Short-Term Choir Singing Supports Speech-in-Noise Perception and Neural Pitch Strength in Older Adults With Age-Related Hearing Loss.

Ella Dubinsky,Gabriel Nespoli,Frank A Russo,Emily A Wood

doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.01153

Ella Dubinsky, Gabriel Nespoli + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.01153

Copy DOI

Abstract

Prior studies have demonstrated musicianship enhancements of various aspects of auditory and cognitive processing in older adults, but musical training has rarely been examined as an intervention for mitigating age-related declines in these abilities. The current study investigates whether 10 weeks of choir participation can improve aspects of auditory processing in older adults, particularly speech-in-noise (SIN) perception. A choir-singing group and an age- and audiometrically-matched do-nothing control group underwent pre- and post-testing over a 10-week period. Linear mixed effects modeling in a regression analysis showed that choir participants demonstrated improvements in speech-in-noise perception, pitch discrimination ability, and the strength of the neural representation of speech fundamental frequency. Choir participants’ gains in SIN perception were mediated by improvements in pitch discrimination, which was in turn predicted by the strength of the neural representation of speech stimuli (FFR), suggesting improvements in pitch processing as a possible mechanism for this SIN perceptual improvement. These findings support the hypothesis that short-term choir participation is an effective intervention for mitigating age-related hearing losses.

Highlights

As the population ages, and the expectation of longevity increases, a growing interest in healthcare is the promotion of healthy aging – the maintenance of mental, social, and physical wellbeing as one ages, in order to retain independence and lead a high-quality life
The current study investigated whether short-term choir participation and musical training could improve speech-innoise perception in older adults, compared to an age- and audiometrically matched control group who were not taking part in musical training
This study demonstrated experimentally that short-term choir participation can be used as an intervention to target and improve speech-in-noise perception in older adults, supporting the hypotheses that: (1) the musicianship advantage in speechin-noise perception can be conferred to older adults through a relatively short training period, using choir singing and vocal training; and (2) enhancements in pitch processing contribute to improvements in this domain

Summary

Introduction

The expectation of longevity increases, a growing interest in healthcare is the promotion of healthy aging – the maintenance of mental, social, and physical wellbeing as one ages, in order to retain independence and lead a high-quality life. Aging is associated with declines in cognitive functioning (e.g., decreased working memory and attentional control; for review, see Fabiani, 2012), and deteriorating sensory-perceptual processes (e.g., Fozard, 1990). Declines in hearing can make it difficult for aging individuals to maintain personal relationships and engage socially, and have been linked to feelings of isolation and depression (Arlinger, 2003; Djernes, 2006). Counseling programs may improve communication outcomes associated with age-related auditory declines, but they do not appear to influence speech-in-noise problems (Hickson et al, 2007, 2019). While some auditory rehabilitation programs have been shown to be moderately effective in mitigating speech-in-noise problems

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion