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Ear, Nose, & Throat Journal May 2024The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of combining hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) with conventional pharmacological interventions in the...
Clinical Observations on the Combined Use of Hyperbaric Oxygenation and Conventional Medications in the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Concurrent With Sudden Deafness.
The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of combining hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) with conventional pharmacological interventions in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus concurrent with sudden deafness. A cohort of 96 patients diagnosed with sudden deafness was enrolled and subsequently randomized into 2 groups: a treatment group (n = 50) and a control group (n = 46). The control group received standard conventional treatment aimed at enhancing microcirculation and nutritional support for nerves, while the treatment group underwent conventional symptomatic treatment coupled with HBOT. The evaluation encompassed the monitoring of blood glucose and blood lipid levels, clinical efficacy, and absolute hearing threshold improvement in both groups. Following the intervention, noteworthy reductions in blood glucose and blood lipid levels were observed in both groups compared to their respective pretreatment values. Furthermore, posttreatment values in the treatment group exhibited a statistically significant decrease in comparison to those in the control group ( < .05). On assessing clinical efficacy posttreatment, the treatment group demonstrated a significantly higher efficacy than the control group ( < .05). In addition, the absolute hearing thresholds in both groups exhibited a significant decrease posttreatment compared to baseline values. Notably, the treatment group displayed a statistically significant reduction in absolute hearing thresholds compared to the control group posttreatment ( < .05). The combined therapeutic approach utilizing hyperbaric oxygen exhibits effectiveness in mitigating auditory impairment among individuals manifesting sudden deafness concomitant with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, this treatment approach is associated with a concurrent reduction in blood glucose and blood lipid levels.
PubMed: 38747325
DOI: 10.1177/01455613241254433 -
JASA Express Letters May 2024Two measures of auditory spatial resolution, the minimum audible angle and the minimum audible movement angle, have been obtained in a simulated acoustic environment...
Two measures of auditory spatial resolution, the minimum audible angle and the minimum audible movement angle, have been obtained in a simulated acoustic environment using Ambisonics sound field reproduction. Trajectories were designed to provide no reliable cues for the spatial discrimination task. Larger threshold angles were found in reverberant compared to anechoic conditions, for stimuli on the side compared to the front, and for moving compared to static stimuli. The effect of reverberation appeared to be independent of the position of the sound source (same relative threshold increase) and was independently present for static and moving sound sources.
PubMed: 38742997
DOI: 10.1121/10.0025992 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... May 2024Medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferents modulate outer hair cell motility through specialized nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to support encoding of signals in noise....
Medial olivocochlear (MOC) efferents modulate outer hair cell motility through specialized nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to support encoding of signals in noise. Transgenic mice lacking the alpha9 subunits of these receptors (α9KOs) have normal hearing in quiet and noise, but lack classic cochlear suppression effects and show abnormal temporal, spectral, and spatial processing. Mice deficient for both the alpha9 and alpha10 receptor subunits (α9α10KOs) may exhibit more severe MOC-related phenotypes. Like α9KOs, α9α10KOs have normal auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds and weak MOC reflexes. Here, we further characterized auditory function in α9α10KO mice. Wild-type (WT) and α9α10KO mice had similar ABR thresholds and acoustic startle response amplitudes in quiet and noise, and similar frequency and intensity difference sensitivity. α9α10KO mice had larger ABR Wave I amplitudes than WTs in quiet and noise. Other ABR metrics of hearing-in-noise function yielded conflicting findings regarding α9α10KO susceptibility to masking effects. α9α10KO mice also had larger startle amplitudes in tone backgrounds than WTs. Overall, α9α10KO mice had grossly normal auditory function in quiet and noise, although their larger ABR amplitudes and hyperreactive startles suggest some auditory processing abnormalities. These findings contribute to the growing literature showing mixed effects of MOC dysfunction on hearing.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Mice; Acoustic Stimulation; Auditory Pathways; Auditory Perception; Auditory Threshold; Behavior, Animal; Cochlea; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Hearing; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Noise; Olivary Nucleus; Perceptual Masking; Phenotype; Receptors, Nicotinic; Reflex, Startle
PubMed: 38738939
DOI: 10.1121/10.0025985 -
Trends in Hearing 2024The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a valuable clinical tool for objective hearing assessment, which is conventionally detected by averaging neural responses to...
