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Frontiers in Neuroscience 2024Several studies have reported a significant correlation between noise-induced hearing loss and cognitive decline. However, comprehensive analyses of this relationship...
INTRODUCTION
Several studies have reported a significant correlation between noise-induced hearing loss and cognitive decline. However, comprehensive analyses of this relationship are rare. This study aimed to assess the influence of hearing impairment on cognitive functions by analyzing organ samples in the afferent auditory pathway of deafened mice using mRNA sequencing.
METHODS
We prepared 10 female 12-week-old C57BL/6N mice as the experimental and control groups in equal numbers. Mice in the experimental group were deafened with 120 dB sound pressure level (SPL) wideband noise for 2 h. Cochlea, auditory cortex, and hippocampus were obtained from all mice. After constructing cDNA libraries for the extracted RNA from the samples, we performed next-generation sequencing. Subsequently, we analyzed the results using gene ontologies (GOs) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway databases for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of each organ.
RESULTS
Our results revealed 102, 89, and 176 DEGs for cochlea, auditory cortex, and hippocampus, respectively. We identified 294, 203, and 211 GOs; 10, 7, and 17 KEGG pathways in the cochlea, auditory cortex, and hippocampus, respectively. In the long term (12 weeks) from noise-induced hearing loss, GOs and KEGG pathways related to apoptosis or inflammation persisted more actively in the order of hippocampus, auditory cortex, and cochlea.
DISCUSSION
This implies that the neurodegenerative effects of noise exposure persist more longer time in the central regions.
PubMed: 38410162
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1340854 -
Alternative Therapies in Health and... Feb 2024To explore the effect of breathing meditation training on nursing work quality, occurrence risk of adverse events, and attention level of operating room nurses.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the effect of breathing meditation training on nursing work quality, occurrence risk of adverse events, and attention level of operating room nurses.
METHODS
Taking the starting time of breathing meditation training of operating room nurses in our hospital in July 2020 as the dividing line, operating room nurses who implemented routine management from April 2020 to June 2020 were selected as the control group (n=30), and operating room nurses who carried out breathing meditation training from July 2020 to September 2020 were included in the intervention group (n=30). The emotional state [Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score], Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) score, electrocardiogram indicators (blood pressure, pulse, and respiration), electroencephalogram indicators (SMR wave, β wave, and θ wave EEG frequency), attention level (attention quotient, visual attention, and auditory attention), nursing work quality (health education, theoretical knowledge, nursing operation, and operating room management) and the number of reported adverse events were compared between the two groups before and after training.
RESULTS
After breathing meditation training, the intervention group's Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores were significantly reduced (P < .05), while the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) score was significantly increased (P < .05). ). In addition, blood pressure and respiratory rate were reduced in the intervention group (P < .05), with significant differences compared with the control group (P < .05). The SMR waves and beta waves in the intervention group increased (P < .05), while theta waves decreased (P < .05). Attention quotient, visual attention and auditory attention scores were improved in the intervention group compared with the control group (P < .05). The scores of health education, theoretical knowledge, nursing operations and operating room management of the intervention group after training were higher than those of the control group (P < .05). The intervention group reported a lower number of adverse events than the control group (74.42% vs. 25.58%). The application of breathing meditation training in special training for operating room nurses can effectively relieve negative emotions, enhance mindfulness scores, reduce blood pressure and respiratory rate, regulate brain wave frequency, improve attention status and quality of nursing work, and reduce the risk of adverse events. These outcomes may have a positive impact on improving the quality of nursing practice and patient care in the operating room. For operating room nurses, the negative emotional stress caused by sustained high levels of mental concentration may affect work efficiency and the entire surgical process. Breathing meditation training can enhance nurses' emotional resilience, thereby improving the efficiency and safety of operating room care.
CONCLUSION
The application of breathing meditation training in the special training of operating room nurses can effectively alleviate negative emotions, enhance the mindfulness score, reduce blood pressure and respiratory rate, regulate brain wave frequency, improve the attention state and nursing work quality, and reduce the occurrence risk of adverse events. Future research should conduct longitudinal studies to evaluate the long-term effects of breathing meditation training on the quality of nursing work and the prevention of adverse events. Additionally, research could explore advanced neuroimaging techniques to gain structural insights, integrate meditation into existing training programs, tailor interventions for different healthcare settings, assess patient outcomes, explore technology-assisted meditation, and investigate interprofessional collaboration. Through these pathways, a more complete understanding of the impact and best integration of breath meditation in healthcare settings can be achieved, providing valuable insights into improving the well-being of healthcare professionals and potentially overall patient care and satisfaction.
PubMed: 38401098
DOI: No ID Found -
Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2024The disruption of the synaptic connection between the sensory inner hair cells (IHCs) and the auditory nerve fiber terminals of the type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGN)...
The disruption of the synaptic connection between the sensory inner hair cells (IHCs) and the auditory nerve fiber terminals of the type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGN) has been observed early in several auditory pathologies (e.g., noise-induced or ototoxic drug-induced or age-related hearing loss). It has been suggested that glutamate excitotoxicity may be an inciting element in the degenerative cascade observed in these pathological cochlear conditions. Moreover, oxidative damage induced by free hydroxyl radicals and nitric oxide may dramatically enhance cochlear damage induced by glutamate excitotoxicity. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in cochlear excitotoxicity, we examined the molecular basis responsible for kainic acid (KA, a full agonist of AMPA/KA-preferring glutamate receptors)-induced IHC synapse loss and degeneration of the terminals of the type I spiral ganglion afferent neurons using a cochlear explant culture from P3 mouse pups. Our results demonstrated that disruption of the synaptic connection between IHCs and SGNs induced increased levels of oxidative stress, as well as altered both mitochondrial function and neurotrophin signaling pathways. Additionally, the application of exogenous antioxidants and neurotrophins (NT3, BDNF, and small molecule TrkB agonists) clearly increases synaptogenesis. These results suggest that understanding the molecular pathways involved in cochlear excitotoxicity is of crucial importance for the future clinical trials of drug interventions for auditory synaptopathies.
