53 research outputs found
Sensitivity of the human auditory cortex to acoustic degradation of speech and non-speech sounds
The perception of speech is usually an effortless and reliable process even in highly adverse listening conditions. In addition to external sound sources, the intelligibility of speech can be reduced by degradation of the structure of speech signal itself, for example by digital compression of sound. This kind of distortion may be even more detrimental to speech intelligibility than external distortion, given that the auditory system will not be able to utilize sound source-specific acoustic features, such as spatial location, to separate the distortion from the speech signal. The perceptual consequences of acoustic distortions on speech intelligibility have been extensively studied. However, the cortical mechanisms of speech perception in adverse listening conditions are not well known at present, particularly in situations where the speech signal itself is distorted. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the cortical mechanisms underlying speech perception in conditions where speech is less intelligible due to external distortion or as a result of digital compression.
In the studies of this thesis, the intelligibility of speech was varied either by digital compression or addition of stochastic noise. Cortical activity related to the speech stimuli was measured using magnetoencephalography (MEG). The results indicated that degradation of speech sounds by digital compression enhanced the evoked responses originating from the auditory cortex, whereas addition of stochastic noise did not modulate the cortical responses. Furthermore, it was shown that if the distortion was presented continuously in the background, the transient activity of auditory cortex was delayed. On the perceptual level, digital compression reduced the comprehensibility of speech more than additive stochastic noise. In addition, it was also demonstrated that prior knowledge of speech content enhanced the intelligibility of distorted speech substantially, and this perceptual change was associated with an increase in cortical activity within several regions adjacent to auditory cortex.
In conclusion, the results of this thesis show that the auditory cortex is very sensitive to the acoustic features of the distortion, while at later processing stages, several cortical areas reflect the intelligibility of speech. These findings suggest that the auditory system rapidly adapts to the variability of the auditory environment, and can efficiently utilize previous knowledge of speech content in deciphering acoustically degraded speech signals.Puheen havaitseminen on useimmiten vaivatonta ja luotettavaa myös erittÀin huonoissa kuunteluolosuhteissa. Puheen ymmÀrrettÀvyys voi kuitenkin heikentyÀ ympÀristön hÀiriölÀhteiden lisÀksi myös silloin, kun puhesignaalin rakennetta muutetaan esimerkiksi pakkaamalla digitaalista ÀÀntÀ. TÀllainen hÀiriö voi heikentÀÀ ymmÀrrettÀvyyttÀ jopa ulkoisia hÀiriöitÀ voimakkaammin, koska kuulojÀrjestelmÀ ei pysty hyödyntÀmÀÀn ÀÀnilÀhteen ominaisuuksia, kuten ÀÀnen tulosuuntaa, hÀiriön erottelemisessa puheesta. Akustisten hÀiriöiden vaikutuksia puheen havaitsemiseen on tutkttu laajalti, mutta havaitsemiseen liittyvÀt aivomekanismit tunnetaan edelleen melko puutteelisesti etenkin tilanteissa, joissa itse puhesignaali on laadultaan heikentynyt. TÀmÀn vÀitöskirjan tavoitteena oli tutkia puheen havaitsemisen aivomekanismeja tilanteissa, joissa puhesignaali on vaikeammin ymmÀrrettÀvissÀ joko ulkoisen ÀÀnilÀhteen tai digitaalisen pakkauksen vuoksi.
