论文标题

设计个性化听力赔偿的神经网络框架

A Neural-Network Framework for the Design of Individualised Hearing-Loss Compensation

论文作者

Drakopoulos, Fotios, Verhulst, Sarah

论文摘要

人类听觉系统中的声音处理是复杂且高度非线性的,而助听器()仍然依靠简化的听觉处理或听力损失的描述来恢复听力。即使标准的HA扩增策略成功地恢复了淡淡的声音的可听性,但它们仍然没有为复杂的感官缺陷和不良听力条件提供针对性的治疗。当前HA设备的这些缺点表明需要有效利用听觉系统的非线性特征的高级听力赔偿策略。在这里,我们提出了一个可区分的深神经网络(DNN)框架,该框架可用于基于基于DNN的HA模型,该模型基于正常听觉和听力障碍系统之间的生物物理听觉处理差异。我们研究了不同的损失功能,以准确补偿包括外发细胞(OHC)损失和人工耳蜗突触病(CS)的损害,并评估了我们训练有素的基于DNN的HA模型的益处,用于在安静和噪声中进行语音处理。我们的结果表明,所有考虑的听力损失案例都可以增强听觉处理,而OHC损失比CS更容易补偿。考虑了几个客观指标来估计处理后预期的语音清晰度,这些模拟有望提高对使用我们基于DNN HA处理的听力听众对语音中的语音的理解。由于我们的框架可以调整为单个听众的听力损失概况,因此我们进入了一个真正的个性化和基于DNN的听力恢复策略,可以通过实验进行测试。

Sound processing in the human auditory system is complex and highly non-linear, whereas hearing aids (HAs) still rely on simplified descriptions of auditory processing or hearing loss to restore hearing. Even though standard HA amplification strategies succeed in restoring audibility of faint sounds, they still fall short of providing targeted treatments for complex sensorineural deficits and adverse listening conditions. These shortcomings of current HA devices demonstrate the need for advanced hearing-loss compensation strategies that can effectively leverage the non-linear character of the auditory system. Here, we propose a differentiable deep-neural-network (DNN) framework that can be used to train DNN-based HA models based on biophysical auditory-processing differences between normal-hearing and hearing-impaired systems. We investigate different loss functions to accurately compensate for impairments that include outer-hair-cell (OHC) loss and cochlear synaptopathy (CS), and evaluate the benefits of our trained DNN-based HA models for speech processing in quiet and in noise. Our results show that auditory-processing enhancement was possible for all considered hearing-loss cases, with OHC loss proving easier to compensate than CS. Several objective metrics were considered to estimate the expected speech intelligibility after processing, and these simulations hold promise in yielding improved understanding of speech-in-noise for hearing-impaired listeners who use our DNN-based HA processing. Since our framework can be tuned to the hearing-loss profiles of individual listeners, we enter an era where truly individualised and DNN-based hearing-restoration strategies can be developed and be tested experimentally.

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