Normal-hearing Adults Research Articles

Music Perception Abilities of the Hearing Amplification System Users.

Recently, the improvement of music perception abilities for emotional stability and high quality of life has become important for the hearing loss group. This study aimed to examine and compare the music perception abilities of the normal hearing (NH) and hearing amplification system (HAS) groups to find the needs and methods of music rehabilitation. Subjects and. The data were collected from 15 NH adults (33.1±11.4 years) and 15 HAS adults (38.7±13.4 years), of whom eight wore cochlear implant [CI] systems and seven wore CI and hearing aid systems depending on pitch, melody, rhythm, timbre, emotional reaction, and harmony perception tests. A mismatch negativity test was also conducted, and attitudes toward and satisfaction with listening to music were measured. The correction percentages for the NH and HAS groups were 94.0%±6.1% and 75.3%±23.2% in the pitch test; 94.0%±7.1% and 30.3%±25.9% in the melody test; 99.3%±1.8% and 94.0%± 7.6% in the rhythm test; 78.9%±41.8% and 64.4%±48.9% in the timbre test; 96.7%±10.4% and 81.7%±16.3% in the emotional reaction test; and 85.7%±14.1% and 58.4%±13.9% in the harmony test, respectively, showing statistical significance (p<0.05). For the mismatch negativity test, the area of the waveform was smaller in the HAS groups than in the NH groups, with 70 dB of stimulation showing no statistical significance. The response rates for satisfaction with listening to music were 80% and 93.3% for the NH and HAS groups, showing no statistical significance. Although the HAS group showed lower music perception ability than the NH group overall, they showed a strong desire for music listening. Also, the HAS group revealed a higher degree of satisfaction even when listening to unfamiliar music played with unusual instruments. It is suggested that systematic and constant musical rehabilitation based on musical elements and different listening experiences will improve music perception qualities and abilities for HAS users.

Examining the feasibility of integrating pupillometry measures of listening effort into clinical audiology assessments

Pure-tone thresholds are often a poor predictor of hearing difficulties experienced by patients in audiology clinics. Approximately 25 million Americans may experience hearing difficulties despite having audiometric thresholds within normal limits. Pupil diameter increases with increasing listening effort and could provide an objective measure for determining the presence of such subclinical hearing problems. However, the cost and technical requirements of research-grade eye trackers have limited their use in audiology clinics. This study aims to determine the feasibility of using a commercially-available head mounted display (HMD) with integrated eye tracking to collect pupillometry measures during audiological testing. Pupillary data were collected for N = 46 younger normal-hearing adults while they completed clinically-relevant tests including pure tone audiometry, gaps-in-noise (GIN), dichotic digits, and speech-in-noise tests. Across tasks, task-evoked pupillary responses were generally sensitive to differences in listening demands. Results suggest audiologic testing with commercial HMD eye trackers is feasible and provides additional objective information related to listening effort that may help clinicians better understand and address patient needs. [The views expressed in this abstract are those of theauthors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army/Navy/Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.]

A molecular psychophysical approach to identify cues for tone-in-noise detection in simultaneous masking

Experiments involving the detection of a tone presented in noise form the basis of many models of psychophysics that are used to estimate frequency resolution and cochlear compression for listeners with normal and impaired hearing. Despite the wide-spread application of tone-in-noise experiments, the cues used by listeners to detect the tone are a matter of debate. Here we adopt a molecular psychophysics approach – decision variable correlation (DVC) – to evaluate the extent to which trial-by-trial responses are consistent with candidate decision variables, including stimulus energy or the temporal envelope. We measured detection thresholds in normal-hearing adults for a 1000-Hz tone presented in one-third octave noise centered on the tone frequency. The tone and noise were gated simultaneously and thresholds were measured for durations of 10, 20, 50, and 100ms. We limited the reliability of energy-based cues by incorporating a roving-level paradigm. Similarly, the use of short tones (e.g., 10 ms) limited the reliability of envelope-based cues. Our results reveal that listeners adopted a strategy that emphasized energy-based cues for short-duration tones and envelope-based cues for long-duration tones. This finding suggests that models of human psychophysics may benefit from incorporating a decision device that adjusts cue weights based on stimulus duration.