VÀitöskirjan neljÀssÀ osatutkimuksessa lyhyiden puheÀÀnien ja jatkuvan puheen ymmÀrrettÀvyyttÀ muokattiin joko digitaalisen pakkauksen kautta tai lisÀÀmÀllÀ puhesignaaliin satunnaiskohinaa. PuheÀrsykkeisiin liittyvÀÀ aivotoimintaa tutkittiin magnetoenkefalografia-mittauksilla. Tutkimuksissa havaittiin, ettÀ kuuloaivokuorella syntyneet herÀtevasteet voimistuivat, kun puheÀÀntÀ pakattiin digitaalisesti. Sen sijaan puheÀÀniin lisÀtty satunnaiskohina ei vaikuttanut herÀtevasteisiin. Edelleen, mikÀli puheÀÀnien taustalla esitettiin jatkuvaa hÀiriötÀ, kuuloaivokuoren aktivoituminen viivÀstyi hÀiriön intensiteetin kasvaessa. Kuuntelukokeissa havaittiin, ettÀ digitaalinen pakkaus heikentÀÀ puheÀÀnien ymmÀrrettÀvyyttÀ voimakkaammin kuin satunnaiskohina. LisÀksi osoitettiin, ettÀ aiempi tieto puheen sisÀllöstÀ paransi merkittÀvÀsti hÀiriöisen puheen ymmÀrrettÀvyyttÀ, mikÀ heijastui aivotoimintaan kuuloaivokuoren viereisillÀ aivoalueilla siten, ettÀ ymmÀrrettÀvÀ puhe aiheutti suuremman aktivaation kuin heikosti ymmÀrrettÀvÀ puhe.
VÀitöskirjan tulokset osoittavat, ettÀ kuuloaivokuori on erittÀin herkkÀ puheÀÀnien akustisille hÀiriöille, ja myöhemmissÀ prosessoinnin vaiheissa useat kuuloaivokuoren viereiset aivoalueet heijastavat puheen ymmÀrrettÀvyyttÀ. Tulosten mukaan voi olettaa, ettÀ kuulojÀrjestelmÀ mukautuu nopeasti ÀÀniympÀristön vaihteluihin muun muassa hyödyntÀmÀllÀ aiempaa tietoa puheen sisÀllöstÀ tulkitessaan hÀiriöistÀ puhesignaalia
The Neuronal Correlates of Digits Backward Are Revealed by Voxel-Based Morphometry and Resting-State Functional Connectivity Analyses
Digits backward (DB) is a widely used neuropsychological measure that is believed to be a simple and effective index of the capacity of the verbal working memory. However, its neural correlates remain elusive. The aim of this study is to investigate the neural correlates of DB in 299 healthy young adults by combining voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analyses. The VBM analysis showed positive correlations between the DB scores and the gray matter volumes in the right anterior superior temporal gyrus (STG), the right posterior STG, the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left Rolandic operculum, which are four critical areas in the auditory phonological loop of the verbal working memory. Voxel-based correlation analysis was then performed between the positive rsFCs of these four clusters and the DB scores. We found that the DB scores were positively correlated with the rsFCs within the salience network (SN), that is, between the right anterior STG, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and the right fronto-insular cortex. We also found that the DB scores were negatively correlated with the rsFC within an anti-correlation network of the SN, between the right posterior STG and the left posterior insula. Our findings suggest that DB performance is related to the structural and functional organizations of the brain areas that are involved in the auditory phonological loop and the SN
Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.
Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field
Hemispheric Asymmetry of Auditory Steady-State Responses to Monaural and Diotic Stimulation
Hemispheric specialization for processing auditory nonspeech stimuli.
The left hemisphere specialization for speech perception might arise from asymmetries at more basic levels of auditory processing. In particular, it has been suggested that differences in "temporal" and "spectral" processing exist between the hemispheres. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to test this hypothesis further. Fourteen healthy volunteers listened to sequences of alternating pure tones that varied in the temporal and spectral domains. Increased temporal variation was associated with activation in Heschl's gyrus (HG) bilaterally, whereas increased spectral variation activated the superior temporal gyrus (STG) bilaterally and right posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS). Responses to increased temporal variation were lateralized to the left hemisphere; this left lateralization was greater in posteromedial HG, which is presumed to correspond to the primary auditory cortex. Responses to increased spectral variation were lateralized to the right hemisphere specifically in the anterior STG and posterior STS. These findings are consistent with the notion that the hemispheres are differentially specialized for processing auditory stimuli even in the absence of linguistic information
- âŠ