# Mechanisms of Impaired Speech Perception in Veterans with Non-Blast TBI

> **NIH VA IK1** · PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · —

## Abstract

Blast-exposure or non-blast-related traumatic brain injury (TBI), resulting from incidents such as falls, sports
concussion, or motor vehicle accidents, are prevalent injuries sustained by Operation Enduring Freedom and
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans. Individuals with a history of these brain injuries often report substantial
difficulties understanding speech in noise despite having normal peripheral hearing sensitivity. Research has
shown that Veterans with a history of exposure to high-intensity blasts show deficits on neural and behavioral
measures that reflect auditory processing at the level of the cortex, while measures that reflect the integrity of
subcortical auditory processing mechanisms appear to be unaffected. However, recent research on civilians
with non-blast TBI suggest that this type of brain injury impacts neural processing mechanisms that are
different than those impacted by blast exposure. For instance, unlike results from individuals with a history of
blast exposure, several research studies have shown that civilians with non-blast TBI do show deficits on
neural and behavioral measures that rely on the integrity of auditory processing in subcortical structures, such
as the brainstem and midbrain. The long-term goal of our research program is to develop effective assessment
and individualized auditory rehabilitation methods for individuals with brain injury who have substantial
difficulties communicating in noise. Our specific objectives for this CDA-1 proposal are to identify the effects of
non-blast TBI on subcortical and cortical auditory processing using a comprehensive battery of
electrophysiological and behavioral measures and to identify measures that are predictive of speech
understanding in noise deficits in individuals with non-blast TBI. Specifically, we will 1) identify patterns of
subcortical and cortical processing deficits from a battery of electrophysiological and behavioral measures
previously collected from Veterans with a history of non-blast TBI and control Veteran participants with no
history of blast or TBI, and 2) determine relationships between responses from electrophysiological and
behavioral auditory processing measures and measures of speech perception in noise in a new, larger group
of Veterans and civilians with non-blast TBI. For our first aim, we will perform exploratory analyses on an
existing data set of neural and behavioral measures to identify particular test measures that show effects of
non-blast TBI on auditory processing and which should be prioritized for further testing on a new, larger group
of participants with non-blast TBI. For our second aim, we will collect data from this new, larger sample of
participants with non-blast TBI on measures identified in Aim 1 as well as additional, new measures identified
from the literature, to identify potential subcortical and cortical processing measures that are predictive of
impaired speech understanding in noise. We hypothesize that analys...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10173940
- **Project number:** 5IK1RX003287-02
- **Recipient organization:** PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Tess Koerner
- **Activity code:** IK1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10173940

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10173940, Mechanisms of Impaired Speech Perception in Veterans with Non-Blast TBI (5IK1RX003287-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10173940. Licensed CC0.

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