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Angenstein N. Asymmetries and hemispheric interaction in the auditory system of elderly people. Front Neuroimaging 2024; 2:1320989. [PMID: 38235106 PMCID: PMC10791916 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2023.1320989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Age-related changes of asymmetries in the auditory system and decreasing efficiency of hemispheric interaction have been discussed for some time. This mini-review discusses recent neuroimaging studies on alterations in lateralization of cortical processing and structural changes concerning the division of labor and interaction between hemispheres during auditory processing in elderly people with the focus on people without severe hearing loss. Several changes of asymmetries in anatomy, function and neurotransmitter concentration were observed in auditory cortical areas of older compared to younger adults. It was shown that connections between left and right auditory cortex are reduced during aging. Functionally, aging seems to lead to a reduction in asymmetry of auditory processing. However, the results do not always point into the same direction. Furthermore, correlations between function, anatomy and behavior in the left and right hemisphere appear to differ between younger and older adults. The changes in auditory cortex asymmetries with aging might be due to compensation of declining processing capacities, but at the same time these mechanisms could impair the balanced division of labor between the two hemispheres that is required for the processing of complex auditory stimuli such as speech. Neuroimaging studies are essential to follow the slow changes with aging as in the beginning no behavioral effects might be visible due to compensation. Future studies should control well for peripheral hearing loss and cognitive decline. Furthermore, for the interpretability of results it is necessary to use specific tasks with well-controlled task difficulty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Angenstein
- Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
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Angenstein N, Brancucci A. Editorial: Hemispheric asymmetries in the auditory domain, volume II. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1263317. [PMID: 37670841 PMCID: PMC10476006 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1263317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Angenstein
- Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Alfredo Brancucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie, Umane e della Salute, Università di Roma “Foro Italico”, Rome, Italy
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Abstract
The lateralization of processing in the auditory cortex for different acoustic parameters differs depending on stimuli and tasks. Thus, processing complex auditory stimuli requires an efficient hemispheric interaction. Anatomical connectivity decreases with aging and consequently affects the functional interaction between the left and right auditory cortex and lateralization of auditory processing. Here we studied with magnetic resonance imaging the effect of aging on the lateralization of processing and hemispheric interaction during two tasks utilizing the contralateral noise procedure. Categorization of tones according to their direction of frequency modulations (FM) is known to be processed mainly in the right auditory cortex. Sequential comparison of the same tones according to their FM direction strongly involves additionally the left auditory cortex and therefore a stronger hemispheric interaction than the categorization task. The results showed that older adults more strongly recruit the auditory cortex especially during the comparison task that requires stronger hemispheric interaction. This was the case although the task difficulty was adapted to achieve similar performance as the younger adults. Additionally, functional connectivity from auditory cortex to other brain areas was stronger in older than younger adults especially during the comparison task. Diffusion tensor imaging data showed a reduction in fractional anisotropy and an increase in mean diffusivity in the corpus callosum of older adults compared to younger adults. These changes indicate a reduction of anatomical interhemispheric connections in older adults that makes larger processing capacity necessary when tasks require functional hemispheric interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Stadler
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - André Brechmann
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Angenstein
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Brenneckestr. 6, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany.
