Neural Tracking of Speech Envelope as an Index of Spatial Release from Masking

Abstract

Understanding speech in noisy environments relies strongly on binaural cues such as interaural time and level differences (ITDs and ILDs), which support spatial hearing and the segregation of competing sound sources. When these cues are degraded, listeners experience substantial difficulty in complex acoustic environments. Behavioural measures of binaural benefit, such as binaural masking level differences, binaural intelligibility level differences, and spatial release from masking (SRM), are well established in normal-hearing (NH) listeners, but they require an active behavioural response. Neural speech tracking using electroencephalography (EEG) has emerged as a promising approach for quantifying neural processing of continuous speech, yet its sensitivity to spatial hearing cues remains insufficiently characterised. We investigated the neural correlates of spatial release from masking in NH listeners using EEG-based neural speech tracking. Nineteen participants listened to continuous Dutch speech stories presented with masking noise under two spatial configurations, collocated (S0N0) and spatially separated (S0N90), across multiple signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Neural tracking of the speech envelope was quantified using both envelope reconstruction and temporal response function (TRF) analyses. Spatial separation enhanced neural tracking of the target speech envelope, particularly at challenging SNRs where behavioural SRM was also observed. TRF analysis further revealed increased amplitudes and decreased latencies of late cortical components consistent with spatial unmasking effects. These findings demonstrate that neural speech tracking captures cortical signatures of spatial unmasking and closely reflects behavioural improvements in speech understanding. Establishing these relationships in NH listeners supports the development of objective neural measures for evaluating binaural benefit in difficult-to-test populations.