James B. Dewey

Effects of fundamental frequency and vocal-tract length cues on sentence segregation by listeners with hearing loss

The purpose was to determine the effect of hearing loss on the ability to separate competing talkers using talker differences in fundamental frequency (F0) and apparent vocal-tract length (VTL). Performance of 13 adults with hearing loss and 6 adults with normal hearing was measured using the Coordinate Response Measure. For listeners with hearing loss, the speech was amplified and filtered according to the NAL-RP hearing aid prescription. Target-to-competition ratios varied from 0 to 9 dB. The target sentence was randomly assigned to the higher or lower values of F0 or VTL on each trial. Performance improved for F0 differences up to 9 and 6 semitones for people with normal hearing and hearing loss, respectively, but only when the target talker had the higher F0. Recognition for the lower F0 target improved when trial-to-trial uncertainty was removed (9-semitone condition). Scores improved with increasing differences in VTL for the normal-hearing group. On average, hearing-impaired listeners did not benefit from VTL cues, but substantial inter-subject variability was observed. The amount of benefit from VTL cues was related to the average hearing loss in the 1-3-kHz region when the target talker had the shorter VTL.

Neuroplastin isoform Np55 is expressed in the stereocilia of outer hair cells and required for normal outer hair cell function

Neuroplastin (Nptn) is a member of the Ig superfamily and is expressed in two isoforms, Np55 and Np65. Np65 regulates synaptic transmission but the function of Np55 is unknown. In an N-ethyl-N-nitrosaurea mutagenesis screen, we have now generated a mouse line with an Nptn mutation that causes deafness. We show that Np55 is expressed in stereocilia of outer hair cells (OHCs) but not inner hair cells and affects interactions of stereocilia with the tectorial membrane. In vivo vibrometry demonstrates that cochlear amplification is absent in Nptn mutant mice, which is consistent with the failure of OHC stereocilia to maintain stable interactions with the tectorial membrane. Hair bundles show morphological defects as the mutant mice age and while mechanotransduction currents can be evoked in early postnatal hair cells, cochlea microphonics recordings indicate that mechanontransduction is affected as the mutant mice age. We thus conclude that differential splicing leads to functional diversification of Nptn, where Np55 is essential for OHC function, while Np65 is implicated in the regulation of synaptic function. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Amplification of input sound signals, which is needed for the auditory sense organ to detect sounds over a wide intensity range, depends on mechanical coupling of outer hair cells to the tectorial membrane. The current study shows that neuroplastin, a member of the Ig superfamily, which has previously been linked to the regulation of synaptic plasticity, is critical to maintain a stable mechanical link of outer hair cells with the tectorial membrane. In vivo recordings demonstrate that neuroplastin is essential for sound amplification and that mutation in neuroplastin leads to auditory impairment in mice.

Efferent Modulation of Stimulus Frequency Otoacoustic Emission Fine Structure.

Otoacoustic emissions, sounds generated in the inner ear, have become a convenient non-invasive tool to examine the efferent modulation of cochlear mechanics. Activation of the medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferents has been shown to alter the magnitude of these emissions. When the effects of efferent activation on the detailed spectral structures of these emissions have been examined, a shift of the spectral patterns toward higher frequencies has been reported for distortion product and spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. Stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) have been proposed as the preferred emission type in the study of efferent modulation due to the simplicity of their production leading to the possibility of clearer interpretation of results. The effects of efferent activation on the complex spectral patterns of SFOAEs have not been examined to the best of our knowledge. We have examined the effects of activating the MOC efferents using broadband noise in normal-hearing humans. The detailed spectral structure of SFOAEs, known as fine structure, was recorded with and without contralateral acoustic stimulation. Results indicate that SFOAEs are reduced in magnitude and their fine structure pushed to higher frequencies by contralateral acoustic stimulation. These changes are similar to those observed in distortion product or spontaneous otoacoustic emissions and behavioral hearing thresholds. Taken together with observations made about magnitude and phase changes in otoacoustic emissions and hearing thresholds upon contralateral acoustic stimulation, all changes in otoacoustic emission and hearing threshold fine structure appear to be driven by a common set of mechanisms. Specifically, frequency shifts in fine structure patterns appear to be linked to changes in SFOAE phase due to contralateral acoustic stimulation.

