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European Archives of... Mar 2024To describe the clinical, audiological, and psychometric features observed in patients with chronic tinnitus and rare variants in the ANK2 gene.
PURPOSE
To describe the clinical, audiological, and psychometric features observed in patients with chronic tinnitus and rare variants in the ANK2 gene.
METHODS
We report a case series of 12 patients with chronic tinnitus and heterozygous variants in the ANK2 gene. Tinnitus phenotyping included audiological (standard and high-frequency audiometry, Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) and Auditory Middle Latency Responses (AMLR)), psychoacoustic and psychometric assessment by a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for tinnitus annoyance, the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the test on Hypersensitivity to Sound (THS-GÜF), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
RESULTS
All patients reported a persistent, unilateral noise-type tinnitus, mainly described as white noise or narrowband noise. Seven patients (58%) were considered to have extreme phenotype (THI score > 76), and all patients reported some degree of hyperacusis (THS-GÜF score > 18 in 75% of patients). Seven patients scored MoCA < 26, regardless of the age reported, suggesting a mild cognitive disorder. ABR showed no significant differences in latencies and amplitudes between ears with or without tinnitus. Similarly, the latencies of Pa, Pb waves, and NaPa complex in the AMLR did not differ based on the presence of tinnitus. However, there were statistical differences in the amplitudes of Pa waves in AMLR, with significantly greater amplitudes observed in ears with tinnitus.
CONCLUSION
Patients with ANK2 variants and severe tinnitus exhibit an endophenotype featuring hyperacusis, persistent noise-like tinnitus, high-frequency hearing loss, and decreased amplitudes in AMLR. However, anxiety, depression, and cognitive symptoms vary among individuals.
PubMed: 38507076
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-024-08561-9 -
Laryngoscope Investigative... Oct 2023Tinnitus is a common symptom of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of acute tinnitus...
OBJECTIVE
Tinnitus is a common symptom of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of acute tinnitus in patients with ISSHL.
METHODS
A total of 59 patients with ISSHL and acute tinnitus were enrolled. All patients underwent audiological assessment, tinnitus matching for loudness and frequency, and steroid treatment for sudden hearing loss. Tinnitus-related distress was assessed using the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) questionnaire. The outcomes of hearing recovery and tinnitus remission were investigated retrospectively.
RESULTS
The loudness and pitch of acute tinnitus were 63.2 ± 22.4 dB HL and 2010.63 ± 2368.99 Hz, respectively. Complete and partial recovery rates of acute tinnitus in ISSHL patients were 32.2% and 39% according to the THI scores. The group with complete recovery of hearing showed significantly greater improvement in tinnitus distress than the group with no improvement in hearing. The loudness and pitch of tinnitus did not correlate with tinnitus remission.
CONCLUSION
Hearing recovery is more important for tinnitus remission than the psychoacoustic characteristics of acute tinnitus. Timely identification and proper treatment of hearing loss are important to improve tinnitus remission in patients with ISSHL.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Level 4.
PubMed: 37899881
DOI: 10.1002/lio2.1137 -
Behavior Research Methods May 2024PSYCHOACOUSTICS-WEB is an online tool written in JavaScript and PHP that enables the estimation of auditory sensory thresholds via adaptive threshold tracking. The...
PSYCHOACOUSTICS-WEB is an online tool written in JavaScript and PHP that enables the estimation of auditory sensory thresholds via adaptive threshold tracking. The toolbox implements the transformed up-down methods proposed by Levitt (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 49, 467-477, (1971) for a set of classic psychoacoustical tasks: frequency, intensity, and duration discrimination of pure tones; duration discrimination and gap detection of noise; and amplitude modulation detection with noise carriers. The toolbox can be used through a common web browser; it works with both fixed and mobile devices, and requires no programming skills. PSYCHOACOUSTICS-WEB is suitable for laboratory, classroom, and online testing and is designed for two main types of users: an occasional user and, above all, an experimenter using the toolbox for their own research. This latter user can create a personal account, customise existing experiments, and share them in the form of direct links to further users (e.g., the participants of a hypothetical experiment). Finally, because data storage is centralised, the toolbox offers the potential for creating a database of auditory skills.
PubMed: 38709452
DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02430-3 -
Hearing Research Dec 2023Computer models of the individual components of the peripheral auditory system - the outer, middle, and inner ears and the auditory nerve - have been developed in the...
