Resilience and vulnerability of neural speech tracking after hearing restoration

Communications Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 8(1)

Published: March 1, 2025

The role of early auditory experience in the development neural speech tracking remains an open question. To address this issue, we measured children with or without functional hearing during their first year life after was restored cochlear implants (CIs), as well controls (HC). Neural CIs is unaffected by absence perinatal experience. CI users and HC exhibit a similar magnitude at short timescales brain activity. However, delayed users, its timing depends on age restoration. Conversely, longer timescales, dampened participants using CIs, thereby accounting for comprehension deficits. These findings highlight resilience sensory processing while also demonstrating vulnerability higher-level to lack shows that phase loss affects differently. Tracking present but weaker ones, impacting comprehension.

Language: Английский

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Neural tracking of natural speech: an effective marker for post-stroke aphasia

Brain Communications, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 7(2)

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Abstract After a stroke, approximately one-third of patients suffer from aphasia, language disorder that impairs communication ability. Behavioural tests are the current standard to detect but they time-consuming, have limited ecological validity and require active patient cooperation. To address these limitations, we tested potential EEG-based neural envelope tracking natural speech. The technique investigates response temporal speech, which is critical for speech understanding by encompassing cues detecting segmenting linguistic units (e.g. phrases, words phonemes). We recorded EEG 26 individuals with aphasia in chronic phase after stroke (>6 months post-stroke) 22 healthy controls while listened 25-min story. quantified broadband frequency range as well delta, theta, alpha, beta gamma bands using mutual information analyses. Besides group differences measures, also its suitability at individual level support vector machine classifier. further investigated reliability required recording length accurate detection. Our results showed had decreased encoding compared broad, theta bands, aligns assumed role auditory processing Neural effectively captured level, classification accuracy 83.33% an area under curve 89.16%. Moreover, demonstrated high-accuracy detection can be achieved time-efficient (5–7 min) highly reliable manner (split-half correlations between R = 0.61 0.96 across bands). In this study, identified specific characteristics impaired holding promise biomarker condition. Furthermore, demonstrate discriminate high accuracy, manner. findings represent significant advance towards more automated, objective ecologically valid assessments impairments aphasia.

Language: Английский

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Minimal background noise enhances neural speech tracking: Evidence of stochastic resonance

Published: March 10, 2025

Neural activity in auditory cortex tracks the amplitude-onset envelope of continuous speech, but recent work counter-intuitively suggests that neural tracking increases when speech is masked by background noise, despite reduced intelligibility. Noise-related amplification could indicate stochastic resonance – response facilitation through noise supports tracking, a comprehensive account lacking. In five human electroencephalography (EEG) experiments, current study demonstrates generalized enhancement due to minimal noise. Results show a) enhanced for at very high SNRs (∼30 dB SNR) where highly intelligible; b) this independent attention; c) it generalizes across different stationary maskers, strongest 12-talker babble; and d) present headphone free-field listening, suggesting neural-tracking real-life listening. The paints clear picture enhances representation onset-envelope, contributes tracking. further highlights non-linearities induced make its use as biological marker processing challenging.

Language: Английский

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CORGEE: Real-Time Hearing Diagnostics Based on EEG Responses to Natural Speech

Springer briefs in electrical and computer engineering, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 39 - 52

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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Enhanced neural speech tracking through noise indicates stochastic resonance in humans

eLife, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 13

Published: March 18, 2025

Neural activity in auditory cortex tracks the amplitude-onset envelope of continuous speech, but recent work counterintuitively suggests that neural tracking increases when speech is masked by background noise, despite reduced intelligibility. Noise-related amplification could indicate stochastic resonance – response facilitation through noise supports tracking, a comprehensive account lacking. In five human electroencephalography experiments, current study demonstrates generalized enhancement due to minimal noise. Results show (1) enhanced for at very high signal-to-noise ratios (~30 dB SNR) where highly intelligible; (2) this independent attention; (3) it generalizes across different stationary maskers, strongest 12-talker babble; and (4) present headphone free-field listening, suggesting neural-tracking real-life listening. The paints clear picture enhances representation onset-envelope, contributes tracking. further highlights non-linearities induced make its use as biological marker processing challenging.

