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Adapting to altered auditory cues: Generalization from manual reaching to head pointing
Chiara Valzolgher1,2, Michela Todeschini3, Gregoire Verdelet1,4
1Integrative, Multisensory, Perception, Action and Cognition Team (IMPACT), Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Lyon, France.
Plos One
|April 14, 2022
Summary
Sound localization training using reaching movements improved spatial hearing in adults with one plugged ear. This motor-based training enhanced auditory spatial skills and generalized to other sound localization tasks.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Human Motor Control
- Sensory Rehabilitation
Background:
- Sound localization relies on processing complex auditory cues influenced by head and ear interactions.
- Hearing loss can impair sound localization, but the brain demonstrates adaptability and potential for relearning through training.
- Multisensory training and motor-oriented approaches show promise for restoring spatial hearing skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if training sound-oriented motor behavior, specifically reaching to sounds, can improve spatial hearing.
- To determine if motor-based auditory training leads to generalized learning effects in different spatial hearing tasks.
- To assess the impact of reaching-to-sound training on auditory spatial relearning in individuals with experimentally induced unilateral hearing loss.
Main Methods:
- A crossover design was used with normal-hearing adults wearing a plugged ear to simulate hearing loss.
- Participants underwent a spatial training session involving reaching to identify sound locations.
- Auditory spatial tasks, including head-pointing sound localization and audio-visual attention cueing, were assessed before and after training.
- A control condition involved non-spatial auditory discrimination to isolate the effects of spatial training.
Main Results:
- Spatial hearing performance significantly improved after the reaching-to-sound training compared to the control condition.
- The training influenced head-movement strategies during auditory spatial tasks.
- Improvements in spatial hearing generalized to a separate sound localization task, suggesting robust learning.
Conclusions:
- Sound-oriented motor training, particularly reaching to sounds, is effective for relearning spatial hearing skills in simulated unilateral hearing loss.
- Motor-based auditory training can induce adaptive changes in head-movement behavior and lead to generalized improvements in auditory spatial perception.
- This study highlights the potential of embodied, action-based approaches for auditory rehabilitation and enhancing spatial hearing abilities.
