TY - JOUR

T1 - Subcortical plasticity following perceptual learning in a pitch discrimination task

AU - Carcagno, Samuele

AU - Plack, Christopher J.

PY - 2011/2

Y1 - 2011/2

N2 - Practice can lead to dramatic improvements in the discrimination of auditory stimuli. In this study, we investigated changes of the frequency-following response (FFR), a subcortical component of the auditory evoked potentials, after a period of pitch discrimination training. Twenty-seven adult listeners were trained for 10 h on a pitch discrimination task using one of three different complex tone stimuli. One had a static pitch contour, one had a rising pitch contour, and one had a falling pitch contour. Behavioral measures of pitch discrimination and FFRs for all the stimuli were measured before and after the training phase for these participants, as well as for an untrained control group (n=12). Trained participants showed significant improvements in pitch discrimination compared to the control group for all three trained stimuli. These improvements were partly specific for stimuli with the same pitch modulation (dynamic vs. static) and with the same pitch trajectory (rising vs. falling) as the trained stimulus. Also, the robustness of FFR neural phase locking to the sound envelope increased significantly more in trained participants compared to the control group for the static and rising contour, but not for the falling contour. Changes in FFR strength were partly specific for stimuli with the same pitch modulation (dynamic vs. static) of the trained stimulus. Changes in FFR strength, however, were not specific for stimuli with the same pitch trajectory (rising vs. falling) as the trained stimulus. These findings indicate that even relatively low-level processes in the mature auditory system are subject to experience-related change.

AB - Practice can lead to dramatic improvements in the discrimination of auditory stimuli. In this study, we investigated changes of the frequency-following response (FFR), a subcortical component of the auditory evoked potentials, after a period of pitch discrimination training. Twenty-seven adult listeners were trained for 10 h on a pitch discrimination task using one of three different complex tone stimuli. One had a static pitch contour, one had a rising pitch contour, and one had a falling pitch contour. Behavioral measures of pitch discrimination and FFRs for all the stimuli were measured before and after the training phase for these participants, as well as for an untrained control group (n=12). Trained participants showed significant improvements in pitch discrimination compared to the control group for all three trained stimuli. These improvements were partly specific for stimuli with the same pitch modulation (dynamic vs. static) and with the same pitch trajectory (rising vs. falling) as the trained stimulus. Also, the robustness of FFR neural phase locking to the sound envelope increased significantly more in trained participants compared to the control group for the static and rising contour, but not for the falling contour. Changes in FFR strength were partly specific for stimuli with the same pitch modulation (dynamic vs. static) of the trained stimulus. Changes in FFR strength, however, were not specific for stimuli with the same pitch trajectory (rising vs. falling) as the trained stimulus. These findings indicate that even relatively low-level processes in the mature auditory system are subject to experience-related change.

KW - auditory training

KW - FFR

KW - F0 discrimination

KW - evoked potentials

KW - AUDITORY BRAIN-STEM

KW - FREQUENCY-FOLLOWING RESPONSES

KW - AMPLITUDE-MODULATED SIGNALS

KW - CRITICAL PERIOD

KW - CORTICOFUGAL MODULATION

KW - INFERIOR COLLICULUS

KW - EXPERIENCE

KW - SPEECH

KW - PATTERNS

KW - REPRESENTATION

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79551594606&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10162-010-0236-1

DO - 10.1007/s10162-010-0236-1

M3 - Journal article

VL - 12

SP - 89

EP - 100

JO - Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology

JF - Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology

SN - 1525-3961

IS - 1

ER -