Assessing the Causal Impact of Cortical Dysfunctions and Interventions on Speech-in-Noise Processing
Abstract
Understanding speech in noise is essential for military Service Members to perform missions and survive in the battlefield. However, no diagnostic or therapeutic method exists to assess or help listeners struggling with speech-in-noise understanding. Since speech-in-noise understanding requires multiple stages of neural processing and their interactions, the impact of brain injuries (e.g., traumatic brain injury from blast exposure) on speech-in-noise processing is difficult to predict. Thus, there is a pressing need to simulate impact on the system (reversible brain neuromodulation) and to develop biofeedback approaches that may help to improve degraded speech in noise hearing. We aim to address these needs. Our first specific aim will characterize how damages in high-level executive regions of the brain impact how the brain extract speech from background noise. The clear understanding of the causal relationship between brain and speech-in-noise processing will provide guidance for the diagnostics of speech-in-noise ability. The second aim will characterize the impact of a neurofeedback training on how the brain processes speech in background noise. The successful outcome of the proposed study will deliver a clinically applicable, immersive, and evidence-based rehabilitation paradigm for improving speech-in-noise ability. The long-term goal of this project is to provide scientific foundations for individualized therapeutic options to address communication disorders that individuals face in military settings and their everyday lives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252310912
Entities
People
- Inyong Choi
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Iowa