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PubMed2005

Sound frequency change detection in fetuses and newborns, a magnetoencephalographic study.

The mismatch negativity (MMN) response to auditory stimuli has been successfully recorded in newborns thus demonstrating the discriminative cognitive ability. The aim of our study was to determine whether and when such an MMN response could be detected in the human fetus. The recordings of weak magnetic fields from the fetal brain were performed with the 151 channel MEG system called SARA (SQUID Array for Reproductive Assessment). Two tone bursts were presented in a sequence of a standard complex tone of 500 Hz intermixed with a deviant complex tone of 750 Hz in 12% of the stimuli. Sound intensity delivered over the maternal abdomen was 110 dB. The interstimulus interval (ISI) varied between 500 ms and 1100 ms. Fetal response, corresponding to sound frequency change detection, was calculated from the records where responses to standard and deviant tones were observed. A successful response was found in 60% of 25 fetal recordings. The MMN response with an average latency of 321 ms was observed in 48% of the fetal data. In 12% of the fetal data, a late component, referred to as the late discriminative negativity (LDN) response, was detected with an average latency of 458 ms. The same paradigm was applied in 5 newborns after birth. The capability for sound discrimination is a prerequisite for normal speech development. The investigation of sound discrimination and related cortical activity of the fetus can help to identify and determine the nature of deficits caused by central processes in the auditory system at very early stages.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2005

Perceiving identical sounds as speech or non-speech modulates activity in the left posterior superior temporal sulcus.

The left superior temporal cortex shows greater responsiveness to speech than to non-speech sounds according to previous neuroimaging studies, suggesting that this brain region has a special role in speech processing. However, since speech sounds differ acoustically from the non-speech sounds, it is possible that this region is not involved in speech perception per se, but rather in processing of some complex acoustic features. "Sine wave speech" (SWS) provides a tool to study neural speech specificity using identical acoustic stimuli, which can be perceived either as speech or non-speech, depending on previous experience of the stimuli. We scanned 21 subjects using 3T functional MRI in two sessions, both including SWS and control stimuli. In the pre-training session, all subjects perceived the SWS stimuli as non-speech. In the post-training session, the identical stimuli were perceived as speech by 16 subjects. In these subjects, SWS stimuli elicited significantly stronger activity within the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (STSp) in the post- vs. pre-training session. In contrast, activity in this region was not enhanced after training in 5 subjects who did not perceive SWS stimuli as speech. Moreover, the control stimuli, which were always perceived as non-speech, elicited similar activity in this region in both sessions. Altogether, the present findings suggest that activation of the neural speech representations in the left STSp might be a pre-requisite for hearing sounds as speech.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2005

Right hemisphere specialization for intensity discrimination of musical and speech sounds.

Sound intensity is the primary and most elementary feature of auditory signals. Its discrimination plays a fundamental role in different behaviours related to auditory perception such as sound source localization, motion detection, and recognition of speech sounds. This study was aimed at investigating hemispheric asymmetries for processing intensity of complex tones and consonant-vowel syllables. Forty-four right-handed non-musicians were presented with two dichotic matching-to-sample tests with focused attention: one with complex tones of different intensities (musical test) and the other with consonant-vowel syllables of different intensities (speech test). Intensity differences (60, 70, and 80 dBA) were obtained by altering the gain of a synthesized harmonic tone (260 Hz fundamental frequency) and of a consonant-vowel syllable (/ba/) recorded from a natural voice. Dependent variables were accuracy and reaction time. Results showed a significant clear-cut left ear advantage in both tests for both dependent variables. A monaural control experiment ruled out possible attentional biases. This study provides behavioural evidence of a right hemisphere specialization for the perception of the intensity of musical and speech sounds in healthy subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Breeding soundness and libido examination of Belgian Blue and Holstein Friesian artificial insemination bulls in Belgium and The Netherlands.

