No description available.

Lateral inhibitory networks (LINs) of neurons are thought to be prominent in sensory systems and are known to enhance spatial edges and peaks in their input excitation patterns. It is postulated, based on experimental findings, that lateral inhibition contributes to central, sub-cortical, auditory processing. Previous computational LIN models of the central processing of auditory nerve activity were based on highly simplified, non-spiking models of neurons. A more biologically realistic LIN model of spiking neurons was thus developed to investigate the plausibility of such networks achieving contrast enhancement and speech feature extraction. The model developed is a single-layer, uniform, recurrent LIN structure. Each neuron in the LIN is described by a leaky integrate-and-fire model with conductance-based synaptic input. Input spike instances were obtained from Bruce and colleagues' [2003] model of the auditory periphery for synthesized speech stimuli or from a Bernoulli approximation of a Poisson process to represent spontaneous activity from the auditory nerve. The effect of neural and network parameters on contrast enhancement exhibited in the mean spike rates was measured. It was found that the spiking LIN is able to achieve contrast enhancement if the values of the neuronal parameters fall within a very specific and narrow range. Furthermore, the spatial edge in the input had to be high and steep. Compared to non-spiking neuron models, it is quite difficult for spiking neurons to achieve contrast enhancement. The spiking LIN was found to be capable of making formant frequencies more distinct in the average rate profiles of speech stimuli presented at high intensities. However, synchrony of the neural activity to the formant frequencies was largely lost. This architecture of spiking neurons is therefore unlikely to be how contrast enhancement and speech feature extraction is realized in the central auditory system. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

No description available.

A listener's sensitivity to the presence of a sinusoidal target, masked by a sample of random noise, is known to depend on the specific noise sample for both monaural and binaural detection [Gilkey, Robinson, and Hanna, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 78:1207-1219, 1985]. This work explores to what extent existing quantitative models for binaural detection can predict the sample-by-sample variation observed in listeners' responses. Responses of five subjects for the binaural detection of a 500-Hz, 300-msec, interaurally out-of-phase tone masked by statistically independent samples of narrowband, interaurally-identical noise are reported. A set of 30 noise samples were taken from a noise process with a power spectrum that is 115-Hz wide, centered at 500 Hz. The rms noise pressure is 75 dB SPL. For each subject, the responses show good self-consistency and a strong dependence on individual noise samples (intrasubject correlation coefficients higher than 0.72, typically 0.85). However, there are significant differences between subjects in the pattern of responses across the set of masker samples (intersubject correlation coefficients no higher than 0.7). Subjects' performance values for individual noise samples are compared to the predictions of psychophysical models for binaural detection. Some classes of previously suggested models have predictions that are not consistent with observed performance. Specifically, sample-level predictions of models for which the decision variable is dominated by the energy in the particular noise sample have no significant correlation with the patterns of responses across noise samples for any subject. In contrast, models that are based on variability of the ITD and/ or IID have predictions that are statistically significantly correlated with most subjects' responses (but no correlation coefficients larger than 0. 7). Black-box models in this class include those with decisions based on the sum of the squares of the ITDs and IIDs, or on the peak-deviations of the ITDs. Results for a physiological model of the dependence of firing patterns of the principal cells in the medial superior olive on ITDs suggest a mechanism that is analogous to black-box models with decision variables based on the variability of the ITD.

published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Master / Master of Science in Audiology

published_or_final_version / abstract / Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine / Master / Master of Philosophy

This study compared auditory behavioral and physiologic measures in normal control subjects and subjects prescribed with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) who were yet to take the drug and those currently taking an SSRI. Test measures used were pure tone averages (PTA), acoustic reflex thresholds, uncomfortable loudness levels (UCL), otoacoustic emissions, masking level difference, temporal integration, amplitude resolution, and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scores. Results indicated that there was a significant difference in the amplitude resolution of the unmedicated group when compared to the medicated and the control group. There was also a significant positive correlation between dynamic range (difference between UCL and PTA) and amplitude resolution. The BDI-II revealed a significant difference between the scores of the unmedicated and the control group as well as the medicated and the control group. Although other test measures indicated differences between the groups, the differences were not statistically significant.

