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British Journal of Hospital Medicine... Sep 2019Noise-induced hearing loss is sensory deafness caused by long-term exposure of the auditory system to a noisy environment. Auditory fatigue is an early symptom of... (Review)
Review
Noise-induced hearing loss is sensory deafness caused by long-term exposure of the auditory system to a noisy environment. Auditory fatigue is an early symptom of noise-induced hearing loss, and hearing can gradually recover after people leave a noisy environment. However, if people remain in a noisy environment for a prolonged period of time, their hearing will be permanently impaired. Societal changes mean that people are more likely to be exposed to noise. The hearing loss and tinnitus caused by noise seriously affect people's quality of life and lead to huge economic loss. The pathogenesis of noise-induced hearing loss is complex. Various theories try to explain this, such as the oxidative stress theory, but none perfectly explains the occurrence of noise-induced hearing loss. There is no treatment which can completely reverse the damage. More research is required to explore the pathogenesis and to better guide clinical practice. Preventative strategies, such as educating the public about hearing health, should be adopted to reduce the harm of noise-induced hearing loss.
Topics: Calcium; Cochlea; Health Education; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced; Humans; Oxidative Stress; Potassium
PubMed: 31498679
DOI: 10.12968/hmed.2019.80.9.525 -
British Journal of Anaesthesia Oct 2023Auditory roughness in medical alarm sounds is an important design attribute, and has been shown to impact user performance and perception. While roughness can assist in...
Auditory roughness in medical alarm sounds is an important design attribute, and has been shown to impact user performance and perception. While roughness can assist in decreased signal-to-noise ratios (perceived loudness) and communicate urgency, it might also impact patient recovery. Therefore, considerations of neuroscience correlates, music theory, and patient impact are critical aspects to investigate in order to optimise alarm design.
Topics: Humans; Sound; Clinical Alarms; Monitoring, Physiologic
PubMed: 37537119
DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.07.003 -
Presse Medicale (Paris, France : 1983) Jun 2021Patients with multiple sclerosis, despite advances in therapy, often suffer from locomotor impairment that limits their mobility and affect quality of life.... (Review)
Review
Patients with multiple sclerosis, despite advances in therapy, often suffer from locomotor impairment that limits their mobility and affect quality of life. Rehabilitation is part of the treatment of MS and has shown its beneficial effects in numerous studies. While traditional rehabilitation techniques remain in the limelight, new technologies are emerging and make it possible to improve the management of disabling symptoms. The aim of this update is to synthesize the new therapy techniques proposed in rehabilitation for patients with multiple sclerosis according to the symptoms as balance, gait, upper limb disorders, fatigue, spasticity and disease progression published over the past 5 years. With regard to balance and walking disorders, neuromotor rehabilitation, physical exercise, rhythmic auditory stimulation, gait robot training and exergaming are effective. Only physical exercise has shown a positive effect on fatigue management. Spasticity is improved by classic rehabilitation techniques however non-invasive brain stimulation are promising. The rehabilitation of upper limb dysfunctions uses various effective techniques such as the repetition of functional tasks in real or virtual situations. In case of a more severe disability, arm robots can be used to relearn the impaired movement. Action observation training in real or virtual situations is also effective. Finally, under certain conditions the constraint induced movement therapy is proposed. The effects of rehabilitation are not only positive on the pyramidal symptoms and fatigue but also increase neuroplasticity and perhaps a neuroprotective effect as shown in some studies.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Circuit-Based Exercise; Disease Progression; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Exergaming; Exoskeleton Device; Fatigue; Gait; Humans; Mobility Limitation; Multiple Sclerosis; Muscle Spasticity; Observational Studies as Topic; Physical Conditioning, Human; Postural Balance; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Sensation Disorders; Upper Extremity
PubMed: 33989721
DOI: 10.1016/j.lpm.2021.104066 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Mar 2024Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were measured at 57 kHz in two dolphins warned of an impending intense tone at 40 kHz. Over the course of testing, the duration of...
Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were measured at 57 kHz in two dolphins warned of an impending intense tone at 40 kHz. Over the course of testing, the duration of the intense tone was increased from 0.5 to 16 s to determine if changes in ABRs observed after cessation of the intense sound were the result of post-stimulatory auditory fatigue or conditioned hearing attenuation. One dolphin exhibited conditioned hearing attenuation after the warning sound preceding the intense sound, but little evidence of post-stimulatory fatigue after the intense sound. The second dolphin showed no conditioned attenuation before the intense sound, but auditory fatigue afterwards. The fatigue was observed within a few seconds after cessation of the intense tone: i.e., at time scales much shorter than those in previous studies of marine mammal noise-induced threshold shifts, which feature measurements on the order of a few minutes after exposure. The differences observed between the two individuals (less auditory fatigue in the dolphin that exhibited the conditioned attenuation) support the hypothesis that conditioned attenuation is a form of "self-mitigation."
Topics: Animals; Auditory Fatigue; Dolphins; Hearing; Sound
PubMed: 38535629
DOI: 10.1121/10.0025387 -
Trends in Hearing 2022Most human auditory psychophysics research has historically been conducted in carefully controlled environments with calibrated audio equipment, and over potentially...
