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Published on: July 5, 2015
Attentional modulation of medial olivocochlear inhibition: evidence for immaturity in children
1Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001, USA; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Butler University, 4600 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46208, USA.
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Efferent feedback significantly influences how the brain processes auditory information.
- Auditory attention, which develops through childhood, modulates medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent activity in adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if children aged 5-10 years exhibit adult-like attentional control over medial-efferent inhibition.
- To compare MOC inhibition during different listening conditions in children and adults.
Main Methods:
- Measured medial olivocochlear (MOC) inhibition in 14 adults and 12 children.
- Tested MOC inhibition under no-task, passive listening, and active listening conditions.
- Active listening involved attended tone-pips within contralateral broadband noise.
Main Results:
- Adults showed stronger MOC inhibition during active listening, consistent with prior research.
- In children, the effect of auditory attention on MOC inhibition was not robust.
- MOC inhibition in children was significantly lower compared to adults during attention-demanding tasks.
Conclusions:
- Children aged 5-10 years may have an immature attentional modulation of medial-efferent inhibition.
- This developmental difference in MOC efferent function could impact auditory processing in children.
Abstract:
Efferent feedback shapes afferent auditory processing. Auditory attention has been shown to modulate medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferent activity in human adults. Since auditory attention continues to develop throughout childhood, the present study explored whether attentional control of medial-efferent inhibition in 5-10 year-old children is adult-like. MOC inhibition was measured in adults (n = 14) and children (n = 12) during no-task (contralateral broadband noise), passive (contralateral noise with tone-pips) and active listening conditions (attended tone-pips embedded in contralateral broadband noise). A stronger MOC inhibition was observed when measured during the active listening condition for adults which is consistent with past work. However, the effect of auditory attention on MOC inhibition in children was not robust and was significantly lower compared to that observed for adults. These findings suggest the potential immaturity of the attentional mediation of MOC inhibition in tested children.
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