The auditory brainstem response (ABR) is a valuable clinical tool for objective hearing assessment, which is conventionally detected by averaging neural responses to thousands of short stimuli. Progressing beyond these unnatural stimuli, brainstem responses to continuous speech presented via earphones have been recently detected using linear temporal response functions (TRFs). Here, we extend earlier studies by measuring subcortical responses to continuous speech presented in the sound-field, and assess the amount of data needed to estimate brainstem TRFs. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from 24 normal hearing participants while they listened to clicks and stories presented via earphones and loudspeakers. Subcortical TRFs were computed after accounting for non-linear processing in the auditory periphery by either stimulus rectification or an auditory nerve model. Our results demonstrated that subcortical responses to continuous speech could be reliably measured in the sound-field. TRFs estimated using auditory nerve models outperformed simple rectification, and 16 minutes of data was sufficient for the TRFs of all participants to show clear wave V peaks for both earphones and sound-field stimuli. Subcortical TRFs to continuous speech were highly consistent in both earphone and sound-field conditions, and with click ABRs. However, sound-field TRFs required slightly more data (16 minutes) to achieve clear wave V peaks compared to earphone TRFs (12 minutes), possibly due to effects of room acoustics. By investigating subcortical responses to sound-field speech stimuli, this study lays the groundwork for bringing objective hearing assessment closer to real-life conditions, which may lead to improved hearing evaluations and smart hearing technologies.
Topics: Humans; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Male; Electroencephalography; Female; Speech Perception; Acoustic Stimulation; Adult; Young Adult; Auditory Threshold; Time Factors; Cochlear Nerve; Healthy Volunteers
PubMed: 38738341
DOI: 10.1177/23312165241246596 -
Hearing Research Jun 2024Cortical acetylcholine (ACh) release has been linked to various cognitive functions, including perceptual learning. We have previously shown that cortical cholinergic...
Cortical acetylcholine (ACh) release has been linked to various cognitive functions, including perceptual learning. We have previously shown that cortical cholinergic innervation is necessary for accurate sound localization in ferrets, as well as for their ability to adapt with training to altered spatial cues. To explore whether these behavioral deficits are associated with changes in the response properties of cortical neurons, we recorded neural activity in the primary auditory cortex (A1) of anesthetized ferrets in which cholinergic inputs had been reduced by making bilateral injections of the immunotoxin ME20.4-SAP in the nucleus basalis (NB) prior to training the animals. The pattern of spontaneous activity of A1 units recorded in the ferrets with cholinergic lesions (NB ACh) was similar to that in controls, although the proportion of burst-type units was significantly lower. Depletion of ACh also resulted in more synchronous activity in A1. No changes in thresholds, frequency tuning or in the distribution of characteristic frequencies were found in these animals. When tested with normal acoustic inputs, the spatial sensitivity of A1 neurons in the NB ACh ferrets and the distribution of their preferred interaural level differences also closely resembled those found in control animals, indicating that these properties had not been altered by sound localization training with one ear occluded. Simulating the animals' previous experience with a virtual earplug in one ear reduced the contralateral preference of A1 units in both groups, but caused azimuth sensitivity to change in slightly different ways, which may reflect the modest adaptation observed in the NB ACh group. These results show that while ACh is required for behavioral adaptation to altered spatial cues, it is not required for maintenance of the spectral and spatial response properties of A1 neurons.
Topics: Animals; Ferrets; Auditory Cortex; Acoustic Stimulation; Basal Forebrain; Sound Localization; Acetylcholine; Male; Cholinergic Neurons; Auditory Pathways; Female; Immunotoxins; Basal Nucleus of Meynert; Neurons; Auditory Threshold; Adaptation, Physiological; Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 38733712
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2024.109025 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine May 2024: It is assumed that speech comprehension deficits in background noise are caused by age-related or acquired hearing loss. : We examined young, middle-aged, and older...
