Neural Representation of Acoustic Elements of Speech

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的总体重点是了解语音如何在大脑中表示，以及该表示如何与安静和噪音中的语音意识感知相关。为了解决这些问题，一个声学语音实验范式已经开发。在这种方法中，在同一实验对象中测量行为言语感知和对言语信号的神经生理反应，以确定听觉与其神经基质之间的关系。还在动物模型中测量了语音诱发的颅内反应，以便更明确地表征听觉系统对语音信号的反应。具体来说，听觉中脑，丘脑和皮质以及左脑专业化的相对作用将被检查。 除了了解正常的语音处理，该项目还侧重于了解听觉学习障碍和注意力缺陷障碍的病理基础，这是学龄儿童中最常见的疾病。通常情况下，这些儿童难以感知细粒度的语音信号和噪音中的语音。另一系列实验将评估语音感知学习中涉及的神经生物学过程。我们的目标是影响训练方案的设计，这可能有助于这些难以感知语音的人。 总的来说，这个项目的结果将进一步了解语音是如何代表中立的，以及正常和受损的听觉系统如何在安静和具有挑战性的听力环境中对语音作出反应。此外，研究结果将描绘神经同步性在言语感知中的作用，并提出可能改善听力受损个体言语感知的训练方案。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall focus of this research isto understand how speech sounds are represented in the brain and how that representation is related to the conscious perception of speech in quiet and in noise. In order to address those questions, an acoustic-phonetic experimental paradigm has been developed. In this approach, behavioral speech perception and neurophysiologic responses to speech signals are measured in the same experimental subject in order to determine relationships between hearing and its neural substrates. Speech-evoked intracranial responses also are measured in an animal model in order to more definitively characterize the auditory system's response to speech signals. Specifically, the relative roles of auditory midbrain, thalamus and cortex as well as left-brain specialization will be examined. In addition to understanding normal speech processing, the project focuses on understanding the pathologies underlying auditory learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, which are among the most common disorders found in school-aged children. Typically, these children have difficulty perceiving fine-grained speech signals and speech in noise. Another series of experiments will evaluate the neurobiological processes involved in the perceptual learning of speech sounds. The goal is to impact the design of training regimens that may assist these individuals who have difficulty perceiving speech sounds. Overall, the results of this project will further understanding of how speech is represented neutrally and how the normal and impaired auditory systems respond to speech in quiet and in challenging listening environments. Furthermore, the results will delineate the role of neural synchrony in speech perception, and suggest training protocols that may improve speech perception in individuals with impaired hearing mechanisms.