Modeling comodulation masking release using an equalization-cancellation mechanism.

This study presents an auditory processing model that accounts for the perceptual phenomenon of comodulation masking release (CMR). The model includes an equalization-cancellation (EC) stage for the processing of activity across the audio-frequency axis. The EC process across frequency takes place at the output of a modulation filterbank assumed for each audio-frequency channel. The model was evaluated in three experimental conditions: (i) CMR with four widely spaced flanking bands in order to study pure across-channel processing, (ii) CMR with one flanking band varying in frequency in order to study the transition between conditions dominated by within-channel processing and those dominated by across-channel processing, and (iii) CMR obtained in the "classical" band-widening paradigm in order to study the role of across-channel processing in a condition which always includes within-channel processing. The simulations support the hypothesis that within-channel contributions to CMR can be as large as 15 dB. The across-channel process is robust but small (about 2-4 dB) and only observable at small masker bandwidths. Overall, the proposed model might provide an interesting framework for the analysis of fluctuating sounds in the auditory system.

[1]  J H Grose,et al.  Comodulation masking release using SAM tonal complex maskers: effects of modulation depth and signal position. , 1989, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[2]  B. Kollmeier,et al.  Modeling auditory processing of amplitude modulation. II. Spectral and temporal integration. , 1997, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[3]  B A Wright,et al.  Comodulation masking release for single and multiple rates of envelope fluctuation. , 1994, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[4]  J H Grose,et al.  Effects of masker gating for signal detection in unmodulated and modulated bandlimited noise. , 1996, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[5]  E. Lopez-Poveda,et al.  A computational algorithm for computing nonlinear auditory frequency selectivity. , 2001, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[6]  J H Grose,et al.  Change in envelope beats as a possible cue in comodulation masking release (CMR). , 1998, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[7]  S van de Par,et al.  Diotic and dichotic detection using multiplied-noise maskers. , 1998, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[8]  T. Dau,et al.  Characterizing frequency selectivity for envelope fluctuations. , 2000, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[9]  A S Bregman,et al.  Auditory grouping based on fundamental frequency and formant peak frequency. , 1990, Canadian journal of psychology.

[10]  S P Bacon,et al.  Masking by modulated and unmodulated noise: effects of bandwidth, modulation rate, signal frequency, and masker level. , 1997, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[11]  T. Dau,et al.  Intrinsic envelope fluctuations and modulation-detection thresholds for narrow-band noise carriers. , 1996, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[12]  N. Viemeister.  Temporal modulation transfer functions based upon modulation thresholds. , 1979, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[13]  Jesko L Verhey.  Modeling the influence of inherent envelope fluctuations in simultaneous masking experiments. , 2002, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[14]  D. M. Green,et al.  Signal detection theory and psychophysics , 1966 .

[15]  H S Colburn,et al.  Lateral position and interaural discrimination. , 1977, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[16]  T. Dau,et al.  Spectro-temporal processing in the envelope-frequency domain. , 2002, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[17]  B C Moore,et al.  Comodulation masking release as a function of level. , 1991, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[18]  G. Klump,et al.  Signal detection in amplitude‐modulated maskers. I. Behavioural auditory thresholds in a songbird , 2001, The European journal of neuroscience.

[19]  Torsten Dau,et al.  External and internal limitations in amplitude-modulation processing. , 2004, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[20]  C Trahiotis,et al.  On the use of the normalized correlation as an index of interaural envelope correlation. , 1996, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[21]  N. I. Durlach.  Note on the Equalization and Cancellation Theory of Binaural Masking Level Differences , 1960 .

[22]  D A Eddins.  Measurement of auditory temporal processing using modified masking period patterns. , 2001, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[23]  M. F. Cohen,et al.  The effect of cross-spectrum correlation on the detectability of a noise band. , 1987, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[24]  S Buus,et al.  Release from masking caused by envelope fluctuations. , 1985, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[25]  B C Moore,et al.  Monaural envelope correlation perception, revisited: effects of bandwidth, frequency separation, duration, and relative level of the noise bands. , 1990, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[26]  D M Green.  On the similarity of two theories of comodulation masking release. , 1992, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[27]  S van de Par,et al.  Comparison of monaural (CMR) and binaural (BMLD) masking release. , 1998, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[28]  Joseph W. Hall,et al.  Detection in noise by spectro-temporal pattern analysis. , 1984, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[29]  Torsten Dau,et al.  Modeling temporal and compressive properties of the normal and impaired auditory system , 2001, Hearing Research.