: It is assumed that speech comprehension deficits in background noise are caused by age-related or acquired hearing loss. : We examined young, middle-aged, and older individuals with and without hearing threshold loss using pure-tone (PT) audiometry, short-pulsed distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (pDPOAEs), auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs), speech comprehension (OLSA), and syllable discrimination in quiet and noise. : A noticeable decline of hearing sensitivity in extended high-frequency regions and its influence on low-frequency-induced ABRs was striking. When testing for differences in OLSA thresholds normalized for PT thresholds (PTTs), marked differences in speech comprehension ability exist not only in noise, but also in quiet, and they exist throughout the whole age range investigated. Listeners with poor speech comprehension in quiet exhibited a relatively lower pDPOAE and, thus, cochlear amplifier performance independent of PTT, smaller and delayed ABRs, and lower performance in vowel-phoneme discrimination below phase-locking limits (/o/-/u/). When OLSA was tested in noise, listeners with poor speech comprehension independent of PTT had larger pDPOAEs and, thus, cochlear amplifier performance, larger ASSR amplitudes, and higher uncomfortable loudness levels, all linked with lower performance of vowel-phoneme discrimination above the phase-locking limit (/i/-/y/). : This study indicates that listening in noise in humans has a sizable disadvantage in envelope coding when basilar-membrane compression is compromised. Clearly, and in contrast to previous assumptions, both good and poor speech comprehension can exist independently of differences in PTTs and age, a phenomenon that urgently requires improved techniques to diagnose sound processing at stimulus onset in the clinical routine.
PubMed: 38731254
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13092725 -
Trends in Hearing 2024To preserve residual hearing during cochlear implant (CI) surgery it is desirable to use intraoperative monitoring of inner ear function (cochlear monitoring). A...
To preserve residual hearing during cochlear implant (CI) surgery it is desirable to use intraoperative monitoring of inner ear function (cochlear monitoring). A promising method is electrocochleography (ECochG). Within this project the relations between intracochlear ECochG recordings, position of the recording contact in the cochlea with respect to anatomy and frequency and preservation of residual hearing were investigated. The aim was to better understand the changes in ECochG signals and whether these are due to the electrode position in the cochlea or to trauma generated during insertion. During and after insertion of hearing preservation electrodes, intraoperative ECochG recordings were performed using the CI electrode (MED-EL). During insertion, the recordings were performed at discrete insertion steps on electrode contact 1. After insertion as well as postoperatively the recordings were performed at different electrode contacts. The electrode location in the cochlea during insertion was estimated by mathematical models using preoperative clinical imaging, the postoperative location was measured using postoperative clinical imaging. The recordings were analyzed from six adult CI recipients. In the four patients with good residual hearing in the low frequencies the signal amplitude rose with largest amplitudes being recorded closest to the generators of the stimulation frequency, while in both cases with severe pantonal hearing losses the amplitude initially rose and then dropped. This might be due to various reasons as discussed in the following. Our results indicate that this approach can provide valuable information for the interpretation of intracochlearly recorded ECochG signals.
Topics: Humans; Cochlea; Cochlear Implantation; Audiometry, Evoked Response; Cochlear Implants; Middle Aged; Aged; Male; Female; Hearing; Adult; Treatment Outcome; Predictive Value of Tests; Electric Stimulation; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Auditory Threshold
PubMed: 38717441
DOI: 10.1177/23312165241248973 -
Trends in Hearing 2024In recent years, tools for early detection of irreversible trauma to the basilar membrane during hearing preservation cochlear implant (CI) surgery were established in...
Does Intraoperative Extracochlear Electrocochleography Correlate With Postoperative Audiometric Hearing Thresholds in Cochlear Implant Surgery? A Retrospective Analysis of Cochlear Monitoring.
In recent years, tools for early detection of irreversible trauma to the basilar membrane during hearing preservation cochlear implant (CI) surgery were established in several clinics. A link with the degree of postoperative hearing preservation in patients was investigated, but patient populations were usually small. Therefore, this study's aim was to analyze data from intraoperative extracochlear electrocochleography (ECochG) recordings for a larger group.During hearing preservation CI surgery, extracochlear recordings were made before, during, and after CI electrode insertion using a cotton wick electrode placed at the promontory. Before and after insertion, amplitudes and stimulus response thresholds were recorded at 250, 500, and 1000 Hz. During insertion, response amplitudes were recorded at one frequency and one stimulus level. Data from 121 patient ears were analyzed.The key benefit of extracochlear recordings is that they can be performed before, during, and after CI electrode insertion. However, extracochlear ECochG threshold changes before and after CI insertion were relatively small and did not independently correlate well with hearing preservation, although at 250 Hz they added some significant information. Some tendencies-although no significant relationships-were detected between amplitude behavior and hearing preservation. Rising amplitudes seem favorable and falling amplitudes disadvantageous, but constant amplitudes do not appear to allow stringent predictions.Extracochlear ECochG measurements seem to only partially realize expected benefits. The questions now are: do gains justify the effort, and do other procedures or possible combinations lead to greater benefits for patients?