Introdução: A captação e o estudo de respostas cerebrais evocadas por um estímulo sonoro vem permitindo a investigação objetiva do processamento da informação auditiva e uma melhor compreensão da via auditiva central. A utilidade deste método diagnóstico tem sido cada vez mais valorizada pelos audiologistas, no entanto sua aplicação clínica corrente requer a realização de uma quantidade mais expressiva de estudos, especialmente na literatura nacional, para um conhecimento mais profundo deste método, sobretudo quanto a normatizações, critérios de identificação das ondas e interferências de variáveis como idade, sexo e parâmetros utilizados na aquisição. Os Potenciais Evocados Auditivos de Média Latência são compostos por uma seqüência de ondas com latências em torno de 10 a 80ms, com origem neurogênica múltipla (projeções tálamo-corticais e córtex auditivo, colículo inferior e formação reticular em menor escala). O presente estudo tem como objetivo pesquisar os componentes dos PEAMLs, numa população de crianças saudáveis, estudando a latência e amplitude das ondas, a fim de conhecer as características dos PEAMLs para esta faixa etária. Metodologia: Participaram do estudo 32 crianças de ambos os sexos com idade entre 10 e 13 anos, otologicamente normais e sem histórias neurológicas. A análise estatística incluiu a realização da estatística descritiva (média e desvio-padrão) e análise da variância pelo teste F. Os PEAMLs foram pesquisados utilizando como estímulo tone-burst, nas intensidades de 50, 60 e 70 dBNA. Resultados e conclusão: Os valores médios de latência dos componentes foram Na=20,79ms, Pa=35,34ms, Nb=43,27ms e Pb=53,36ms. Para a amplitude Na-Pa os valores médios obtidos no estudo variaram entre 0,2 e 1,9mV (M=1,0mV). As formas de onda Na-Pa constituíram os componentes mais consistentes e mais facilmente identificáveis. Pode-se concluir que a amplitude aumenta e a latência diminui com o aumento da intensidade sonora. Na intensidade de 50dBNA as latências obtidas são significativamente maiores que as intensidades de 60 e 70 dBNA para a onda Na. A partir de 60dBNA os valores se estabilizam e não há mudanças significativas na latência ou morfologia da onda. Nas comparações inter e intra-individual foram observadas latências mais longas e amplitudes menores para o lado E (A1/Cz). Numa análise posterior dos dados segundo queixa de dificuldade escolar não foram observadas diferenças ao nível de significância para os componentes Na, Pa, Nb e Pb para os grupos de crianças com e sem queixa de dificuldades escolares. Nestas crianças foram observadas anormalidades na morfologia das ondas, as quais não foram atribuídas exclusivamente à queixa de dificuldade escolar, já que poderia haver também interferência da idade do sujeito avaliado e do neuro-desenvolvimento do Sistema Nervoso Auditivo Central. O presente estudo possibilitou um melhor conhecimento das características dos PEAMLs, o que contribuirá para a aplicação mais segura da técnica. Porém, outros estudos ainda se fazem necessários, principalmente na literatura nacional, a fim de estabelecer padrões normativos para o uso na rotina clínica. / Introduction: The record and study of corticals responses evoked by auditory stimulus has allowed the objective investigation from process of auditory information and a better understanding of central auditory path. The utility of the procedure has been valued by audiologists, nevertheless her clinical aplication current demand the a execution a sum more significative of the study, especially in nationals researchs, to knowledge profoundest this procedure, over all as for normative studys, waves?s identification criterion and interference of the variables with age, gender and parameters used in records. The PEAMLs are composed of a waves?s sequence with latency are around 10 a 80ms, with multiple neurogenic origen (thalamus corticais projections and auditory cortex, coliculus inferior and reticular formation in small scale). The present study objetive examined the components dos PEAMLs, in healthy childrens, researching the waves?s latency and amplitude, to know the PEAML in this band of age. Methods: make part of study 32 childrens in both genders between the ages of 10 e 13, normal hearing without neurological desorders. The statistical analises involved the descrition statistical (mean and standard deviation) and variance analises by test F. The PEAMLs are investigated with tone-burst stimuli in 50, 60 e 70 dBNA. Results and conclusions: the means values of the components are Na=20,79ms, Pa=35,34ms, Nb=43,27ms e Pb=53,36ms. To the amplitude Na-Pa the means values obtained in the study varies between 0,2 and 1,9mV (M=1,0mV). The waveforms are more consistents e more easyly identifiable. We are able to conclude that the amplitude increase and latency decrease with growth of intensity of sound. In 50dBNA the latency are significative higher that 60 and 70 dBNA to wave Na. From 60dBNA the values are stabilize and there is no significatives changes in the latency ou morphology of wave. In the comparisions inter e inta-hemisferical were observed latencys lengthest and amplitudes higher to side left (A1/Cz). In a posterior analises in conformity to complaint of hardness scholar were observeds diferrences no significants to the components Na, Pa, Nb e Pb in the childrens groups with and without complaint of hardness scholar. Anormalities in the morphology of waves were viewed in this childrens wich weren´t atribute to complaint of hardness scholar exclusively once there was interference of the patient?s age and the neural development of Central Auditory System Nervous. The present study made possible a better knowledge of PEAMLs and will contribute to securest aplication this procedure. But, another studys still are requisite, essentialy in the researchs national to established normatives standard to utily in the clinical practice.

