Skoe Erika, Krizman Jennifer, Spitzer Emily R, Kraus Nina
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Connecticut Institute for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.
Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States.
Front Neurosci. 2021 Aug 16;15:718230. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.718230. eCollection 2021.
The auditory system is sensitive to stimulus regularities such as frequently occurring sounds and sound combinations. Evidence of regularity detection can be seen in how neurons across the auditory network, from brainstem to cortex, respond to the statistical properties of the soundscape, and in the rapid learning of recurring patterns in their environment by children and adults. Although rapid auditory learning is presumed to involve functional changes to the auditory network, the chronology and directionality of changes are not well understood. To study the mechanisms by which this learning occurs, auditory brainstem and cortical activity was simultaneously recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) while young adults listened to novel sound streams containing recurring patterns. Neurophysiological responses were compared between easier and harder learning conditions. Collectively, the behavioral and neurophysiological findings suggest that cortical and subcortical structures each provide distinct contributions to auditory pattern learning, but that cortical sensitivity to stimulus patterns likely precedes subcortical sensitivity.
听觉系统对诸如频繁出现的声音和声音组合等刺激规律敏感。从脑干到皮层的整个听觉网络中的神经元对音景的统计特性的反应方式，以及儿童和成人对其环境中反复出现的模式的快速学习，都能体现出规律检测的证据。虽然快速听觉学习被认为涉及听觉网络的功能变化，但变化的时间顺序和方向性尚不清楚。为了研究这种学习发生的机制，在年轻人聆听包含反复出现模式的新颖音流时，同时记录了脑电图（EEG）的听觉脑干和皮层活动。比较了较容易和较困难学习条件下的神经生理反应。总体而言，行为和神经生理结果表明，皮层和皮层下结构对听觉模式学习都有不同的贡献，但皮层对刺激模式的敏感性可能先于皮层下的敏感性。
