bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2024.12.19.629463

The relationship between auditory brainstem responses, cognitive ability, and speech-in-noise perception among young adults with normal hearing thresholds

DiNino, M.·Crowell, J.·Kloiber, I.·Polonenko, M. J.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The goal of this research was to determine the contributions of auditory neural processing and cognitive abilities to predict performance on a speech-in-noise perception task in young, normal hearing adults. Two experiments were performed, each with separate cohorts of [~]30 young adults with normal hearing who performed a competing talker task which included a high-pass filtered condition that was designed to be more sensitive to auditory nerve functioning than are commonly used speech-in-noise perception tests. Predictors of performance on this competing talker task included ABR waves I and V metrics and cognitive test scores. Experiment one included click ABRs at a moderate level commensurate with the level of the competing talker task, as well as the cognitive digit span working memory test. Experiment two included high-intensity click clinical ABRs and three cognitive tests from the NIH Toolbox V3 that assessed working memory, cognitive flexibility and attention, and inhibitory control: List Sorting Working Memory, Dimensional Change Card Sort, and Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention tests, respectively. Performance on the high-pass filtered competing talker task varied across participants in both experiments. This variability was predicted by performance on the test of inhibitory control, but not the tests involving working memory or cognitive flexibility, nor by any of the auditory processing metrics from moderate or high-intensity click ABRs. Among two groups of young adults with normal hearing, cognitive factors with very similar demands to the competing talker task seem to play the greatest role in speech-in-noise perception.

Source connections

Explore related subjects

neurosciencePreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

DiNino, M., Crowell, J., Kloiber, I., Polonenko, M. J.. 2024-12-20. The relationship between auditory brainstem responses, cognitive ability, and speech-in-noise perception among young adults with normal hearing thresholds. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.19.629463

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Functional validation of allele-specific LMNB1 silencing in patient-derived astrocytes as a therapeutic option for Autosomal Dominant Leukodystrophy

Adult-onset Autosomal Dominant Leukodystrophy (ADLD) is a rare fatal leukodystrophy caused by increased LMNB1 gene dosage, most commonly resulting from duplication of the LMNB1 locus. Because ADLD is a gene dosage disorder, selective reduction of pathological LMNB1 expression represents a rational therapeutic strategy. Although allele-specific RNA interference has previously been shown to lower LMNB1 levels in patient-derived fibroblasts and directly reprogrammed neurons, its therapeutic effects have not been evaluated in disease-relevant human glial cells or using functional efficacy endpoints. Here, we established human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived astrocytes from ADLD patients as a human glial model in which to validate allele-specific LMNB1 silencing across molecular, cellular, and functional readouts. ADLD astrocytes recapitulated increased LMNB1 expression and characteristic nuclear abnormalities and displayed transcriptional alterations affecting extracellular matrix organization, calcium homeostasis, metabolism and RNA processing. Functionally, these cells also exhibited functional phenotypes suitable for therapeutic evaluation: astrocyte-conditioned medium impaired the viability of both murine and human oligodendroglial cultures, while conditioned-medium and direct astrocyte-seeding paradigms revealed impaired post-lesion myelin recovery in lysolecithin-treated cerebellar organotypic slices. Allele-specific LMNB1 silencing restored physiological LMNB1 levels, corrected nuclear abnormalities, attenuated astrocyte-mediated oligodendroglial toxicity, improved post-lesion myelin recovery, and was associated with selective transcriptional programs associated with extracellular support and cholesterol metabolism. Together, these findings provide molecular, cellular, and functional validation of allele-specific LMNB1 dosage correction in patient-derived human astrocytes and offer key support for LMNB1-lowering strategies in disease-relevant human glial cells.

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2026

Perceptual integration of multisensory haptic, visual, and auditory feedback for roughness discrimination in augmented reality

Understanding how our different senses interact to shape our perception is essential to design realistic and immersive virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) experiences. The present study investigated how roughness perception can be modulated through haptic, visual, and auditory cues in AR using a vibrotactile wristband. Participants compared virtual textures varying in vibration frequency/amplitude, visual grain size, and friction sound. Results revealed strong linear relationships between stimulus parameters and perceived roughness, with haptic frequency and visual cues driving the highest discrimination performance. Adding non-informative sensory feedback reduced perceptual sensitivity, acting as noise. Individual differences emerged: participants who rated haptic as the easiest modality showed greater sensitivity to haptic variations, while visual-reliant participants performed better with visual cues. We conclude that roughness in AR can be systematically manipulated, but is vulnerable to perceptual interference from irrelevant inputs, where our work provides actionable insights for implementing optimized and adaptive AR/VR interfaces.

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2026

Structural and functional MRI signatures of Gambling Disorder: a case-control study

Gambling disorder (GD) is a behavioural addiction that may help identify addiction-related neural features without the direct neurobiological effects of a primary substance of dependence. We examined regional grey matter volume (GMV) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in the same well-characterised sample. Eighteen men with GD and 21 matched healthy controls underwent high-resolution structural and resting-state functional MRI. GMV was quantified across 214 cortical and subcortical regions, and seed-based rsFC analyses focused on striatal subdivisions and mesocorticolimbic regions. Group differences were evaluated using permutation testing and cluster-corrected mixed-effects modelling. GD was associated with lower GMV in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal regions and other cortical and subcortical areas, alongside higher GMV in a subset of limbic and default-mode regions. Participants with GD also showed lower connectivity between the limbic striatum and the hippocampus, thalamus and putamen. In exploratory analyses, somatomotor connectivity was positively associated with gambling severity (Problem Gambling Severity Index: Spearman's rho = 0.71, p = 0.003, false-discovery-rate-adjusted q = 0.016). Structural and functional findings overlapped spatially in regions associated with valuation, memory, reward and habit formation, but regional GMV did not mediate group differences in rsFC. These findings are broadly consistent with corticostriatal models of GD and identify candidate circuit-level differences for independent replication. Larger, more diverse and longitudinal samples are required to establish their reproducibility, temporal direction and clinical relevance.

neuroscience↗