Hearing Loss and The Perception of Complex Sound

项目摘要 感音神经性听力损失的患者在听力恢复过程中 噪声环境中，并且可能难以将目标声音从许多声音中分离出来。 说话的人，以及在空间中定位声音。所有这些缺陷都可能归因于 耳蜗结构损伤的功能影响，包括听觉损失 灵敏度，响度感知的改变，以及频谱和时间的损伤 听觉系统中的处理。在这个研究项目中， 心理声学方法和电生理方法被用来研究 与受损耳蜗中的频率和时间分析相关的缺陷，以及 这些缺陷对言语清晰理解和享受能力的影响 音乐.在下一个资助期，本研究的重点将是时间的研究， 听力损失患者对复杂声音的处理。包括以下研究： 谐波和非谐波复合波产生的复音高以及非周期波纹 噪声，以及研究感知精细结构和信封的能力， 时间波形此外，实验将包括测量诱发的 对具有各种时间特征的刺激的反应。这些研究作为他们的 目的：评价高级听觉系统中时间信息的表征， 当这些中心的输入来自一个受损的 周边听觉系统人们希望，人们能够理解， 时间信息被扭曲或丢失，正如这些研究所确定的那样，将有助于 了解听障人士在日常生活中所经历的功能缺陷， 日常生活

Project Summary People with sensorineural hearing loss experience difficulties understanding speech in noisy environments, and may have difficulty separating a target voice from among many talkers, and localizing sounds in space. All of these deficits may be attributed to the functional effects of damage to cochlear structures, which include a loss of auditory sensitivity, alterations in loudness perception, and impairments of spectral and temporal processing in the auditory system. In this program of research, behavioral psychoacoustic methodologies and electrophysiological methods are used to study the deficits associated with frequency and time analysis in the impaired cochlea, and the impact of those deficits on the clear understanding of speech and the ability to enjoy music. For the next grant period, the focus of this research will be the study of temporal processing of complex sounds by people with hearing loss. Included are studies of complex pitch produced by harmonic and inharmonic complexes and aperiodic rippled noises, and studies of the ability to perceive the fine structure and envelopes in temporal waveforms. In addition, experiments will include measurement of evoked responses to stimuli with various temporal characteristics. The studies have as their goal the evaluation of the representation of temporal information in the higher auditory centers within the brain, when the inputs to those centers come from an impaired peripheral auditory system. It is hoped that an understanding of the manner in which the temporal information is distorted or lost, as determined by these studies, will help in understanding the functional deficits experienced by hearing-impaired people in their everyday lives.