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Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System
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Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 17215

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jean Marc Edeline

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience (NeuroPSI, UMR 9197), University Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
Interests: auditory perception; neuronal selectivity; communication sounds; auditory cortex; masking noise

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Humans and animals constantly face challenging acoustic environments such as various background noises that impair the detection, discrimination, and identification of behaviorally relevant sounds. Dissecting how auditory neurons discriminate communication sounds in noise is a major goal in auditory neuroscience. Over the last decade, many studies in humans and animals have aimed to understand the neural mechanisms used by the auditory system to extract and acutely represent the relevant information necessary for discriminating communication sounds in various situations of acoustic degradations.

This Special Issue of Biology entitled “Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System” will integrate the human and animal literature aiming to understand the mechanisms operating during perception of communication sounds in noise. This Special Issue aims to collect reviews and original articles on recent investigations of neural correlates of perception in noise either with humans or with various animal models. Theoretical contributions and modeling studies are also welcome if they are directly related to the perception of communication sounds in noise.

Dr. Jean Marc Edeline
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • auditory perception
  • neuronal selectivity
  • communication sounds
  • auditory cortex
  • masking noise

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3137 KiB  
Article
Investigating Neurophysiological, Perceptual, and Cognitive Mechanisms in Misophonia
by Chhayakanta Patro, Emma Wasko, Prashanth Prabhu and Nirmal Kumar Srinivasan
Biology 2025, 14(3), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14030238 - 26 Feb 2025
Viewed by 704
Abstract
Misophonia is a condition characterized by intense, involuntary distress or anger in response to specific sounds, often leading to irritation or aggression. While the condition is recognized for its emotional and behavioral impacts, little is known about its physiological and perceptual effects. The [...] Read more.
Misophonia is a condition characterized by intense, involuntary distress or anger in response to specific sounds, often leading to irritation or aggression. While the condition is recognized for its emotional and behavioral impacts, little is known about its physiological and perceptual effects. The current study aimed to explore the physiological correlates and perceptual consequences of misophonia through a combination of electrophysiological, perceptual, and cognitive assessments. Seventeen individuals with misophonia and sixteen control participants without the condition were compared. Participants completed a comprehensive battery of tests, including (a) cortical event-related potentials (ERPs) to assess neural responses to standard and deviant auditory stimuli, (b) the spatial release from the speech-on-speech masking (SRM) paradigm to evaluate speech segregation in background noise, and (c) the flanker task to measure selective attention and cognitive control. The results revealed that individuals with misophonia exhibited significantly smaller mean peak amplitudes of the N1 and N2 components in response to oddball tones compared to controls. This suggests a potential underlying neurobiological deficit in misophonia patients, as these components are associated with early auditory processing. However, no significant differences between each group were observed in the P1 and P2 components regarding oddball tones or in any ERP components in response to standard tones. Despite these altered neural responses, the misophonia group did not show differences in hearing thresholds, speech perception abilities, or cognitive function compared to the controls. These findings suggest that while misophonia may involve distinct neurophysiological changes, particularly in early auditory processing, it does not necessarily lead to perceptual deficits in speech perception or cognitive function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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23 pages, 1944 KiB  
Article
Automating Speech Audiometry in Quiet and in Noise Using a Deep Neural Network
by Hadrien Jean, Nicolas Wallaert, Antoine Dreumont, Gwenaelle Creff, Benoit Godey and Nihaad Paraouty
Biology 2025, 14(2), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14020191 - 12 Feb 2025
Viewed by 820
Abstract
In addition to pure-tone audiometry tests and electrophysiological tests, a comprehensive hearing evaluation includes assessing a subject’s ability to understand speech in quiet and in noise. In fact, speech audiometry tests are commonly used in clinical practice; however, they are time-consuming as they [...] Read more.