Data on breeding soundness and libido evaluations in Belgian Blue (BB) bulls are scarce. The present study compared results of breeding soundness and libido evaluations of young BB bulls to young Holstein Friesian (HF) bulls prior to acceptance into an AI program. Breed differences for breeding soundness exist between BB and HF bulls, as 93.7% of the young BB bulls failed the breeding soundness examination (BSE) compared to 59.3% of the HF bulls (P=0.0005). Within the BB breed, differences were present between bulls of different ages, and bull selection for better fertility with increasing age apparently influenced the results. The number of reasons for which bulls failed the test differed between the age groups in the BB breed, whereas a tendency for more failure reasons in the BB breed was noticed in the breed comparison. The most important reasons for failure were sperm morphology and scrotal circumference (SC), but far more BB bulls failed for these traits compared to the HF breed (82.8% versus 56.0% and 43.8% versus 17.6% in the BB and the HF breed for sperm morphology (P=0.0005) and SC (P<0.0001), respectively). The high proportion of BB bulls with a substandard SC and poor sperm morphology might suggest an increased prevalence of testicular hypoplasia or degeneration within this breed. Concerning libido, the reaction time did not differ either between breeds or between age groups within the BB breed, whereas mounting enthusiasm, although not different between the two breeds, did decline with increasing age, probably due to the greater mating experience of the older bulls. All in all, libido did not seem to be different between the breeds.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

The evolution of the cavitation bubble driven by different sound pressure.

In this paper, the relation between the ambient radius R(0) of the acoustic cavitation bubble and its driving pressure was investigated by an improved method. The evolution of the bubble was gained with a long-distance microscope and a bundle of 532 nm laser switched by an acousto-optic modulator. The ambient radius R(0) was determined by fitting the numerical calculation based on Rayleigh-Plesset equation to the experimental data. The results showed that as the sound pressure increased R(0) decreased at beginning and increased after the pressure reached to about 1.2 atm. Although the same rule was gotten from the relation between the maximum radius R(m) and the sound pressure, the ratio R(m)/R(0) varied monotonously with the sound pressure. It indicates that enhancing the sound pressure can increase the compression ratio of the bubble even if the mass inside the bubble is also increased.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1986

Stimulation of human fetuses with sound and vibration.

Forty pregnant women between 30 and 42 weeks' gestational age were studied to examine the effects of external sound and vibration on the fetal heart rate. A significant increase in the mean duration and amplitude of the first acceleration after sound stimulus was found when these values were compared with the control values. Conversely the mean time to the first acceleration in the control period was greater than that in the stimulated period. There was a significant increase in the mean duration of fetal heart rate accelerations, the mean amplitude of fetal heart rate accelerations, and the total time spent in accelerations up to 15 minutes after the sound stimulus as compared with the control period. There was no change in the number of accelerations following the sound stimulus compared to control. These data suggest that vibratory acoustic stimuli may influence patterns of fetal heart rate during human pregnancy.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2003

Sound velocity and elasticity of tetragonal lysozyme crystals by Brillouin spectroscopy.

Quasilongitudinal sound velocities and the second-order elastic moduli of tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme crystals were determined as a function of relative humidity (RH) by Brillouin scattering. In hydrated crystals the measured sound velocities in the [110] plane vary between 2.12 +/- 0.03 km/s along the [001] direction and 2.31 +/- 0.08 km/s along the [110] direction. Dehydration from 98% to 67% RH increases the sound velocities and decreases the velocity anisotropy in (110) from 8.2% to 2.0%. A discontinuity in velocity and an inversion of the anisotropy is observed with increasing dehydration providing support for the existence of a structural transition below 88% RH. Brillouin linewidths can be described by a mechanical model in which the phonon is coupled to a relaxation mode of hydration water with a single relaxation time of 55 +/- 5 ps. At equilibrium hydration (98% RH) the longitudinal moduli C(11) + C(12) + 2C(66) = 12.81 +/- 0.08 GPa, C(11) = 5.49 +/- 0.03 GPa, and C(33) = 5.48 +/- 0.05 GPa were directly determined. Inversion of the measured sound velocities in the [110] plane constrains the combination C(44) + (1/2)C(13) to 2.99 +/- 0.05 GPa. Further constraints on the elastic tensor are obtained by combining the Brillouin quasilongitudinal results with axial compressibilities determined from high-pressure x-ray diffraction. We constrain the adiabatic bulk modulus to the range 2.7-5.3 GPa.

