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Journal of Speech, Language, and... Dec 2023The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate lifetime noise exposure history (LNEH) reporting. First, two different approaches to evaluate the cumulative LNEH...
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate lifetime noise exposure history (LNEH) reporting. First, two different approaches to evaluate the cumulative LNEH were compared. Second, individual LNEH was associated with the subjects' hearing status. Third, loudness estimates of exposure activities, by means of Jokitulppo- and Ferguson-based exposure levels, were compared with dosimeter sound-level measurements.
METHOD
One hundred one young adults completed the questionnaires, and a subgroup of 30 subjects underwent audiological assessment. Pure-tone audiometry, speech-in-noise intelligibility, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem responses, and envelope following responses were included. Fifteen out of the 30 subjects took part in a noisy activity while wearing a dosimeter.
RESULTS
First, results demonstrate that the structured questionnaire yielded a greater amount of information pertaining to the diverse activities, surpassing the insights obtained from an open-ended questionnaire. Second, no significant correlations between audiological assessment and LNEH were found. Lastly, the results indicate that Ferguson-based exposure levels offer a more precise estimation of the actual exposure levels, in contrast to Jokitulppo-based estimates.
CONCLUSIONS
We propose several recommendations for determining the LNEH. First, it is vital to define accurate loudness categories and corresponding allocated levels, with a preference for the loudness levels proposed by Ferguson et al. (2019), as identified in this study. Second, a structured questionnaire regarding LNEH is recommended, discouraging open-ended questioning. Third, it is essential to include a separate category exclusively addressing work-related activities, encompassing various activities for more accurate surveying.
Topics: Young Adult; Humans; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; Auditory Threshold; Noise; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced
PubMed: 37988687
DOI: 10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00266 -
CoDAS 2023To investigate the functionalities of the neural pathways through the auditory evoked potentials of the brainstem and the contralateral stapedial acoustic reflexes in...
PURPOSE
To investigate the functionalities of the neural pathways through the auditory evoked potentials of the brainstem and the contralateral stapedial acoustic reflexes in normal-hearing individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus, in order to detect possible alterations in the central auditory pathways.
METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study with a comparison group and a convenience sample, consisting of 32 individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 20 controls without the disease. All subjects had hearing thresholds within normal limits and type A tympanometric curves. The acoustic reflex arc and brainstem auditory potentials were investigated. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 17.0. The Chi-square test, Student´s t-test, and Multiple linear regression were used.
RESULTS
The auditory thresholds of the acoustic reflex were statistically lower in the group with the disease at frequencies of 0.5 kHz and 1.0 kHz in the left ear (p=0.01 and p=0.01, respectively). The absolute latencies III and V of the auditory potentials of the brainstem in the right ear and V in the left ear were increased in subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus (p=0.03, p=0.02 and p=0.03, respectively).
CONCLUSION
The findings suggest that subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus are more likely to present alterations in the central auditory pathways, even with auditory thresholds within normal limits.
Topics: Humans; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Reflex, Acoustic; Auditory Pathways; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Cross-Sectional Studies; Evoked Potentials, Auditory; Acoustic Impedance Tests; Auditory Threshold
PubMed: 37194912
DOI: 10.1590/2317-1782/20232021022 -
Journal of Speech, Language, and... Feb 2023The present brain-behavior study examined whether sensory registration or neural inhibition processes explained variability in the behavioral most comfortable level...
PURPOSE
The present brain-behavior study examined whether sensory registration or neural inhibition processes explained variability in the behavioral most comfortable level (MCL) and background noise level (BNL) components of the acceptable noise level (ANL) measure.
METHOD
A traditional auditory gating paradigm was used to evoke neural responses to pairs of pure-tone stimuli in 32 adult listeners with normal hearing. Relationships between behavioral ANL, MCL, and BNL components and cortical responses to each of the paired stimuli were analyzed using linear mixed-effects regression analyses.
RESULTS
Neural responses elicited by Stimulus 2 in the gating paradigm significantly predicted the computed ANL response. The MCL component was significantly associated with responses elicited by Stimulus 1 of the pair. The BNL component of the ANL was significantly associated with neural responses to both Stimulus 1 and Stimulus 2.
CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest neural processes related to neural inhibition support the ANL and BNL component while neural stimulus registration properties are associated with the MCL a listener chooses. These findings suggest that differential neural mechanisms underlie the separate MCL and BNL components of the ANL response.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Noise; Speech Perception; Auditory Threshold
PubMed: 36724767
DOI: 10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00382 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Dec 2021Although clinical use of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) to detect retrocochlear disorders has been largely replaced by imaging in recent years, the discovery of... (Review)
Review
Although clinical use of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) to detect retrocochlear disorders has been largely replaced by imaging in recent years, the discovery of cochlear synaptopathy has thrown this foundational measure of auditory function back into the spotlight. Whereas modern imaging now allows for the noninvasive detection of vestibular schwannomas, imaging technology is not currently capable of detecting cochlear synaptopathy, the loss of the synaptic connections between the inner hair cells and afferent auditory nerve fibers. However, animal models indicate that the amplitude of the first wave of the ABR, a far-field evoked potential generated by the synchronous firing of auditory nerve fibers, is highly correlated with synaptic integrity. This has led to many studies investigating the use of the ABR as a metric of synaptopathy in humans. However, these studies have yielded mixed results, leading to a lack of consensus about the utility of the ABR as an indicator of synaptopathy. This review summarizes the animal and human studies that have investigated the ABR as a measure of cochlear synaptic function, discusses factors that may have contributed to the mixed findings and the lessons learned, and provides recommendations for future use of this metric in the research and clinical settings.
Topics: Animals; Auditory Threshold; Cochlea; Cochlear Nerve; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Humans; Noise
PubMed: 34972291
DOI: 10.1121/10.0007484 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jul 2023The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a scalp recording of potentials produced by sound stimulation, and is commonly used as an indicator of auditory function....
The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a scalp recording of potentials produced by sound stimulation, and is commonly used as an indicator of auditory function. However, the ABR threshold, which is the lowest audible sound pressure, cannot be objectively determined since it is determined visually using a measurer, and this has been a problem for several decades. Although various algorithms have been developed to objectively determine ABR thresholds, they remain lacking in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and convenience. Accordingly, we proposed an improved algorithm based on the mutual covariance at adjacent sound pressure levels. An ideal ABR waveform with clearly defined waves I-V was created; moreover, using this waveform as a standard template, the experimentally obtained ABR waveform was inspected for disturbances based on mutual covariance. The ABR testing was repeated if the value was below the established cross-covariance reference value. Our proposed method allowed more efficient objective determination of ABR thresholds and a smaller burden on experimental animals.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Acoustic Stimulation; Auditory Threshold; Hearing; Disease Models, Animal
PubMed: 37511152
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411393 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Oct 2022The aim of this study was to determine the effect of impulse noise exposure on various proxy measures of cochlear synaptopathy in young military recruits. A total of 27...
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of impulse noise exposure on various proxy measures of cochlear synaptopathy in young military recruits. A total of 27 military recruits with exposure to firearm and artillery noise and 13 non exposed participants were recruited. All presented with normal hearing thresholds and the presence of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). The Noise Exposure Structured Interview (NESI) was used to quantify noise exposure. Speech perception in noise (SPiN), equivalent rectangular bandwidth (ERB) of auditory filters, auditory brainstem response wave I amplitude, wave I amplitude growth function, wave I/V amplitude ratio, wave V latency, wave V latency shift with ipsilateral noise, and the summating potential/action potential ratio of the electrocochleography were measured. In military participants, SPiN was worse, ERB at 4 kHz was larger, wave I amplitude at 75 dBnHL was reduced, and wave V latency was delayed. However, no significant correlations were observed between NESI and auditory measures, once multiplicity of tests was controlled for. These results suggest that military recruits may exhibit supra-threshold deficits, despite presenting with normal hearing thresholds and presence of DPOAEs. Future studies should include a measure of auditory filters in their test battery.
Topics: Humans; Auditory Threshold; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; Military Personnel; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Hearing
PubMed: 36319241
DOI: 10.1121/10.0014829 -
Journal of the American Academy of... 2018Older adults often report difficulty hearing in background noise which is not completely attributable to peripheral hearing loss. Although age-related declines in...