[30]  M F Cohen.  Comodulation masking release over a three octave range. , 1991, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[31]  B G Berg.  On the relation between comodulation masking release and temporal modulation transfer functions. , 1996, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[32]  H. Levitt.  Transformed up-down methods in psychoacoustics. , 1971, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[33]  S.L.J.D.E. van de Par.  A comparison of binaural detection at low and high frequencies , 1998 .

[34]  Brian C. J. Moore,et al.  Formulae describing frequency selectivity as a function of frequency and level, and their use in calculating excitation patterns , 1987, Hearing Research.

[35]  J W Hall,et al.  The role of auditory filters in comodulation masking release (CMR). , 1998, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[36]  Torsten Dau,et al.  Effects of concurrent and sequential streaming in comodulation masking release , 2005 .

[37]  Daniel Pressnitzer,et al.  The psychophysics and physiology of comodulation masking release , 2003, Experimental Brain Research.

[38]  D. McFadden,et al.  Comodulation masking release: effects of varying the level, duration, and time delay of the cue band. , 1986, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[39]  T Dau,et al.  On the role of envelope fluctuation processing in spectral masking. , 2000, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[40]  Jungmee Lee,et al.  Amplitude modulation depth discrimination of a sinusoidal carrier: Effect of stimulus duration , 1997 .

[41]  A. Nieder,et al.  Signal detection in amplitude‐modulated maskers. II. Processing in the songbird's auditory forebrain , 2001, The European journal of neuroscience.

[42]  Ray Meddis,et al.  A model of signal processing in the cochlear nucleus: comodulation masking release , 2002 .

[43]  Robert P. Carlyon,et al.  Detecting single‐cycle frequency modulation imposed on sinusoidal, harmonic, and inharmonic carriers , 1989 .

[44]  J H Grose,et al.  Comodulation masking release: is comodulation sufficient? , 1993, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[45]  T Dau,et al.  A quantitative model of the "effective" signal processing in the auditory system. I. Model structure. , 1996, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[46]  S P Bacon,et al.  Amplitude modulation depth discrimination of a sinusoidal carrier: effect of stimulus duration. , 1997, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[47]  V. Richards,et al.  Monaural envelope correlation perception. , 1987, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[48]  A. Kohlrausch,et al.  Binaural processing model based on contralateral inhibition. I. Model structure. , 2001, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[49]  T. Irino,et al.  A time-domain, level-dependent auditory filter: The gammachirp , 1997 .

[50]  B. Kollmeier,et al.  Within-channel cues in comodulation masking release (CMR): experiments and model predictions using a modulation-filterbank model. , 1999, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[51]  T. Dau.  Modeling auditory processing of amplitude modulation , 1997 .

[52]  Ray Meddis,et al.  Physiological Correlates of Comodulation Masking Release in the Mammalian Ventral Cochlear Nucleus , 2001, The Journal of Neuroscience.

[53]  J. Mott,et al.  Neural correlates of psychophysical release from masking. , 1990, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[54]  J. Hall,et al.  The effect of across-frequency differences in masking level on spectro-temporal pattern analysis. , 1986, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[55]  J H Grose,et al.  Comodulation masking release and auditory grouping. , 1990, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[56]  J H Grose,et al.  Comodulation masking release as a function of bandwidth and test frequency. , 1990, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[57]  B C Moore,et al.  Comodulation masking release (CMR): effects of signal frequency, flanking-band frequency, masker bandwidth, flanking-band level, and monotic versus dichotic presentation of the flanking band. , 1987, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[58]  N. Durlach.  Equalization and Cancellation Theory of Binaural Masking‐Level Differences , 1963 .

[59]  M L Hicks,et al.  Some factors influencing comodulation masking release and across-channel masking. , 1995, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[60]  R A Lutfi,et al.  On the growth of masking asymmetry with stimulus intensity. , 1984, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[61]  J W Hall,et al.  Comodulation masking release (CMR): effects of gating as a function of number of flanking bands and masker bandwidth. , 1995, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[62]  A Kohlrausch,et al.  Intrinsic envelope fluctuations and modulation-detection thresholds for narrow-band noise carriers. , 1999, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[63]  Israel Nelken,et al.  Responses of auditory-cortex neurons to structural features of natural sounds , 1999, Nature.

[64]  B. Kollmeier,et al.  Modeling auditory processing of amplitude modulation. I. Detection and masking with narrow-band carriers. , 1997, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[65]  J H Grose,et al.  Some factors affecting the magnitude of comodulation masking release. , 1990, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[66]  Israel Nelken,et al.  Relating cluster and population responses to natural sounds and tonal stimuli in cat primary auditory cortex , 2001, Hearing Research.