Effects of Contralateral Acoustic Stimulation on Spontaneous Otoacoustic Emissions and Hearing Threshold Fine Structure

Medial olivocochlear (MOC) influence on cochlear mechanics can be noninvasively, albeit indirectly, explored via the effects of contralateral acoustic stimulation (CAS) on otoacoustic emissions. CAS-mediated effects are particularly pronounced for spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs), which are typically reduced in amplitude and shifted upward in frequency by CAS. We investigated whether similar frequency shifts and magnitude reductions were observed behaviorally in the fine structure of pure-tone hearing thresholds, a phenomenon thought to share a common underlying mechanism with SOAEs. In normal-hearing listeners, fine-resolution thresholds were obtained over a narrow frequency range centered on the frequency of an SOAE, both in the absence and presence of 60-dB SPL broadband CAS. While CAS shifted threshold fine structure patterns and SOAEs upward in frequency by a comparable amount, little reduction in the presence or depth of fine structure was observed at frequencies near those of SOAEs. In fact, CAS typically improved thresholds, particularly at threshold minima, and increased fine structure depth when reductions in the amplitude of the associated SOAE were less than 10 dB. Additional measurements made at frequencies distant from SOAEs, or near SOAEs that were more dramatically reduced in amplitude by the CAS, revealed that CAS tended to elevate thresholds and reduce threshold fine structure depth. The results suggest that threshold fine structure is sensitive to MOC-mediated changes in cochlear gain, but that SOAEs complicate the interpretation of threshold measurements at nearby frequencies, perhaps due to masking or other interference effects. Both threshold fine structure and SOAEs may be significant sources of intersubject and intrasubject variability in psychoacoustic investigations of MOC function.

Mammalian Auditory Hair Cell Bundle Stiffness Affects Frequency Tuning by Increasing Coupling along the Length of the Cochlea

SUMMARY The stereociliary bundles of cochlear hair cells convert mechanical vibrations into the electrical signals required for auditory sensation. While the stiffness of the bundles strongly influences mechanotransduction, its influence on the vibratory response of the cochlear partition is unclear. To assess this, we measured cochlear vibrations in mutant mice with reduced bundle stiffness or with a tectorial membrane (TM) that is detached from the sensory epithelium. We found that reducing bundle stiffness decreased the high-frequency extent and sharpened the tuning of vibratory responses obtained postmortem. Detaching the TM further reduced the high-frequency extent of the vibrations but also lowered the partition’s resonant frequency. Together, these results demonstrate that the bundle’s stiffness and attachment to the TM contribute to passive longitudinal coupling in the cochlea. We conclude that the stereociliary bundles and TM interact to facilitate passive wave propagation to more apical locations, possibly enhancing active wave amplification in vivo.

Wideband profiles of stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions in humans

Behavioral pure-tone hearing thresholds and stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) were measured with a high frequency resolution from 0.5-20 kHz in 15 female participants. Stimuli were calibrated in terms of forward pressure level (FPL). SFOAE responses to 36 dB FPL probes were largest near 1 kHz and declined above 8-10 kHz, though were still measurable at frequencies approaching 16 kHz in some ears. SFOAEs typically dropped in amplitude at a frequency that was roughly one octave below the “corner” frequency of the audiogram, and one-third to one-half of an octave below the frequency where thresholds departed from highly sensitive hearing. High-frequency SFOAE responses are likely limited by a reduction in the efficiency of the underlying generation mechanism and/or a diminished region of generation as the stimulus-driven excitation approaches the basal-most portion of the cochlea.

Medial olivocochlear influence on stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emission input-output functions

Modulation of cochlear mechanics by the medial olivocochlear efferent system is characterized by a reduction in active, outer hair cell-mediated amplification of basilar membrane motion. This increases cochlear thresholds and linearizes basilar membrane input-output functions for low-to-moderate stimulus levels. Significant efferent effects have also been observed for responses to higher stimulus levels, potentially reflecting changes in the mechanical properties of the cochlear partition. In humans, sound activated changes in stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions have been used as a tool for investigating the dynamics of the medial olivocochlear reflex. However, the degree to which the amplitude and phase of otoacoustic emissions are related to those of basilar membrane motion is not entirely clear. For the purposes of comparison with invasive physiological measurements in animals, stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emission input-output functions were obtained from human subjects in the presence and abse...