Computer models of the individual components of the peripheral auditory system - the outer, middle, and inner ears and the auditory nerve - have been developed in the past, with varying level of detail, breadth, and faithfulness of the underlying parameters. Building on previous work, we advance the modeling of the ear by presenting a complete, physiologically justified, bottom-up computer model based on up-to-date experimental data that integrates all of these parts together seamlessly. The detailed bottom-up design of the present model allows for the investigation of partial hearing mechanisms and their defects, including genetic, molecular, and microscopic factors. Also, thanks to the completeness of the model, one can study microscopic effects in the context of their implications on hearing as a whole, enabling the correlation with neural recordings and non-invasive psychoacoustic methods. Such a model is instrumental for advancing quantitative understanding of the mechanism of hearing, for investigating various forms of hearing impairment, as well as for devising next generation hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Topics: Humans; Acoustic Stimulation; Hearing; Hearing Loss; Cochlear Nerve; Ear, External
PubMed: 37944408
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2023.108900 -
Audiology Research Jul 2023Tinnitus affects millions of adults. Many therapies, including complementary and alternative medicine and tinnitus retraining therapies, have been trialed, but an...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Tinnitus affects millions of adults. Many therapies, including complementary and alternative medicine and tinnitus retraining therapies, have been trialed, but an effective option, particularly for chronic subjective tinnitus (CTS), is still lacking.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study investigated the effects of alpha-lipoic acid (600 mg. per day for two months) on two groups of patients using a questionnaire. One group (A) was affected by tinnitus associated with likely cochlear dysfunction and metabolic syndrome, and the other (B) was composed of subjects with acoustic nerve lesions. All the patients were asked to complete the Italian version of the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) to determine the overall degree of perceived annoyance at the beginning and end of therapy. Pure tone averages for speech frequencies and for high frequencies were computed, and psychoacoustic pitch and loudness matches were determined for each subject before and after treatment.
RESULTS
The pure tone audiometry, pitch, loudness, and THI scores of both groups were reported. In group A, statistically significant differences were observed for the "functional" and "emotional" subscales. The total score of THI and the loudness of tinnitus were also significantly reduced. No statistically significant differences were observed in group B.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest a possible contribution of the antioxidant effect to the organ of Corti in subjects with metabolic syndrome and CST.
PubMed: 37489379
DOI: 10.3390/audiolres13040043 -
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics Apr 2024There is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that there are low-level perceptual processes involved in crossmodal correspondences. In this study, we investigate...
There is an increasing body of evidence suggesting that there are low-level perceptual processes involved in crossmodal correspondences. In this study, we investigate the involvement of the superior colliculi in three basic crossmodal correspondences: elevation/pitch, lightness/pitch, and size/pitch. Using a psychophysical design, we modulate visual input to the superior colliculus to test whether the superior colliculus is required for behavioural crossmodal congruency effects to manifest in an unspeeded multisensory discrimination task. In the elevation/pitch task, superior colliculus involvement is required for a behavioural elevation/pitch congruency effect to manifest in the task. In the lightness/pitch and size/pitch task, we observed a behavioural elevation/pitch congruency effect regardless of superior colliculus involvement. These results suggest that the elevation/pitch correspondence may be processed differently to other low-level crossmodal correspondences. The implications of a distributed model of crossmodal correspondence processing in the brain are discussed.
Topics: Humans; Superior Colliculi; Male; Female; Adult; Young Adult; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Size Perception; Attention; Pitch Discrimination; Association; Psychoacoustics; Orientation
PubMed: 38418807
DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02866-x -
Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and... Dec 2023: Studies have shown that tinnitus patients have difficulties in cognitive function such as memory and attention. The Stroop task engages the attention network where one...
UNLABELLED
: Studies have shown that tinnitus patients have difficulties in cognitive function such as memory and attention. The Stroop task engages the attention network where one aspect of the stimulus is noticed while the other one is ignored. Thus, Stroop training can improve the patient's cognitive control and ability to ignore the tinnitus signal. : Thirty chronic tinnitus (> 6 months) patients were included in this study. They were distributed into two 15-member groups: intervention and control. Common audiometric, psychometric, and psychoacoustic evaluations of tinnitus were performed for two groups before intervention and after auditory Stroop training of group 1. : There was significant difference in the quality of life and THI scores, VAS of annoyance, and reaction time of Stroop task before and after intervention in group1. The decreased reaction time was positively correlated with improved quality of life, THI score, and VAS of annoyance. : Cognitive rehabilitation using tasks such as auditory Stroop can be effective in controlling tinnitus by improving cognitive control.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-023-04011-w.
PubMed: 37974734
DOI: 10.1007/s12070-023-04011-w -
International Journal of Pediatric... Sep 2023To assess the suprathreshold auditory processing and speech recognition abilities in noise in children with specific learning disorder (SLD).