Topics: Humans; Audiometry, Evoked Response; Retrospective Studies; Cochlear Implantation; Female; Middle Aged; Auditory Threshold; Male; Aged; Cochlear Implants; Adult; Hearing; Cochlea; Treatment Outcome; Adolescent; Predictive Value of Tests; Young Adult; Child; Audiometry, Pure-Tone; Aged, 80 and over; Child, Preschool; Hearing Loss
PubMed: 38715410
DOI: 10.1177/23312165241252240 -
Trends in Hearing 2024This study aimed to preliminarily investigate the associations between performance on the integrated Digit-in-Noise Test (iDIN) and performance on measures of general...
This study aimed to preliminarily investigate the associations between performance on the integrated Digit-in-Noise Test (iDIN) and performance on measures of general cognition and working memory (WM). The study recruited 81 older adult hearing aid users between 60 and 95 years of age with bilateral moderate to severe hearing loss. The Chinese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Basic (MoCA-BC) was used to screen older adults for mild cognitive impairment. Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured using 2- to 5-digit sequences of the Mandarin iDIN. The differences in SRT between five-digit and two-digit sequences (SRT), and between five-digit and three-digit sequences (SRT), were used as indicators of memory performance. The results were compared to those from the Digit Span Test and Corsi Blocks Tapping Test, which evaluate WM and attention capacity. SRT and SRT demonstrated significant correlations with the three cognitive function tests (s ranging from -.705 to -.528). Furthermore, SRT and SRT were significantly higher in participants who failed the MoCA-BC screening compared to those who passed. The findings show associations between performance on the iDIN and performance on memory tests. However, further validation and exploration are needed to fully establish its effectiveness and efficacy.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Hearing Aids; Aged, 80 and over; Memory, Short-Term; Cognitive Dysfunction; Cognition; Noise; Speech Perception; Speech Reception Threshold Test; Age Factors; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Hearing Loss; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Memory; Acoustic Stimulation; Predictive Value of Tests; Correction of Hearing Impairment; Auditory Threshold
PubMed: 38715401
DOI: 10.1177/23312165241253653 -
BioRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Apr 2024There are well-established relationships between aging and neurodegenerative changes, and between aging and hearing loss. The goal of this study was to determine how...
INTRODUCTION
There are well-established relationships between aging and neurodegenerative changes, and between aging and hearing loss. The goal of this study was to determine how structural brain aging is influenced by hearing loss.
METHODS
Human Connectome Project Aging (HCP-A) data were analyzed, including T1-weighted MRI and Words in Noise (WIN) thresholds (n=623). Freesurfer extracted gray and white matter volume, and cortical thickness, area, and curvature. Linear regression models targeted (1) interactions between age and WIN threshold and (2) correlations with WIN threshold adjusted for age, both corrected for false discovery rate (p<0.05).
RESULTS
WIN threshold moderated age-related increase in volume in bilateral inferior lateral ventricles, with higher threshold associated with increased age-related ventricle expansion. Age-related deterioration in occipital cortex was also increased with higher WIN thresholds. When controlling for age, high WIN threshold was correlated with reduced cortical thickness in Heschl's gyrus, calcarine sulcus, and other sensory regions, and reduced temporal lobe white matter. Older volunteers with poorer hearing and cognitive scores had the lowest volume in left parahippocampal white matter.
CONCLUSIONS
Preserved hearing abilities in aging associated with a reduction of age-related changes to medial temporal lobe, and preserved hearing at any age associated with preserved cortical tissue in auditory and other sensory regions. Future longitudinal studies are needed to assess the causal nature of these relationships, but these results indicate interventions which preserve hearing function may combat some neurodegenerative changes in aging.
PubMed: 38712119
DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.22.590589