Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
Auditory processing disorders (APDs) affect a diverse range of people. These types of disorders impair auditory function, despite the outer, middle and inner ear maintaining proper function and health. APD is not necessarily related to auditory thresholds. When people with APD have difficulty discriminating sounds in connected speech, it may be due in part to an effect called Backward Masking (BM). Masking occurs when one stimulus inhibits another, which can lead to a variety of impairments. The neural locus of APDs is for the most part unknown, including the specific conditions which cause BM. A better understanding of these processes would lead to a greater ability to provide an intervention and therapy for APD. Electrophysiological responses have been well documented in a forward-masking paradigm, but not so in a backward masking paradigm. The significance of these responses is yielded through electrode signal input, a large degree of amplification and summation analyses of brain wave data. In this research a latency and amplitude deviance was detected in the early and middle stages of the auditory evoked response. Our data has revealed that the backward masking effect is observable at approximately the 90-250 msec range given the appropriate stimulus parameters. The temporal conditions of this effect lead to the conclusion that the BM effect occurs in the midbrain to the auditory cortex.
Mentor Name
Al Yonovitz
Objective determination of backward masking.
UC Ballroom (Center)
Auditory processing disorders (APDs) affect a diverse range of people. These types of disorders impair auditory function, despite the outer, middle and inner ear maintaining proper function and health. APD is not necessarily related to auditory thresholds. When people with APD have difficulty discriminating sounds in connected speech, it may be due in part to an effect called Backward Masking (BM). Masking occurs when one stimulus inhibits another, which can lead to a variety of impairments. The neural locus of APDs is for the most part unknown, including the specific conditions which cause BM. A better understanding of these processes would lead to a greater ability to provide an intervention and therapy for APD. Electrophysiological responses have been well documented in a forward-masking paradigm, but not so in a backward masking paradigm. The significance of these responses is yielded through electrode signal input, a large degree of amplification and summation analyses of brain wave data. In this research a latency and amplitude deviance was detected in the early and middle stages of the auditory evoked response. Our data has revealed that the backward masking effect is observable at approximately the 90-250 msec range given the appropriate stimulus parameters. The temporal conditions of this effect lead to the conclusion that the BM effect occurs in the midbrain to the auditory cortex.