Loudness recruitment in hearing loss could be probed via Heschl’s gyrus fMRI

Evidence

The largely linear relationship between categorical loudness and sound intensity over the range of presented levels, as well as the fact that our participants were from a rather homogenous group of normal hearing listeners with similar loudness perception, might have limited the ability to differentiate between the contributions of both measures to neural activation in the human auditory system. A promising next step would be the inclusion of hearing impaired participants characterized by an altered relationship between sound intensity and perceived loudness (e.g., loudness recruitment). Moreover, this approach could provide additional valuable information about the nature of hearing disorders associated with distorted loudness perceptions. This in the end might open a potential for the diagnostic use of auditory fMRI. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2645

A promising next step would be the inclusion of hearing impaired participants characterized by an altered relationship between sound intensity and perceived loudness (e.g., loudness recruitment). Moreover, this approach could provide additional valuable information about the nature of hearing disorders associated with distorted loudness perceptions. This in the end might open a potential for the diagnostic use of auditory fMRI. Although it is yet to prove how well the present findings pertain to the hearing impaired listeners, our results so far point towards the activation of the posterior medial section of Heschl’s gyrus as the most reliable indicator of individually perceived loudness. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2645

Categorization

• SEED: Angle: auditory fMRI as a diagnostic readout for loudness recruitment — how brain-imaging could replace subjective psychoacoustic tests.
• XREF: Pairs with the loudness-recruitment mechanisms discussed in impaired-hearing literature. — connects to: Recruitment can explain why loudness summation is absent in noise-induced hearing loss — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 1960; Recruitment patients could disambiguate loudness from intensity encoding in fMRI; Understanding loudness’s neural basis could improve recruitment treatment (+4 more)
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 2645

Broader Connections

• Sensorineural hearing loss compresses the full loudness range into fewer decibels #expands (0.80) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 838
• Loudness perception involves central mechanisms beyond cochlear vibration #corroborates (0.78)
• Loudness recruitment shrinks dynamic range while preserving overall loudness #corroborates (0.75)