Concentrated pitch discrimination modulates auditory brainstem responses during contralateral noise exposure
Kazunari Ikeda1, Takahiro Sekiguchi, Akiko Hayashi
1Laboratory of Cognitive Psychophysiology, Center for the Research and Support of Educational Practice, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo, Japan. kazunari@u-gakugei.ac.jp
Neuroreport
|February 6, 2010
Summary
Auditory discrimination is necessary for attention to modulate auditory brainstem responses (ABR) during noise exposure. This requires distinguishing target sounds, indicating a top-down brain pathway.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Attention modulates auditory processing, but the precise mechanisms, especially during contralateral noise, remain unclear.
- The role of auditory discrimination in attention-related changes to subcortical auditory processing needs further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether auditory discrimination is essential for attention-related modulation of the auditory brainstem response (ABR).
- To determine if attention-based ABR changes during contralateral noise exposure involve corticofugal pathways.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed reading (passive) and tone counting (attentive) tasks.
- Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) and processing negativity were recorded during contralateral white noise exposure.
- Stimuli were delivered to the left ear using single-stimulus or oddball paradigms.
Main Results:
- The oddball procedure, requiring auditory discrimination, elicited attention-related modulations in ABR and processing negativity.
- The single-stimulus procedure, lacking discrimination, did not evoke these attention-related modulations.
- These findings suggest task-dependent modulation of auditory processing.
Conclusions:
- Auditory discrimination is a prerequisite for attention-related modulation of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) under contralateral noise.
- The observed attention-related ABR modulation demonstrates corticofugal influence on subcortical auditory processing.
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