Dataset Information

Relationships between alpha oscillations during speech preparation and the listener N400 ERP to the produced speech.

ABSTRACT: While previous studies separately demonstrate EEG spectral modulations during speech preparation and ERP responses to the listened speech, it is unclear whether these responses are related on a trial-by-trial basis between a speaker and listener. In order to determine whether these responses are related in real-time, Electroencephalography (EEG) responses were measured simultaneously within a speaker and listener using a 24 electrode Mobile EEG system (18 participants; 9 pairs) during a sentence completion task. Each trial consisted of a sentence prompt with an incomplete ending (e.g. "I took my dog for a ____"). The speaker was instructed to fill in the ending with something expected (e.g. "walk") (40 trials) or unexpected (e.g. "drink") (40 trials). The other participant listened to the speaker throughout the block. We found that lower alpha band activity was reduced when individuals prepared unexpected sentence endings compared to expected sentence endings. Greater reductions in the speaker's lower alpha activity during response preparation were correlated with a more negative N400 response in the listener to the unexpected word. These findings demonstrate that alpha suppression and the N400 ERP effect are present within a hyperscanning context and they are correlated between the speaker and listener during sentence completion.

SUBMITTER: Bridwell DA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6110750 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Relationships between alpha oscillations during speech preparation and the listener N400 ERP to the produced speech.

Bridwell David A DA Henderson Sarah S Sorge Marieke M Plis Sergey S Calhoun Vince D VD

Scientific reports 20180827 1

While previous studies separately demonstrate EEG spectral modulations during speech preparation and ERP responses to the listened speech, it is unclear whether these responses are related on a trial-by-trial basis between a speaker and listener. In order to determine whether these responses are related in real-time, Electroencephalography (EEG) responses were measured simultaneously within a speaker and listener using a 24 electrode Mobile EEG system (18 participants; 9 pairs) during a sentence ...[more]

PMID: 30150670

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Project description:ObjectivesMasked speech recognition is typically assessed as though the target and background talkers are all directly facing the listener. However, background speech in natural environments is often produced by talkers facing other directions, and talker head orientation affects the spectral content of speech, particularly at the extended high frequencies (EHFs; >8 kHz). This study investigated the effect of masker head orientation and listeners' EHF sensitivity on speech-in-speech recognition and spatial release from masking in children and adults.DesignParticipants were 5- to 7-year-olds (n = 15) and adults (n = 34), all with normal hearing up to 8 kHz and a range of EHF hearing thresholds. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured for target sentences recorded from a microphone directly in front of the talker's mouth and presented from a loudspeaker directly in front of the listener, simulating a target directly in front of and facing the listener. The maskers were two streams of concatenated words recorded from a microphone located at either 0° or 60° azimuth, simulating masker talkers facing the listener or facing away from the listener, respectively. Maskers were presented in one of three spatial conditions: co-located with the target, symmetrically separated on either side of the target (+54° and -54° on the horizontal plane), or asymmetrically separated to the right of the target (both +54° on the horizontal plane).ResultsPerformance was poorer for the facing than for the nonfacing masker head orientation. This benefit of the nonfacing masker head orientation, or head orientation release from masking (HORM), was largest under the co-located condition, but it was also observed for the symmetric and asymmetric masker spatial separation conditions. SRTs were positively correlated with the mean 16-kHz threshold across ears in adults for the nonfacing conditions but not for the facing masker conditions. In adults with normal EHF thresholds, the HORM was comparable in magnitude to the benefit of a symmetric spatial separation of the target and maskers. Although children benefited from the nonfacing masker head orientation, their HORM was reduced compared to adults with normal EHF thresholds. Spatial release from masking was comparable across age groups for symmetric masker placement, but it was larger in adults than children for the asymmetric masker.ConclusionsMasker head orientation affects speech-in-speech recognition in children and adults, particularly those with normal EHF thresholds. This is important because masker talkers do not all face the listener under most natural listening conditions, and assuming a midline orientation would tend to overestimate the effect of spatial separation. The benefits associated with EHF audibility for speech-in-speech recognition may warrant clinical evaluation of thresholds above 8 kHz.

Dataset Information

Relationships between alpha oscillations during speech preparation and the listener N400 ERP to the produced speech.

Publications

Relationships between alpha oscillations during speech preparation and the listener N400 ERP to the produced speech.

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