Acoustics↗
PubMed2001

Organizing sound sequences in the human brain: the interplay of auditory streaming and temporal integration.

The present study examined the relationship between two of the early brain processes of sound organization: auditory streaming and the temporal window of integration (TWI). Presented at a fast stimulus delivery rate, two tones alternating in frequency are perceived as separate streams of high and low sounds. However, when two sounds are presented within a ca. 200 ms temporal window, they are often processed as a single auditory event. Both stream segregation and temporal integration occur even in the absence of focused attention as was shown by their effect on the mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential. The goal of the present study was to determine the precedence between these two sound organization processes by using the stimulus-omission MMN paradigm. Infrequently omitting one stimulus from a homogeneous tone sequence only elicits an MMN when the stimulus onset asynchrony separating successive tones is shorter than 170 ms. This demonstrates the effect of the TWI. Magnetic brain responses elicited by infrequent stimulus omissions appearing in a sequence of two alternating tones were recorded. The magnetic MMN was elicited by tone omission when the alternating tones formed a single stream (with no or only small frequency separation between the two tones) but not when separate high and low streams emerged in perception (large frequency separation between the two alternating tones). This result shows that auditory streaming takes precedence over the processes of temporal integration.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1986

CT scan correlates of sound recognition defect in aphasia.

This study was concerned with the relationship between defects in sound recognition and intrahemispheric locus of lesion. Previous studies have shown that defects in sound recognition are common in association with left hemisphere lesions resulting in aphasias with comprehension deficits and are uncommon in association with other unilateral lesions. Current findings indicate that defects in sound recognition, occurring within the first month post onset of aphasia, may be associated with lesions of basal ganglia, the auditory cortex (both primary and association cortices), supramarginal gyrus, angular gyrus, and area 37. At the same time, however, a number of patients with lesions in these areas failed to show sound recognition defects.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A computer program for sequencing and presenting complex sounds for auditory neuroimaging studies.

This paper describes a computer program, named ASAP (audio sequencing and presentation), that runs on IBM PC compatible hardware with a Microsoft Windows operating system and has been specially designed for facilitating auditory neuroimaging studies. The program's main characteristics are: (1) the ability to generate sequences of complex sounds; (2) an easy-to-use, graphical user interface; (3) full compatibility with Microsoft Windows 95 or later and Windows NT version 4.0 or later software; (4) precise timing of selected sound sequences; (5) the capability of triggering other devices; (6) the capability of being triggered to deliver stimuli; (7) support for both monotic and dichotic sound sequences; and (8) rudimentary support for the simultaneous presentation of pictures/text and sound.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2000

Sound localization with eccentric head position.

This study investigates the influence of head-to-trunk position on auditory localization in humans. Various methods of head pointing, of two-alternative forced choice, and hand pointing were employed. Head-pointing toward actual sound sources in darkness, by using only the subjective median plane of the head as a reference, resulted in systematic underestimations of target eccentricity. The deviations of the terminal head position from the target shifted with a mean slope of approximately 0.1 degrees per degree change in head position. A corresponding shift in the localization of virtual sound sources (presented via headphones during eccentric head positions) was demonstrated by requiring forced-choice (left or right) responses with respect to the subjective median plane of the head. Head pointing toward remembered auditory targets in darkness resulted in undershoots similar to those found with actual targets. However, when a visual marker of the actual median plane of the head was additionally presented to the subject during these tasks (by a laser attached to the head that projected a spot onto a screen), sound localization was fairly accurate. Localization of eccentric auditory targets by using a swivel hand pointer also showed systematic errors similar to those found with head pointing in darkness when the head was simultaneously oriented toward the sound. When the head remained in alignment with the trunk, hand pointing resulted in overshooting responses. These results may be related to neural processes, presumably in the posterior parietal cortex, that transform auditory and visual spatial coordinates into a common, trunk-centered, frame of reference.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of pure-tone sound, impulse noise, and vibration on visual orientation.

