Auditory Temporal Processing

摘要：衰老对听觉时间处理的不利影响已经被很好地记录在 人类和动物模型。目前，对于这些听觉信号在多大程度上-- 通过听觉训练可以减轻伴有或不伴有听力损失的老年人的听觉处理障碍 和神经可塑性，以提高神经计时和语音理解的精度。我们的长期目标是 确定通过听力训练可以改善老年人听力障碍的程度。我们支持- 提出了一种研究衰老、听力和神经可塑性的创新方法 使用电生理测量进行训练实验。我们的目标是比较年轻的正常人- 听力(YNH)、老年听力正常(ONH)和老年听力受损(OHI)成年听众，并评估 外显训练对时间加工知觉和电生理测量的改善 听觉时间加工任务。我们的中心假设是听觉时间处理的训练将 在感知性能和神经编码方面产生相应的改进，这将关闭 不同年龄组之间的差异。有了强劲的初步数据，中心假设 将通过追求三个具体目标来检验：(1)确定知觉训练在时间上的程度 使用简单的非语音刺激的速率辨别改善了YNH、ONH和 OHI听者；(2)确定言语线索辨别在对比中的知觉训练程度 不同离散时间线索的单词改善了YNH、ONH和OHI列表中的知觉和神经编码。 以及(3)确定对句子加工的知觉训练的程度 呈现速度可以改善YNH、ONH和OHI听者的行为表现和神经编码。 预期的结果是，我们将了解到哪些知觉训练任务会导致同步改善 在知觉和神经听觉的时间加工中，这一发现将对老年人产生重大影响 在日常生活中遇到沟通困难的听众，因为他们会直接导致注意力集中和 新的康复形式。这项研究是创新的，因为我们将建立起 事实证明，在听觉时间处理和语音感知方面，结合起来可以显著改进 有证据表明神经编码得到了改进。这些研究将服务于该计划的更大目标 项目拨款，因为它们将帮助识别人类大脑中对应的神经再生机制 对于年轻人和老年人的成功行为结果

ABSTRACT: The detrimental effects of aging on auditory temporal processing have been well documented in humans and animal models. At present, there are gaps in knowledge of the extent to which these auditory tem- poral processing deficits can be mitigated in older adults with or without hearing loss through auditory training and neuroplasticity, to improve precision of neural timing and speech understanding. Our long-term goal is to determine the extent to which hearing deficits in older adults can be ameliorated with auditory training. We pro- pose an innovative approach to the investigation of aging, hearing, and neuroplasticity by marrying perceptual training experiments with electrophysiological measurements. The objectives are to compare young normal- hearing (YNH), older normal-hearing (ONH), and older hearing-impaired (OHI) adult listeners, and evaluate the improvements in perceptual and electrophysiological measures of temporal processing after explicit training on auditory temporal processing tasks. Our central hypothesis is that training of auditory temporal processing will produce concomitant improvements in both perceptual performance and neural encoding, which will close the gap in the age-related differences between groups. With strong preliminary data in hand, the central hypothesis will be tested by pursuing three specific aims: (1) Determine the extent to which perceptual training on temporal rate discrimination using simple non-speech stimuli improves perceptual and neural encoding in YNH, ONH, and OHI listeners; (2) Determine the extent to which perceptual training on speech cue discrimination in contrasting words differing in discrete temporal cues improves perceptual and neural encoding in YNH, ONH, and OHI lis- teners; and (3) Determine the extent to which perceptual training on the processing of sentences with increasing presentation rate can improve behavioral performance and neural encoding in YNH, ONH, and OHI listeners. The expected outcomes are that we will learn what perceptual training tasks lead to simultaneous improvements in perceptual and neural auditory temporal processing and the findings will produce a significant impact in older listeners who experience difficulty in communicating in daily life because they will lead directly to focused and novel forms of rehabilitation. This research is innovative because we will have established techniques that are proven to provide significant improvements in auditory temporal processing and speech perception, combined with evidence of improvements to neural encoding. These studies will serve the larger goals of the program project grant because they will help identify the neuroplastic mechanisms in the brain of humans that correspond to successful behavioral outcomes in younger and older adults