Neuroimaging Of Age-Related Changes in Speech Recognition

这个项目考察了神经系统的结构和功能，这些神经系统被认为对 与年龄相关的语音识别能力下降。语音识别中与年龄相关的较大差异是 在复杂和要求苛刻的听力环境中观察，原因不明。老化的大脑 经历了非同寻常的变化，人们对这些变化如何限制或保留知之甚少 认知能力。我们建议追踪在假说中起核心作用的两个神经系统的老化 语音识别能力下降的原因。Aim 2.1测试了与年龄相关的解剖学衰退 支持语音识别的大脑区域导致对注意力相关额叶皮质的依赖增加 听力正常的成年人的单词识别。Aim 2.2测试了一种假设，即老年人的健康状况 听力表现出语音识别能力下降时，与言语相关的和 与注意力相关的系统限制了注意退化语音的能力。AIM 2.3测试的假设是 最常见的年龄相关性听力损失，代谢性老年性耳聋，会导致代偿性改变 在与言语和注意力相关的系统中。该项目使用大脑激活实验来定义 语言反应脑区的解剖学衰退可以解释衰老之间的联系 大脑和语音识别困难。这个项目将提供对与年龄相关的 听力正常和听力损失的人所经历的神经生物学变化，从而 为提高老年人的语音识别能力奠定基础 基于以下情况发生的外周和中枢神经系统变化的干预策略 年龄。

This project examines the structure and function of neural systems that are hypothesized to contribute to age-related declines in speech recognition. Large age-related differences in speech recognition are observed in complex and demanding listening environments for reasons that are unclear. Aging brains undergo extraordinary changes and there is little understanding of how these changes limit or preserve cognitive abilities. We propose to track the aging of two neural systems that play central roles in hypotheses for declines in speech recognition. Aim 2.1 tests the hypothesis that age-related anatomical declines in brain regions that support speech recognition lead to increased reliance on attention-related frontal cortex for word recognition in normal hearing adults. Aim 2.2 tests the hypothesis that older adults with normal hearing exhibit speech recognition declines when additive anatomical declines within speech-related and attention-related systems limit the ability to attend to degraded speech. Aim 2.3 tests the hypothesis that the most common form of age-related hearing loss, metabolic presbyacusis, leads to compensatory changes within speech-related and attention-related systems. This project uses brain activation experiments to define speech-responsive brain regions where anatomical declines may explain the connection between the aging brain and speech recognition difficulties. This project will provide an understanding of the age-related neurobiological changes that people with normal hearing and with hearing loss experience and thereby provide a foundation for improving the speech recognition of older adults through the development of intervention strategies that are based on the peripheral and central nervous system changes that occur with age.