In addition to pure-tone audiometry tests and electrophysiological tests, a comprehensive hearing evaluation includes assessing a subject’s ability to understand speech in quiet and in noise. In fact, speech audiometry tests are commonly used in clinical practice; however, they are time-consuming as they require manual scoring by a hearing professional. To address this issue, we developed an automated speech recognition (ASR) system for scoring subject responses at the phonetic level. The ASR was built using a deep neural network and trained with pre-recorded French speech materials: Lafon’s cochlear lists and Dodelé logatoms. Next, we tested the performance and reliability of the ASR in clinical settings with both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners. Our findings indicate that the ASR’s performance is statistically similar to manual scoring by expert hearing professionals, both in quiet and in noisy conditions. Moreover, the test–retest reliability of the automated scoring closely matches that of manual scoring. Together, our results validate the use of this deep neural network in both clinical and research contexts for conducting speech audiometry tests in quiet and in noise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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19 pages, 3261 KiB  
Article
Neural Delays in Processing Speech in Background Noise Minimized after Short-Term Auditory Training
by Erika Skoe and Nina Kraus
Biology 2024, 13(7), 509; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13070509 - 8 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1578
Abstract
Background noise disrupts the neural processing of sound, resulting in delayed and diminished far-field auditory-evoked responses. In young adults, we previously provided evidence that cognitively based short-term auditory training can ameliorate the impact of background noise on the frequency-following response (FFR), leading to [...] Read more.
Background noise disrupts the neural processing of sound, resulting in delayed and diminished far-field auditory-evoked responses. In young adults, we previously provided evidence that cognitively based short-term auditory training can ameliorate the impact of background noise on the frequency-following response (FFR), leading to greater neural synchrony to the speech fundamental frequency(F0) in noisy listening conditions. In this same dataset (55 healthy young adults), we now examine whether training-related changes extend to the latency of the FFR, with the prediction of faster neural timing after training. FFRs were measured on two days separated by ~8 weeks. FFRs were elicited by the syllable “da” presented at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of +10 dB SPL relative to a background of multi-talker noise. Half of the participants participated in 20 sessions of computerized training (Listening and Communication Enhancement Program, LACE) between test sessions, while the other half served as Controls. In both groups, half of the participants were non-native speakers of English. In the Control Group, response latencies were unchanged at retest, but for the training group, response latencies were earlier. Findings suggest that auditory training can improve how the adult nervous system responds in noisy listening conditions, as demonstrated by decreased response latencies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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18 pages, 4144 KiB  
Article
Auditory Sensory Gating: Effects of Noise
by Fan-Yin Cheng, Julia Campbell and Chang Liu
Biology 2024, 13(6), 443; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13060443 - 18 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1760
Abstract
Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) indicate that noise degrades auditory neural encoding, causing decreased peak amplitude and increased peak latency. Different types of noise affect CAEP responses, with greater informational masking causing additional degradation. In noisy conditions, attention can improve target signals’ neural [...] Read more.
Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) indicate that noise degrades auditory neural encoding, causing decreased peak amplitude and increased peak latency. Different types of noise affect CAEP responses, with greater informational masking causing additional degradation. In noisy conditions, attention can improve target signals’ neural encoding, reflected by an increased CAEP amplitude, which may be facilitated through various inhibitory mechanisms at both pre-attentive and attentive levels. While previous research has mainly focused on inhibition effects during attentive auditory processing in noise, the impact of noise on the neural response during the pre-attentive phase remains unclear. Therefore, this preliminary study aimed to assess the auditory gating response, reflective of the sensory inhibitory stage, to repeated vowel pairs presented in background noise. CAEPs were recorded via high-density EEG in fifteen normal-hearing adults in quiet and noise conditions with low and high informational masking. The difference between the average CAEP peak amplitude evoked by each vowel in the pair was compared across conditions. Scalp maps were generated to observe general cortical inhibitory networks in each condition. Significant gating occurred in quiet, while noise conditions resulted in a significantly decreased gating response. The gating function was significantly degraded in noise with less informational masking content, coinciding with a reduced activation of inhibitory gating networks. These findings illustrate the adverse effect of noise on pre-attentive inhibition related to speech perception. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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28 pages, 7415 KiB  
Article
Predictors of Speech-in-Noise Understanding in a Population of Occupationally Noise-Exposed Individuals
by Guillaume Andéol, Nihaad Paraouty, Fabrice Giraudet, Nicolas Wallaert, Vincent Isnard, Annie Moulin and Clara Suied
Biology 2024, 13(6), 416; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13060416 - 5 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1244
Abstract
