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Data Acquisition and Analysis In Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry In Mice
Published on: May 10, 2019
Emotion and the auditory brainstem response to speech
Jade Q Wang1, Trent Nicol, Erika Skoe
1Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Northwestern University, 2240 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA. jadewang@u.northwestern.edu
Neuroscience Letters
|December 19, 2009
Summary
Emotional states minimally impact brainstem responses to speech, with subtle background noise suppression observed in emotional conditions. This research explores auditory processing and emotional influence on the brainstem.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Emotional stimuli can influence neural processing, with early effects on auditory evoked responses.
- Understanding subcortical processing of speech under emotional load is crucial for auditory perception research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how emotional states affect brainstem evoked responses to auditory speech stimuli.
- To determine if emotional valence (positive, negative, neutral) modulates subcortical auditory processing.
Main Methods:
- Participants listened to a constant auditory stimulus ('danny') while viewing emotion-evoking pictures from the IAPS database.
- Pictures were selected based on valence and controlled for arousal and dominance.
- Subcortical auditory processing was assessed using multiple measurement techniques.
Main Results:
- Emotion did not significantly alter overall brainstem evoked responses to speech.
- A subtle suppression of background noise was detected in both positive and negative emotional conditions.
- These findings suggest limited emotional modulation at the brainstem level for speech processing.
Conclusions:
- Emotional states have a minimal direct effect on brainstem responses to speech.
- Subtle background noise suppression indicates a slight emotional influence on auditory filtering.
- Further research is needed to explore emotional modulation in higher auditory centers.
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