Most human auditory psychophysics research has historically been conducted in carefully controlled environments with calibrated audio equipment, and over potentially hours of repetitive testing with expert listeners. Here, we operationally define such conditions as having high 'auditory hygiene'. From this perspective, conducting auditory psychophysical paradigms online presents a serious challenge, in that results may hinge on absolute sound presentation level, reliably estimated perceptual thresholds, low and controlled background noise levels, and sustained motivation and attention. We introduce a set of procedures that address these challenges and facilitate auditory hygiene for online auditory psychophysics. First, we establish a simple means of setting sound presentation levels. Across a set of four level-setting conditions conducted in person, we demonstrate the stability and robustness of this level setting procedure in open air and controlled settings. Second, we test participants' tone-in-noise thresholds using widely adopted online experiment platforms and demonstrate that reliable threshold estimates can be derived online in approximately one minute of testing. Third, using these level and threshold setting procedures to establish participant-specific stimulus conditions, we show that an online implementation of the classic probe-signal paradigm can be used to demonstrate frequency-selective attention on an individual-participant basis, using a third of the trials used in recent in-lab experiments. Finally, we show how threshold and attentional measures relate to well-validated assays of online participants' in-task motivation, fatigue, and confidence. This demonstrates the promise of online auditory psychophysics for addressing new auditory perception and neuroscience questions quickly, efficiently, and with more diverse samples. Code for the tests is publicly available through Pavlovia and Gorilla.
Topics: Auditory Perception; Auditory Threshold; Humans; Noise; Psychophysics
PubMed: 36131515
DOI: 10.1177/23312165221118792 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2021Hyperfunctional voice disorders (HVDs) are the most common class of voice disorders, consisting of diagnoses such as vocal fold nodules and muscle tension dysphonia....
Hyperfunctional voice disorders (HVDs) are the most common class of voice disorders, consisting of diagnoses such as vocal fold nodules and muscle tension dysphonia. These speech production disorders result in effort, fatigue, pain, and even complete loss of voice. The mechanisms underlying HVDs are largely unknown. Here, the auditory-motor control of voice fundamental frequency (f) was examined in 62 speakers with and 62 speakers without HVDs. Due to the high prevalence of HVDs in singers, and the known impacts of singing experience on auditory-motor function, groups were matched for singing experience. Speakers completed three tasks, yielding: (1) auditory discrimination of voice f; (2) reflexive responses to sudden f shifts; and (3) adaptive responses to sustained f shifts. Compared to controls, and regardless of singing experience, individuals with HVDs showed: (1) worse auditory discrimination; (2) comparable reflexive responses; and (3) a greater frequency of atypical adaptive responses. Atypical adaptive responses were associated with poorer auditory discrimination, directly implicating auditory function in this motor disorder. These findings motivate a paradigm shift for understanding development and treatment of HVDs.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Auditory Perception; Case-Control Studies; Discrimination, Psychological; Dysphonia; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motor Disorders; Singing; Voice Disorders; Young Adult
PubMed: 34162907
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92250-8 -
Journal of Clinical Monitoring and... Aug 2019Hospital noise levels regularly exceed those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is uncertain whether high noise levels have adverse effects on... (Review)
Review
Hospital noise levels regularly exceed those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is uncertain whether high noise levels have adverse effects on patient health. High levels of noise increase patient sleep loss, anxiety levels, length of hospital stay, and morbidity rates. Staff conversation and auditory medical alarms are amongst the leading noise producing stimuli, with combinations of stimuli accounting for much of the high noise levels. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey shows a slight improvement in overall hospital noise levels in the United States, indicating a minor reduction in noise levels. Alarm ambiguity, alarm masking and inefficient alarm design contributes to a large portion of sounds that exceed the environmental noise level in the hospital. Improving the hospital soundscape can begin by training staff in noise reduction, enforcing noise reduction programs, reworking alarm design and encouraging research to evaluate the relative effects of noise producing stimuli on the hospital soundscape.
Topics: Anxiety; Auditory Fatigue; Auditory Perception; Auditory Threshold; Clinical Alarms; Hearing; Hospitals; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Monitoring, Physiologic; Noise; Patient Safety; Patients' Rooms; Perceptual Masking; Quality Improvement; Sleep; United States
PubMed: 30390171
DOI: 10.1007/s10877-018-0215-3 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023COVID-19 may result in persistent symptoms in the post-acute phase, including cognitive and neurological ones. The aim of this study is to investigate the cognitive and...
BACKGROUND
COVID-19 may result in persistent symptoms in the post-acute phase, including cognitive and neurological ones. The aim of this study is to investigate the cognitive and neurological features of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 evaluated in the post-acute phase through a direct neuropsychological evaluation.
METHODS
Individuals recovering from COVID-19 were assessed in an out-patient practice with a complete neurological evaluation and neuropsychological tests (Mini-Mental State Examination; Rey Auditory Verbal Test, Multiple Feature Target Cancellation Test, Trial Making Test, Digit Span Forward and Backward, and Frontal Assessment Battery). Pre- and post-COVID-19 global and mental health status was assessed along with the history of the acute phase of infection. Post-COVID-19 cognitive status was modeled by combining persistent self-reported COVID-related cognitive symptoms and pathologic neuropsychological tests.