Past decades of auditory research have identified several acoustic features that influence perceptual organization of sound, in particular, the frequency of tones and the rate of presentation. One class of stimuli that have been intensively studied are sequences of tones that alternate in frequency. They are typically presented in patterns of repeating doublets ABAB… or repeating triplets ABA-ABA-... where the symbol “-” stands for a gap of silence between triplets repeats. The duration of each tone or silence is typically tens to hundreds of milliseconds, and listeners hearing the sequence perceive either one auditory object ("stream integration") or two separate auditory objects (“stream segregation”). Animal studies have characterized single- and multi- unit neural activity and event-related local field potentials while systematically varying frequency separation between tones (ΔF) or the presentation rate (PR). They found that the B tone responses in doublets were differentially suppressed with increasing PR and that the B tones responses in triplets decreased with larger ΔF. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these animal data have yet to be explained. In this study, we built an integrate-and-fire network model of the primary auditory cortex (AC) that accurately reproduced the experimental results. Then, we extended the model to account for basic spectro-temporal features of electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings from the posteriomedial part of the Heschl's gyrus (HGPM; cortical area equivalent to the AC of monkeys), obtained from humans listening to sequences of triplets ABA-. Finally, we constructed a firing rate reduced model of the proposed integrate-and-fire network and analyzed its dynamics as function of parameters. A large network of voltage-dependent leaky integrate-and-fire neurons (3600 excitatory, 900 inhibitory) was constructed to simulate neural activity from layers 3/4 of AC during streaming of tone triplets. Parameters describing synaptic and membrane properties were based on experimental data from early studies of AC. Network structure assumed spatially-dependent probability of connections and tonotopic organization. Subpopulations of neurons were tuned to different frequencies along the tonotopic map. In-silico recordings were performed during the presentation of long sequences of triplets and/or doublets. The network’s output was derived with two types of measurements in mind: spiking activity of individual neurons and/or local populations of neurons, and local field potentials. The network spiking neural activity reproduced reliably data reports, including dependence of responses to the B tone in triplets ABA- on stimulus parameter ΔF. Approximations of average evoked potentials (AEPs) from ECoG signals recorded at four depth contacts placed over human HGPM during auditory streaming of triplets were also obtained.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.