Also Included In: ADHD; Urology / Nephrology; Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 08 Mar 2013 - 0:00 PST Current ratings for:
Focusing On One Speaker In A Noisy Crowd To Solve The 'Cocktail Party Problem'
In the din of a crowded room, paying attention to just one speaker's voice can be challenging. Research in the Cell Press journal Neuron demonstrates how the brain hones in on one speaker to solve this "Cocktail Party Problem." Researchers discovered that brain waves are shaped so that the brain can selectively track the sound patterns from the speaker of interest and at the same time exclude competing sounds from other speakers. The findings could have important implications for helping individuals with a range of deficits such as those associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and aging.
"In hearing, there is no way to 'close your ear,' so all the sounds in the environment are represented in the brain, at least at the sensory level," explains senior author Dr. Charles Schroeder, of Columbia University's Department of Psychiatry. "While confirming this, we also provide the first clear evidence that there may be brain locations in which there is exclusive representation of an attended speech segment, with ignored conversations apparently filtered out." In this way, when concentrating hard on such an "attended" speaker, one is barely, if at all, aware of ignored speakers.
Using direct recording of brain activity in surgical epilepsy patients, who were listening to natural spoken sentences, Dr. Schroeder and Dr. Elana Zion Golumbic, also of Columbia University, and their colleagues from New York University, University of Maryland, and Hillside-Long Island Jewish found two types of effects. In and near auditory cortex, brain signals reflect both attended and ignored speech, but attended speech generates higher signal amplitudes. However, in regions of the brain involved in "higher-order processing," such as language and attention control, representation of attended speech was clear, while that of ignored speech was not detectable. Remarkably, the selective, higher-order representation is progressively refined as a sentence unfolds.
"Most studies use very simplified, unnatural stimuli to study the Cocktail Party Problem - like brief beeps, or even brief phrases - whereas we were able to show that with appropriate techniques, we could study this problem using natural speech," says Dr. Schroeder. "This will stimulate future research to continue the study of this and related issues under rich, natural conditions. Just as importantly, the ability to directly analyze widespread brain activity patterns in surgical epilepsy patients provides an unprecedented opportunity to firmly connect the work on the Brain Activity Map at the model systems level in mice, songbirds, and nonhuman primates to the study of capacities like language and music, that may be uniquely human."
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.Visit our hearing / deafness section for the latest news on this subject. Neuron, Zion-Golumbic et al.: "Mechanisms Underlying Selective Neuronal Tracking of Attended Speech at a 'Cocktail Party'."
Cell Press Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
MLA
3 Jun. 2013.
Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.
'Focusing On One Speaker In A Noisy Crowd To Solve The 'Cocktail Party Problem''
Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.
If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.
All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)
Contact Our News Editors
For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.
Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:
Let's Work Together to Treat Autism, Heal Autism, Cure Autism, Defeat Autism Now and Stop Autism Immediately! Autism Proven Solution - Autism Alternative Treatments – Autism Vitamin Therapy - Autism Biomedical Treatments - Autism Cure Revealed - Autism Instant Cure - Autism Improve Instantly - Autism Dramatic Improvement - Autism Improved Dramatically - Stop Autism Now Immediately! http://autismatrix.blogspot.com
Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment