The Binaural Interaction Component of Auditory Late Responses in Simultaneous Bilingualism
Abstract
Background and aim: Bilingualism is linked to modifications in neural pathways that influence auditory processing. Auditory evoked potentials, including auditory late responses (ALRs), are cortical waves generated in response to sound, which provide insights into auditory processing. This study investigated the relationship between simultaneous bilingualism and binaural processing by examining the binaural interaction component (BIC) of ALRs.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included fifty-six participants, aged 19 to 30 years, classified into monolingual (Persian) and simultaneous bilingual (Turkish-Persian) groups (MG and BG). ALRs were recorded during both monoaural and binaural stimulation. P1, N1, and P2 latencies, as well as P1-N1 and N1-P2 inter-peak amplitudes, were recorded. The BIC was calculated by subtracting the binaural response waveform from the sum of the summed monaural response waveforms.
Results: In binaural stimulation and for the BIC values, BG exhibited shorter mean latencies for all ALR components compared to the MG. This latency reduction reached statistical significance for the P2 component during binaural stimulation and for the N1 and P2 components in the BIC (p<0.05). Mean inter-peak amplitudes showed variability between groups, with the MG demonstrating a significantly greater P1-N1 component amplitude in the BIC (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The reduction in latency and BIC amplitude of the ALR components in simultaneous bilinguals suggests possible changes in the auditory cortical processing. Meanwhile, the variability of BIC amplitude highlights the need for caution in interpreting this component. Also, all analyses were performed without correction for multiple comparisons. Therefore, these exploratory findings require confirmation in future studies.
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20. Hajimohammadi A, Heidari F. Monitoring the Efficacy of Auditory Training through Changes in Brainstem and Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials: A Systematic Review. Egypt J Otolaryngol. 2024;40:95. [DOI:10.1186/s43163-024-00606-4]
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23. Li P, Zhang F, Tsai E, Puls B. Language history questionnaire (LHQ 2.0): A new dynamic web-based research tool. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 2014;17(3):673-80. DOI:10.1017/S1366728913000606
24. Paap KR, Greenberg ZI. There is no coherent evidence for a bilingual advantage in executive processing. Cogn Psychol. 2013 Mar;66(2):232-58. DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2012.12.002
25. McPherson DL, Starr A. Binaural interaction in auditory evoked potentials: brainstem, middle- and long-latency components. Hear Res. 1993 Mar;66(1):91-8. DOI: 10.1016/0378-5955(93)90263-z
26. Wong WY, Stapells DR. Brain stem and cortical mechanisms underlying the binaural masking level difference in humans: an auditory steady-state response study. Ear Hear. 2004 Feb;25(1):57-67. DOI: 10.1097/01.AUD.0000111257.11898.64
27. Rossi E, Cheng H, Kroll JF, Diaz MT, Newman SD. Changes in White-Matter Connectivity in Late Second Language Learners: Evidence from Diffusion Tensor Imaging. Front Psychol. 2017 Nov 21;8:2040. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02040
28. Bsharat-Maalouf D, Karawani H. Bilinguals' speech perception in noise: Perceptual and neural associations. PLoS One. 2022 Feb 23;17(2):e0264282. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264282
29. Boroujeni FM, Heidari F, Rouzbahani M, Kamali M. Comparison of auditory stream segregation in sighted and early blind individuals. Neurosci Lett. 2017 Jan 18;638:218-221. DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.12.022
30. Skoe E, Karayanidi K. Bilingualism and Speech Understanding in Noise: Auditory and Linguistic Factors. J Am Acad Audiol. 2019 Feb;30(2):115-130. DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.17082
31. Wagner M, Shafer VL, Haxhari E, Kiprovski K, Behrmann K, Griffiths T. Stability of the Cortical Sensory Waveforms, the P1-N1-P2 Complex and T-Complex, of Auditory Evoked Potentials. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2017 Jul 12;60(7):2105-2115. DOI: 10.1044/2017_JSLHR-H-16-0056
32. Haywood NR, Undurraga JA, Marquardt T, McAlpine D. A Comparison of Two Objective Measures of Binaural Processing: The Interaural Phase Modulation Following Response and the Binaural Interaction Component. Trends Hear. 2015 Dec 30;19:2331216515619039. DOI: 10.1177/2331216515619039
2. Mouthon M, Annoni JM, Asaid Khateb A. The bilingual brain. Swiss Arch Neurol Psychiatry Psychother. 2013;164(8):266-73. [DOI:10.4414/sanp.2013.00210]
3. VAN Dijk C, VAN Wonderen E, Koutamanis E, Kootstra GJ, Dijkstra T, Unsworth S. Cross-linguistic influence in simultaneous and early sequential bilingual children: a meta-analysis. J Child Lang. 2022;49(5):897-929. [DOI:10.1017/S0305000921000337]
4. Desjardins JL, Bangert A, Gomez N. What Does Language Have to Do With It? The Impact of Age and Bilingual Experience on Inhibitory Control in an Auditory Dichotic Listening Task. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2020;63(5):1581-94. DOI: 10.1044/2020_JSLHR-19-00238
5. Gresele AD, Garcia MV, Torres EM, Santos SN, Costa MJ. Bilingualism and auditory processing abilities: performance of adults in dichotic listening tests. Codas. 2013;25(6):506-12. [DOI:10.1590/S2317-17822014000100003]
6. Kraus N, White-Schwoch T. The bilingualism paradox. The Hearing Journal. 2017;70(1):40, 42. [DOI: 10.1097/01.HJ.0000511727.48959.2d]
7. Jafari Z, Villeneuve C, Thompson J, Koravand A. Subcortical plasticity and enhanced neural synchrony in multilingual adults. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 2022;26(2):307-16. DOI:10.1017/S1366728922000645
8. Oliveira LS, Oliveira ACS, Alcântara YB, Vieira CA, Ferreira DMO, Chagas EFB, Frizzo ACF. Study of Binaural Auditory Cortical Response in Children with History of Recurrent Otitis. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2020;25(4):e490-e495. DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1718527
9. Roup CM, Leigh ED. Individual Differences in Behavioral and Electrophysiological Measures of Binaural Processing Across the Adult Life Span. Am J Audiol. 2015 Jun;24(2):204-15. DOI: 10.1044/2015_AJA-14-0017
10. Leigh-Paffenroth ED, Roup CM, Noe CM. Behavioral and electrophysiologic binaural processing in persons with symmetric hearing loss. J Am Acad Audiol. 2011 Mar;22(3):181-93; quiz 194-5. DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.22.3.6
11. Zhang F, Boettcher FA. Effects of interaural time and level differences on the binaural interaction component of the 80 Hz auditory steady-state response. J Am Acad Audiol. 2008 Jan;19(1):82-94. DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.19.1.7
12. Krizman J, Tierney A, Nicol T, Kraus N. Listening in the Moment: How Bilingualism Interacts With Task Demands to Shape Active Listening. Front Neurosci. 2021 Dec 10;15:717572. DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.717572
13. Hajimohammadi A, Heidari F. The effect of bilingualism on obligatory components of auditory late responses in young adults: a cross-sectional study. Egypt J Otolaryngol. 2025;41:6. [doi:10.1186/s43163-025-00757-y]
14. Rinker T, Yu YH, Wagner M, Shafer VL. Language Learning Under Varied Conditions: Neural Indices of Speech Perception in Bilingual Turkish-German Children and in Monolingual Children With Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Front Hum Neurosci. 2022 Jan 4;15:706926. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.706926
15. Koravand A, Thompson J, Chénier G, Kordjazi N. The Effects of Bilingualism on Speech Evoked Brainstem Responses Recorded in Quiet and in Noise. Can Acoust. 2019;47(2):23-30.
16. Marques PM, Mattiazzi ÂL, Ferreira L, Oppitz SJ, Biaggio EPV. The Effect of Learning English on P300 in Children. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Apr;25(2):e284-e288. DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1710304
17. Molnar M, Baum S, Polka L, Ménard L, Steinhauer K. Automatic auditory discrimination of vowels in simultaneous bilingual and monolingual speakers as measured by the mismatch negativity (MMN). J Acoust Soc Am. 2009;125:2754. [DOI:10.1121/1.4784621]
18. Shokri S, Mohamadkhani G, Pourbakht A, Jalayi S, Sanayi R. [Comparison of auditory middle latency responses in Azari-Persian bilinguals and Persian monolingual]. J Res Rehabil Sci. 2014;9(5):1-10. Persian
19. Rämä P, Leminen A, Koskenoja-Vainikka S, Leminen M, Alho K, Kujala T. Effect of language experience on selective auditory attention: An event-related potential study. Int J Psychophysiol. 2018 May;127:38-45. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.03.007
20. Hajimohammadi A, Heidari F. Monitoring the Efficacy of Auditory Training through Changes in Brainstem and Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials: A Systematic Review. Egypt J Otolaryngol. 2024;40:95. [DOI:10.1186/s43163-024-00606-4]
21. ElMoazen D, Sobhy O, Abdou R, AbdelMotaleb H. Binaural interaction component of the auditory brainstem response in children with autism spectrum disorder. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2020 Apr;131:109850. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2019.109850
22. Henkin Y, Yaar-Soffer Y, Givon L, Hildesheimer M. Hearing with Two Ears: Evidence for Cortical Binaural Interaction during Auditory Processing. J Am Acad Audiol. 2015 Apr;26(4):384-92. DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.26.4.6
23. Li P, Zhang F, Tsai E, Puls B. Language history questionnaire (LHQ 2.0): A new dynamic web-based research tool. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition. 2014;17(3):673-80. DOI:10.1017/S1366728913000606
24. Paap KR, Greenberg ZI. There is no coherent evidence for a bilingual advantage in executive processing. Cogn Psychol. 2013 Mar;66(2):232-58. DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2012.12.002
25. McPherson DL, Starr A. Binaural interaction in auditory evoked potentials: brainstem, middle- and long-latency components. Hear Res. 1993 Mar;66(1):91-8. DOI: 10.1016/0378-5955(93)90263-z
26. Wong WY, Stapells DR. Brain stem and cortical mechanisms underlying the binaural masking level difference in humans: an auditory steady-state response study. Ear Hear. 2004 Feb;25(1):57-67. DOI: 10.1097/01.AUD.0000111257.11898.64
27. Rossi E, Cheng H, Kroll JF, Diaz MT, Newman SD. Changes in White-Matter Connectivity in Late Second Language Learners: Evidence from Diffusion Tensor Imaging. Front Psychol. 2017 Nov 21;8:2040. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02040
28. Bsharat-Maalouf D, Karawani H. Bilinguals' speech perception in noise: Perceptual and neural associations. PLoS One. 2022 Feb 23;17(2):e0264282. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264282
29. Boroujeni FM, Heidari F, Rouzbahani M, Kamali M. Comparison of auditory stream segregation in sighted and early blind individuals. Neurosci Lett. 2017 Jan 18;638:218-221. DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.12.022
30. Skoe E, Karayanidi K. Bilingualism and Speech Understanding in Noise: Auditory and Linguistic Factors. J Am Acad Audiol. 2019 Feb;30(2):115-130. DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.17082
31. Wagner M, Shafer VL, Haxhari E, Kiprovski K, Behrmann K, Griffiths T. Stability of the Cortical Sensory Waveforms, the P1-N1-P2 Complex and T-Complex, of Auditory Evoked Potentials. J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2017 Jul 12;60(7):2105-2115. DOI: 10.1044/2017_JSLHR-H-16-0056
32. Haywood NR, Undurraga JA, Marquardt T, McAlpine D. A Comparison of Two Objective Measures of Binaural Processing: The Interaural Phase Modulation Following Response and the Binaural Interaction Component. Trends Hear. 2015 Dec 30;19:2331216515619039. DOI: 10.1177/2331216515619039
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How to Cite
1.
Hajimohammadi A, Heidari F. The Binaural Interaction Component of Auditory Late Responses in Simultaneous Bilingualism. Aud Vestib Res. 2026;.
