AGING, AUDITORY SUPPRESSION AND FEQUENCY SELECTIVITY

听觉抑制是一种机制， 频率可以抑制相邻频率处的活动。年轻 成年人，听觉抑制可以显著提高频率 听觉系统的分辨能力（分辨 复杂信号的各个分量）。建议的目的 初步研究是检查老年人的听觉抑制， 确定是否与年龄相关的抑制机制的变化损害 频率分辨率在这个人群中。听觉的年龄差异 抑制将通过比较听觉滤波器（一个 频率分辨率指数） 年轻人和老年人的掩蔽程序。听觉比较 用同时和前向掩蔽范例测量的滤波器可以 提供抑制机制完整性的指示 因为抑制是在前向，而不是在同时， 掩蔽范例。因此，随着听觉抑制缺陷的增加， 用同时掩蔽和前向掩蔽测量听觉滤波器 程序变得更加相似。在调查中的假设 拟议的试点研究是，老年人将表现出较少的 前向和后向测量的频率选择性之间的差异 同时晒太阳的范例，因为年龄相关的缺陷，在听觉 抑制将减少抑制机制的益处， 在年轻人身上观察到。与年龄相关的衰退证据 可能具有重要的临床意义 因为言语感知和其他听觉功能的缺陷 由于抑制机制受损， 受益于传统的临床干预措施， （助听器）。拟议研究的结果还将提供 重要的驾驶员数据，用于更广泛的研究建议， 与年龄相关的心理声学能力的变化，如听觉 抑制，这是独立的完善的听力损失 在老年人中，这会对他们的感知产生深远的影响， 语言和其他听觉刺激。

Auditory suppression is a mechanism whereby strong excitation at one frequency can suppress activity at adjacent frequencies. In young adults, auditory suppression can significantly enhance the frequency resolving power of the auditory system (the ability to resolve individual components of complex signals). The purpose of the proposed pilot study is to examine auditory suppression in older adults to determine if age-related changes in suppressive mechanisms impair frequency resolution in this population. Age differences in auditory suppression will be investigated by comparing auditory filters (one index of frequency resolution) obtained with simultaneous and forward masking procedures in young and old adults. Comparisons of auditory filters measured with imultaneous and forward masking paradigms can provide an indication of the integrity of suppressive mechanisms because suppression is revealed in forward, but not in simultaneous, masking paradigms. Thus, as deficits in auditory suppression increase, auditory filters measured with simultaneous and forward masking procedures become more similar. The hypothesis under investigation in the proposed pilot study is that older adults will exhibit less of a difference between frequency selectivity measured with forward and simultaneous basking paradigms because age-related deficits in auditory suppression will reduce the benefits of suppressive mechanisms that have been observed in young adults. Evidence of age-related declines in auditory suppression could have important clinical implications because deficits in speech perception and other auditory functions resulting from impaired suppressive mechanisms would be uniikely to benefit from traditional clinical interventions such as amplification (hearing aids). The results of the proposed study will also provide important ilot data for a more extensive research proposal concerning age-related changes in psychoacoustic abilities, such s auditory suppression, that are independent of the well-established hearing loss in older adults and that can have profound effects on the perception of speech and other auditory stimuli.