BACKGROUND
Older adults often report difficulty hearing in background noise which is not completely attributable to peripheral hearing loss. Although age-related declines in cognition and hearing in background noise occur, the underlying age-related changes in processing of auditory stimuli in background noise has yet to be fully understood. The auditory P300 has the potential to elucidate the effects of age on auditory and cognitive processing of stimuli in background noise, but additional research is warranted.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to investigate age-related differences in cognitive processing of auditory stimuli by evoking the auditory P300 at multiple signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs).
RESEARCH DESIGN
A two-group, repeated measures study design was used.
STUDY SAMPLE
A convenience sample of 35 participants, 15 older adults (mean age of 66.4 yr) and 20 younger adults (mean age of 21.1 yr), participated in the study. All participants had negative otologic and neurological histories.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
The auditory P300 was evoked using an oddball paradigm with 500 (frequent) and 1000 Hz (target) tonal stimuli in quiet and in the presence of background noise at +20, +10, and 0 SNRs. P300 amplitudes and latencies were measured in each condition for every participant. Repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted for the amplitude and latency measures of the P300 for each group.
RESULTS
Results from this study demonstrated P300 latencies were significantly longer in older adults in noise at the most challenging condition (0 SNR) compared with the quiet condition and between the +10 SNR and 0 SNR conditions. Although older adults had significantly longer P300 latencies compared with younger adults, no significant group by listening condition interaction existed. No significant P300 amplitude differences were found for group, noise, or group × listening condition interactions.
CONCLUSIONS
Results provide evidence that auditory cortical processing, regardless of age, is poorer at more difficult SNRs. However, results also demonstrate that older adults perform significantly poorer than younger adults. This supports the notion that some degree of age-related decline in synchronous firing and rate of transmission of the auditory cortical neurons contributing to the auditory P300 exists. Studies are needed to further understand the impact of noise on auditory cortical processing across populations.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Aged; Auditory Cortex; Auditory Perception; Auditory Threshold; Cognition; Evoked Potentials, Auditory; Female; Humans; Male; Reference Values; Young Adult
PubMed: 30479263
DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.17077 -
Journal of the Association For Research... Dec 2022The middle-ear system relies on a balance of mass and stiffness characteristics for transmitting sound from the external environment to the cochlea and auditory neural...
The middle-ear system relies on a balance of mass and stiffness characteristics for transmitting sound from the external environment to the cochlea and auditory neural pathway. Phase is one aspect of sound that, when transmitted and encoded by both ears, contributes to binaural cue sensitivity and spatial hearing. The study aims were (i) to investigate the effects of middle-ear stiffness on the auditory brainstem neural encoding of phase in human adults with normal pure-tone thresholds and (ii) to investigate the relationships between middle-ear stiffness-induced changes in wideband acoustic immittance and neural encoding of phase. The auditory brainstem neural encoding of phase was measured using the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) with and without middle-ear stiffness elicited via contralateral activation of the middle-ear muscle reflex (MEMR). Middle-ear stiffness was quantified using a wideband acoustic immittance assay of acoustic absorbance. Statistical analyses demonstrated decreased ASSR phase lag and decreased acoustic absorbance with contralateral activation of the MEMR, consistent with increased middle-ear stiffness changing the auditory brainstem neural encoding of phase. There were no statistically significant correlations between stiffness-induced changes in wideband acoustic absorbance and ASSR phase. The findings of this study may have important implications for understanding binaural cue sensitivity and horizontal plane sound localization in audiologic and otologic clinical populations that demonstrate changes in middle-ear stiffness, including cochlear implant recipients who use combined electric and binaural acoustic hearing and otosclerosis patients.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Ear, Middle; Hearing Tests; Hearing; Cochlear Nerve; Brain Stem; Auditory Threshold; Acoustic Stimulation
PubMed: 36214911
DOI: 10.1007/s10162-022-00872-0 -
Audiology & Neuro-otology 2016Mismatch negativity (MMN) has been widely used to study the function of central auditory processing in the elderly. However, current research has not yet considered the...
