Pitch Encoding Affected by Aging and Language Background in Humans

Published on April 13, 2022

The way we process pitch information in our brains is influenced by both aging and our language background. To better understand these effects, scientists conducted a study on individuals of different ages and language backgrounds, measuring their Frequency Following Responses. The results showed that both aging and language background have an impact on the accuracy and strength of pitch encoding at the subcortical level. Interestingly, the effects of aging were more pronounced in the native language speaker groups, particularly in the magnitude of phase-locking. On the other hand, the language background appeared to have a stronger influence on the accuracy of pitch tracking in older adults. These findings highlight the complex interplay between age and language experience when it comes to how our brains encode pitch information. If you’re interested in delving further into this fascinating research, be sure to check out the full article!

Aging and language background have been shown to affect pitch information encoding at the subcortical level. To study the individual and compounded effects on subcortical pitch information encoding, Frequency Following Responses were recorded from subjects across various ages and language backgrounds. Differences were found in pitch information encoding strength and accuracy among the groups, indicating that language experience and aging affect accuracy and magnitude of pitch information encoding ability at the subcortical level. Moreover, stronger effects of aging were seen in the magnitude of phase-locking in the native language speaker groups, while language background appears to have more impact on the accuracy of pitch tracking in older adult groups.

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