Speech evoked potentials: from the laboratory to the clinic

Ear Hear. 2008 Jun;29(3):285-313. doi: 10.1097/AUD.0b013e3181662c0e.

Abstract

Speech-evoked auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) provide insight into the neural mechanisms underlying speech processing. For this reason, ERPs are of great value to hearing scientists and audiologists. This article will provide an overview of ERPs frequently used to examine the processing of speech and other sound stimuli. These ERPs include the P1-N1-P2 complex, acoustic change complex, mismatch negativity, and P3 responses. In addition, we focus on the application of these speech-evoked potentials for the assessment of (1) the effects of hearing loss on the neural encoding of speech allowing for behavioral detection and discrimination; (2) improvements in the neural processing of speech with amplification (hearing aids, cochlear implants); and (3) the impact of auditory training on the neural processing of speech. Studies in these three areas are reviewed and implications for audiologists are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Attention / physiology
  • Auditory Cortex / physiopathology
  • Auditory Pathways / physiopathology
  • Cochlear Implants
  • Contingent Negative Variation
  • Electroencephalography
  • Event-Related Potentials, P300 / physiology
  • Evoked Potentials, Auditory / physiology*
  • Hearing Aids
  • Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / diagnosis
  • Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / physiopathology*
  • Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / rehabilitation
  • Humans
  • Phonetics
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Sound Spectrography
  • Speech Acoustics
  • Speech Perception / physiology*