Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural Interference
Low-frequency interaural time differences and high-frequency interaural level differences (ILDs) are used to localize sounds in the horizontal plane. Older listeners appear to be worse at horizontal-plane sound localization to compared younger listeners, but little is understood about age-related ch...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.887401/full |
| _version_ | 1818002482007113728 |
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| author | Matthew J. Goupell Matthew J. Goupell |
| author_facet | Matthew J. Goupell Matthew J. Goupell |
| author_sort | Matthew J. Goupell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Low-frequency interaural time differences and high-frequency interaural level differences (ILDs) are used to localize sounds in the horizontal plane. Older listeners appear to be worse at horizontal-plane sound localization to compared younger listeners, but little is understood about age-related changes to across-frequency binaural processing. This study investigated if the frequency dependence of across-frequency ILD processing is altered for older compared to younger listeners, which was done by using an across-frequency binaural interference task (when the interaural difference sensitivity for a target sound is decreased by a spectrally remote interfering sound with zero interaural differences). It was hypothesized that as listeners experience advancing age and age-related high-frequency hearing loss (i.e., presbycusis), they will demonstrate worse binaural performance and experience more across-channel binaural interference (because of age-related temporal processing deficits), and will increasingly be affected by interferers at lower frequencies (because of age-related hearing loss) when compared to younger listeners. There were 11 older (>65 yrs) and 20 younger (<30 yrs) listeners with normal to near-normal audiometric thresholds up to 2 kHz. They were tested using a left-right ILD lateralization discrimination task. Single-tone ILD discrimination thresholds and across-frequency binaural interference were measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz. ILD thresholds and interference were about twice as large for older compared to younger listeners. Interferers ≤1 kHz produced 2–3 times as much across-frequency binaural interference for older compared to younger listeners. Hearing thresholds were significant predictors of single-tone ILD thresholds; in addition, both target and interferer hearing thresholds were significant predictors of binaural interference. The results suggest a reweighting of binaural information that occurs with advancing age and age-related high-frequency hearing loss. This evidence of plasticity may help explain some of the age-related changes in spatial-hearing abilities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T03:46:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e816ce35b3e64aef8a44036b3d441b3d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T03:46:28Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-e816ce35b3e64aef8a44036b3d441b3d2022-12-22T02:14:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652022-07-011410.3389/fnagi.2022.887401887401Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural InterferenceMatthew J. Goupell0Matthew J. Goupell1Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United StatesNeuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United StatesLow-frequency interaural time differences and high-frequency interaural level differences (ILDs) are used to localize sounds in the horizontal plane. Older listeners appear to be worse at horizontal-plane sound localization to compared younger listeners, but little is understood about age-related changes to across-frequency binaural processing. This study investigated if the frequency dependence of across-frequency ILD processing is altered for older compared to younger listeners, which was done by using an across-frequency binaural interference task (when the interaural difference sensitivity for a target sound is decreased by a spectrally remote interfering sound with zero interaural differences). It was hypothesized that as listeners experience advancing age and age-related high-frequency hearing loss (i.e., presbycusis), they will demonstrate worse binaural performance and experience more across-channel binaural interference (because of age-related temporal processing deficits), and will increasingly be affected by interferers at lower frequencies (because of age-related hearing loss) when compared to younger listeners. There were 11 older (>65 yrs) and 20 younger (<30 yrs) listeners with normal to near-normal audiometric thresholds up to 2 kHz. They were tested using a left-right ILD lateralization discrimination task. Single-tone ILD discrimination thresholds and across-frequency binaural interference were measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz. ILD thresholds and interference were about twice as large for older compared to younger listeners. Interferers ≤1 kHz produced 2–3 times as much across-frequency binaural interference for older compared to younger listeners. Hearing thresholds were significant predictors of single-tone ILD thresholds; in addition, both target and interferer hearing thresholds were significant predictors of binaural interference. The results suggest a reweighting of binaural information that occurs with advancing age and age-related high-frequency hearing loss. This evidence of plasticity may help explain some of the age-related changes in spatial-hearing abilities.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.887401/fullbinaural hearingaginghearing lossinteraural level differences (ILDs)across-frequency binaural interference |
| spellingShingle | Matthew J. Goupell Matthew J. Goupell Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural Interference Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience binaural hearing aging hearing loss interaural level differences (ILDs) across-frequency binaural interference |
| title | Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural Interference |
| title_full | Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural Interference |
| title_fullStr | Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural Interference |
| title_full_unstemmed | Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural Interference |
| title_short | Age-Related Changes in Interaural-Level-Difference-Based Across-Frequency Binaural Interference |
| title_sort | age related changes in interaural level difference based across frequency binaural interference |
| topic | binaural hearing aging hearing loss interaural level differences (ILDs) across-frequency binaural interference |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.887401/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matthewjgoupell agerelatedchangesininterauralleveldifferencebasedacrossfrequencybinauralinterference AT matthewjgoupell agerelatedchangesininterauralleveldifferencebasedacrossfrequencybinauralinterference |