Article
Neurosciences
Paul Glad Mihai, Nadja Tschentscher, Katharina von Kriegstein
Summary: The study shows that task-dependent modulation in speech recognition increases with sensory uncertainty in the speech signal, particularly in the ventral MGB providing driving input to the auditory cortex for speech in noisy listening conditions.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Ehsan Darestani Farahani, Jan Wouters, Astrid van Wieringen
Summary: The study utilized a minimum-norm imaging technique to reconstruct neural generators of auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs), successfully identifying sources within and outside the auditory cortex, as well as detecting non-primary sources. The MNI approach was also shown to be capable of reconstructing subcortical activities of ASSRs, outperforming group-independent component analysis in terms of source detection, subcortical activity reconstruction, and computational load reduction.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Kevin D. Prinsloo, Edmund C. Lalor
Summary: Research has shown that cortical tracking of natural speech is mainly influenced by acoustic processing, but also reflects speech-specific processing. The tracking of the amplitude envelope is strongest for the ENV stimulus regardless of which speech stimulus is recognized, with a positive relationship between intelligibility and tracking of perceived speech.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Basil C. Preisig, Lars Riecke, Alexis Hervais-Adelman
Summary: Which processes in the human brain lead to the categorical perception of speech sounds? Investigation of this question is hampered by the fact that categorical speech perception is normally confounded by acoustic differences in the stimulus. By using ambiguous sounds, however, it is possible to dissociate acoustic from perceptual stimulus representations. This study found that various brain regions, including left perisylvian regions, left inferior frontal regions, left supplementary motor cortex, and right motor and somatosensory regions, represent listeners' syllable report irrespective of stimulus acoustics. These regions are outside of what is traditionally regarded as auditory or phonological processing areas.
Article
Neurosciences
Cassia Low Manting, Balazs Gulyas, Fredrik Ullen, Daniel Lundqvist
Summary: Recent research on auditory steady-state responses (ASSR) has shown that OFF ASSR differs from ON ASSR in almost every aspect, challenging the idea that it is simply a continuation of the ON ASSR. While the ON ASSR primarily originates from the temporal cortex, the OFF ASSR mainly originates from the frontal cortex.
Article
Neurosciences
Gavin M. Bidelman, Sara Momtaz
Summary: In this study, scalp-recorded frequency-following responses (FFRs) were used to assess the relationship between brain activity and speech-in-noise (SIN) perception in normal-hearing adults. The results indicated that subcortical sources play a dominant role in driving the FFR strength and its connection to SIN listening skills. This suggests that subcortical processing may be key in understanding complex listening abilities in noisy environments.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Subong Kim, Adam T. Schwalje, Andrew S. Liu, Phillip E. Gander, Bob McMurray, Timothy D. Griffiths, Inyong Choi
Summary: The study reveals that understanding speech in noise involves multiple cortical subsystems, and individual differences in SiN ability may be related to central factors. The internal SNR of individuals is closely related to SiN performance, indicating the crucial role of cortical functions in the SiN task.
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Christian Herrera, Nicole Whittle, Marjorie R. Leek, Christian Brodbeck, Grace Lee, Caleb Barcenas, Samuel Barnes, Barbara Holshouser, Alex Yi, Jonathan H. Venezia
Summary: The relative contributions of superior temporal, inferior frontal, and parietal networks to recognition of speech in the presence of competing speech were investigated using fMRI and ST-MTF modeling. The study found that the superior temporal network primarily responded to spectrotemporal cues related to speech intelligibility, while the frontal and parietal network responded to cues indicating the absence of intelligibility. Task performance was best predicted by activation in the superior temporal and frontal and parietal networks, but in opposite directions. Performance ultimately relied on dynamic interactions between these networks, with some additional contributions from networks not involved in speech processing.
Article
Neurosciences
Jane A. Brown, Gavin M. Bidelman
Summary: The presence of background music, especially familiar music with vocals, impairs concurrent speech perception. However, when the music is familiar, individuals are better able to track the target speech. These effects are more pronounced in listeners with lower musical ability, suggesting a dependence on individual listening skills.
Article
Neurosciences
S. H. Jessica Tan, Marina Kalashnikova b c Giovanni M. Di Liberto, Giovanni M. Di Liberto, Michael J. Crosse, Denis Burnham
Summary: The auditory-visual speech benefit, which refers to the advantage visual speech cues bring to auditory speech perception, is present from infancy and increases with age. This study provides the first neurophysiological evidence of auditory-visual speech benefit in infants, and suggests ways to refine current models of speech processing.
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Jae-Hee Lee, Hwan Shim, Bruce Gantz, Inyong Choi
Summary: This study investigates the mechanism of speech comprehension in noise for cochlear implant users. By quantifying the attentional modulation of cortical auditory responses and comparing it with speech-in-noise performance, the results show a significant correlation between attentional modulation strength and speech-in-noise performance, suggesting that attentional modulation may serve as a neural marker for predicting the success of cochlear implant users in speech-in-noise listening tests.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
James W. Dias, Carolyn M. McClaskey, Kelly C. Harris
Summary: Studies show that individuals can exhibit better cross-sensory perception even without sensory loss, suggesting the brain's ability to recruit cross-sensory sources to compensate for degraded unisensory input. This research finds that individual differences in auditory neural processing significantly impact variability in auditory, visual, and audiovisual speech perception in healthy adults. Individual variation in auditory neural processing may account for differences in how information is perceived from auditory and visual modalities, similar to observed cross-sensory perceptual compensation in individuals with sensory loss.
Article
Neurosciences
Lars Hausfeld, Martha Shiell, Elia Formisano, Lars Riecke
Summary: Selective attention is crucial for processing auditory scenes with multiple speakers, as it involves separating relevant speech from irrelevant speech. This study found that increasing perceptual demand may reduce cortical processing of distractor speech and decrease their perceptual segregation.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
D. Grombacher, M. P. Griffiths, L. Liu, M. O. Vang, J. J. Larsen
Summary: Recent developments in surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based on steady-state sequences have greatly improved signal quality and mapping speeds. Manipulating the timing and phase of these sequences allows for the separation of the NMR signal from narrow-band noise sources, resulting in high-quality data in surface NMR measurements.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Florian Destoky, Julie Bertels, Maxime Niesen, Vincent Wens, Marc Vander Ghinst, Antonin Rovai, Nicola Trotta, Marie Lallier, Xavier De Tiege, Mathieu Bourguignon
Summary: The study found altered neural basis of speech perception in children with dyslexia in different auditory conditions. These alterations are associated with reduced reading level, suggesting they are driven by reduced reading experience rather than a cause of dyslexia. Additionally, in severe dyslexia, altered lateralization of phrasal speech is related to impaired rapid automatized naming ability.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Caroline Beelen, Lauren Blockmans, Jan Wouters, Pol Ghesquiere, Maaike Vandermosten
Summary: The study found that better reading skills in grade 2 lead to a larger size of the left fusiform gyrus in grade 5, but there are no directional effects between the size of the left fusiform gyrus in grade 2 and reading skills in grade 5. The results suggest behavior-driven brain plasticity in reading development.
BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION
(2022)
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Sam Denys, Jan Wouters, Astrid van Wieringen
Summary: The study found that self-tests resulted in higher (poorer) SRTs, with only a small proportion of children performing stably across repeated self-test administrations. The test duration was rather long, with limited influence of auditory/working memory and attentional abilities.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Robin Gransier, Astrid van Wieringen, Jan Wouters
Summary: Speech perception in difficult listening conditions relies on the temporal processing ability of the auditory pathway. This study examines the individual differences in young normal-hearing listeners' identification of time-compressed speech and its association with their ability to identify speech in unmodulated and modulated noise.
JARO-JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN OTOLARYNGOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Femke Vanden Bempt, Maria Economou, Ward Dehairs, Maaike Vandermosten, Jan Wouters, Pol Ghesquiere, Jolijn Vanderauwera
Summary: The study evaluated the enjoyment and feasibility of a tablet-based serious story-listening game for kindergarteners developed based on the GameFlow model, and explored the possibility of using the game to foster language comprehension. Results showed an overall enjoyable game experience, with room for improvement based on the GameFlow evaluation. The game had a well-adapted level of difficulty for the target sample.
JMIR SERIOUS GAMES
(2022)
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Astrid van Wieringen, Jan Wouters
Summary: The objective of this study was to develop an open-set word recognition task for young children and examine age effects for different response formats. The results showed that age had an effect on word recognition ability in speech-weighted noise and in quiet. The closed-set format had better performance than the open-set format, and children benefitted from phonetically similar words in noise to the same extent as adults. Additionally, a picture-pointing paradigm can be used to assess word recognition in quiet from the age of 3.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Raul Granados Barbero, Pol Ghesquiere, Jan Wouters
Summary: This study evaluated the differences in neural entrainment and functional hemispherical asymmetries in children with dyslexia during speech processing. The findings suggested that children with dyslexia have atypical levels of neural entrainment and a lower ability to synchronize with syllabic rate stimulation. The study also reinforced the hypothesis of a later maturation of beta rhythm processing in dyslexia. Longitudinal studies in dyslexia, especially in children, are important to understand the neural oscillatory patterns and differences between typical and atypical developing children.
FRONTIERS IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tine Arras, An Boudewyns, Freya Swinnen, Andrzej Zarowski, Birgit Philips, Christian Desloovere, Jan Wouters, Astrid van Wieringen
Summary: Individuals with single-sided deafness face limitations in localization and speech comprehension. Early cochlear implantation can improve spatial hearing abilities in children with prelingual SSD. This study highlights the long-term benefits of cochlear implants for children with prelingual SSD.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Wouter David, Robin Gransier, Jan Wouters
Summary: Humans rely on the temporal processing ability of the auditory system to perceive speech. The neural representation of speech envelope is usually investigated using phase-locked responses, which are difficult to separate from linguistic structures. The TEMPEST framework aims to assess the brain's capability to process temporal envelopes in different frequency bands using speech-like stimuli. The study provides proof-of-concept of this framework and reveals a strong correspondence between the evoked neural activity by speech-like stimuli and sinusoidal amplitude-modulated stimuli.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Femke Vanden Bempt, Shauni Van Herck, Maria Economou, Jolijn Vanderauwera, Maaike Vandermosten, Jan Wouters, Pol Ghesquiere
Summary: Developmental dyslexia is effectively addressed with preventive phonics-based interventions, but some children at risk for dyslexia may have speech perception deficits. This study examined speech perception in pre-readers at risk for dyslexia and found slower growth in speech-in-noise perception compared to typically developing peers. The auditory intervention did not show additional benefits beyond the phonics-based intervention in improving speech perception and reading-related skills.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anastasiya Starovoyt, Bryden C. Quirk, Tristan Putzeys, Greet Kerckhofs, Johan Nuyts, Jan Wouters, Robert A. McLaughlin, Nicolas Verhaert
Summary: This study presents an image-guided cochlear implant device that uses optical imaging to provide real-time feedback during surgery, helping surgeons accurately insert the electrode array and avoid damaging residual hearing function.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Diego Ruiz Callejo, Jan Wouters, Bart Boets
Summary: Speech perception in noisy environments is impaired in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and this impairment may be influenced by language skills and auditory temporal processing deficits. In this study, we compared autistic adolescents with and without language delay to non-autistic peers in their ability to perceive speech in different noise conditions. We found that autistic adolescents with intact language capabilities performed worse than their typically developing peers in perceiving words in steady-state noise. Additionally, we observed a deficit in speech-in-speech processing in ASD, independent of language ability, and a relationship between early language delay in ASD and inadequate temporal speech processing. These findings suggest that ASD individuals may have difficulties segregating speech from background noise, leading to challenges in social communication.
Article
Linguistics
Lauren Blockmans, Narly Golestani, Josue Luiz Dalboni da Rocha, Jan Wouters, Pol Ghesquiere, Maaike Vandermosten
Summary: This study found that some children with dyslexia have difficulties in auditory and speech processing before they learn to read. The structure of the left auditory cortex might be more related to family risk for dyslexia than to reading outcomes. However, it is still unclear how auditory and speech processing and auditory cortex structure mediate the relationship between family risk and reading.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tine Arras, An Boudewyns, Ingeborg Dhooge, Andrzej Zarowski, Birgit Philips, Christian Desloovere, Jan Wouters, Astrid van Wieringen
Summary: Early cochlear implantation can help children with prelingual single-sided deafness achieve age-appropriate language skills, particularly in terms of narrative and verbal short-term memory abilities. These findings support the recommendation of cochlear implantation for children with prelingual single-sided deafness.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology
Elien Van den Borre, Sam Denys, Lea Zupan, Jan A. P. M. de Laat, Nina Bozanic Urbancic, Astrid van Wieringen, Jan Wouters
Summary: This study adapted a tablet-based self-test called Sound Ear Check (SEC) to make it feasible for young children. The test aims to recognize ecological sounds in background noise and has shown high sensitivity and specificity for detecting various grades of hearing loss in children. By adapting the test format, the duration can be shortened without affecting the reliability of the results. However, the feasibility of the dichotic test format is reduced due to longer training required.
Article
Neurosciences
Matthew L. Richardson, Francois Guerit, Robin Gransier, Jan Wouters, Robert P. Carlyon, John C. Middlebrooks
Summary: This study developed non-invasive psychophysical and electrophysiological measures to evaluate the perceptual sensitivity of cats to temporal pitch. The results showed that cats have a certain level of sensitivity to temporal pitch in the absence of cochlear-place cues, which is valuable for evaluating neural mechanisms of temporal pitch perception in the feline animal model of stimulation by a cochlear implant or novel auditory prostheses.
JARO-JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN OTOLARYNGOLOGY
(2022)
