Intensity discrimination and neural representation of a masked tone in the presence of three types of masking release

Introduction: Hearing ability is usually evaluated by assessing the lowest detectable intensity of a target sound, commonly referred to as a detection threshold. Detection thresholds of a masked signal are dependent on various auditory cues, such as the comodulation of the masking noise, interaural differences in phase, and temporal context. However, considering that communication in everyday life happens at sound intensities well above the detection threshold, the relevance of these cues for communication in complex acoustical environments is unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of three cues on the perception and neural representation of a signal in noise at supra-threshold levels. Methods: First, we measured the decrease in detection thresholds produced by three cues, referred to as masking release. Then, we measured just-noticeable difference in intensity (intensity JND) to quantify the perception of the target signal at supra-threshold levels. Lastly, we recorded late auditory evoked potentials (LAEPs) with electroencephalography (EEG) as a physiological correlate of the target signal in noise at supra-threshold levels. Results: The results showed that the overall masking release can be up to around 20 dB with a combination of these three cues. At the same supra-threshold levels, intensity JND was modulated by the masking release and differed across conditions. The estimated perception of the target signal in noise was enhanced by auditory cues accordingly, however, it did not differ across conditions when the target tone level was above 70 dB SPL. For the LAEPs, the P2 component was more closely linked to the masked threshold and the intensity discrimination than the N1 component. Discussion: The results indicate that masking release affects the intensity discrimination of a masked target tone at supra-threshold levels, especially when the physical signal-to-noise is low, but plays a less significant role at high signal-to-noise ratios.