current article on speech comprehension with CI's

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(notice the " logical " ref. to pubs re background noise-heehee)

Making Sense Of The World Through A Cochlear Implant

Main Category: _Neurology / Neuroscience News_

(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/neurology/)

Article Date: 19 Mar 2007 - 17:00 PDT

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Article Also Appears In

* _Hearing / Deafness_

(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/hearing-deafness/)

* _Medical Devices_

(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/medical_devices/)

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ondon+and+Imperial+College+London+have+shown+how+the+brain+makes+sense+of+spee

ch+in+a+noisy+environment,+such+as+a+pub+or+in+a+crowd.+The+research+suggests+

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Scientists at University College London and Imperial College London have

shown how the brain makes sense of speech in a noisy environment, such as a pub

or in a crowd. The research suggests that various regions of the brain work

together to make sense of what it hears, but that when the speech is

completely incomprehensible, the brain appears to give up trying.

The study was intended to simulate the everyday experience of people who

rely on cochlear implants, a surgically-implanted electronic device that can

help provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or who has

severe hearing problems.

Using MRI scans of the brain, the researchers, funded by the Wellcome Trust

and the Medical Research Council, identified the importance of one particular

region, the angular gyrus, in decoding distorted sentences. The findings are

published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

In an ordinary setting, where background noise is minimal and a person's

speech is clear, it is mainly the left and right temporal lobes that are

involved in interpreting speech. However, the researchers have found that when

hearing is impaired by background noise, other regions of the brain are engaged,

such as the angular gyrus, the area of the brain also responsible for verbal

working memory - but only when the sentence is predictable.

" In a noisy environment, when we hear speech that appears to be predictable,

it seems that more regions of the brain are engaged, " explains Dr Jonas

Obleser, who did the research whilst based at the Institute of Cognitive

Neuroscience (ICN), UCL. " We believe this is because the brain stores the

sentence in

short-term memory. Here it juggles the different interpretations of what it

has heard until the result fits in with the context of the conversation. "

The researchers hope that by understanding how the brain interprets

distorted speech, they will be able to improve the experience of people with

cochlear

implants, which can distort speech and have a high level of background

noise.

" The idea behind the study was to simulate the experience of having a

cochlear implant, where speech can sound like a very distorted, harsh whisper, "

says Professor Sophie , a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at the

ICN.

" Further down the line, we hope to study variation in the hearing of people

with implants - why is it that some people do better at understanding speech

than others. We hope that this will help inform speech and hearing therapy in

the future. "

in Ma.

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[Guest guest]

interesting

>

>

> (notice the " logical " ref. to pubs re background noise-heehee)

>

> Making Sense Of The World Through A Cochlear Implant

> Main Category: _Neurology / Neuroscience News_

> (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/neurology/)

> Article Date: 19 Mar 2007 - 17:00 PDT

> | _email this article_

> (javascript:openpage('emailanarticle.php?newsid=65239')) | _printer

> friendly_

> (javascript:openpage('printerfriendlynews.php?newsid=65239')) | _view or

> write opinions_

> (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/youropinions.php?associatednewsid=65239)

> |

>

>

>

> Article Also Appears In

> * _Hearing / Deafness_

> (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/hearing-deafness/)

> * _Medical Devices_

> (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/medical_devices/)

>

> (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newsletters.php)

> (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newsalerts.php)

>

> Useful Article?

> * _Digg It_

> (

>

http://digg.com/submit?phase=2 & url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.p\

hp?newsid=65239 & topic=health & title=Making+Sense+Of+The+Wo

>

> rld+Through+A+Cochlear+Implant & bodytext=<br>Scientists+at+University+College+L

>

> ondon+and+Imperial+College+London+have+shown+how+the+brain+makes+sense+of+spee

>

> ch+in+a+noisy+environment,+such+as+a+pub+or+in+a+crowd.+The+research+suggests+

>

> that+various+regions+of+the+brain+work+together+to+make+sense+of+what+it+hears

> ,+but+that+when+the+speech+i)

> * _Del.icio.us_

> (

>

http://del.icio.us/post?v=4 & url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?\

newsid=65239 & title=Making+Sense+Of+The+World+Through+

> A+Cochlear+Implant)

> * _NewsVine_

> (

>

http://www.newsvine.com/_tools/seed & save?u=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medic\

alnews.php?newsid=65239 & h=Making+Sense+Of+The+World+Thro

> ugh+A+Cochlear+Implant)

> * _Reddit_

> (

>

http://reddit.com/submit?url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?new\

sid=65239 & title=Making+Sense+Of+The+World+Through+A+Cochle

> ar+Implant)

>

> Scientists at University College London and Imperial College London have

> shown how the brain makes sense of speech in a noisy environment, such as

> a pub

> or in a crowd. The research suggests that various regions of the brain

> work

> together to make sense of what it hears, but that when the speech is

> completely incomprehensible, the brain appears to give up trying.

>

> The study was intended to simulate the everyday experience of people who

> rely on cochlear implants, a surgically-implanted electronic device that

> can

> help provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or who

> has

> severe hearing problems.

>

> Using MRI scans of the brain, the researchers, funded by the Wellcome

> Trust

> and the Medical Research Council, identified the importance of one

> particular

> region, the angular gyrus, in decoding distorted sentences. The findings

> are

> published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

>

> In an ordinary setting, where background noise is minimal and a person's

> speech is clear, it is mainly the left and right temporal lobes that are

> involved in interpreting speech. However, the researchers have found that

> when

> hearing is impaired by background noise, other regions of the brain are

> engaged,

> such as the angular gyrus, the area of the brain also responsible for

> verbal

> working memory - but only when the sentence is predictable.

>

> " In a noisy environment, when we hear speech that appears to be

> predictable,

> it seems that more regions of the brain are engaged, " explains Dr Jonas

> Obleser, who did the research whilst based at the Institute of Cognitive

> Neuroscience (ICN), UCL. " We believe this is because the brain stores the

> sentence in

> short-term memory. Here it juggles the different interpretations of what

> it

> has heard until the result fits in with the context of the conversation. "

>

> The researchers hope that by understanding how the brain interprets

> distorted speech, they will be able to improve the experience of people

> with cochlear

> implants, which can distort speech and have a high level of background

> noise.

>

> " The idea behind the study was to simulate the experience of having a

> cochlear implant, where speech can sound like a very distorted, harsh

> whisper, "

> says Professor Sophie , a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at

> the ICN.

> " Further down the line, we hope to study variation in the hearing of

> people

> with implants - why is it that some people do better at understanding

> speech

> than others. We hope that this will help inform speech and hearing therapy

> in

> the future. "

>

> in Ma.

>

> ************************************** AOL now offers free email to

> everyone.

> Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.

>

>