Restoring Cochlear Signal Processing

恢复耳蜗信号处理

• 批准号: 8748339
• 负责人: Daniel M. Rasetshwane
• 金额: $ 14.88万
• 依托单位: FATHER FLANAGAN'S BOYS' HOME
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-07-01 至 2017-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8748339
• 关键词: Accounting; Address; Affect; Algorithms; Attention; Auditory; Auricular prosthesis; Biological Preservation; Complex; Coupling; Cueing for speech; Cues; Data; Engineering; Environment; Frequencies; Goals; Growth; Health; Hearing; Hearing Aids; Individual; Knowledge; Lead; Life; Link; Loudness; Masks; Measurement; Mission; Modeling; Noise; Perception; Performance; Persons; Procedures; Process; Property; Research; Role; Simulate; Speech; Speech Perception; Stimulus; Stream; System; Technology; Testing; United States; Work; aging population; base; design; disability; hearing impairment; improved; innovation; novel; novel strategies; programs; public health relevance; response; restoration; satisfaction; segregation; signal processing; sound; speech processing

ABSTRACT Many people with hearing loss (HL) who could benefit from hearing aids (HA) choose not to use them because of limited benefit and poor sound quality. Current HA signal-processing strategies improve audibility and attempt to restore cochlear compression, which is reduced or absent when HL occurs. However, other cochlear processes, such as suppression, are also diminished with HL, but have received less attention. Normal cochlear suppression, the reduction in the response to one sound by the simultaneous presentation of another sound, is important in the processing of complex stimuli, such as speech. The long-term goal of this research program is to restore cochlear processes that are diminished when HL occurs by developing innovative signal-processing strategies. We plan to base the signal-processing design on knowledge of fundamental cochlear processes. The goal of this proposal is to improve HA benefit and increase satisfaction for persons with HL by coupling individualized fitting procedures based on loudness data with processing strategies that restore suppression. Loudness data may offer better prediction of HA benefit because, unlike thresholds, it quantifies HL across a range of sound levels. The goal of this proposal is to integrate the restoration of cochlear suppression and normal loudness into HA signal processing to improve speech perception and user satisfaction, ultimately promoting HA use. A signal-processing algorithm (referred to as the suppression hearing aid, SHA) has been developed and preliminary data have been encouraging. However, further testing and additional data are needed to determine the extent of the benefits. Hypotheses will be tested by pursuing two specific aims: (1) Determine the efficacy of restoring normal loudness growth for broadband sounds, and (2) Evaluate the performance of SHA in non-stationary masking noise. In Aim 1, the hypothesis that combining gain prescription that restores normal loudness for tones with signal processing that restores suppression will be effective in restoring normal loudness for broadband sounds will be tested. Data gathered under this aim will inform our understanding of the role of suppression in loudness summation. The instantaneous compression of SHA preserves temporal speech cues without deleterious effects on speech quality, while suppression preserves spectral cues. Aim 2 tests the hypothesis that listeners with HL, who have difficulties processing speech in noisy environments, will benefit from the preservation of speech cues provided by SHA processing and obtain speech-perception benefits in the presence of non-stationary noise. We hypothesize that SHA will provide access to speech cues during spectral and temporal dips in the noise, enabling listeners with HL to "glimpse" speech during the dips. The proposed research will inform our understanding of cochlear processes when HL is present in ways that may lead to other sophisticated processing strategies that go beyond providing amplification and compression.

摘要 许多听力损失（HL）患者可以从助听器（HA）中受益，但他们选择不使用助听器。 因为效益有限，音质差。当前HA信号处理策略提高了可听度 并尝试恢复耳蜗压迫，当HL发生时，耳蜗压迫减少或不存在。但其他 耳蜗过程，如抑制，也减少与HL，但受到较少的关注。 正常耳蜗抑制，对一种声音的反应减少，同时出现 另一种声音，在处理复杂的刺激，如语音中很重要。长期目标是 一项研究计划是通过开发一种新的人工耳蜗来恢复HL发生时减少的耳蜗过程。 创新的信号处理策略。我们计划将信号处理设计基于以下知识： 耳蜗的基本突起这项建议的目的是改善医管局的福利及提高市民的满意度 通过将基于响度数据的个性化拟合过程与处理过程相结合， 恢复压制的策略。响度数据可以提供对HA益处的更好预测，因为， 阈值，它量化HL在一系列的声级。该提案的目标是整合 将耳蜗抑制和正常响度恢复到HA信号处理中以改善语音 感知和用户满意度，最终促进HA的使用。一种信号处理算法（称为 抑制助听器（SHA）已经开发出来，初步数据令人鼓舞。然而，在这方面， 需要进一步测试和更多数据来确定效益的程度。假设将是 通过追求两个具体目标进行测试：（1）确定恢复正常响度增长的功效， （2）评估SHA在非平稳掩蔽噪声中的性能。在目标1中， 假设将恢复音调的正常响度的增益规定与 恢复抑制将有效地恢复宽带声音的正常响度。数据 在此目标下收集的信息将使我们了解抑制在响度总和中的作用。的 SHA瞬时压缩保留了时间语音线索，而对语音没有有害影响 质量，而抑制保留频谱线索。目的2测试假设，听力与HL，谁有 在嘈杂的环境中处理语音的困难，将受益于所提供的语音线索的保存 通过SHA处理，并在存在非平稳噪声的情况下获得语音感知益处。我们 假设SHA将在噪声频谱和时间下降期间提供对语音提示的访问， 使HL的听众能够在下降期间“瞥见”语音。拟议的研究将为我们的 当HL存在时，了解耳蜗过程的方式可能会导致其他复杂的 处理策略超越了提供放大和压缩。