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Deliano M, Seidel P, Vorwerk U, Stadler B, Angenstein N. Effect of cochlear implant side on early speech processing in adults with single-sided deafness. Clin Neurophysiol 2022; 140:29-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2022.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Brancucci A, Angenstein N. Editorial: Hemispheric Asymmetries in the Auditory Domain. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:892786. [PMID: 35464144 PMCID: PMC9019809 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.892786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alfredo Brancucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie, Umane e della Salute, Università di Roma “Foro Italico”, Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Alfredo Brancucci
| | - Nicole Angenstein
- Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
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Wendt B, Stadler J, Verhey JL, Hessel H, Angenstein N. Effect of Contralateral Noise on Speech Intelligibility. Neuroscience 2021; 459:59-69. [PMID: 33548367 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
In patients with strong asymmetric hearing loss, standard clinical practice involves testing speech intelligibility in the ear with the higher hearing threshold by simultaneously presenting noise to the other ear. However, psychoacoustic and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies indicate that this approach may be problematic as contralateral noise has a disruptive effect on task processing. Furthermore, fMRI studies have revealed that the effect of contralateral noise on brain activity depends on the lateralization of task processing. The effect of contralateral noise is stronger when task-relevant stimuli are presented ipsilaterally to the hemisphere that is processing the task. In the present study, we tested the effect of four different levels of contralateral noise on speech intelligibility using the Oldenburg sentence test (OLSA). Cortical lateralization of speech processing was assessed upfront by using a visual speech test with fMRI. Contralateral OLSA noise of 65 or 80 dB SPL significantly reduced word intelligibility irrespective of which ear the speech was presented to. In participants with left-lateralized speech processing, 50 dB SPL contralateral OLSA noise led to a significant reduction in speech intelligibility when speech was presented to the left ear, i.e. when speech was presented ipsilaterally to the hemisphere that is mainly processing speech. Thus, contralateral noise, as used in standard clinical practice, not only prevents listeners from using the information in the better-hearing ear but may also have the unintended effect of hampering central processing of speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate Wendt
- University Hospital of the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Germany
| | - Jörg Stadler
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Germany
| | - Jesko L Verhey
- Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Department of Experimental Audiology, Germany
| | - Horst Hessel
- Cochlear Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Hannover, Germany
| | - Nicole Angenstein
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Combinatorial NeuroImaging Core Facility, Germany.
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Brechmann A, Angenstein N. The impact of task difficulty on the lateralization of processing in the human auditory cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:5341-5353. [PMID: 31460688 PMCID: PMC6865217 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception of complex auditory stimuli like speech requires the simultaneous processing of different fundamental acoustic parameters. The contribution of left and right auditory cortex (AC) in the processing of these parameters differs. In addition, activity within the AC can vary positively or negatively with task performance depending on the type of task. This might affect the allocation of processing to the left and right AC. Here we studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging the impact of task difficulty on the degree of involvement of the left and right AC in two tasks that have previously been shown to differ in hemispheric involvement: categorization and sequential comparison of the direction of frequency modulations (FM). Task difficulty was manipulated by changing the speed of modulation and by that the frequency range covered by the FM. To study the impact of task‐difficulty despite covarying the stimulus parameters, we utilized the contralateral noise procedure that allows comparing AC activation unconfounded by bottom‐up driven activity. The easiest conditions confirmed the known right AC involvement during the categorization task and the left AC involvement during the comparison task. The involvement of the right AC increased with increasing task difficulty for both tasks presumably due to the common task component of categorizing FM direction. The involvement of left AC varied with task difficulty depending on the task. Thus, task difficulty has a strong impact on lateralized processing in AC. This connection must be taken into account when interpreting future results on lateralized processing in the AC.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Brechmann
- Special Lab Non-Invasive Brain Imaging, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nicole Angenstein
- Special Lab Non-Invasive Brain Imaging, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
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Angenstein N, Brechmann A. Effect of sequential comparison on active processing of sound duration. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 38:4459-4469. [PMID: 28580585 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies on active duration processing on sounds showed opposing results regarding the predominant involvement of the left or right hemisphere. Duration of an acoustic event is normally judged relative to other sounds. This requires sequential comparison as auditory events unfold over time. We hypothesized that increasing the demand on sequential comparison in a task increases the involvement of the left auditory cortex. With the current fMRI study, we investigated the effect of sequential comparison in active duration discrimination by comparing a categorical with a comparative task. During the categorical task, the participant had to categorize the tones according to their duration (short vs long). During the comparative task, they had to decide for each tone whether its length matched the tone presented before. We used the contralateral noise procedure to reveal the degree of participation of the left and right auditory cortex during these tasks. We found that both tasks more strongly involve the left than the right auditory cortex. Furthermore, the left auditory cortex was more strongly involved during comparison than during categorization. Together with previous studies, this suggests that additional demand for sequential comparison during processing of different basic acoustic parameters leads to an increased recruitment of the left auditory cortex. In addition, the comparison task more strongly involved several brain areas outside the auditory cortex, which may also be related to the demand for additional cognitive resources as compared to the more efficient categorization of sounds. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4459-4469, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Angenstein