RESULTS
A total of 406 individuals (average age 54.5 ± 15.1 years, 45.1% women) were assessed on average at 97.8 ± 48.0 days since symptom onset. Persistent self-reported neurological symptoms were found in the areas of sleep (32%), attention (31%), and memory (22%). The MMSE mean score was 28.6. In total, 84 subjects (20.7%) achieved pathologic neuropsychological test results. A high prevalence of failed tests was found in digit span backward (18.7%), trail making (26.6%), and frontal assessment battery (10.9%). Cognitive status was associated with a number of factors including cardiovascular disease history, persistent fatigue, female sex, age, anxiety, and mental health stress.
CONCLUSION
COVID-19 is capable of eliciting persistent measurable neurocognitive alterations particularly relevant in the areas of attention and working memory. These neurocognitive disorders have been associated with some potentially treatable factors and others that may stratify risk at an early stage.
PubMed: 37492442
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1136667 -
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services... Jan 2020Purpose Listening-related fatigue is an understudied construct that may contribute to the auditory, educational, and psychosocial problems experienced by children with... (Review)
Review
Purpose Listening-related fatigue is an understudied construct that may contribute to the auditory, educational, and psychosocial problems experienced by children with unilateral hearing loss (UHL). Herein, we present an overview of listening-related fatigue in school-age children with hearing loss (CHL), with a focus on children with UHL. Method Following a review of research examining listening-related fatigue in adults and CHL, we present preliminary findings exploring the effects of unilateral and bilateral hearing loss on listening-related fatigue in children. For these exploratory analyses, we used data collected from our ongoing work developing and validating a tool, the Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale, for measuring listening-related fatigue in children. Presently, we are assessing 3 versions of the fatigue scale-child self-report, parent proxy, and teacher proxy. Using these scales, data have been collected from more than 900 participants. Data from children with unilateral and bilateral hearing loss and for children with no hearing loss are compared with adult Vanderbilt Fatigue Scale data. Results Results of our literature review and exploratory analyses suggest that adults and CHL are at increased risk for listening-related fatigue. Importantly, this increased risk was similar in magnitude regardless of whether the loss was unilateral or bilateral. Subjective ratings, based on child self-report and parent proxy report, were consistent, suggesting that children with unilateral and bilateral hearing loss experienced greater listening-related fatigue than children with no hearing loss. In contrast, results based on teacher proxy report were not sensitive to the effects of hearing loss. Conclusions Children with UHL are at increased risk for listening-related fatigue, and the magnitude of fatigue is similar to that experienced by children with bilateral hearing loss. Problems of listening-related fatigue in school-age CHL may be better identified by CHL themselves and their parents than by teachers and specialists working with the children.
Topics: Adolescent; Auditory Perception; Child; Fatigue; Female; Hearing Loss, Bilateral; Hearing Loss, Unilateral; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Speech Perception
PubMed: 31913803
DOI: 10.1044/2019_LSHSS-OCHL-19-0017 -
Acta Psychologica Oct 2022The mechanisms underlying increased dual-task costs in the comparison of modality compatible stimulus-response mappings (e.g., visual-manual, auditory-vocal) and...
The mechanisms underlying increased dual-task costs in the comparison of modality compatible stimulus-response mappings (e.g., visual-manual, auditory-vocal) and modality incompatible mappings (e.g., visual-vocal, auditory-manual) remain elusive. To investigate whether additional control mechanisms are at work in simultaneously processing two modality incompatible mappings, we applied a transfer logic between both types of dual-task mappings in the context of a mental fatigue induction. We expected an increase in dual-task costs for both modality mappings after a fatigue induction with modality compatible tasks. In contrast, we expected an additional, selective increase in modality incompatible dual-task costs after a fatigue induction with modality incompatible tasks. We tested a group of 45young individuals (19-30 years) in an online pre-post design, in which participants were assigned to one of three groups. The two fatigue groups completed a 90-min time-on-task intervention with a dual task comprising either compatible or incompatible modality mappings. The third group paused for 90 min as a passive control group. Pre and post-session contained single and dual tasks in both modality mappings for all participants. In addition to behavioral performance measurements, seven subjective items (effort, focus, subjective fatigue, motivation, frustration, mental and physical capacity) were analyzed. Mean dual-task performance during and after the intervention indicated a practice effect instead of the presumed fatigue effect for all three groups. The modality incompatible intervention group showed a selective performance improvement for the modality incompatible mapping but no transfer to the modality compatible dual task. In contrast, the compatible intervention group showed moderately improved performance in both modality mappings. Still, participants reported increased subjective fatigue and reduced motivation after the fatigue intervention. This dynamic interplay of training and fatigue effects suggests that high control demands were involved in the prolonged performance of a modality incompatible dual task, which are separable from modality compatible dual-task demands.
Topics: Humans; Reaction Time; Psychomotor Performance; Photic Stimulation; Acoustic Stimulation; Mental Fatigue
PubMed: 36242924
DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103766