The Effect of Different Noise Maskers and Speech Understanding in Noise on Auditory Cortical N1 Response

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 374 - 386, 31.08.2022

Yasemin Bostan Mehmet Yaralı

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of different noise types at different signal to noise ratios(SNR) on sound onset and sound change evoked N1 responses among normal hearing individuals with different speech in noise abilities.
Materials and Methods: 30 participants aged between 18-30 are included in the study. Participants were divided into two groups based on median value of the scores obtained in speech in noise test. In electrophysiological measurements the stimulus /ui/ was presented in quiet, and in white noise and ICRA noise under two SNRs. Sound onset and sound change evoked N1 latencies and N1-P2 amplitudes were compared between conditions and groups.
Results: White sound onset N1 latencies were prolonged in both noise types under both SNRs, N1-P2 amplitudes were lower in ICRA noise under both SNR conditions compared to quiet. Latencies and amplitudes at the same SNR under ICRA noise were higher and lower respectively compared to white noise. Sound change N1 latencies were higher at +10dB SNR ICRA noise and +5dB SNR white noise compared to quiet, N1-P2 amplitudes were lower at ICRA +5dB, +10dB SNR and at white noise +5dB SNR compared to quiet. In between group comparisons sound onset N1-P2 amplitudes of group-2 were higher than group-1 at white noise +5dB SNR, no relationship between speech in noise scores and cortical responses was found.
Conclusion: The presence of noise change the sound onset and sound change N1 responses, the effect of noise types changes based on the evoked response.

Keywords

speech in noise, cortical N1 response, steady noise, variable noise

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