Age‐related differences in auditory evoked potentials as a function of task modulation during speech–nonspeech processing

Brain and Behavior

Katharina Simone Rufener¹  Franziskus Liem² 

[1] Neuroplasticity and Learning in the Normal Aging Brain (HAB LAB), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland;Departement of Neuropsychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

关键词: Aging;    attention;    EEG;    N1;    P2;    speech;   

DOI  :  10.1002/brb3.188

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Background

Healthy aging is typically associated with impairment in various cognitive abilities such as memory, selective attention or executive functions. Less well observed is the fact that also language functions in general and speech processing in particular seems to be affected by age. This impairment is partly caused by pathologies of the peripheral auditory nervous system and central auditory decline and in some part also by a cognitive decay.

Aims

This cross-sectional electroencephalography (EEG) study investigates temporally early electrophysiological correlates of auditory related selective attention in young (20–32 years) and older (60–74 years) healthy adults.

Material and methods

In two independent tasks, we systematically modulate the subjects' focus of attention by presenting words and pseudowords as targets and white noise stimuli as distractors.

Results

Behavioral data showed no difference in task accuracy between the two age samples irrespective of the modulation of attention. However, our work is the first to show that the N1- and the P2 component evoked by speech and nonspeech stimuli are specifically modulated in older adults and young adults depending on the subjects' focus of attention.

Conclusion

This finding is particularly interesting in that the age-related differences in AEPs may be reflecting levels of processing that are not mirrored by the behavioral measurements.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.