Eye movements and the electroencephalogram (EEG) were recorded in intact rabbits during an optokinetic test when the animals were exposed to pure-tone sound (85 dB at 4,000 Hz), impulse noise (159 dB), and vibration directed to the abdomen (at an amplitude of 0.9 mm at frequencies of 40 to 140 Hz). The frequency and velocity of optokinetic nystagmus significantly increased in response to these stimuli. The increase seen with vibration was greater than that resulting from sound, and the response was strongest when sound and vibration were combined. The increase of optokinetic nystagmus seen with induced vibration was progressive and dependent on the frequency. The increase was weakest during vibration at 40 Hz and strongest during vibration at 140 Hz. Electroencephalograms (EEGs) of the amygdaloid complex, dorsal hippocampus, midbrain reticular formation, and frontal motor cortex all were activated during exposure to sound and vibration, but activation of the hippocampal EEG was most closely related to the increase of optokinetic nystagmus. During optokinetic tests, impulse noise regularly triggered nystagmic beats. When the rabbits were not in the test apparatus, nystagmus was produced in response to about 18 per cent of the presentations of impulse noise, while activation of the EEG was constant. Thus, vibration and noise, when excessive, may interfere with visual orientation and hence disturb equilibrium. These findings can be related to the nonspecific dizziness that occurs in aerospace or industrial workers exposed to excessive noise and vibration.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2000

Can high-frequency sound affect gas-bubble dynamics? A study in the intact prawn Palaemon elegans.

Underwater sound beacons (pingers) are employed in professional and scientific diving for location and navigation. Previous studies have demonstrated that exposure to acoustic fields may lead to the emergence of bubbles and cavities in tissues by rectified diffusion. However, this issue was studied mainly in vitro in various gels and isolated tissues. In the present study, we used the intact prawn Palaemon elegans, whose transparent shell makes it possible to conduct continuous microscopic observation of gas-bubble dynamics in the intact living prawn, to study the effect of high-frequency sound. In a crossover designed experiment, prawns were exposed to hyperbaric pressure of 203 kPa for 10 min, followed by decompression at 40 m/min (control). This procedure was carried out in the study group during transmission of a 37-kHz, 0.25-W, 10-ms pulse width, 1 pulse/s pulse interval. A significant increase was found in the mean volume of bubbles present for a longer period of time, in a higher percentage of the high-frequency sound-exposed prawns. We suggest that this sound exposure causes more gaseous micronuclei to grow into bubbles, and more of the dissolved gas to shift into the gas phase.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Electric brain response to sound repetition in humans: an index of long-term-memory - trace formation?

The developing auditory system is exposed to an almost endless variation of acoustic input in its every-day environment. All these different stimuli cannot, of course, be encoded in memory, however, at least not for any longer time. The present data suggest a principle that might be followed by the brain in selecting stimuli for the formation of longer-duration memory traces. Normal subjects ignoring auditory stimulation were presented with a randomized sequence of different sounds (simple tones in Experiment I and frequency glides in Experiment 2) with the exception that every now and then, randomly, one of the sounds was repeated in a row a few times. It was found that these repetitions elicited a novel electric brain response ('repetition negativity') which might be generated by neural activity forming these longer-duration traces. This would suggest that of all the different sounds, only those that soon occur again form more enduring memory traces (when sounds have no particular significance).

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2002

Can fishes resolve temporal characteristics of sounds? New insights using auditory brainstem responses.