Test-Retest Reliability of the Coordinate Response Measure in Adults with Normal Hearing or Cochlear Implants

Background: Speech perception in noise is especially challenging for cochlear implant (CI) recipients; thus, speech in noise tests are used to clinically evaluate functional hearing with CIs. The coordinate response measure (CRM) corpus can be utilized in an adaptive speech perception test with competing speakers as the masker. Determining the critical difference for CRM thresholds can enable it to be used to evaluate changes in CI outcomes for clinical and research purposes. If a change in CRM exceeds the critical difference, then this would indicate significant improvement or decrement in speech perception. Additionally, this information provides figures for power calculations that could be used for planning studies and clinical trials [Bland JM: An Introduction to Medical Statistics, 2000]. Objectives: This study determined the test-retest reliability of the CRM for adults with normal hearing (NH) and adults with CIs. The replicability, variability, and repeatability of the CRM were evaluated for the two groups separately. Method: Thirty-three NH adults and thirteen adult CI recipients were recruited and tested with the CRM twice, 1 month apart. The CI group was tested with two talkers only, while the NH group was tested with seven talkers as well as two talkers. Results: CRM had better replicability, repeatability and lower variability for the CI adults compared to NH adults. The critical difference (at p < 0.05) in the two-talker CRM speech reception thresholds (SRTs) among CI users was >5.2 dB, and it was >6.2 dB for the NH if an individual were to be tested under two different conditions. The critical difference (at p < 0.05) in the seven-talker CRM SRT was >6.49. The Mann-Whitney U test showed that CI recipients’ CRM scores’ variance (Mdn = −0.94) was significantly less than the NH group’s (Mdn = 2.2) (U = 54, p < 0.0001). Although the NH had significantly better SRTs in the two-talker condition than in the seven-talker condition (t = −20.29, df = 65, p < 0.0001), the Wilcoxon signed ranks test showed no significant difference between the CRM scores’ variance in the two conditions (Z = −1, N = 33, p = 0.08). Conclusions: NH adults had significantly lower CRM SRTs than the CI recipients; t (31.16) = −23.91, p < 0.001. CRM had better replicability, stability and lower variability for the CI adults compared to NH adults.

Exposure to nonnative-accented speech reduces listening effort and improves social judgments of the speaker

Prior research has revealed a native-accent advantage, whereby nonnative-accented speech is more difficult to process than native-accented speech. Nonnative-accented speakers also experience more negative social judgments. In the current study, we asked three questions. First, does exposure to nonnative-accented speech increase speech intelligibility or decrease listening effort, thereby narrowing the native-accent advantage? Second, does lower intelligibility or higher listening effort contribute to listeners’ negative social judgments of speakers? Third and finally, does increased intelligibility or decreased listening effort with exposure to speech bring about more positive social judgments of speakers? To address these questions, normal-hearing adults listened to a block of English sentences with a native accent and a block with nonnative accent. We found that once participants were accustomed to the task, intelligibility was greater for nonnative-accented speech and increased similarly with exposure for both accents. However, listening effort decreased only for nonnative-accented speech, soon reaching the level of native-accented speech. In addition, lower intelligibility and higher listening effort was associated with lower ratings of speaker warmth, speaker competence, and willingness to interact with the speaker. Finally, competence ratings increased over time to a similar extent for both accents, with this relationship fully mediated by intelligibility and listening effort. These results offer insight into how listeners process and judge unfamiliar speakers.

The influence of facemasks on communication in healthcare settings: a systematic review

Purpose Although a well-established aspect of healthcare practice, the impact of facemasks on verbal communication is surprisingly ambiguous. Materials and Methods A systematic search was conducted in APA PSYCHinfo, CINAHL, NHS Knowledge Network, Medline and SPORTDiscus databases from inception to November 2022 according to the PRISMA guidelines. Studies reporting an objective measure of speech understanding in adults, where information was transmitted or received whilst wearing a facemask were included. Risk of bias of included studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa score. Results Four hundred and thirty-three studies were identified, of which fifteen were suitable for inclusion, incorporating 350 participants with a median age of 49 (range 19 to 74) years. Wide heterogeneity of test parameters and outcome measurement prohibited pooling of data. 93% (14 of 15) studies reported a deleterious effect of facemasks on speech understanding, and 100% (5 of 5) of the included studies reported attenuation of sound with facemask usage. Background noise added further deleterious effects on speech understanding which was particularly problematic within hearing-impaired populations. Risk of bias in included studies varied but overall was modest. Conclusions Despite considerable complexity and heterogeneity in outcome measure, 93% (14 of 15) articles suggest respiratory protective equipment negatively affects speech understanding in normal hearing and hearing-impaired adults.

The mismatch response in normal hearing adults: a performance comparison with stimuli relevant for objective validation of hearing aid fittings

Objective A long-standing observation is that the Mismatch Response (MMR) has the potential to offer a clinically feasible index of sound discrimination. However, findings that positively identify MMRs at the individual level have been mixed, even for those who are normally hearing and who can discriminate sounds behaviourally. This complicates interpretation when an MMR is not observed. The objective of this study was to determine the reliability of the MMR using an optimised paradigm and a range of stimuli relevant to audiological applications in relation to objective verification of hearing aid fittings. Design MMRs were measured using an optimised 3-deviant paradigm in response to a range of sounds designed for aided and unaided sound field assessments, including complex tones (CTs) and speech-like signals. Study sample Seventeen normally hearing adults (18–56 years). Results The most robust MMRs were recorded in response to CTs; responses were positively identified in 50 out of 51 instances (98%), assessed via objective Hotelling’s T 2 bias-free statistical analyses. Conclusions The results indicate that CTs in conjunction with optimised recording and analysis parameters offer the potential to elicit robust MMRs, supporting future utilisation of MMRs for clinical audiological applications.

Assessing Medial Olivocochlear Reflex Strengths via Auditory Brainstem Response: Measurement and Variability in Normal-Hearing Individuals

Optimal measurement settings to measure the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) in humans have not yet been defined. The purpose of this study was to advance the representation of the MOCR in auditory brainstem response (ABR) as an addition to the current diagnostic portfolio. Twelve female and 14 male normal-hearing adults participated in the study. Potential effects of a contralateral acoustic stimulus (CAS) on amplitude changes were investigated by recording ABR waveform profiles on the left side at click intensities of 50/60/70 dB nHL with and without CAS (60 dB SPL). Secondly, to detect potential chronological order influences, measurement settings were rearranged on the right side and measurements were repeated. Additionally, ABR thresholds were recorded with and without a CAS in 10 patients. When the effect of contralateral suppression was analyzed on the basis of amplitude changes, there was a change under administration of the CAS signal that was statistically significant. Interestingly, the order of recordings affected the degree of amplitude change. In three out of 10 patients, reproducible suppression effects on ABR thresholds were detectable upon CAS presentation. To our knowledge, this is the largest study dealing with the recording of the MOCR elicited by a contralateral noise via ABR in normal-hearing individuals. Effects of MOCR are measurable via amplitude changes upon CAS administration. Chronological orders influence the impact of this effect on amplitude changes. Optimal measurement settings have not yet been defined. However, experiments such as this study may help to further improve measurements, and thus advance the representation of the MOC reflex in ABR as an addition to the current diagnostic portfolio.

Using the hearing in noise test (HINT) in the assessment of the performance of directional microphone

ObjectivesHearing in noise test (HINT) is used to evaluate and compare the performance of different hearing aid. This research was designed to compare the performance of a fixed directional microphone (FDM) and an automatic adaptive directional microphone (AADM) with different noise directions using aided Arabic HINT.MethodsControl group (CG): 20 normal peripheral hearing adults. Study group (SG): 40 adults with bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. Arabic HINT was performed in three noise situations at 0°, 90°, and 270° azimuths for both groups. For SG, test was done in 4 conditions: condition (I), without hearing aid; condition (II), aided response with omnidirectional microphone; condition (III), aided response with FDM; and condition (IV), aided response with AADM.ResultsFor all azimuths, there was a statistically considerable difference between CG and SG in all conditions. Also, there was a statistically significant difference between SG conditions I and II and II and III. But no statistically significant difference was observed between conditions III and IV when the noise was at 90° and 270° azimuths.ConclusionAADM is the best choice of selection in hearing aid fitting, and it performs better in noise, especially when the noise and speech are in front of the patient.

Automated Adaptive Wideband Acoustic Stapedius Reflex Thresholds in Adults With Normal Hearing and Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

