The influence of semantic context on the intelligibility benefit from speech glimpses in younger and older adults DOI Open Access

Priya Rakesh Pandey,

Björn Herrmann

Published: Aug. 24, 2024

Speech is often masked by background sound that fluctuates over time. Fluctuations in masker intensity can reveal glimpses of speech support intelligibility, but older adults have frequently been shown to benefit less from than younger when listening sentences. Recent work, however, suggests may leverage as much, or more, naturalistic stories, potentially because the availability semantic context stories. The current study directly investigated whether helps released a fluctuating (modulated) more adults. In two experiments, we reduced and extended information found improves intelligibility both Both age groups also exhibit better for modulated an unmodulated (stationary) masker, was compared Semantic amplified gained glimpses, there no indication amplification led greater If anything, benefitted more. results suggest deficit masking-release generalizes situations which available. That previous research during story listening, other factors, such thematic knowledge, motivation, cognition, amplify under conditions.

Language: Английский

The perception of artificial-intelligence (AI) based synthesized speech in younger and older adults DOI
Björn Herrmann

International Journal of Speech Technology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 26(2), P. 395 - 415

Published: March 13, 2023

Language: Английский

Citations

30
Hidden hearing loss: Fifteen years at a glance DOI Creative Commons
Jiayue Liu,

Joshua Stohl,

Tobias Overath

et al.

Hearing Research, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 443, P. 108967 - 108967

Published: Jan. 30, 2024

Hearing loss affects approximately 18% of the population worldwide. difficulties in noisy environments without accompanying audiometric threshold shifts likely affect an even larger percentage global population. One potential causes hidden hearing is cochlear synaptopathy, synapses between inner hair cells (IHC) and auditory nerve fibers (ANF). These are most vulnerable structures cochlea to noise exposure or aging. The deafferentation, i.e., afferent information, whose downstream effect information that sent higher-order processing stages. Understanding physiological perceptual effects this early deafferentation might inform interventions prevent later, more severe loss. In past decade, a large body work has been devoted better understand loss, including their corresponding impact on pathway, use measures for clinical diagnosis deafferentation. This review synthesizes findings from studies humans animals answer some key questions field, it points gaps knowledge warrant investigation. Specifically, recent suggest electrophysiological have function as indicators humans, but research needed these be included part test battery.

Language: Английский

Citations

14
Enhanced neural speech tracking through noise indicates stochastic resonance in humans DOI Creative Commons
Björn Herrmann

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

Citations

2
The Influence of Semantic Context on the Intelligibility Benefit From Speech Glimpses in Younger and Older Adults DOI

Priya Rakesh Pandey,

Björn Herrmann

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 68(05), P. 2499 - 2516

Published: April 15, 2025

Speech is often masked by background sound that fluctuates over time. Fluctuations in masker intensity can reveal glimpses of speech support intelligibility, but older adults have frequently been shown to benefit less from than younger when listening sentences. Recent work, however, suggests may leverage as much, or more, naturalistic stories, potentially because the availability semantic context stories. The current study directly investigated whether helps released a fluctuating (modulated) more adults. In two experiments, we reduced and extended information sentence stimuli modulated unmodulated maskers for intelligibility was assessed. We found improves both Both age groups also exhibit better an (stationary) masker, compared Semantic amplified gained glimpses, there no indication amplification led greater If anything, benefitted more. results suggest deficit masking-release generalizes situations which available. That previous research during story other factors, such thematic knowledge, motivation, cognition, amplify under conditions.

Language: Английский

Citations

2
Beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence DOI Creative Commons
Sabine Leske, Tor Endestad,

Vegard Volehaugen

et al.

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: Jan. 28, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

1
Effects of aging on cortical representations of continuous speech DOI
I. M. Dushyanthi Karunathilake,

Jason L. Dunlap,

Janani Perera

et al.