Numerous fish species produce broad-band pulsed sounds with a distinct temporal patterning which is thought to be important during intraspecific communication. In order to determine whether fishes are able to utilize temporal characteristics of acoustic signals, time resolution was determined in four species of otophysines and anabantoids by analyzing auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to double-click stimuli with varying click periods. At click periods of 3.5 ms, two distinct ABRs were clearly detectable in all species. The minimum pulse period resolvable by the auditory system was below 1.5 ms in each species and slightly intensity-dependent. No differences were found between vocal and non-vocal species within each taxon. Comparisons of the time resolution data to the pulse periods of intraspecific sounds in the vocal species showed that the otophysine Platydoras costatus and the anabantoid Trichopsis vittata are likely to process each pulse within a series of intraspecific sounds. However, as non-vocal and vocal species have a similar minimum resolvable click period, the high temporal resolution capacities of the auditory system of fish might not represent special adaptations for intraspecific acoustic communication. Nonetheless, we suggest that temporal characteristics of naturally occurring conspecific and heterospecific sounds provide reliable information for acoustic communication.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1997

The effect of repeated daily noise exposure on sound-conditioned and unconditioned guinea pigs.

Sound-conditioned and unconditioned guinea pigs were exposed every day for 10 consecutive days to noise exposure resulting in a temporary threshold shift (2767 Hz, 103 dB SPL, 5 min). The cubic distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) were followed at a constant L1 intensity of 60 dB SPL at 1.75, 2.8, 3.5, and 4.4 kHz for 90 min post-exposure. Four parameters (area under the curve, duration of loss, maximal loss, and time point for maximal threshold shift) were analyzed to determine the effect of repeated daily noise exposure for each group. The sound-conditioned group (1) was significantly less affected by overstimulation during the initial days of exposure compared to the unconditioned group and (2) gradually became more affected by overstimulation as the daily sessions progressed. The 'training effect' induced by sound conditioning gradually deteriorated after approximately 5 or 6 days of repeated stimulation. However, at day 10 the sound-conditioned group never had emissions that were worse than day 1 overstimulation for the unconditioned group. The unconditioned group, on the other hand, illustrated significantly greater threshold shifts during the initial days of overexposure and then demonstrated a gradual resistance to overstimulation during subsequent days.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1994

Human cortical areas selectively activated by apparent sound movement.

BACKGROUND: Positron emission tomography (PET) measures cerebral blood flow, an indicator of neural activity. PET has been used successfully to identify visual association areas in the human brain, which are involved in the analysis of different aspects of visual stimuli. However, comparable studies have not yet been carried out for the human auditory system. RESULTS: We have attempted to identify human cortical areas that are selectively activated during sound movement analysis. Using PET, we have identified cortical areas that appeared to be selectively activated while human subjects attended to the position of a moving sound image compared to when they attended to a stationary sound image. The areas are in the right insula, adjacent to the right posterior cingulate, and in the cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the insula may be acting as an auditory association cortex involved in sound movement analysis, analogous to area V5 in the visual system.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2003

Temporal integration of sequential auditory events: silent period in sound pattern activates human planum temporale.

Temporal integration is a fundamental process that the brain carries out to construct coherent percepts from serial sensory events. This process critically depends on the formation of memory traces reconciling past with present events and is particularly important in the auditory domain where sensory information is received both serially and in parallel. It has been suggested that buffers for transient auditory memory traces reside in the auditory cortex. However, previous studies investigating "echoic memory" did not distinguish between brain response to novel auditory stimulus characteristics on the level of basic sound processing and a higher level involving matching of present with stored information. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging in combination with a regular pattern of sounds repeated every 100 ms and deviant interspersed stimuli of 100-ms duration, which were either brief presentations of louder sounds or brief periods of silence, to probe the formation of auditory memory traces. To avoid interaction with scanner noise, the auditory stimulation sequence was implemented into the image acquisition scheme. Compared to increased loudness events, silent periods produced specific neural activation in the right planum temporale and temporoparietal junction. Our findings suggest that this area posterior to the auditory cortex plays a critical role in integrating sequential auditory events and is involved in the formation of short-term auditory memory traces. This function of the planum temporale appears to be fundamental in the segregation of simultaneous sound sources.

Acoustic Stimulation↗