory masking. Aim 2 (masking release in modulated noise) will investigate a form of masking release that depends on a listener's ability to exploit temporal fluctuations in background noise levels. Aim 3 (auditory stream segregation) will investigate the perceptual segregation of two overlapping calls. By investigating these aims in frogs, this project is expected to generate insights into the potential diversity of neural mechanism by which evolution has solved problems of source segregation. Hearing prosthetics and computer algorithms for automated speech recognition perform poorly in environments with multiple competing sound sources. A better understanding of how evolution has solved this type of sound source segregation problem in a diversity of animal models could lead to further biologically-inspired technological advances. Results from this study, and future related projects that will integrate behavior with neurophysiological methods, are expected to generate new and deeper insights into the neurosensory mechanisms of sound source segregation in a lower vertebrate model system that evolved to vocally communicate in noisy, multi-source environments.

描述（由申请人提供）：这项研究的广泛目的是更好地了解声源感知的机制。在多源环境中感知不同声音源的一个关键方面是听觉系统能够将感兴趣的声音与其他重叠的声音和背景噪声分开的能力。助听器和人工耳蜗植入物在隔离多个声音源时通常会给用户提供几乎没有好处。同样，用于自动语音识别（ASR）的计算机算法也有持续的困难，无法隔离多个来源。听觉神经科学的一个主要目标是揭示执行声源分离的神经机制。反过来，对这些机制的更好理解可以导致听力假体和ASR算法的生物学启发。尽管在听力研究中很少明确指出，但这种仿生方法的逻辑是基于进化思维：目的是了解自然选择如何已经解决了生物体中声源隔离的问题。自然，这项工作的大部分是使用哺乳动物模型完成的，因为它们的听觉系统与人类最相似。这里提出的项目采用了类似的逻辑，基于以下前提，即进化以发现不同动物谱系中常见问题的不同解决方案而闻名。拟议的研究的长期目标是通过在较低的脊椎动物模型（Frogs）中与独特的听觉系统以及解决源隔离的难题的进化历史相结合，从而通过将感知和神经生理实验整合到较低的脊椎动物模型（Frogs）中，从而提高对声源隔离机制的知识。该项目使用良好的方法来研究雌性树蛙如何从其他男性的重叠信号和大型繁殖合唱中的一般噪音中隔离男性的交配呼吁。青蛙在嘈杂的社交聚集中交流时遇到（和解决）的问题与人类鸡尾酒会问题有许多相似之处。三个特定的目标将研究促进声源分离的光谱，时间和空间提示。 AIM 1（从掩蔽中释放空间释放）将研究青蛙听觉系统如何利用信号和噪声之间的空间分离以从听觉掩蔽中释放。 AIM 2（调制噪声中的掩蔽释放）将研究一种掩盖释放形式，该释放取决于听众在背景噪声水平中利用时间波动的能力。 AIM 3（听觉流隔离）将研究两个重叠调用的感知分离。通过研究青蛙的这些目标，预计该项目将洞悉神经机制的潜在多样性，通过该神经机制解决了源隔离问题。在具有多个竞争声源的环境中，听力的假肢和计算机算法的性能较差。更好地理解进化如何在多种动物模型中解决这种类型的声源分离问题可能会导致进一步的生物学启发的技术进步。这项研究的结果以及将来将行为与神经生理学方法相结合的未来相关项目，预计将在较低的脊椎动物模型系统中对声源隔离的神经感觉机制产生新的，更深入的见解，这些模型在嘈杂的，多源环境中演变为声音传达。