This study compared the measurement of the acoustic stapedius reflex threshold (ART) obtained using a traditional method with that obtained using an automated adaptive wideband (AAW) method. Participants included three groups of adults with normal hearing (NH), mild sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), or moderate SNHL. The purpose of the study was to compare ARTs for the three groups and to determine which method had the best performance in detecting SNHL. Ipsilateral and contralateral ARTs were obtained using 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz tonal activators, and broadband noise (BBN) activators on a traditional admittance system (Clinical) at tympanometric peak pressures (TPP) and on an experimental wideband system using an AAW method at both ambient pressure and TPP. ART data previously reported for 39 NH adults with a mean age of 47.7 years were compared with data for 25 participants with mild SNHL with a mean age of 63.8 years, and 20 participants with moderate SNHL with a mean age of 65.7 years. Differences in ARTs between the normal-hearing and SNHL groups for the three methods were examined using a General Linear Model Repeated-Measures test. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was also used to determine the ability of an ART test to detect SNHL. For the 0.5 kHz activator condition, there were no significant group mean differences in ART between NH and SNHL groups for either ipsilateral or contralateral activator presentation modes for the Clinical or AAW methods. There were significant group mean differences for the 1 and 2 kHz tonal activators and BBN activator for both ipsilateral and contralateral modes with greater differences in ART between groups for the AAW method than the Clinical method. In these conditions, the mean ART was lower for the AAW tests relative to the Clinical test. The greatest difference between groups was for the ipsilateral AAW tests for the comparison of NH with moderate SNHL for the BBN activator. This difference was approximately 20 dB for the AAW tests and 8 dB for the Clinical test. The ROC analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) increased with the frequency of the activator stimulus and with the degree of hearing loss and was maximal for the BBN activator for both the AAW and Clinical methods for both ipsilateral and contralateral presentations. For ipsilateral and contralateral ART tests for activator frequencies above 0.5 kHz and BBN, listeners with SNHL generally had elevated ARTs compared with those with NH. The AAW method resulted in greater differences between SNHL groups and NH than the Clinical method. The AUC for detecting SNHL also increased with activator frequency and degree of hearing loss and was greatest for the BBN activator for the AAW method in both the ambient and TPP conditions. The results are encouraging for the use of an AAW ART method for the assessment of individuals with SNHL.

The Effect of Stimuli Level on Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission in Normal Hearing Adults.

The goal of this study is to compare three of the most commonly used primary-level relation paradigms (i.e., Scissors, Boys Town 'Optimal', and Equal-Level) in generation of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in normal hearing adults. The generator and reflection components were extracted from DPOAEs in each paradigm. The generator and reflection component levels and input/output (I/O) functions were compared across paradigms and primary-tone levels. The results showed a different I/O function growth behavior across frequency and levels among paradigms. The Optimal paradigm showed a systematic change in the generator and reflection component levels and I/O slopes across primary levels among subjects. Moreover, the levels and slopes in the Optimal paradigm were more distinct across levels with less variations across frequency leading to a systematic change in the DPOAE fine structure across levels. The I/O functions were found to be more sensitive to the selected paradigm; especially the I/O function for the reflection component. The I/O functions of the reflection components showed large variability across frequencies due to different frequency shifts in their microstructure depending on the paradigm. The findings of this study suggested the Optimal paradigm as the proper primary-level relation to study cochlear amplification/compression. The findings of this study shows that care needs to be taken in comparing the findings of different studies that generated DPOAEs with a different level-relation paradigm.

Aging alters across-hemisphere cortical dynamics during binaural temporal processing.

Differences in the timing and intensity of sounds arriving at the two ears provide fundamental binaural cues that help us localize and segregate sounds in the environment. Neural encoding of these cues is commonly represented asymmetrically in the cortex with stronger activation in the hemisphere contralateral to the perceived spatial location. Although advancing age is known to degrade the perception of binaural cues, less is known about how the neural representation of such cues is impacted by age. Here, we use electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate age-related changes in the hemispheric distribution of interaural time difference (ITD) encoding based on cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) and derived binaural interaction component (BIC) measures in ten younger and ten older normal-hearing adults. Sensor-level analyses of the CAEP and BIC showed age-related differences in global field power, where older listeners had significantly larger responses than younger for both binaural metrics. Source-level analyses showed hemispheric differences in auditory cortex activity for left and right lateralized stimuli in younger adults, consistent with a contralateral activation model for processing ITDs. Older adults, however, showed reduced hemispheric asymmetry across ITDs, despite having overall larger responses than younger adults. Further, when averaged across ITD condition to evaluate changes in cortical asymmetry over time, there was a significant shift in laterality corresponding to the peak components (P1, N1, P2) in the source waveform that also was affected by age. These novel results demonstrate across-hemisphere cortical dynamics during binaural temporal processing that are altered with advancing age.

