Nonlinear wave interactions in the cochlea and their application to sound processing

耳蜗中的非线性波相互作用及其在声音处理中的应用

• 批准号: 10427031
• 负责人: Alessandro Altoe
• 金额: $ 20.63万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-03-01 至 2025-02-28
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10427031
• 关键词: Acoustics; Affect; Anatomy; Auditory; Auditory Perception; Basilar Membrane; Behavioral; Cavia; Characteristics; Chinchilla (genus); Cochlea; Complex; Computer Models; Coupled; Coupling; Data; Dependence; Dimensions; Ear; Frequencies; Gerbils; Goals; Health; Hearing; Human; Impairment; Laboratory Animals; Liquid substance; Location; Maps; Mathematics; Measures; Mechanics; Modeling; Noise; Non-linear Models; Outer Hair Cells; Pattern; Performance; Peripheral; Physiological; Play; Process; Property; Role; Self-Help Devices; Sensorineural Hearing Loss; Shapes; Signal Transduction; Stimulus; Structure; Technology; Testing; base; data modeling; design; detector; direct application; hearing impairment; human model; improved; mathematical analysis; novel; otoacoustic emission; response; role model; sound; three-dimensional modeling; waveguide

Project Abstract/Summary The mammalian cochlea achieves its outstanding performance characteristics by including a physiologically vul- nerable active process that strategically amplifies waves as they propagate through the cochlear spiral. As a result of this spatially coordinated and nonlinear wave amplification, the cochlear response at one characteristic- frequency location largely depends upon the physiological status and the response in more basal regions. In response to complex sounds, waves of different frequency nonlinearly interact along the cochlea, mutually sup- pressing one with the other. In contrast to a bank of independently operating filters commonly used to depict cochlear function, the responses of distinct “cochlear filters" are strongly coupled by nonlinear wave interactions. Although nonlinear wave interactions play a major role for the cochlea response, their role for encoding complex sounds in the auditory periphery—and consequently their contribution to central auditory mechanisms—is poorly understood and largely ignored. Understanding nonlinear wave interactions is hence essential to establish how the cochlea encodes eco- logically relevant sounds and the role of the auditory periphery for sound perception. Because nonlinear wave interactions depend upon the health of the ear, understanding these interactions is fundamental also to establish how cochlear impairment affects the peripheral representation of complex sounds. Further, because even mild sensorineural hearing loss greatly degrades behavioral performance in acoustically challenging situations, it is likely that nonlinear wave interactions underlie unexplored mechanisms for the outstanding performance of the healthy ear. My project will tackle these issues by: (i) deriving from the experimental data a cochlear model that reproduces accurately nonlinear wave interactions in laboratory animals (Aim 1.a) and humans (Aim 1.b); (ii) testing the hypothesis that nonlinear wave interactions underly beneficial mechanisms to encode sounds in acoustically adverse situations (Aim 2.a), and (iii) determining how and with what limitations the effects of nonlinear wave interactions elucidated in this project are accounted for by popular computer models of the auditory periphery (Aim 2.b). The results of this project will not only challenge and improve the current understanding of cochlear function for hearing, but will also find natural application in improving models of hearing impairment, and in determining novel cochlear-inspired strategies to improve the performance of assistive hearing technology.

项目摘要/摘要 哺乳动物的耳蜗通过包括物理上的脆弱性来实现其出色的性能特征 可在战略性地扩增波浪通过人工耳蜗螺旋中传播时的可策略性积极过程。作为 该空间协调和非线性波扩增的结果，一个特征的人工耳蜗响应 频率位置在很大程度上取决于更基本区域的身体状况和响应。 对复杂声音的反应，不同频率的波浪非线性沿着耳蜗相互作用，相互互动 用另一个按下一个。与通常用于描述的独立运营过滤器相反 人工耳蜗功能，不同的“人工耳蜗”的响应与非线性波相互作用强烈耦合。 尽管非线性波相互作用在耳蜗响应中起主要作用，但它们在编码复合物中的作用 听觉外围的声音，因此它们对中央听觉机制的贡献很差 理解并在很大程度上被忽略。 因此，了解非线性波相互作用对于确定耳蜗如何编码生态至关重要。 逻辑上相关的声音以及听觉外围方面的声音中的作用。因为非线性波 互动取决于耳朵的健康，理解这些互动也是基本的 人工耳蜗如何影响复杂声音的外围表示。此外，甚至中间 感官听力损失极大地降低了在声学挑战情况下的行为表现，这是 非线性波相互作用可能是意外机制的出色性能 健康的耳朵。 我的项目将通过以下方式解决这些问题：（i）从实验数据中得出一个复制的人工耳蜗模型 实验动物（AIM 1.A）和人类（AIM 1.B）的准确非线性波相互作用； （ii）测试 假设非线性波相互作用的基本有益机制来编码声音中的声音 不良情况（AIM 2.A），以及（iii）确定非线性波的效果如何以及如何 该项目中阐明的交互作用由听觉外围的流行计算机模型解释 （AIM 2.B）。该项目的结果不仅会挑战并提高目前对人工耳蜗的理解 听力的功能，但也将在改善听力障碍模型和中发现自然应用 确定新颖的人工耳蜗启发的策略，以提高辅助听力技术的性能。