Song Perception by Professional Singers and Actors: An MEG Study.

The cortical correlates of speech and music perception are essentially overlapping, and the specific effects of different types of training on these networks remain unknown. We compared two groups of vocally trained professionals for music and speech, singers and actors, using recited and sung rhyme sequences from German art songs with semantic and/ or prosodic/melodic violations (i.e. violations of pitch) of the last word, in order to measure the evoked activation in a magnetoencephalographic (MEG) experiment. MEG data confirmed the existence of intertwined networks for the sung and spoken modality in an early time window after word violation. In essence for this early response, higher activity was measured after melodic/prosodic than semantic violations in predominantly right temporal areas. For singers as well as for actors, modality-specific effects were evident in predominantly left-temporal lateralized activity after semantic expectancy violations in the spoken modality, and right-dominant temporal activity in response to melodic violations in the sung modality. As an indication of a special group-dependent audiation process, higher neuronal activity for singers appeared in a late time window in right temporal and left parietal areas, both after the recited and the sung sequences.

Voice deepening under testosterone treatment in female-to-male gender dysphoric individuals.

Female-to-male gender dysphoric individuals rarely access medical services for voice problems arising out of hormonal treatment leading to "voice reassignment". The aim of this study was a close monitoring of voice deepening in the first year following the commencement of testosterone treatment. Voice recordings from nine female-to-male (FTM) were analyzed with Praat software and values for speaking fundamental frequency (SFF) were calculated. Audio recordings were made prior to and within the first year (mean 55.2 weeks) of testosterone treatment at a mean of 35.4 different time points. The values for speaking fundamental frequency were compared with values taken from 21 biological men with healthy voices. The 10th to 90th percentile range of FTM overlapped with those of biological men after about 36 weeks. The mean SFF change was a decrease of 8.78 seminotes at week 52 and at this point in time no significant difference between SSF in FTM and biological men was found. Testosterone treatment led to significant voice deepening within the first year with the degree of change decreasing over time. Mean SFF change in the first year was almost a sixth and thus less than one octave but nonetheless reached an SFF comparable with biological men.

Clinical investigations of receptive and expressive musical functions after stroke.

There is a long tradition of investigating various disorders of musical abilities after stroke. These impairments, associated with acquired amusia, can be highly selective, affecting only music perception (i.e., receptive abilities/functions) or expression (music production abilities), and some patients report that these may dramatically influence their emotional state. The aim of this study was to systematically test both the melodic and rhythmic domains of music perception and expression in left- and right-sided stroke patients compared to healthy subjects. Music perception was assessed using rhythmic and melodic discrimination tasks, while tests of expressive function involved the vocal or instrumental reproduction of rhythms and melodies. Our approach revealed deficits in receptive and expressive functions in stroke patients, mediated by musical expertise. Those patients who had experienced a short period of musical training in childhood and adolescence performed better in the receptive and expressive subtests compared to those without any previous musical training. While discrimination of specific musical patterns was unimpaired after a left-sided stroke, patients with a right-sided stroke had worse results for fine melodic and rhythmic analysis. In terms of expressive testing, the most consistent results were obtained from a test that required patients to reproduce sung melodies. This implies that the means of investigating production abilities can impact the identification of deficits.

Differences between self-assessment and external rating of voice with regard to sex characteristics, age, and attractiveness.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates differences between the self-assessment and external rating of a person's voice with regard to sex characteristics, age, and attractiveness of the voice and mean fundamental frequency (F0). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: A group of 47 participants with a balanced sex distribution was recruited and the following data were collected: videostroboscopy, voice range profile, F0, self-assessment questionnaire (attractiveness, masculinity or femininity of voice, and appearance), Voice Handicap Index, and questionnaires to determine levels of depression and quality of life. External rating was performed by four experts and four laymen. RESULTS: In both sexes, fair to moderate significant correlations between the self-assessment of masculinity (men)/femininity (women) of voice and masculinity/femininity of appearance could be found, but not between the self-assessment of attractiveness of voice and appearance. In men, a statistically significant correlation was found between external ratings and self-assessment of attractiveness and, with the exception of the female rating group, of masculinity. In women, self-assessment of femininity and attractiveness of voice did not correlate to a statistically significant extent with the evaluation of the external rater. Additionally, the statistical correlation between estimated and real ages was high. CONCLUSIONS: Although the objective parameters of age and gender identification could be rated with a high degree of accuracy, subjective parameters showed significant differences between self-assessment and external rating, in particular in rating women's voices. Taking these findings into account in treatments for modifying voice could impede successful interventions. As one consequence, we recommend summarizing target agreements in detail before the treatment.

