Neurodynamic evaluation of hearing aid features using EEG correlates of listening effort

In this study, we propose a novel estimate of listening effort using electroencephalographic data. This method is a translation of our past findings, gained from the evoked electroencephalographic activity, to the oscillatory EEG activity. To test this technique, electroencephalographic data from experienced hearing aid users with moderate hearing loss were recorded, wearing hearing aids. The investigated hearing aid settings were: a directional microphone combined with a noise reduction algorithm in a medium and a strong setting, the noise reduction setting turned off, and a setting using omnidirectional microphones without any noise reduction. The results suggest that the electroencephalographic estimate of listening effort seems to be a useful tool to map the exerted effort of the participants. In addition, the results indicate that a directional processing mode can reduce the listening effort in multitalker listening situations

Electrophysiological correlates of listening effort: neurodynamical modeling and measurement

An increased listing effort represents a major problem in humans with hearing impairment. Neurodiagnostic methods for an objective listening effort estimation might support hearing instrument fitting procedures. However the cognitive neurodynamics of listening effort is far from being understood and its neural correlates have not been identified yet. In this paper we analyze the cognitive neurodynamics of listening effort by using methods of forward neurophysical modeling and time-scale electroencephalographic neurodiagnostics. In particular, we present a forward neurophysical model for auditory late responses (ALRs) as large-scale listening effort correlates. Here endogenously driven top–down projections related to listening effort are mapped to corticothalamic feedback pathways which were analyzed for the selective attention neurodynamics before. We show that this model represents well the time-scale phase stability analysis of experimental electroencephalographic data from auditory discrimination paradigms. It is concluded that the proposed neurophysical and neuropsychological framework is appropriate for the analysis of listening effort and might help to develop objective electroencephalographic methods for its estimation in future