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Turkish Archives of Otorhinolaryngology Sep 2023Tinnitus is a common auditory symptom that negatively affects the quality of life of individuals. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of a Turkish...
OBJECTIVE
Tinnitus is a common auditory symptom that negatively affects the quality of life of individuals. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of a Turkish version of the International Tinnitus Inventory (Tr-ITI) for both clinical and research purposes. ITI is a short, easily applicable self-report inventory to measure perceived tinnitus.
METHODS
The Turkish translation of the ITI and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were administered to 125 participants aged 19 to 76 with tinnitus complaints for over three months. A routine audiological evaluation was performed, and the psychoacoustic properties of tinnitus were determined. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to construct validity, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used for the reliability of internal consistency, and retests were administered to participants 15 days after the first measurement.
RESULTS
CFA and inter-item correlations confirmed the unifactorial model. Tr-ITI showed high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha =0.909). All fit index values showed a good fit. Correlations between the total scores of Tr-ITI and THI were moderate (r=-0.620) and between retest scores were very high (r=0.993).
CONCLUSION
The Tr-ITI is a valid, reliable, and practical tool for determining tinnitus severity and tinnitus complaints.
PubMed: 38020412
DOI: 10.4274/tao.2023.2023-5-16 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Nov 2023Tinnitus assessment and outcome measurement are complex, as tinnitus is a purely subjective phenomenon. Instruments used for the outcome measurement of tinnitus in the... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Tinnitus assessment and outcome measurement are complex, as tinnitus is a purely subjective phenomenon. Instruments used for the outcome measurement of tinnitus in the context of clinical trials include self-report questionnaires, visual analogue or numeric rating scales and psychoacoustic measurements of tinnitus loudness. For the evaluation of therapeutic interventions, it is critical to know which changes in outcome measurement instruments can be considered as clinically relevant. For this purpose, the concept of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) has been introduced.
STUDY DESIGN
Here we performed a literature research in PubMed in order to identify for which tinnitus outcome measurements MCID criteria have been estimated and which of these estimates fulfil the current methodological standards and can thus be considered as established.
RESULTS
For most, but not all tinnitus outcome instruments, MCID calculations have been performed. The MCIDs for the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) and visual analogue scales (VAS) vary considerably across studies. Psychoacoustic assessments of tinnitus such as loudness matching have not shown sufficient reliability and validity for the use as an outcome measurement.
CONCLUSION
Future research should aim at the confirmation of the available estimates in large samples involving various therapeutic interventions and under the consideration of time intervals and baseline values. As a rule of thumb, an improvement of about 15% can be considered clinically meaningful, analogous to what has been seen in other entirely subjective pathologies like chronic pain.
PubMed: 38002730
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12227117 -
Pathophysiology : the Official Journal... Oct 2023Prematurity is one of the most crucial risk factors negatively affecting the maturation of the auditory system. Children born preterm demonstrate high rates of hearing...
Prematurity is one of the most crucial risk factors negatively affecting the maturation of the auditory system. Children born preterm demonstrate high rates of hearing impairments. Auditory processing difficulties in preterm children might be a result of disturbances in the central auditory system development and/or sensory deprivation due to peripheral hearing loss. To investigate auditory processing in preterm children, we utilized a set of psychoacoustic tests to assess temporal processing and speech intelligibility. A total of 241 children aged 6-11 years old (136 born preterm and 105 healthy full-term children forming the control group) were assessed. The preterm children were divided into three groups based on their peripheral hearing status: 74 normal hearing (NH group); 30 children with bilateral permanent sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL group) and 32 children with bilateral auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD group). The results showed significantly worse performance in all tests in premature children compared with full-term children. NH and SNHL groups showed significant age-related improvement in speech recognition thresholds in noise that might signify a "bottom-up" auditory processing maturation effect. Overall, all premature children had signs of auditory processing disorders of varying degrees. Analyzing and understanding the auditory processing specificity in preterm children can positively contribute to the more effective implementation of rehabilitation programs.
PubMed: 37987307
DOI: 10.3390/pathophysiology30040038 -
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 -
Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation... Oct 2023
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Multiple Sclerosis; Pandemics; Exercise; Quality of Life
PubMed: 37967488
DOI: 10.1016/j.rehab.2023.101798 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Nov 2023Soundscape studies typically attempt to capture the perception and understanding of sonic environments by surveying users. However, for long-term monitoring or assessing...
Soundscape studies typically attempt to capture the perception and understanding of sonic environments by surveying users. However, for long-term monitoring or assessing interventions, sound-signal-based approaches are required. To this end, most previous research focused on psycho-acoustic quantities or automatic sound recognition. Few attempts were made to include appraisal (e.g., in circumplex frameworks). This paper proposes an artificial intelligence (AI)-based dual-branch convolutional neural network with cross-attention-based fusion (DCNN-CaF) to analyze automatic soundscape characterization, including sound recognition and appraisal. Using the DeLTA dataset containing human-annotated sound source labels and perceived annoyance, the DCNN-CaF is proposed to perform sound source classification (SSC) and human-perceived annoyance rating prediction (ARP). Experimental findings indicate that (1) the proposed DCNN-CaF using loudness and Mel features outperforms the DCNN-CaF using only one of them. (2) The proposed DCNN-CaF with cross-attention fusion outperforms other typical AI-based models and soundscape-related traditional machine learning methods on the SSC and ARP tasks. (3) Correlation analysis reveals that the relationship between sound sources and annoyance is similar for humans and the proposed AI-based DCNN-CaF model. (4) Generalization tests show that the proposed model's ARP in the presence of model-unknown sound sources is consistent with expert expectations and can explain previous findings from the literature on soundscape augmentation.