Feasibility of 1000 Hz tympanometry in infants: tympanometric trace classification and choice of probe tone in relation to age.

OBJECTIVES: Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) has significantly reduced the age of children undergoing audiological examinations. Middle ear function is usually evaluated with tympanometry using a probe tone of 226 Hz, although higher frequencies are recommended in infants. The aim of this study was to compare the feasibility of 226 and 1000 Hz tympanometry for different trace classification systems in relation to age, risk factors for hearing loss and ear canal volume. METHODS: Data from 577 infants (915 ears) <1 year were analyzed. Tympanograms were classified according to the classification systems of Jerger, Marchant et al. and Kei et al. and correlated with ear microscopy as the gold standard. Test quality parameters of tympanometry with probe tones of 226 and 1000 Hz were compared in four different age groups. RESULTS: The trace classification following Kei et al. presented the best correlation to ear microscopy and reduced the number of unclassified tympanograms. The use of probe tones of 226 Hz in infants below the age of nine months showed a poor level of sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend the use of a 1000 Hz probe tone in infants at least up to the age of nine months. In this age group, 226 Hz tympanometry is inappropriate. In children with craniofacial abnormalities and smaller ear canal volumes, 1000 Hz tympanometry could be taken into consideration, even for older children. High-frequency tympanograms should be evaluated according to the classification system of Kei et al., which differentiates between peaked (normal) and flat (abnormal) curves.

Nonorganic hearing loss in children: audiometry, clinical characteristics, biographical history and recovery of hearing thresholds.

OBJECTIVES: The term "nonorganic hearing loss" (NOHL) (pseudohypacusis, functional or psychogenic hearing loss) describes a hearing loss without a detectable corresponding pathology in the auditory system. It is characterized by a discrepancy between elevated pure tone audiometry thresholds and normal speech discrimination. The recommended audiological management of NOHL in children comprises history taking, diagnosis, and counseling. According to the literature, prognosis depends on the severity of the patient's school and/or personal problems. Routine referral to a child psychiatrist is discussed as being controversial. METHODS: The clinical history of 34 children with NOHL was retrospectively evaluated. In 15 children, follow up audiometry was performed. Results of biographical history, subjective and objective audiometry, additional speech and language assessment, psychological investigations and follow up audiometry are presented and discussed. RESULTS: The prevalence of NOHL was 1.8% in children with suspected hearing loss. Mean age at diagnosis was 10.8 years. Girls were twice as often affected as boys. Patient history showed a high prevalence of emotional and school problems. Pre-existing organic hearing loss can be worsened by nonorganic causes. Children with a fast recovery of hearing thresholds (n=6) showed a high rate (4/6) of family, social and emotional problems. In children with continuous threshold elevation (n=9), biographical history showed no recognizable or obvious family, social or emotional problems; learning disability (4/9) was the most frequently presented characteristic. CONCLUSIONS: Due to advances in objective audiometry, the diagnosis of NOHL is less challenging than management and counseling. Considering the high frequency of personal and school problems, a multidisciplinary setting is helpful. On the basis of our results, drawing conclusions from hearing threshold recovery on the severity of underlying psychic problems seems inappropriate. As a consequence, a referral to a child psychiatrist can be generally recommended.

Emotional and analytic music perception in cochlear implant users after optimizing the speech processor.

CONCLUSION: Cochlear implant (CI) users are able to detect harmonic differences and the emotionally exciting effect of music (arousal) even when using a speech adapted program. Raising the power of lower frequencies of speech processors in CIs for a music program further improved this ability and enhanced subjectively perceived pleasure during listening to music. OBJECTIVE: This pilot study compares aspects of analytical and emotional music perception before and after optimizing the speech processor compared to results of normal-hearing subjects. METHODS: Six adult post-lingually deafened CI users and six subjects with normal hearing abilities were tested on different aspects of analytical and emotional music perception. After optimizing speech processors for a music program, the CI users were tested again after a period of 1 week. RESULTS: The CI users were able to detect different levels of emotional arousal conveyed by music. Switching to the music program resulted in an even better distinction between different levels of musical arousal. With both the speech and music programs, CI users gave overall higher ratings for arousal and valence of the heard music when asked to estimate how listeners with normal hearing perceived the music than when asked about their own perception.