Listening effort under auditory masking conditions in persons with acquired aphasia

项目摘要/摘要 失语症是中风的常见后果，在美国大约有100万人受到影响。 而且经常作为一种慢性病持续存在。越来越多的研究表明，患有慢性病的人 失语症(PWA)在理解背景下的言语方面比年龄和听力匹配的对照组差 声音，或听觉掩蔽物，是存在的。然而，目前对听觉掩蔽是如何产生的知之甚少。 影响PWA中的听力努力。听的努力--也就是，指向解码的认知资源 听觉信号是研究接受性语音处理的一个关键结构。听觉的存在 掩蔽者通常会导致听力努力的大幅增加，这反过来又会产生显著的负面影响 对听众的影响，如增加压力和疲劳，以及剩余时间减少 用于同时进行认知-语言操作的资源。因为听觉掩蔽无处不在 在现实世界的社交和社区环境中(例如，餐馆、商店、家庭/社交聚会)，获得 更好地理解这一主题对于理解PWA的日常交流至关重要。 因此，这项建议包括对失语症在听觉下的听力努力的密切调查 掩蔽条件。这项调查是全面培训计划的一部分，将使应聘者能够 熟练掌握特定工具，包括瞳孔测量、脑电(EEG)和结构分析 磁共振成像(MRI)-在建议下，将其应用于解决几个研究目标 一个由经验丰富的科学家组成的指导团队。在指导阶段，该项目的目标是检查 PWA组的听力努力是否比年龄和听力匹配的对照组更高，以及识别 PWA患者脑损伤部位与听力努力之间的可能关系。在这个初始阶段， 应聘者将接受关于瞳孔测量和脑电的培训，作为听力努力的衡量标准，以及结构方面的培训 MRI收集病变位置的数据，以便比较PWA组和对照组的听力努力。在.期间 在独立阶段，该项目将旨在评估几种特定类型的听觉掩蔽器的效果 操纵，包括掩蔽者的类型和位置，在PWA和对照中的听力努力。最后，它的影响 PWA中增加的语言工作记忆方面的听力努力将被直接检查。在整个项目中， 将仔细考虑失语症、年龄和听力损失对 倾听的努力。结果将提供有关听觉掩蔽如何影响PWA的关键信息，并可能 对这一人群的社会参与、社区参与和生活质量的影响。完成 该项目还将允许候选人开始独立的研究生涯，进行临床调查。 失语症和相关神经源性认知-沟通障碍的相关问题。

Project Summary/Abstract Aphasia is a common consequence of stroke, affecting approximately 1 million individuals in the United States and often persisting as a chronic condition. A growing body of work suggests that persons with chronic aphasia (PWA) are poorer than age- and hearing-matched controls at understanding speech when background sounds, or auditory maskers, are present. However, little is currently known about how auditory masking affects listening effort in PWA. Listening effort—that is, the cognitive resources directed towards decoding an auditory signal—is a key construct in the study of receptive speech processing. The presence of auditory maskers can often result in substantial increases in listening effort, which in turn can have significant negative ramifications for listeners, such as increased stress and fatigue, as well as the availability of fewer remaining resources to direct towards concurrent cognitive-linguistic operations. Because auditory masking is ubiquitous in real-world social and community environments (e.g. restaurants, stores, family/social gatherings), gaining a better understanding of this topic is crucial in understanding everyday communication in PWA. This proposal therefore consists of a close investigation into listening effort in aphasia under auditory masking conditions. This investigation is part of a comprehensive training plan that will allow the candidate to gain proficiency in specific tools—including pupillometry, electroencephalography (EEG), and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—and apply them to address several research aims, under the advisement of a mentoring team of experienced scientists. During the mentored phase, the project will aim to examine whether listening effort is higher in PWA than in age- and hearing-matched controls, as well as to identify possible relationships between brain lesion location and listening effort in PWA. During this initial phase, the candidate will receive training in pupillometry and EEG as measures of listening effort, as well as in structural MRI to collect data on lesion location, in order to compare listening effort in PWA vs controls. During the independent phase, the project will aim to assess the effects of several specific types of auditory masker manipulations, including masker type and location, on listening effort in PWA and controls. Finally, the effect of increased listening effort on verbal working memory in PWA will be directly examined. Throughout the project, careful consideration will be given to differentiating between the effects of aphasia, age, and hearing loss on listening effort. Results will provide critical information about how auditory masking affects PWA, and may have implications for social engagement, community participation, and quality of life in this population. Completion of the project will also allow the candidate to launch an independent research career investigating clinically relevant questions in aphasia and related neurogenic cognitive-communication disorders.