PubMed: 37966335
DOI: 10.1121/10.0022408 -
The Journal of the Acoustical Society... Nov 2023This study presents a comprehensive numerical framework for auralizing multirotor noise during complex maneuvers, incorporating rotor tonal and broadband noise...
This study presents a comprehensive numerical framework for auralizing multirotor noise during complex maneuvers, incorporating rotor tonal and broadband noise prediction, synthesis, and psychoacoustic analysis. Validation studies for various flight scenarios, including single rotors and quadrotors, confirm the capability of this framework in the prediction-based psychoacoustic analysis of multirotor configurations. The primary focus of this research is to assess the flyover and takeoff noise of multirotors under diverse operating conditions. When tracking the mission profile under gusty wind conditions, the multirotor noise is characterized by frequency and amplitude modulations induced by rotational speed control for each rotor. A high-resolution time-frequency analysis is conducted for the tonal noise to highlight these modulation characteristics. Additionally, the prediction-based psychoacoustic analysis is performed for cross- and plus-type quadrotor configurations to clarify the effects of gusty wind profiles and flight control. The results demonstrate that variations in the rotational speed of each rotor, influenced by mission profiles and gusty wind conditions, contribute to the distinct acoustic characteristics of multirotor configurations in both physical and psychological aspects. The synthesized noise time signal and modulation characteristics provide valuable insights into the impact of operational environments on psychoacoustic metrics and annoyance.
PubMed: 37955567
DOI: 10.1121/10.0022352 -
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 -
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 -
Hearing Research Nov 2023Loss of function of stereocilin (STRC) is the second most common cause of inherited hearing loss. The loss of the stereocilin protein, encoded by the STRC gene, induces...
Loss of function of stereocilin (STRC) is the second most common cause of inherited hearing loss. The loss of the stereocilin protein, encoded by the STRC gene, induces the loss of connection between outer hair cells and tectorial membrane. This only affects the outer hair cells (OHCs) function, involving deficits of active cochlear frequency selectivity and amplifier functions despite preservation of normal inner hair cells. Better understanding of cochlear features associated with mutation of STRC will improve our knowledge of normal cochlear function, the pathophysiology of hearing impairment, and potentially enhance hearing aid and cochlear implant signal processing. Nine subjects with homozygous or compound heterozygous loss of function mutations in STRC were included, age 7-24 years. Temporal and spectral modulation perception were measured, characterized by spectral and temporal modulation transfer functions. Speech-in-noise perception was studied with spondee identification in adaptive steady-state noise and AzBio sentences with 0 and -5 dB SNR multitalker babble. Results were compared with normal hearing (NH) and cochlear implant (CI) listeners to place STRC listeners' hearing capacity in context. Spectral ripple discrimination thresholds in the STRC subjects were poorer than in NH listeners (p < 0.0001) but remained better than for CI listeners (p < 0.0001). Frequency resolution appeared impaired in the STRC group compared to NH listeners but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.06). Compared to NH listeners, amplitude modulation detection thresholds in the STRC group did not reach significance (p= 0.06) but were better than in CI subjects (p < 0.0001). Temporal resolution in STRC subjects was similar to NH (p = 0.98) but better than in CI listeners (p = 0.04). The spondee reception threshold in the STRC group was worse than NH listeners (p = 0.0008) but better than CI listeners (p = 0.0001). For AzBio sentences, performance at 0 dB SNR was similar between the STRC group and the NH group, 88 % and 97 % respectively. For -5 dB SNR, the STRC performance was significantly poorer than NH, 40 % and 85 % respectively, yet much better than with CI who performed at 54 % at +5 dB SNR in children and 53 % at + 10 dB SNR in adults. To our knowledge, this is the first study of the psychoacoustic performance of human subjects lacking cochlear amplification but with normal inner hair cell function. Our data demonstrate preservation of temporal resolution and a trend to impaired frequency resolution in this group without reaching statistical significance. Speech-in-noise perception compared to NH listeners was impaired as well. All measures were better than those in CI listeners. It remains to be seen if hearing aid modifications, customized for the spectral deficits in STRC listeners can improve speech understanding in noise. Since cochlear implants are also limited by deficient spectral selectivity, STRC hearing may provide an upper bound on what could be obtained with better temporal coding in electrical stimulation.
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Adolescent; Young Adult; Hearing; Hearing Loss; Cochlear Implants; Cochlear Implantation; Noise; Speech Perception; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
PubMed: 37890241
DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2023.108898