Journal of Neurophysiology, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 129(6), P. 1359 - 1377

Published: April 25, 2023

We observed age-related changes in cortical temporal processing of continuous speech that may be related to older adults’ difficulty understanding noise. These occur both timing and strength the representations at different stages depend on noise condition selective attention. Critically, their dependence dramatically among early, middle, late stages, underscoring how aging differentially affects these stages.

Language: Английский

Citations

14
Aging effects on dual‐route speech processing networks during speech perception in noise DOI Creative Commons
Songjian Wang, Younuo Chen,

Yi Liu

et al.

Human Brain Mapping, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 45(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Abstract Healthy aging leads to complex changes in the functional network of speech processing a noisy environment. The dual‐route neural architecture has been applied study processing. Although evidence suggests that senescent increases activity brain regions across dorsal and ventral stream offset reduced periphery, regulatory mechanism networks underlying such compensation remains largely unknown. Here, by utilizing near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated compensatory connectivity, its relationship with healthy using perception task at varying signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNR) individuals (young adults, middle‐aged older adults). Results showed scores significant age‐related decrease reduction SNR. analysis results connection Wernicke's area homolog were increases. Further clarify characteristics networks, graph‐theoretical revealed an increase efficiency differences nodal found both under noise Thus, might be key hub maintain efficient information transfer process aging. Moreover, adults would recruit more resources from homologous recruitment provide means for decoding adverse listening Together, our characterized environments provided new insight theories how modulates networks.

Language: Английский

Citations

6
Age-related deficits in dip-listening evident for isolated sentences but not for spoken stories DOI Creative Commons

Vanessa C. Irsik,

Ingrid S. Johnsrude, Björn Herrmann

et al.

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 12(1)

Published: April 7, 2022

Abstract Fluctuating background sounds facilitate speech intelligibility by providing ‘glimpses’ (masking release). Older adults benefit less from glimpses, but masking release is typically investigated using isolated sentences. Recent work indicates that engaging, continuous materials (e.g., spoken stories) may qualitatively alter speech-in-noise listening. Moreover, neural sensitivity to different amplitude envelope profiles (ramped, damped) changes with age, whether this affects listening unknown. In three online experiments, we investigate how in younger and older differs for masked sentences stories, varies masker profile. Intelligibility was generally greater damped than ramped maskers. Masking reduced relative disconnected sentences, stories a randomized sentence order. Critically, when an engaging coherent narrative, demonstrated equal or compared adults. thus appear as much as, more than, the they are follows topical thread. Our results highlight importance of cognitive motivational factors understanding, suggest previous have underestimated speech-listening abilities

Language: Английский

Citations

22
Sustained responses and neural synchronization to amplitude and frequency modulation in sound change with age DOI
Björn Herrmann, Burkhard Maeß, Ingrid S. Johnsrude

et al.

Hearing Research, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 428, P. 108677 - 108677

Published: Dec. 17, 2022

Language: Английский

Citations

18
Age-related reduction of amplitude modulation frequency selectivity DOI Creative Commons
Jonathan Regev, Johannes Zaar, Helia Relaño-Iborra

et al.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 153(4), P. 2298 - 2298

Published: April 1, 2023

The perception of amplitude modulations (AMs) has been characterized by a frequency-selective process in the temporal envelope domain and simulated computational auditory processing models using modulation filterbank. Such AM argued to be critical for complex sounds, including speech. This study aimed at investigating effects age on behavioral frequency selectivity young (n = 11, 22–29 years) versus older 10, 57–77 listeners with normal hearing, simultaneous masking paradigm sinusoidal carrier (2.8 kHz), target frequencies 4, 16, 64, 128 Hz, narrowband-noise maskers. A reduction factor up 2 was found listeners. While observed co-varied unmasked detection sensitivity, age-related broadening masked threshold patterns remained stable even when sensitivity similar across groups an extended stimulus duration. results from present might provide valuable basis further investigations exploring reduced sound as well interaction hearing impairment perception.

Language: Английский

Citations

11