Mismatch negativity (MMN) has been widely used to study the function of central auditory processing in the elderly. However, current research has not yet considered the effect of noise and high-frequency hearing threshold on MMN in the elderly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aging and high-frequency hearing loss on speech-related MMN in noisy backgrounds. Additionally, the possible mechanisms of central auditory processing dysfunction in the elderly were investigated. Fifty people aged 61-80 (70 ± 5.8) years were recruited for this study. They were divided into a 61- to 70-year-old group and a 71- to 80-year-old group. Fifty younger adults aged 21-40 (31 ± 5.3) years were recruited as healthy controls. Pure-tone hearing thresholds were recorded. A speech discrimination score (SDS) and a speech-evoked MMN under white noise with a bandwidth from 125 to 8,000 Hz background condition were recorded. The relationships between SDS and MMN latency and amplitude were analyzed. The effects of age and binaural 2,000-, 4,000- and 8,000-Hz pure-tone hearing thresholds on MMN latency and amplitude were analyzed. We found that the hearing thresholds of 2,000, 4,000 and 8,000 Hz in the 61- to 70-year-old and 71- to 80-year-old groups were higher than those in the control group. The SDS in a noisy background in the 61- to 70-year-old and 71- to 80-year-old groups were lower than those in the control group. Speech-evoked MMN latency was longer in the 61- to 70-year-old and in the 71- to 80-year-old groups than in the control group (215.8 ± 14.2 ms). SDS and speech-evoked MMN latency were negatively correlated. Age and speech-evoked MMN latency were positively correlated, as were the binaural 4,000- to 8,000-Hz pure-tone hearing thresholds and speech-evoked MMN. This study suggests that in elderly subjects, the function of preattentive central auditory processing changes. Additionally, increasing age and high-frequency hearing thresholds create a synergy in neurons that is weakened in the MMN time window, which may be a cause of central auditory processing disorders in elderly subjects in noisy background conditions.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Auditory Threshold; Evoked Potentials, Auditory; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Noise; Speech; Speech Discrimination Tests; Speech Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 26650255
DOI: 10.1159/000441693 -
American Journal of Audiology Dec 2022Normative auditory brainstem response (ABR) data for infants and young children are available for 0.25-4 kHz, limiting clinical assessment to this range. As such, the...
PURPOSE
Normative auditory brainstem response (ABR) data for infants and young children are available for 0.25-4 kHz, limiting clinical assessment to this range. As such, the high-frequency hearing sensitivity of infants and young children remains unknown until behavioral testing can be completed, often not until late preschool or early school ages. The purpose of this study was to obtain normative ABR data at 6 and 8 kHz in young infants.
METHOD
Participants were 173 full-term infants seen clinically for ABR testing at 0.4-6.7 months chronological age ( = 1.4 months, = 1.0), 97% of whom were ≤ 12 weeks chronological age. Stimuli included 6 and 8 kHz tone bursts presented at a rate of 27.7/s or 30.7/s using Blackman window gating with six cycles (6 kHz) or eight cycles (8 kHz) rise/fall time and no plateau. Presentation levels included 20, 40, and 60 dB nHL. The ABR threshold was estimated in 5- to 10-dB steps.
RESULTS
As previously observed with lower frequency stimuli, ABR waveforms obtained in response to 6 and 8 kHz tone bursts decreased in latency with increasing intensity and increasing age. Latency was shorter for 8-kHz tone bursts than 6-kHz tone bursts. Data tables are presented for clinical reference for infants ≤ 4 weeks, 4.1-8 weeks, and 8.1-12 weeks chronological age including median ABR latency for Waves I, III, and V and the upper and lower boundaries of the 90% prediction interval. Interpeak Latencies I-III, III-V, and I-V are also reported.
CONCLUSION
The results from this study demonstrate that ABR assessment at 6 and 8 kHz is feasible for young infants within a standard clinical appointment and provide reference data for clinical interpretation of ABR waveforms for frequencies above 4 kHz.
Topics: Infant; Child; Humans; Child, Preschool; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Auditory Threshold; Hearing; Acoustic Stimulation
PubMed: 36442042
DOI: 10.1044/2022_AJA-22-00100