Functional spatial segregation in auditory scene analysis

项目总结/摘要 这项研究的目的是解决老年人和听力受损者在沟通方面的关键障碍， 听众面对复杂的声学场景，其中多个竞争的声音阻碍了语音理解。 我们的方法包括同时的行为和电生理措施的听觉流 隔离，重要的是，我们还确定了听力仪器在隔离方面的成本和效益 多个语音源。我们的研究揭示了与年龄相关的神经机制 在双耳和空间听觉中起关键作用的听觉时间处理的下降。我们目前 然而，这些工具缺乏深入了解这种与年龄有关的缺陷所需的精确性。在 在本研究中，我们提出了一系列旨在确定功能边界的创新方法 年龄相关性听力损失（ARHL）患者的空间听力。在目标1中，我们使用一个公认的 听觉场景分析的范式，以确定功能，生态相关的感知边界，因为他们 与个人双耳线索，并测量这些边界是如何影响ARHL在神经水平。 目标2介绍了新的行为和电生理任务，精确测量功能边界 是分离还是融合目标3评估以下方面的成本和效益： 定向麦克风技术，以听障听众的个人空间功能， 隔离边界本研究借鉴了听觉场景分析的长期研究， 介绍了一种新的方法，皮层跟踪语音包络在复杂的场景。该项目推动 我们如何测量老年人和听力受损者的流隔离机制， 听众这些实验的结果将：（1）精确地表征个人双耳和空间 隔离边界;（2）提供神经回路和活动模式的证据， 空间线索对流分离的影响;（3）发现双耳之间关系的证据 隔离界限，个体差异，听力损失和衰老的影响;（4）调查一个 个体阈上听力能力与特定助听器处理技术之间的关系。 鉴于助听器目前对特定用户有显着的好处，目前的研究应该 激发新的推动力，以创新的方式解决老龄化人口的听力挑战。我们的团队很好- 定位成执行对听觉功能敏感的行为和电生理测量， 干预的结果，并至关重要的是，弥合这些领域转向个性化的听力保健。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The goal of this research is to address the critical barriers to communication that older and hearing-impaired listeners face in complex acoustic scenes, in which multiple competing sounds impede speech understanding. Our approach includes simultaneous behavioral and electrophysiological measures of auditory stream segregation, and importantly, we also determine the costs and benefits of hearing instruments on segregating multiple speech sources. Our research has uncovered neural mechanisms associated with age-related declines in auditory temporal processing that play a critical role in binaural and spatial hearing. Our current tools, however, lack the precision necessary to gain deeper understanding of this age-related deficit. In the present study, we propose a series of innovative approaches that aim to determine the functional boundaries of spatial hearing in listeners with age-related hearing loss (ARHL). In Aim 1, we use a well-established paradigm of auditory scene analysis to define functional, ecologically relevant boundaries of perception as they relate to individual binaural cues, and measure how these boundaries are affected by ARHL at the neural level. Aim 2 introduces novel behavioral and electrophysiological tasks that precisely measure functional boundaries between segregation and integration of competing speech. Aim 3 evaluates the costs and benefits of directional microphone technology to hearing-impaired listeners as a function of their individual spatial segregation boundaries. The present study draws from a long line of research on auditory scene analysis and introduces a novel approach to cortical tracking of speech envelope in complex scenes. This project pushes the field forward in how we measure mechanisms of stream segregation in older and hearing-impaired listeners. The results of these experiments will: (1) precisely characterize individual binaural and spatial segregation boundaries; (2) provide evidence of the neural circuitry and patterns of activity underlying the influence of spatial cues on stream segregation; (3) discover evidence for the relationship between binaural segregation boundaries, individual differences, and the effects of hearing loss and aging; and (4) investigate a relationship between individual suprathreshold hearing abilities and specific hearing aid processing technology. Whereas hearing devices currently have remarkable benefits to specific users, the present research should inspire a new push for innovative ways to address hearing challenges of an aging population. Our team is well- positioned to execute behavioral and electrophysiological measures sensitive to auditory function and intervention outcomes, and critically, to bridge these to shift the field toward individualized hearing health care.