Eye Movements Decrease during Effortful Speech Listening

Journal of Neuroscience, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 43(32), С. 5856 - 5869

Опубликована: Июль 25, 2023

Hearing impairment affects many older adults but is often diagnosed decades after speech comprehension in noisy situations has become effortful. Accurate assessment of listening effort may thus help diagnose hearing earlier. However, pupillometry-the most used approach to assess effort-has limitations that hinder its use practice. The current study explores a novel way through eye movements. Building on cognitive and neurophysiological work, we examine the hypothesis movements decrease when becomes challenging. In three experiments with human participants from both sexes, demonstrate, consistent this hypothesis, fixation duration increases spatial gaze dispersion decreases increasing masking. Eye decreased during effortful for different visual scenes (free viewing, object tracking) materials (simple sentences, naturalistic stories). contrast, pupillometry was less sensitive masking story listening, suggesting pupillometric measures not be as effective assessments speech-listening paradigms. Our results reveal critical link between load, neural activity brain regions support regulation movements, such frontal field superior colliculus, are modulated

Язык: Английский

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Pupil responds spontaneously to visuospatial regularity

Journal of Vision, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 25(1), С. 14 - 14

Опубликована: Янв. 22, 2025

Beyond the light reflex, pupil responds to various high-level cognitive processes. Multiple statistical regularities of stimuli have been found modulate pupillary response. However, most studies used auditory or visual temporal sequences as stimuli, and it is unknown whether size modulated by regularity in spatial arrangement stimuli. In three experiments, we created perceived regular irregular matching physical regularity, investigate effect on responses during passive viewing. Experiments using orientation (Experiments 1 2) (Experiment 3) consistently showed that elicited more constriction than Furthermore, this was independent luminance conclusion, our study revealed spontaneously visuospatial extending stimulus influences response into domain.

Язык: Английский

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Effects of pupil size as manipulated through ipRGC activation on visual processing

NeuroImage, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 283, С. 120420 - 120420

Опубликована: Окт. 21, 2023

The size of the eyes' pupils determines how much light enters eye and also well this is focused. Through route, pupil shapes earliest stages visual processing. Yet causal effects on vision are poorly understood rarely studied. Here we introduce a new way to manipulate size, which relies activation intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) induce sustained constriction. We report both experimentally induced spontaneous changes in processing as measured through EEG. compare these stimulus intensity covert attention, because previous studies have shown that factors all comparable some common measures early processing, such detection performance steady-state evoked potentials; yet it still unclear whether superficial similarities, or rather they reflect similar underlying processes. Using mix neural-network decoding, ERP analyses, time-frequency find intensity, attention affect EEG responses, mainly over occipital parietal electrodes, but-crucially-that do so qualitatively different ways. Induced pupil-size modulate activity patterns (but not overall power intertrial coherence) high-frequency beta range; may an effect oculomotor and/ In addition, induced) tends correlate positively with coherence alpha band; non-causal relationship, mediated by arousal. Taken together, our findings suggest has from attention. This shows manipulated ipRGC strongly affects provides concrete starting points for further study important understudied stage

Язык: Английский

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Acoustically Transparent Hearing Aids Increase Physiological Markers of Listening Effort

Trends in Hearing, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 29

Опубликована: Апрель 1, 2025

While hearing aids are beneficial in compensating for loss and suppressing ambient noise, they may also introduce an unwanted processing burden to the listener's sensory cognitive system. To investigate such adverse side effects, be set a ‘transparent mode’, aiming replicate natural through open ear as best possible. Such transparent have previously been demonstrated exhibit small but significant disadvantage speech intelligibility, with less conclusive effects on self-rated listening effort. Here we aimed reproduce these findings expand them neurophysiological measures of invested effort, including parietal alpha power pupil size. Invested effort was measured across five task difficulties, ranging from nearly impossible easy, normal-hearing participants both aided unaided conditions. Results well reproduced aid intelligibility subjective ratings. As expected, size followed inverted u-shape, peaking at moderate difficulties (around SRT50). However, increased medium demand (between SRT20 SRT80). These were larger than those observed respectively. The results gain plausibility by yielding substantial association individual power. In sum, our suggest that key sensitive additional can introduce.