LMO7 deficiency reveals the significance of the cuticular plate for hearing function

Sensory hair cells, the mechanoreceptors of the auditory and vestibular system, harbor two specialized organelles, the hair bundle and the cuticular plate. Both subcellular structures have adapted to facilitate the remarkable sensitivity and speed of hair cell mechanotransduction. While the mechanosensory hair bundle is extensively studied, the molecules and mechanisms mediating the development and function of the cuticular plate are poorly understood. The cuticular plate is believed to provide a rigid foundation for stereociliar pivot movements, but specifics about its function, especially the significance of its integrity for long-term maintenance of hair cell mechanotransduction, are not known. In this study, we describe the discovery of a hair cell protein called LIM only protein 7 (LMO7). In the hair cell, LMO7 is specifically localized in the cuticular plate. Lmo7 KO mice suffer multiple deficiencies in the cuticular plate, including reduced filamentous actin density and abnormal length and distribution of stereociliar rootlets. In addition to the cuticular plate defects, older Lmo7 KO mice develop abnormalities in inner hair cell stereocilia. Together, these defects affect cochlear tuning and sensitivity and give rise to late-onset progressive hearing loss.

Interrelationships among microstructures of otoacoustic emissions and hearing thresholds

Otoacoustic emission (OAE) amplitudes, phases, and delays often exhibit ripples with small changes in stimulus frequency. Similar microstructure patterns are observed in behavioral hearing thresholds and loudness judgements for pure tones. Here, we summarize work demonstrating that there is a common microstructure in hearing thresholds and OAEs elicited by single tones—referred to as stimulus-frequency OAEs (SFOAEs)—when presented at near-threshold levels. The periodicity and strength of this microstructure are related to SFOAE delay and magnitude, respectively. Such relationships are consistent with this microstructure arising from multiple intracochlear reflections of SFOAE energy between its region of generation and the middle ear boundary—an idea proposed by David Kemp in his first reports describing the discovery of emissions from the ear. The details of OAE generation and propagation explain why similar but not identical microstructures are also observed in the ear canal pressure in response to tones (which is the vector sum of the stimulus and SFOAE pressures) and in two-tone evoked distortion-product OAE spectra, as well as why microstructures shift in frequency as the result of cochlear or middle ear manipulations.Otoacoustic emission (OAE) amplitudes, phases, and delays often exhibit ripples with small changes in stimulus frequency. Similar microstructure patterns are observed in behavioral hearing thresholds and loudness judgements for pure tones. Here, we summarize work demonstrating that there is a common microstructure in hearing thresholds and OAEs elicited by single tones—referred to as stimulus-frequency OAEs (SFOAEs)—when presented at near-threshold levels. The periodicity and strength of this microstructure are related to SFOAE delay and magnitude, respectively. Such relationships are consistent with this microstructure arising from multiple intracochlear reflections of SFOAE energy between its region of generation and the middle ear boundary—an idea proposed by David Kemp in his first reports describing the discovery of emissions from the ear. The details of OAE generation and propagation explain why similar but not identical microstructures are also observed in the ear canal pressure in response to tone...

A common microstructure in behavioral hearing thresholds and stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions

Behavioral hearing thresholds and otoacoustic emission (OAE) spectra often exhibit quasiperiodic fluctuations with frequency. For behavioral and OAE responses to single tones-the latter referred to as stimulus-frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs)-this microstructure has been attributed to intracochlear reflections of SFOAE energy between its region of generation and the middle ear boundary. However, the relationship between behavioral and SFOAE microstructures, as well as their presumed dependence on the properties of the SFOAE-generation mechanism, have yet to be adequately examined. To address this, behavioral thresholds and SFOAEs evoked by near-threshold tones were compared in 12 normal-hearing female subjects. The microstructures observed in thresholds and both SFOAE amplitudes and delays were found to be strikingly similar. SFOAE phase accumulated an integer number of cycles between the frequencies of microstructure maxima, consistent with a dependence of microstructure periodicity on SFOAE propagation delays. Additionally, microstructure depth was correlated with SFOAE magnitude in a manner resembling that predicted by the intracochlear reflection framework, after assuming reasonable values of parameters related to middle ear transmission. Further exploration of this framework may yield more precise estimates of such parameters and provide insight into their frequency dependence.