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Hierarchical neurocomputations underlying concurrent sound segregation: connecting periphery to percept
Gavin M Bidelman1, Claude Alain2
1Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA; School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, University of Memphis, 807 Jefferson Avenue, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
Neuropsychologia
|December 28, 2014
Summary
Harmonicity, a key cue for sound segregation, is processed early in the auditory nerve and brainstem. This neural processing, measured by event-related potentials (ERPs), influences later cortical responses and behavioral judgments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Computational Auditory Neuroscience
Background:
- Natural soundscapes involve multiple concurrent sounds.
- Cortical event-related potentials (ERPs) reflect human perception of concurrent sounds.
- Subcortical processing of sound segregation remains poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the subcortical neural architecture for sound segregation.
- Determine the hierarchy of neurocomputations involved in auditory scene analysis.
- Examine the role of harmonicity as a cue for sound segregation.
Main Methods:
- Computational modeling
- Scalp-recorded brainstem/cortical event-related potentials (ERPs)
- Human psychophysics
Main Results:
- Harmonicity is encoded at the auditory nerve and rostral brainstem within milliseconds.
- Auditory cortical responses, specifically the object-related negativity (ORN), encode harmonicity.
- A late negativity response (N5) captures the salience of the perceived sound object.
Conclusions:
- Sound segregation relies on early subcortical processing of harmonicity.
- Cortical responses reflect the integration of subcortical cues for auditory scene analysis.
- Simultaneous analysis of multiple neural indices elucidates the time-course of sound segregation.
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