title: Noise tolerance in human frequency-following responses to voice pitch.
abstract: Speech communication usually occurs in the presence of background noise. This study examined noise tolerance in the brainstem's processing of voice pitch, as reflected by the scalp-recorded frequency-following response (FFR) from 12 normal-hearing adults. By systematically manipulating signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) across three different stimulus intensities, the results indicated that Frequency Error, Slope Error, and Tracking Accuracy remained relatively stable until SNR was degraded to 0 dB or lower (i.e., a turning point). This turning point not only provided physiological evidence supporting pitch tolerance of noise but also allowed recommendation of a minimal SNR when evaluating pitch processing in difficult-to-test patients.
authors.affiliation: Communication Sciences and Disorders, Ohio University, Grover Center W224, Athens, Ohio 45701, USA. xl285608@ohio.edu
authors.forename: Ximing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fuh-Cherng
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Jeng
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001299:Audiometry; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D010897:Pitch Discrimination; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological; D013018:Sound Spectrography; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013067:Speech Perception; D014833:Voice Quality; D055815:Young Adult