Hearing aids should restore F0-synchrony profiles not stimulus spectra

Evidence

Recreating stimulus spectra in the AN rate profiles will not elicit appropriate responses from central neurons, whereas restitution of the F0-synchronized rate profiles may (Rao and Carney 2014 ). This result suggests an experimental question: If the profile of peripheral F0-synchrony in response to voiced sounds can be restored to normal for these listeners, can intelligibility of speech, and especially speech in background noise, be improved? — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5472

These IC model responses have implications for the design of signal-processing strategies for listeners with SNHL. Recreating stimulus spectra in the AN rate profiles will not elicit appropriate responses from central neurons, whereas restitution of the F0-synchronized rate profiles may (Rao and Carney 2014 ). This result suggests an experimental question: If the profile of peripheral F0-synchrony in response to voiced sounds can be restored to normal for these listeners, can intelligibility of speech, and especially speech in background noise, be improved? The results of such a test would depend on the status of central auditory pathways, which may undergo change following cochlear trauma (Suneja et al. 1998 ; Salvi et al. 2000 ). — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5508

These IC model responses have implications for the design of signal-processing strategies for listeners with SNHL. Recreating stimulus spectra in the AN rate profiles will not elicit appropriate responses from central neurons, whereas restitution of the F0-synchronized rate profiles may (Rao and Carney 2014 ). — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5472

Categorization

• SEED: Article angle: current hearing aids amplify spectra but the cochlear code for speech may be the F0-fluctuation contrast profile — an explicit design target for better signal processing.
• QUESTION: The open experimental question — whether restoring peripheral F0-synchrony improves speech intelligibility — is worth tracking as later chapters or papers may answer it.
• XREF: Connects to the degraded-speech-in-noise experience specific to cochlear hearing loss, the practical puzzle behind this whole line of coding work.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5472; Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5508