Understanding speech in noise is particularly difficult for individuals occupationally exposed to noise due to a mix of noise-induced auditory lesions and the energetic masking of speech signals. For years, the monitoring of conventional audiometric thresholds has been the usual method to check [...] Read more.
Understanding speech in noise is particularly difficult for individuals occupationally exposed to noise due to a mix of noise-induced auditory lesions and the energetic masking of speech signals. For years, the monitoring of conventional audiometric thresholds has been the usual method to check and preserve auditory function. Recently, suprathreshold deficits, notably, difficulties in understanding speech in noise, has pointed out the need for new monitoring tools. The present study aims to identify the most important variables that predict speech in noise understanding in order to suggest a new method of hearing status monitoring. Physiological (distortion products of otoacoustic emissions, electrocochleography) and behavioral (amplitude and frequency modulation detection thresholds, conventional and extended high-frequency audiometric thresholds) variables were collected in a population of individuals presenting a relatively homogeneous occupational noise exposure. Those variables were used as predictors in a statistical model (random forest) to predict the scores of three different speech-in-noise tests and a self-report of speech-in-noise ability. The extended high-frequency threshold appears to be the best predictor and therefore an interesting candidate for a new way of monitoring noise-exposed professionals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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15 pages, 2006 KiB  
Article
Effects of Temporal Processing on Speech-in-Noise Perception in Middle-Aged Adults
by Kailyn A. McFarlane and Jason Tait Sanchez
Biology 2024, 13(6), 371; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13060371 - 23 May 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2075
Abstract
Auditory temporal processing is a vital component of auditory stream segregation, or the process in which complex sounds are separated and organized into perceptually meaningful objects. Temporal processing can degrade prior to hearing loss, and is suggested to be a contributing factor to [...] Read more.
Auditory temporal processing is a vital component of auditory stream segregation, or the process in which complex sounds are separated and organized into perceptually meaningful objects. Temporal processing can degrade prior to hearing loss, and is suggested to be a contributing factor to difficulties with speech-in-noise perception in normal-hearing listeners. The current study tested this hypothesis in middle-aged adults—an under-investigated cohort, despite being the age group where speech-in-noise difficulties are first reported. In 76 participants, three mechanisms of temporal processing were measured: peripheral auditory nerve function using electrocochleography, subcortical encoding of periodic speech cues (i.e., fundamental frequency; F0) using the frequency following response, and binaural sensitivity to temporal fine structure (TFS) using a dichotic frequency modulation detection task. Two measures of speech-in-noise perception were administered to explore how contributions of temporal processing may be mediated by different sensory demands present in the speech perception task. This study supported the hypothesis that temporal coding deficits contribute to speech-in-noise difficulties in middle-aged listeners. Poorer speech-in-noise perception was associated with weaker subcortical F0 encoding and binaural TFS sensitivity, but in different contexts, highlighting that diverse aspects of temporal processing are differentially utilized based on speech-in-noise task characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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16 pages, 2018 KiB  
Article
Can Extensive Training Transform a Mouse into a Guinea Pig? An Evaluation Based on the Discriminative Abilities of Inferior Colliculus Neurons
by Alexandra Martin, Samira Souffi, Chloé Huetz and Jean-Marc Edeline
Biology 2024, 13(2), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13020092 - 2 Feb 2024
Viewed by 2072
Abstract
Humans and animals maintain accurate discrimination between communication sounds in the presence of loud sources of background noise. In previous studies performed in anesthetized guinea pigs, we showed that, in the auditory pathway, the highest discriminative abilities between conspecific vocalizations were found in [...] Read more.
Humans and animals maintain accurate discrimination between communication sounds in the presence of loud sources of background noise. In previous studies performed in anesthetized guinea pigs, we showed that, in the auditory pathway, the highest discriminative abilities between conspecific vocalizations were found in the inferior colliculus. Here, we trained CBA/J mice in a Go/No-Go task to discriminate between two similar guinea pig whistles, first in quiet conditions, then in two types of noise, a stationary noise and a chorus noise at three SNRs. Control mice were passively exposed to the same number of whistles as trained mice. After three months of extensive training, inferior colliculus (IC) neurons were recorded under anesthesia and the responses were quantified as in our previous studies. In quiet, the mean values of the firing rate, the temporal reliability and mutual information obtained from trained mice were higher than from the exposed mice and the guinea pigs. In stationary and chorus noise, there were only a few differences between the trained mice and the guinea pigs; and the lowest mean values of the parameters were found in the exposed mice. These results suggest that behavioral training can trigger plasticity in IC that allows mice neurons to reach guinea pig-like discrimination abilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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13 pages, 1780 KiB  
