Department of Physiology, International University of Health and Welfare Faculty of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, 4-3 Kozunomori, Narita, 286-8686, Japan.
Department of Audiological Engineering, RION Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 185-8533, Japan.
BMC Neurosci. 2022 May 6;23(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s12868-022-00712-0.
Auditory temporal processing plays an important role in speech comprehension. Usually, behavioral tests that require subjects to detect silent gaps embedded within a continuous sound are used to assess the ability of auditory temporal processing in humans. To evaluate auditory temporal processing objectively, the present study aimed to measure the auditory steady state responses (ASSRs) elicited by silent gaps of different lengths embedded within a broadband noise. We presented a broadband noise with 40-Hz silent gaps of 3.125, 6.25, and 12.5 ms.
The 40-Hz silent gaps of 3.125, 6.25, and 12.5 ms elicited clear ASSRs. Longer silent gaps elicited larger ASSR amplitudes and ASSR phases significantly differed between conditions.
The 40 Hz gap-evoked ASSR contributes to our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying auditory temporal processing and may lead to the development of objective measures of auditory temporal acuity in humans.
听觉时间处理在言语理解中起着重要作用。通常，使用要求受试者检测连续声音中嵌入的静音间隙的行为测试来评估人类的听觉时间处理能力。为了客观地评估听觉时间处理，本研究旨在测量由宽带噪声中嵌入的不同长度的静音间隙引起的听觉稳态响应（ASSR）。我们呈现了一个带有 40Hz 静音间隙为 3.125、6.25 和 12.5ms 的宽带噪声。
3.125、6.25 和 12.5ms 的 40Hz 静音间隙引起了清晰的 ASSR。较长的静音间隙引起了更大的 ASSR 幅度，并且条件之间的 ASSR 相位差异显著。
40Hz 间隙诱发的 ASSR 有助于我们理解听觉时间处理的神经机制，并可能导致开发人类听觉时间锐度的客观测量方法。
