Cognitive and neural predictors of speech comprehension in noisy backgrounds in older adults.

ABSTRACT: Older adults often experience difficulties comprehending speech in noisy backgrounds, which hearing loss does not fully explain. It remains unknown how cognitive abilities, brain networks, and age-related hearing loss may uniquely contribute to speech in noise comprehension at the sentence level. In 31 older adults, using cognitive measures and resting-state fMRI, we investigated the cognitive and neural predictors of speech comprehension with energetic (broadband noise) and informational masking (multi-speakers) effects. Better hearing thresholds and greater working memory abilities were associated with better speech comprehension with energetic masking. Conversely, faster processing speed and stronger functional connectivity between frontoparietal and language networks were associated wi

SUBMITTER: Fitzhugh MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8261331 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature