Auditory grouping facilitates communication in noisy, multi-talker environments by binding acoustic features into coherent auditory objects. Listeners with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) often struggle to detect auditory objects, even when using hearing aids or cochlear implants. However, it remains unknown how auditory grouping is degraded in these populations and how neural mechanisms adapt under different listening configurations. This talk presents two studies examining cortical mechanisms of auditory grouping in listeners with SNHL. The first study investigated neural and behavioral responses to auditory object detection across different listening configurations. The second study explored the effect of high- and low-frequency on auditory object detection in cochlear implant users with bimodal stimulation. Both studies revealed that phase-locked responses to the emergence of the auditory objects were absent in cochlear implant users and that induced cortical oscillations play a key role in auditory grouping, highlighting the contribution of cognitive processes to auditory object detection. Clinically, the findings suggest the presence of biological markers of auditory grouping, a crucial function for communication in noisy settings.
PhD Defense - Nour M. M. Alsabbagh
Health Sciences Academic Building (HSAB)
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2306
302 S. Grand Avenue, Iowa City, IA 52242
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