Changes in otoacoustic emissions during selective auditory and visual attention

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that the otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) measured during behavioral tasks can have different magnitudes when subjects are attending selectively or not attending. The implication is that the cognitive and perceptual demands of a task can affect the first neural stage of auditory processing-the sensory receptors themselves. However, the directions of the reported attentional effects have been inconsistent, the magnitudes of the observed differences typically have been small, and comparisons across studies have been made difficult by significant procedural differences. In this study, a nonlinear version of the stimulus-frequency OAE (SFOAE), called the nSFOAE, was used to measure cochlear responses from human subjects while they simultaneously performed behavioral tasks requiring selective auditory attention (dichotic or diotic listening), selective visual attention, or relative inattention. Within subjects, the differences in nSFOAE magnitude between inattention and attention conditions were about 2-3 dB for both auditory and visual modalities, and the effect sizes for the differences typically were large for both nSFOAE magnitude and phase. These results reveal that the cochlear efferent reflex is differentially active during selective attention and inattention, for both auditory and visual tasks, although they do not reveal how attention is improved when efferent activity is greater.

Role of Active Listening and Listening Effort on Contralateral Suppression of Transient Evoked Otoacousic Emissions

“…In addition, results of the present study also showed a significantly lower noise floor for condition 2 (active listening) compared to other conditions, comparable to the results established by several investigators [132223]. Lower noise floor could be attributed to the efferent activity associated with the attentional demands of the behavioural tasks [23]. Another possible reason for lower noise floor is that when attending to auditory stimuli, listener might attempt to control physiological noise by limiting motion and controlling breathing [11].…”

Auditory attention reduced ear-canal noise in humans, but not through medial olivocochlear efferent inhibition: Implications for measuring otoacoustic emissions during behavioral task performance

“…In contrast, Walsh et al (2014;2015) reported a large decrease (~3 dB) in ear-canal noise in all of 447 their subjects when the subject did a behavioral discrimination compared to during passive listening. 448…”

“…During both 63 auditory and visual tasks there was a reduction in ear-canal noise (i.e. a reduction in the nSFOAE) 64 relative to when the subject was presented the same stimuli but did not do a task (Walsh et al, 2014a;65 2014b, 2015. For an auditory task, the reduction was similar in both the attended ear and the 66 opposite ear.…”

“…In contrast to the assumption that ear-canal noise is not changed during a behavioral task, several 58 studies have reported such changes (de Boer, and Thornton, 2007;Walsh et al, 2014a;2014b, 2015. 59 Walsh et al (2014;2015) reported that ear-canal random noise was reduced by selective attention 60 activating MOC efferents.…”

“…In contrast to the assumption that ear-canal noise is not changed during a behavioral task, several 58 studies have reported such changes (de Boer, and Thornton, 2007;Walsh et al, 2014a;2014b, 2015. 59 Walsh et al (2014;2015) reported that ear-canal random noise was reduced by selective attention 60 activating MOC efferents. In the Walsh et al experiments, ear-canal noise was indirectly measured 61 during a 30 ms silent period by a double-evoked technique that yielded a measure termed a 62 "nonlinear stimulus frequency otoacoustic emission" or "nSFOAE" (Walsh et al, 2010).…”