Language: Английский

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Speech Reception Threshold Estimation via EEG‐Based Continuous Speech Envelope Reconstruction

European Journal of Neuroscience, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 61(6)

Published: March 1, 2025

ABSTRACT This study investigates the potential of speech reception threshold (SRT) estimation through electroencephalography (EEG) based envelope reconstruction techniques with continuous speech. Additionally, we investigate influence stimuli's signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) on temporal response function (TRF). Twenty young normal‐hearing participants listened to audiobook excerpts varying background noise levels while EEG was recorded. A linear decoder trained reconstruct from data. The accuracy calculated as Pearson's correlation between reconstructed and actual envelopes. An SRT estimate (SRT neuro ) obtained midpoint a sigmoid fitted versus SNR data points. TRF estimated at each level, followed by statistical analysis reveal significant effects latencies amplitudes most prominent components. within 3 dB behavioral for all participants. showed latency decrease N1 P2 amplitude magnitude increase increasing SNR. results suggest that both components are influenced changes in SNR, indicating they may be linked same underlying neural process.

Language: Английский

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Level-Dependent Subcortical Electroencephalography Responses to Continuous Speech

eNeuro, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 11(8), P. ENEURO.0135 - 24.2024

Published: Aug. 1, 2024

The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a measure of subcortical activity in to stimuli. wave V peak the ABR depends on stimulus intensity level, and has been widely used for clinical hearing assessment. Conventional methods estimate average electroencephalography (EEG) responses short unnatural stimuli such as clicks. Recent work moved toward more ecologically relevant continuous speech using linear deconvolution models called temporal functions (TRFs). Investigating whether TRF waveform changes with crucial step use natural assessments involving responses. Here, we develop level-dependent TRFs EEG data collected from 21 participants listening presented at 4 different levels. We find that can be detected almost all participants, are consistent click-ABR V. also investigate most suitable peripheral model generate predictors simple gammatone filterbanks perform best. Additionally, around 6 min may sufficient detecting effects peaks above noise floor segments higher intensity. Finally, show proof-of-concept even inherent fluctuations speech.

Language: Английский

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Minimal background noise enhances neural speech tracking: Evidence of stochastic resonance

Published: Dec. 11, 2024

Neural activity in auditory cortex tracks the amplitude envelope of continuous speech, but recent work counter-intuitively suggests that neural tracking increases when speech is masked by background noise, despite reduced intelligibility. Noise-related amplification could indicate stochastic resonance – response facilitation through noise supports tracking. However, a comprehensive account sensitivity to and role cognitive investment lacking. In five electroencephalography (EEG) experiments (N=109; box sexes), current study demonstrates generalized enhancement due minimal noise. Results show a) enhanced for at very high SNRs (∼30 dB SNR) where highly intelligible; b) this independent attention; c) it generalizes across different stationary maskers, strongest 12-talker babble; d) present headphone free-field listening, suggesting neural-tracking real-life listening. The paints clear picture enhances representation envelope, contributes further highlights non-linearities induced make its use as biological marker processing challenging.

Language: Английский

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Neural decoding of the speech envelope: Effects of intelligibility and spectral degradation

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 23, 2024

During continuous speech perception, endogenous neural activity becomes time-locked to acoustic stimulus features, such as the amplitude envelope. This speech-brain coupling can be decoded using non-invasive brain imaging techniques, including electroencephalography (EEG). Neural decoding may provide clinical use an objective measure of encoding by - for example during cochlear implant (CI) listening, wherein signal is severely spectrally degraded. Yet, interplay between and linguistic factors lead top-down modulation thereby complicating audiological applications. To address this ambiguity, we assess envelope under spectral degradation with EEG in acoustically hearing listeners (n = 38; 18-35 years old) vocoded speech. We dissociate sensory from higher-order processing employing intelligible (English) non-intelligible (Dutch) stimuli, auditory attention sustained a repeated-phrase detection task. Subject-specific group decoders were trained reconstruct held-out data, decoder significance determined via random permutation testing. Whereas reconstruction did not vary resolution, was associated better accuracy general. Results similar across subject-specific analyses, less consistent effects decoding. Permutation tests revealed possible differences statistical experimental condition. In general, while robust observed at individual level, variability within participants would most likely prevent differentiate levels intelligibility on basis.

Language: Английский

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Effects of childhood hearing loss on the subcortical and cortical representation of speech

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Feb. 22, 2024

Abstract Little is known about the effects of childhood mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss (MM HL) on function auditory pathway. We aimed to examine effect MM HL and benefit frequency-specific amplification both subcortical cortical processing, relate it speech-perceptual abilities. recorded responses speech syllables in nineteen children with congenital (unamplified amplified), sixteen typical sounds only). Speech perception was measured behaviourally. Congenital led smaller unamplified sounds. There a significant early, but not late, responses, some differing across age. No relationship found between neural behavioural measures. Childhood affects processing speech. Amplification mostly benefits younger children. leads functional changes sounds, differentially affecting levels

Language: Английский

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