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Past Events

Prosem Lecture: The Role of Internalizing Behaviors in Language Growth for Late Talking Infants Born Preterm

Emily Hansen, M.S., CF-SLP
62 Goodnight Hall
@ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Learn more about Prosem

Approximately 15% of toddlers can be characterized as late-talkers at age 2. Despite a largely unknown etiology, some characteristics of late-talkers have been identified, including increased rates of internalizing behaviors– i.e., behaviors that reflect negative emotions directed inward, resulting in social and emotional disturbances such as anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. This relationship has been attributed to the role of language in self-regulation and understanding of others’ emotions. Because preterm infants are at an increased risk of late language emergence, it may be especially informative to examine internalizing behaviors and their link to language outcomes in late-talkers who were born preterm. The current study examined the role of internalizing behaviors in predicting language outcomes from 24 to 36 months in a cohort of late-talking and non-late-talking preterm infants. Results revealed that internalizing behaviors at 24 months predicted expressive vocabulary growth from 24 to 36 months only in late-talking children born preterm. This finding suggests that mental health factors may be especially critical to language development in late-talking toddlers, indicating the need for interprofessional collaboration between SLPs and mental health professionals in serving this population.

Emily Hansen, M.S., CF-SLP

Hearing and Donuts (Brain and Bagels) Seminar

G. Nike Gnanateja, Ph.D.
Waisman Center
@ 8:30 am - 9:30 am
Learn more about the Hearing and Donuts Seminar Series

The fast-fluctuating components of speech with frequency modulations close to the center frequency of the auditory filters, known as temporal fine structure (FS), and the slower varying amplitude modulations, called the envelope (ENV), are both crucial for speech perception. FS is particularly vital for understanding speech in noisy environments. While FS processing is susceptible to even minor auditory system damage, current hearing rehabilitation approaches often overlook the importance of providing better access to FS for individuals with hearing loss. This talk will begin with an overview of FS and its role in speech perception in noise, followed by a discussion of various non-speech and speech-based methods for assessing FS processing. The presentation will conclude by introducing accessible speech-based assessments for evaluating an individual's ability to utilize Speech FS in challenging listening conditions. These insights have significant implications for the assessment of speech FS processing and the development of speech processing strategies in hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Nike Gnanateja, Ph.D.

Hearing and Donuts (Brain and Bagels) Seminar

Robert Fettiplace, Ph.D.
Waisman Center
@ 8:30 am - 9:30 am
Learn more about the Hearing and Donuts Seminar Series

Death (or apoptosis) of cochlear hair cells occurs under various conditions, some genetic and others environmental. Since hair cells do not regenerate, these insults all lead to permanent deafness. We have studied the mechanisms of hair cell death in mice with mutations in TMC1, which is the putative mechanotransducer channel. Such hair cell mutants show functional mechano-transduction at P6 but die culminating in deafness by P20. What is the mechanism? We have found that even at an early developmental stage, cochlear hair cells exhibit signs of apoptosis (cell death), revealed by dysfunctional mitochondria and the activity of a lipid scramblase that removes lipid asymmetry in the plasma membrane. Scramblase activity is triggered by blocking the PMCA2 calcium pump in the hair bundle, causing elevation of stereociliary calcium. The PMCA2 density is reduced in all the mutants, which is a possible mechanism of hair cell apoptosis and deafness.

A W crest banner flutters in the wind on Bascom Hill at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during autumn on Oct. 18, 2019. Photo by Jeff Miller /UW-Madison

Prosem Lecture: Using Naturalistic Speech to Study Speech Language Processing

G. Nike Gnanateja, Ph.D.
62 Goodnight Hall
@ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Learn more about Prosem

This talk will explore the use of naturalistic/continuous speech paradigms in understanding speech, language, and hearing processes. Unlike traditional isolated word or sentence tasks, continuous speech provides a more ecologically valid approach to studying how humans process spoken language. I will discuss how this methodology reveals the dynamic interplay between acoustic, linguistic, and cognitive processes during real-world communication. Recent advances in neuroimaging and computational techniques have enabled researchers to track neural responses to continuous speech with unprecedented temporal precision. This has led to new insights into how the brain segments and integrates information across multiple timescales, from phonemes to discourse-level structures. I will present evidence showing how continuous speech paradigms have enhanced our understanding of speech perception in both normal-hearing listeners and clinical populations.

Nike Gnanateja, Ph.D.

Prosem Lecture: Word Inferencing in Sequential Bilinguals in Realistic Learning Environments

Cristina Manteca Gacho, M.As
62 Goodnight Hall
@ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Learn more about Prosem

Learning in noisy environments can be challenging, particularly for individuals listening in their second language. This challenge may negatively impact language learning for bilingual students. In this study, we propose to investigate whether background noise limits the ability of Spanish-English bilingual middle schoolers to infer the meaning of novel words from context compared to their monolingual peers. Based on power analyses, we plan to recruit 42 middle school students (21 monolingual English speakers and 21 bilinguals) to address our research question. We hypothesize that bilingual students will show a significantly poorer ability to infer the meaning of novel words in the presence of background noise compared to their monolingual peers. However, we expect no such difference in quiet conditions.

Cristina Manteca Gacho, M.As
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