Article
Benefits of Harmonicity for Hearing in Noise Are Limited to Detection and Pitch-Related Discrimination Tasks
by Neha Rajappa, Daniel R. Guest and Andrew J. Oxenham
Biology 2023, 12(12), 1522; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12121522 - 13 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1607
Abstract
Harmonic complex tones are easier to detect in noise than inharmonic complex tones, providing a potential perceptual advantage in complex auditory environments. Here, we explored whether the harmonic advantage extends to other auditory tasks that are important for navigating a noisy auditory environment, [...] Read more.
Harmonic complex tones are easier to detect in noise than inharmonic complex tones, providing a potential perceptual advantage in complex auditory environments. Here, we explored whether the harmonic advantage extends to other auditory tasks that are important for navigating a noisy auditory environment, such as amplitude- and frequency-modulation detection. Sixty young normal-hearing listeners were tested, divided into two equal groups with and without musical training. Consistent with earlier studies, harmonic tones were easier to detect in noise than inharmonic tones, with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) advantage of about 2.5 dB, and the pitch discrimination of the harmonic tones was more accurate than that of inharmonic tones, even after differences in audibility were accounted for. In contrast, neither amplitude- nor frequency-modulation detection was superior with harmonic tones once differences in audibility were accounted for. Musical training was associated with better performance only in pitch-discrimination and frequency-modulation-detection tasks. The results confirm a detection and pitch-perception advantage for harmonic tones but reveal that the harmonic benefits do not extend to suprathreshold tasks that do not rely on extracting the fundamental frequency. A general theory is proposed that may account for the effects of both noise and memory on pitch-discrimination differences between harmonic and inharmonic tones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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32 pages, 12093 KiB  
Article
Information-Theoretic Approaches in EEG Correlates of Auditory Perceptual Awareness under Informational Masking
by Alexandre Veyrié, Arnaud Noreña, Jean-Christophe Sarrazin and Laurent Pezard
Biology 2023, 12(7), 967; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12070967 - 6 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1753
Abstract
In informational masking paradigms, the successful segregation between the target and masker creates auditory perceptual awareness. The dynamics of the build-up of auditory perception is based on a set of interactions between bottom–up and top–down processes that generate neuronal modifications within the brain [...] Read more.
In informational masking paradigms, the successful segregation between the target and masker creates auditory perceptual awareness. The dynamics of the build-up of auditory perception is based on a set of interactions between bottom–up and top–down processes that generate neuronal modifications within the brain network activity. These neural changes are studied here using event-related potentials (ERPs), entropy, and integrated information, leading to several measures applied to electroencephalogram signals. The main findings show that the auditory perceptual awareness stimulated functional activation in the fronto-temporo-parietal brain network through (i) negative temporal and positive centro-parietal ERP components; (ii) an enhanced processing of multi-information in the temporal cortex; and (iii) an increase in informational content in the fronto-central cortex. These different results provide information-based experimental evidence about the functional activation of the fronto-temporo-parietal brain network during auditory perceptual awareness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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Review

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15 pages, 729 KiB  
Review
Noises on—How the Brain Deals with Acoustic Noise
by Livia de Hoz and David McAlpine
Biology 2024, 13(7), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13070501 - 4 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1902
Abstract
What is noise? When does a sound form part of the acoustic background and when might it come to our attention as part of the foreground? Our brain seems to filter out irrelevant sounds in a seemingly effortless process, but how this is [...] Read more.
What is noise? When does a sound form part of the acoustic background and when might it come to our attention as part of the foreground? Our brain seems to filter out irrelevant sounds in a seemingly effortless process, but how this is achieved remains opaque and, to date, unparalleled by any algorithm. In this review, we discuss how noise can be both background and foreground, depending on what a listener/brain is trying to achieve. We do so by addressing questions concerning the brain’s potential bias to interpret certain sounds as part of the background, the extent to which the interpretation of sounds depends on the context in which they are heard, as well as their ethological relevance, task-dependence, and a listener’s overall mental state. We explore these questions with specific regard to the implicit, or statistical, learning of sounds and the role of feedback loops between cortical and subcortical auditory structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Perception in Noise in the Auditory System)
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