Anticipatory slow potentials before auditory feedback show posterior predominance but limited condition effects in speech-in-noise

It remains unclear whether noisy listening reliably modulates anticipatory EEG activity before feedback and whether such activity explains interindividual differences in speech-in-noise performance. We examined these questions in an independent cohort of young adults with normal hearing using a time-estimation task with auditory feedback presented in silence and in continuous multi-talker noise....

No actionable change — this is a preliminary basic-science EEG study with uncertain links to individual speech-perception performance; clinical translation is not yet warranted.

Understanding how the brain anticipates auditory feedback during noisy speech could eventually inform neural markers of speech-in-noise difficulty, a core challenge in hearing rehabilitation.

1. 01EEG measured anticipatory slow brain potentials before speakers heard their own voice feedback.
2. 02These potentials showed stronger activity over the posterior (back) regions of the brain.
3. 03Signal patterns did not change significantly across different noise conditions.
4. 04No clear link was found between these brain signals and individual speech-in-noise scores.
5. 05Findings raise questions about the functional role of these anticipatory signals.

PMID

42290943

DOI

10.1016/j.ibneur.2026.05.013.

Journal

IBRO Neuroscience Reports

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Individuals performing speech tasks in noise while undergoing EEG recording

Intervention

EEG measurement of anticipatory slow potentials during speech-in-noise paradigm

Comparator

Varying noise conditions within the same participants