OBJECTIVE
To assess the suprathreshold auditory processing and speech recognition abilities in noise in children with specific learning disorder (SLD).
METHODS
A group of twenty-five children diagnosed with SLD and a control group of twenty-five neuro-typical children were included in the study. All the participants were between 6-11 years old. To evaluate suprathreshold auditory processing abilities, the participants were given the Temporal Fine Structure (TFS) Sensitivity Test and the Temporal Envelope (TE) Sensitivity Test, as well as the Consonant Identification Test, was administered to evaluate speech recognition ability in noise. In addition, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) intelligence test was applied to children with SLD, and the relationship between WISC-IV intelligence test scores in different skills and suprathreshold auditory processing and speech recognition abilities in noise was investigated.
RESULTS
Significant differences were found between children diagnosed with SLD and neuro-typical children in terms of suprathreshold auditory processing tasks and speech recognition in noise. Additionally, no correlation was found between suprathreshold auditory processing tasks, speech recognition in noise, and intelligence tests.
CONCLUSION
Suprathreshold auditory processing and speech recognition abilities in noise were found to be affected in children with SLD. A holistic evaluation including a multidisciplinary approach that includes suprathreshold auditory processing abilities is required for children diagnosed with SLD.
Topics: Child; Humans; Specific Learning Disorder; Auditory Perception; Intelligence Tests
PubMed: 37480808
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2023.111660 -
Hearing Research Apr 2024Noise sensitivity and hyperacusis are decreased sound tolerance conditions that are not well delineated or defined. This paper presents the correlations and... (Review)
Review
Noise sensitivity and hyperacusis are decreased sound tolerance conditions that are not well delineated or defined. This paper presents the correlations and distributions of the Noise Sensitivity Scale (NSS) and the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ) scores in two distinct large samples. In Study 1, a community-based sample of young healthy adults (n = 103) exhibited a strong correlation (r = 0.74) between the two questionnaires. The mean NSS and HQ scores were 54.4 ± 16.9 and 12.5 ± 7.5, respectively. NSS scores displayed a normal distribution, whereas HQ scores showed a slight positive skew. In Study 2, a clinical sample of Veterans with or without clinical comorbidities (n = 95) showed a moderate correlation (r = 0.58) between the two questionnaires. The mean scores were 66.6 ± 15.6 and 15.3 ± 7.3 on the NSS and HQ, respectively. Both questionnaires' scores followed a normal distribution. In both samples, participants who self-identified as having decreased sound tolerance scored higher on both questionnaires. These findings provide reference data from two diverse sample groups. The moderate to strong correlations observed in both studies suggest a significant overlap between noise sensitivity and hyperacusis. The results underscore that NSS and HQ should not be used interchangeably, as they aim to measure distinct constructs, however to what extent they actually do remains to be determined. Further investigation should distinguish between these conditions through a comprehensive psychometric analysis of the questionnaires and a thorough exploration of psychoacoustic, neurological, and physiological differences that set them apart.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Hyperacusis; Tinnitus; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sound; Psychoacoustics
PubMed: 38492447
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.108992 -
Audiology & Neuro-otology Mar 2024We aimed to investigate the clinical significance of loudness discomfort level (LDL) test in tinnitus patients and its relationship with pure-tone audiometry,...
INTRODUCTION
We aimed to investigate the clinical significance of loudness discomfort level (LDL) test in tinnitus patients and its relationship with pure-tone audiometry, tinnitogram and questionnaires.
METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 320 tinnitus patients who visited a tertiary university hospital's tinnitus clinic and completed LDL tests between March 2020 and December 2022. Epidemiological data and psychoacoustic test results were collected.
RESULTS
LDL showed no significant differences between frequencies for both ears. Mean LDL did not correlate with mean pure-tone average or hearing thresholds at each frequency. The hearing loss group had higher LDL at 8 kHz compared to the normal hearing group (p<0.01). Objective sound intolerance was found in a quarter, correlating with subjective hyperacusis, anxiety, and depression. Weak negative correlations were found between most of questionnaire's scores and LDL on the left side. Tinnitus loudness weak negatively correlated with LDL at most frequencies, except 8 kHz.
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest a notable association between LDL levels and emotional factors in tinnitus patients, rather than with auditory thresholds. While lateralized differences in LDL responses were observed, specifically on the left side, these preliminary results do not confirm a causal link and thus do not warrant changes to current clinical testing protocols without further research.
PubMed: 38432195
DOI: 10.1159/000538128