Язык: Английский

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Causal Effects of Pupil Size on Visual Processing

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Год журнала: 2023, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Март 10, 2023

Abstract The size of the eyes’ pupils determines how much light enters eye and also well this is focused. Through route, pupil shapes earliest stages visual processing. Yet causal effects on vision are poorly understood rarely studied. Here we report both experimentally induced spontaneous changes in processing as measured through EEG. We compare these to stimulus intensity covert attention, because previous studies have shown that factors all comparable some common measures early processing, such detection performance steady-state evoked potentials; yet it still unclear whether superficial similarities, or rather they reflect similar underlying processes. Using a mix neural-network decoding, ERP analyses, time-frequency find size, intensity, attention affect EEG responses, mainly over occipital parietal electrodes, but—crucially—that do so qualitatively different ways. Induced pupil-size modulate activity patterns (but not overall power intertrial coherence) high-frequency beta range; may effect oculomotor and/ In addition, induced) tends correlate positively with coherence alpha band; non-causal relationship, mediated by arousal. Taken together, our findings suggest has from attention. This shows causally affects provides concrete starting points for further study important understudied stage

Язык: Английский

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Pupil Size Sensitivity to Listening Demand Depends on Motivational State

eNeuro, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 10(12), С. ENEURO.0288 - 23.2023

Опубликована: Ноя. 21, 2023

Abstract Motivation plays a role when listener needs to understand speech under acoustically demanding conditions. Previous work has demonstrated pupil-linked arousal being sensitive both listening demands and motivational state during listening. It is less clear how affects the temporal evolution of pupil size its relation subsequent behavior. We used an auditory gap detection task ( N = 33) study joint impact demand on response examine evolution. Task difficulty listener’s were orthogonally manipulated through changes in duration monetary reward prospect. show that participants’ performance decreased with difficulty, but prospect enhanced hard Pupil increased higher prospect, this effect was largest difficult Moreover, time courses differed between detected missed gaps, suggesting indicates upcoming Larger pre-gap further associated faster times trial-by-trial within-participant level. Our results reiterate utility as objective temporally measure audiology. However, such assessments cognitive resource recruitment need consider individual’s state.

Язык: Английский

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Pupil size and eye movements differently index effort in both younger and older adults

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Янв. 15, 2024

Abstract The assessment of mental effort is increasingly relevant in neuro-cognitive and lifespan domains. Pupillometry, the measure pupil size, often used to assess but has disadvantages. Analysis eye movements may provide an alternative, research been limited easy difficult task demands younger adults. An must be sensitive whole profile, including ‘giving up’ investment, capture different age groups. current study comprised three experiments which (N=66) older adults (N=44) listened speech masked by background babble at signal-to-noise ratios associated with easy, difficult, impossible comprehension. We expected individuals invest little for (‘giving up’) exert speech. Indeed, size was largest lower In contrast, gaze dispersion decreased increasing masking both Critically, during returned levels similar after sentence offset, when acoustic stimulation across conditions, whereas continued reduced. These findings show that a reduction not byproduct factors, instead suggest processes, from arousal-related systems regulating drive reduced high demands. data thus one sensory domain (audition) differentially impacts distinct functional properties another (vision). Significance statement many Here, we investigated sensitivity novel - spatial compared it pupillometry, more common effort-assessment tool. Individuals Pupil conditions (giving up listening). masking, this effect independent factors. Instead, results

Язык: Английский

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Pupil Size and Eye Movements Differently Index Effort in Both Younger and Older Adults

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 36(7), С. 1325 - 1340

Опубликована: Янв. 1, 2024

Abstract The assessment of mental effort is increasingly relevant in neurocognitive and life span domains. Pupillometry, the measure pupil size, often used to assess but has disadvantages. Analysis eye movements may provide an alternative, research been limited easy difficult task demands younger adults. An must be sensitive whole profile, including “giving up” investment, capture different age groups. current study comprised three experiments which (n = 66) older 44) adults listened speech masked by background babble at signal-to-noise ratios associated with easy, difficult, impossible comprehension. We expected individuals invest little for (giving up) exert speech. Indeed, size was largest lower In contrast, gaze dispersion decreased increasing masking both Critically, during returned levels similar after sentence offset, when acoustic stimulation across conditions, whereas continued reduced. These findings show that a reduction not byproduct factors, instead suggest processes, from arousal-related systems regulating drive reduced high demands. data thus one sensory domain (audition) differentially impacts distinct functional properties another (vision).

Язык: Английский

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Brain Activation Patterns in Normal Hearing Adults: An fNIRS Study Using an Adapted Clinical Speech Comprehension Task

Hearing Research, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 455, С. 109155 - 109155

Опубликована: Ноя. 30, 2024

Язык: Английский

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Frontotemporal network contribution to occluded face processing

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 121(48)

Опубликована: Ноя. 18, 2024

Primates are known for their exceptional ability to recognize faces. However, we still have much learn about how brains process faces when they partially hidden. When cover parts of a face, it affects our respond, even though perceive the face as whole. This suggests that complex brain networks at work in understanding hidden To explore this further, studied two regions, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and inferior temporal (ITC), while showing primate images with occluded. We found vlPFC neurons were more active covered, ITC preferred fully visible Interestingly, seemed occluded separate phase after responded. Our research revealed coordinated effort between these regions based on level facial obstruction. Specifically, play crucial role, driving representation later processing. Importantly, also processes differently from those visible, suggesting specialized mechanisms handling situations. These findings highlight importance feedback region brain. Understanding neural not only enhances primates but provides insights into broader aspects visual cognition.

Язык: Английский

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