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, Magdeburg, 39118, Germany
| | - André Brechmann
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Brenneckestr. 6, Magdeburg, 39118, Germany
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Angenstein N, Stadler J, Brechmann A. Auditory intensity processing: Effect of MRI background noise. Hear Res 2016; 333:87-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2016.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Revised: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Kohrs C, Hrabal D, Angenstein N, Brechmann A. Delayed system response times affect immediate physiology and the dynamics of subsequent button press behavior. Psychophysiology 2014; 51:1178-84. [PMID: 24980983 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
System response time research is an important issue in human-computer interactions. Experience with technical devices and general rules of human-human interactions determine the user's expectation, and any delay in system response time may lead to immediate physiological, emotional, and behavioral consequences. We investigated such effects on a trial-by-trial basis during a human-computer interaction by measuring changes in skin conductance (SC), heart rate (HR), and the dynamics of button press responses. We found an increase in SC and a deceleration of HR for all three delayed system response times (0.5, 1, 2 s). Moreover, the data on button press dynamics was highly informative since subjects repeated a button press with more force in response to delayed system response times. Furthermore, the button press dynamics could distinguish between correct and incorrect decisions and may thus even be used to infer the uncertainty of a user's decision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christin Kohrs
- Non-Invasive Brain Imaging, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
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Angenstein N, Brechmann A. Division of labor between left and right human auditory cortices during the processing of intensity and duration. Neuroimage 2013; 83:1-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.06.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2013] [Revised: 06/07/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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Angenstein N, Brechmann A. Left auditory cortex is involved in pairwise comparisons of the direction of frequency modulated tones. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:115. [PMID: 23847464 PMCID: PMC3705175 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Evaluating series of complex sounds like those in speech and music requires sequential comparisons to extract task-relevant relations between subsequent sounds. With the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we investigated whether sequential comparison of a specific acoustic feature within pairs of tones leads to a change in lateralized processing in the auditory cortex (AC) of humans. For this we used the active categorization of the direction (up vs. down) of slow frequency modulated (FM) tones. Several studies suggest that this task is mainly processed in the right AC. These studies, however, tested only the categorization of the FM direction of each individual tone. In the present study we ask the question whether the right lateralized processing changes when, in addition, the FM direction is compared within pairs of successive tones. For this we use an experimental approach involving contralateral noise presentation in order to explore the contributions made by the left and right AC in the completion of the auditory task. This method has already been applied to confirm the right-lateralized processing of the FM direction of individual tones. In the present study, the subjects were required to perform, in addition, a sequential comparison of the FM direction in pairs of tones. The results suggest a division of labor between the two hemispheres such that the FM direction of each individual tone is mainly processed in the right AC whereas the sequential comparison of this feature between tones in a pair is probably performed in the left AC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Angenstein
- Special Lab Non-Invasive Brain Imaging, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology Magdeburg, Germany
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Kohrs C, Angenstein N, Scheich H, Brechmann A. Human striatum is differentially activated by delayed, omitted, and immediate registering feedback. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:243. [PMID: 22969713 PMCID: PMC3430931 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 08/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The temporal contingency of feedback during conversations is an essential requirement of a successful dialog. In the current study, we investigated the effects of delayed and omitted registering feedback on fMRI activation and compared both unexpected conditions to immediate feedback. In the majority of trials of an auditory task, participants received an immediate visual feedback which merely indicated that a button press was registered but not whether the response was correct or not. In a minority of trials, and thus unexpectedly, the feedback was omitted, or delayed by 500 ms. The results reveal a response hierarchy of activation strength in the dorsal striatum and the substantia nigra: the response to the delayed feedback was larger compared to immediate feedback and immediate feedback showed a larger activation compared to the omission of feedback. This suggests that brain regions typically involved in reward processing are also activated by non-rewarding, registering feedback. Furthermore, the comparison with immediate feedback revealed that both omitted and delayed feedback significantly modulated activity in a network of brain regions that reflects attentional demand and adjustments in cognitive and action control, i.e., the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), bilateral anterior insula (aI), inferior frontal gyrus (Gfi), and inferior parietal lobe (Lpi). This finding emphasizes the importance of immediate feedback in human–computer interaction, as the effects of delayed feedback on brain activity in the described network seem to be similar to that of omitted feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christin Kohrs
- Special Lab Non-Invasive Brain Imaging, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology Magdeburg, Germany
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