Dificuldades de adultos ouvintes em situações cotidianas de escuta

ABSTRACT Purpose: to verify hearing difficulties related to everyday listening situations self-reported by normally-hearing adults. Methods: a cross-sectional observational study in which adult individuals with clinically normal hearing, verified through audiometry and tympanometry, were included. The participants answered the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) questionnaire. Statistical analysis comprised descriptive and Spearman’s correlation test with a significance level of 5%. Results: the sample consisted of 28 participants, aged between 20 and 44 years. The median SSQ score was 8.75, in the Hearing to Speech domain, 8.11, in the Spatial Hearing domain, and 8.91, in the Quality-of-Hearing domain. There was an association between the participant's age and the score on five questions, demonstrating less self-reported difficulty as age increased. Conclusion: difficulties in everyday listening situations, self-reported by normally-hearing adults, participating in this study, were more related to situations with competitive noise and listening effort.

Comparison of traditional stimuli versus novel stimulus-evoked masseteric vestibular-evoked myogenic potential in normal-hearing adults

Comparison of traditional stimuli versus novel stimulus-evoked masseteric vestibular-evoked myogenic potential in normal-hearing adults

Desempenho no Teste Dicótico de Sentenças em Adultos com queixa comunicativa

ABSTRACT Purpose To analyze the performance of normal-hearing adults with communication complaints in the Dichotic Sentences Test. Methods We selected from the database 15 normal-hearing participants with normal results in the Digits Dichotic Test, aged between 19 and 44 years, right-handed, who reported communicative complaints. The Dichotic Sentences Test was applied using two protocols consisting of four different combinations of lists called sequences 1 and 2, in the following order: training, divided attention step, right and left directed attention steps. Results In the first application sequence, the average performance in the divided attention step was 84.7% for the right ear and 60.67% for the left, with statistical difference between ears. The asymmetry between ears varied from -50% to 60%. In the directed attention step, the average performance was 99.33% for the right ear and 98% for the left, with no statistical difference. In the second application sequence, there was a tendency for better results, more pronounced for the left ear, with no statistical significance, with the performance variation and asymmetry between ears remaining high. In the comparison between the sequences, in the divided attention step, it was found that, for the right ear, 40% of the individuals did not vary, 33% performed worse, and 26.7% performed better; for the left ear, 6.6% did not vary, 20% performed worse, and 73.33% performed better. There was result stability in the directed attention step. Conclusion The normal-hearing adults with communication complaints presented a heterogeneous profile, especially in the divided attention step, with a marked difference between ears and response variability.

Dichotic Sentences Test Performance of Adults with communication complaints.

To analyze the performance of normal-hearing adults with communication complaints in the Dichotic Sentences Test. We selected from the database 15 normal-hearing participants with normal results in the Digits Dichotic Test, aged between 19 and 44 years, right-handed, who reported communicative complaints. The Dichotic Sentences Test was applied using two protocols consisting of four different combinations of lists called sequences 1 and 2, in the following order: training, divided attention step, right and left directed attention steps. In the first application sequence, the average performance in the divided attention step was 84.7% for the right ear and 60.67% for the left, with statistical difference between ears. The asymmetry between ears varied from -50% to 60%. In the directed attention step, the average performance was 99.33% for the right ear and 98% for the left, with no statistical difference. In the second application sequence, there was a tendency for better results, more pronounced for the left ear, with no statistical significance, with the performance variation and asymmetry between ears remaining high. In the comparison between the sequences, in the divided attention step, it was found that, for the right ear, 40% of the individuals did not vary, 33% performed worse, and 26.7% performed better; for the left ear, 6.6% did not vary, 20% performed worse, and 73.33% performed better. There was result stability in the directed attention step. The normal-hearing adults with communication complaints presented a heterogeneous profile, especially in the divided attention step, with a marked difference between ears and response variability.

Performance on stochastic figure-ground perception varies with individual differences in speech-in-noise recognition and working memory capacity.

Speech recognition in noisy environments can be challenging and requires listeners to accurately segregate a target speaker from irrelevant background noise. Stochastic figure-ground (SFG) tasks in which temporally coherent inharmonic pure-tones must be identified from a background have been used to probe the non-linguistic auditory stream segregation processes important for speech-in-noise processing. However, little is known about the relationship between performance on SFG tasks and speech-in-noise tasks nor the individual differences that may modulate such relationships. In this study, 37 younger normal-hearing adults performed an SFG task with target figure chords consisting of four, six, eight, or ten temporally coherent tones amongst a background of randomly varying tones. Stimuli were designed to be spectrally and temporally flat. An increased number of temporally coherent tones resulted in higher accuracy and faster reaction times (RTs). For ten target tones, faster RTs were associated with better scores on the Quick Speech-in-Noise task. Individual differences in working memory capacity and self-reported musicianship further modulated these relationships. Overall, results demonstrate that the SFG task could serve as an assessment of auditory stream segregation accuracy and RT that is sensitive to individual differences in cognitive and auditory abilities, even among younger normal-hearing adults.

Difficulties of normally-hearing adults in daily listening situations

RESUMO Objetivo: verificar as dificuldades auditivas relacionadas a situações cotidianas de escuta autorrelatadas por adultos normo-ouvintes. Métodos: trata-se de um estudo observacional transversal. Foram incluídos indivíduos adultos com limiares auditivos normais, verificados por meio de audiometria e timpanometria. Os participantes responderam à versão no português brasileiro do questionário Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ). Os resultados foram analisados descritiva e estatisticamente. A análise estatística compreendeu teste descritivo e de correlação de Spearman com nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: a amostra foi composta por 28 participantes, com idades entre 20 e 44 anos. A mediana da pontuação no SSQ foi de 8,75 pontos no domínio Audição para a Fala; 8,11 no domínio Audição Espacial e 8,91 pontos no domínio Qualidade da Audição. Observou-se associação entre a idade do participante e a pontuação em cinco questões, demonstrando menor dificuldade autorrelatada conforme o aumento da idade. Conclusão: as dificuldades em situações cotidianas de escuta autorrelatadas pelos adultos normo-ouvintes participantes desse estudo foram mais relacionadas a situações com ruído competitivo e esforço de escuta.

Neural tracking of linguistic and acoustic speech representations decreases with advancing age

Background: Older adults process speech differently, but it is not yet clear how aging affects different levels of processing natural, continuous speech, both in terms of bottom-up acoustic analysis and top-down generation of linguistic-based predictions. We studied natural speech processing across the adult lifespan via electroencephalography (EEG) measurements of neural tracking.Goals: Our goals are to analyze the unique contribution of linguistic speech processing across the adult lifespan using natural speech, while controlling for the influence of acoustic processing. Moreover, we also studied acoustic processing across age. In particular, we focus on changes in spatial and temporal activation patterns in response to natural speech across the lifespan.Methods: 52 normal-hearing adults between 17 and 82 years of age listened to a naturally spoken story while the EEG signal was recorded. We investigated the effect of age on acoustic and linguistic processing of speech. Because age correlated with hearing capacity and measures of cognition, we investigated whether the observed age effect is mediated by these factors. Furthermore, we investigated whether there is an effect of age on hemisphere lateralization and on spatiotemporal patterns of the neural responses.Results: Our EEG results showed that linguistic speech processing declines with advancing age. Moreover, as age increased, the neural response latency to certain aspects of linguistic speech processing increased. Also acoustic neural tracking (NT) decreased with increasing age, which is at odds with the literature. In contrast to linguistic processing, older subjects showed shorter latencies for early acoustic responses to speech. No evidence was found for hemispheric lateralization in neither younger nor older adults during linguistic speech processing. Most of the observed aging effects on acoustic and linguistic processing were not explained by age-related decline in hearing capacity or cognition. However, our results suggest that the effect of decreasing linguistic neural tracking with advancing age at word-level is also partially due to an age-related decline in cognition than a robust effect of age.Conclusion: Spatial and temporal characteristics of the neural responses to continuous speech change across the adult lifespan for both acoustic and linguistic speech processing. These changes may be traces of structural and/or functional change that occurs with advancing age.

Effect of Age and Hearing Loss on Auditory Processing Skills.

Background: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of age and hearing loss on auditory processing abilities. For this purpose, auditory processing abilities were compared among young and older adults with normal hearing sensitivity and older adults with and without hearing loss. Method: The study comprised 20 normal-hearing young adults (18-25 years), 20 older adults with normal hearing sensitivity (50-70 years), and 20 older adults with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing impairment (50-70 years). All 60 participants underwent gap detection(GDT), dichotic consonant-vowe(DCV)l, speech in noise(SPIN), duration pattern(DPT), and working memory (forward and backward span) tests in a sound treated test room. Results: Results showed that young normal-hearing adults performed significantly better than normal-hearing older adults in SPIN, GDT, DCV, working memory, and DPT. Futher, normal-hearing older individuals performed better than older individuals with hearing impairment on all the auditory processing tests except on the forward span test and DPT. Conclusion: Auditory processing abilities deteriorate with age and hearing loss also has a pronounced effect on most auditory processing abilities.