Multilevel Auditory Processing of Continuous Speech, from Acoustics to Language

连续语音的多级听觉处理，从声学到语言

• 批准号: 10366999
• 负责人: Jonathan Z. Simon
• 金额: $ 61.08万
• 依托单位: UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-09-17 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10366999
• 关键词: Acoustics; Area; Attention; Auditory; Auditory area; Auditory system; Awareness; Behavior; Brain; Brain Stem; Development; Electroencephalography; Failure; Feedback; Financial compensation; Frequencies; Goals; Hearing Aids; Hearing problem; Individual; Knowledge; Language; Linguistics; Link; Magnetoencephalography; Measures; Methods; Midbrain structure; Modeling; Patient Self-Report; Periodicity; Physiological; Prefrontal Cortex; Process; Proxy; Research; Resolution; Role; Semantics; Series; Signal Transduction; Specific qualifier value; Speech; Speech Acoustics; Speech Intelligibility; Stimulus; Testing; Thalamic structure; Time; auditory pathway; auditory processing; base; innovation; lexical; normal hearing; programs; relating to nervous system; response; speech processing; temporal measurement

PROJECT SUMMARY For continuous speech to be perceived as intelligible, the brain employs an extended series of representations along the auditory pathway, emphasizing different temporal features of speech at each stage. From brainstem to midbrain, thalamus, and through multiple cortical areas, these stages support representations of fast pitch- relevant periodicity, slower representations corresponding to vocal-tract/envelope modulations, and ultimately, linguistic and semantic representations. Furthermore, the strength of these representations is not determined solely in a feedforward way, but also by top-down processes, modulated by attention and listening effort. It is well known that degradation of a speech signal will interfere with these neural representations in different ways: some losses are irreparable, but others can be compensated for at a later stage. A gap in knowledge arises because the different neural stages, and the corresponding continuous speech representations, are rarely studied as a longitudinal chain. Partial failure at one processing level might be compensated for at a subsequent level, and the level of compensation might be associated with the level of listening effort. The specific objectives of this application are to determine how continuous speech is progressively represented along and beyond the auditory pathway, from midbrain to language areas, in young normal- hearing listeners. Both electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) will be employed for their high time resolution, simultaneously recording from subcortical and multiple cortical areas respectively, along with measures of behavior, and listening effort. The speech representations of different neural stages will be quantified by specified measures of time-locked neural processing and of neural connectivity. Pupillometry measures will be used as a physiological proxy for listening effort, in addition to self- reported effort measures. Our central hypothesis is that a grounded understanding of the progression of representations of continuous speech processing, viewed as a network with both feedforward and feedback connectivity (and including task-based and effort-linked connectivity changes), will elucidate the acoustic and neural conditions under which continuous speech is ultimately perceived as intelligible. Aim 1 investigates a broad set of neural measures of continuous speech processing, simultaneously obtained along and beyond the auditory pathway, and the extent to which they can predict intelligibility. Aim 2 investigates the extent to which also incorporating measures of sustained listening effort, in concert with the above neural measures of continuous speech processing, may allow better predictions of intelligibility than the neural measures alone. Aim 3 investigates the functional role of neural connectivity in supporting continuous speech processing along the auditory pathway and beyond.

项目概要 为了使连续语音被感知为可理解的，大脑采用了一系列扩展的表征 沿着听觉通路，强调每个阶段语音的不同时间特征。来自脑干 到中脑、丘脑，并通过多个皮质区域，这些阶段支持快速音调的表征 相关的周期性、与声道/包络调制相对应的较慢的表示，以及最终， 语言和语义表示。此外，这些表示的强度尚未确定 不仅以前馈方式，而且还通过自上而下的过程，通过注意力和倾听努力进行调节。 众所周知，语音信号的退化会干扰这些不同的神经表征。 方式：有些损失是无法挽回的，但有些损失可以在后期得到补偿。知识上的差距 出现的原因是不同的神经阶段和相应的连续语音表示是 很少将其作为纵向链进行研究。一个处理级别的部分故障可能会在另一个处理级别得到补偿 后续水平，并且补偿水平可能与听力努力水平相关。 该应用程序的具体目标是确定连续语音的渐进程度 在年轻的正常人中，沿着听觉通路，从中脑到语言区域， 听力好的听众。将采用脑电图（EEG）和脑磁图（MEG） 时间分辨率高，可同时从皮层下和多个皮层区域进行记录 分别是行为测量和倾听努力。不同语言的表达方式 神经阶段将通过时间锁定神经处理和神经元的特定测量来量化 连接性。除了自我测量之外，瞳孔测量还将用作听力努力的生理指标。 报告了努力措施。我们的中心假设是对进展的有根据的理解 连续语音处理的表示，被视为具有前馈和反馈的网络 连接性（包括基于任务和与努力相关的连接性变化），将阐明声学和 连续语音最终被感知为可理解的神经条件。 目标 1 研究一系列连续语音处理的神经测量，同时获得 沿着和超越听觉通路，以及它们可以预测清晰度的程度。目标2 调查在多大程度上还纳入了持续倾听努力的措施，并与 上述连续语音处理的神经测量，可能比 单独的神经测量。目标 3 研究神经连接在支持连续性方面的功能作用 沿着听觉通路及其以外的语音处理。