PubMed: 38397748
DOI: 10.3390/antiox13020149 -
Scientific Reports Feb 2024Everyday environments often contain multiple concurrent sound sources that fluctuate over time. Normally hearing listeners can benefit from high signal-to-noise ratios...
Everyday environments often contain multiple concurrent sound sources that fluctuate over time. Normally hearing listeners can benefit from high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in energetic dips of temporally fluctuating background sound, a phenomenon called dip-listening. Specialized mechanisms of dip-listening exist across the entire auditory pathway. Both the instantaneous fluctuating and the long-term overall SNR shape dip-listening. An unresolved issue regarding cortical mechanisms of dip-listening is how target perception remains invariant to overall SNR, specifically, across different tone levels with an ongoing fluctuating masker. Equivalent target detection over both positive and negative overall SNRs (SNR invariance) is reliably achieved in highly-trained listeners. Dip-listening is correlated with the ability to resolve temporal fine structure, which involves temporally-varying spike patterns. Thus the current work tests the hypothesis that at negative SNRs, neuronal readout mechanisms need to increasingly rely on decoding strategies based on temporal spike patterns, as opposed to spike count. Recordings from chronically implanted electrode arrays in core auditory cortex of trained and awake Mongolian gerbils that are engaged in a tone detection task in 10 Hz amplitude-modulated background sound reveal that rate-based decoding is not SNR-invariant, whereas temporal coding is informative at both negative and positive SNRs.
Topics: Speech Perception; Perceptual Masking; Hearing; Sound; Hearing Tests
PubMed: 38396044
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54865-5 -
Clinical Neurophysiology : Official... Apr 2024Sensorineural hearing-loss (SHL) is accompanied by changes in the entire ear-brain pathway and its connected regions. While hearing-aid (HA) partially compensates for... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
Sensorineural hearing-loss (SHL) is accompanied by changes in the entire ear-brain pathway and its connected regions. While hearing-aid (HA) partially compensates for SHL, speech perception abilities often continue to remain poor, resulting in consequences in everyday activities. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) promotes cortical network plasticity and may enhance language comprehension in SHL patients.
METHODS
27 patients using HA and with SHL were randomly assigned to a treatment protocol consisting of five consecutive days of either real (Active group: 13 patients) or placebo rTMS (Sham group: 14 patients). The stimulation parameters were as follows: 2-second trains at 10 Hz, 4-second inter-train-interval, and 1800 pulses. Neuronavigated rTMS was applied over the left superior temporal sulcus. Audiological tests were administered before (T0), immediately after (T1), and one week following treatment completion (T2) to evaluate the speech reception threshold (SRT) and the Pure Tone Average (PTA).
RESULTS
In the context of a general improvement likely due to learning, the treatment with real rTMS induced significant reduction of the SRT and PTA at T1 and T2 versus placebo.
CONCLUSIONS
The long-lasting effects on SRT and PTA observed in the Active group indicates that rTMS administered over the auditory cortex could promote sustained neuromodulatory-induced changes in the brain, improving the perception of complex sentences and pure tones reception skills.
SIGNIFICANCE
Five days of rTMS treatment enhances overall speech intelligibility and PTA in SHL patients.
Topics: Humans; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Speech Intelligibility; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Speech Perception; Auditory Cortex; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 38395005
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.02.007 -
Biology Feb 2024Humans and animals maintain accurate discrimination between communication sounds in the presence of loud sources of background noise. In previous studies performed in...
Humans and animals maintain accurate discrimination between communication sounds in the presence of loud sources of background noise. In previous studies performed in anesthetized guinea pigs, we showed that, in the auditory pathway, the highest discriminative abilities between conspecific vocalizations were found in the inferior colliculus. Here, we trained CBA/J mice in a Go/No-Go task to discriminate between two similar guinea pig whistles, first in quiet conditions, then in two types of noise, a stationary noise and a chorus noise at three SNRs. Control mice were passively exposed to the same number of whistles as trained mice. After three months of extensive training, inferior colliculus (IC) neurons were recorded under anesthesia and the responses were quantified as in our previous studies. In quiet, the mean values of the firing rate, the temporal reliability and mutual information obtained from trained mice were higher than from the exposed mice and the guinea pigs. In stationary and chorus noise, there were only a few differences between the trained mice and the guinea pigs; and the lowest mean values of the parameters were found in the exposed mice. These results suggest that behavioral training can trigger plasticity in IC that allows mice neurons to reach guinea pig-like discrimination abilities.
PubMed: 38392310
DOI: 10.3390/biology13020092 -
Audiology Research Feb 2024Soft tissue conduction is a mode of hearing which differs from air and bone conduction since the soft tissues of the body convey the audio-frequency vibrations to the...
Soft tissue conduction is a mode of hearing which differs from air and bone conduction since the soft tissues of the body convey the audio-frequency vibrations to the ear. It is elicited by inducing soft tissue vibrations with an external vibrator applied to sites on the body or by intrinsic vibrations resulting from vocalization or the heartbeat. However, the same external vibrator applied to the skin sites also excites cutaneous mechanoreceptors, and attempts have been made to assist patients with hearing loss by audio-tactile substitution. The present study was conducted to assess the contribution of the auditory nerve and brainstem pathways to soft tissue conduction hearing. The study involved 20 normal hearing students, equipped with ear plugs to reduce the possibility of their response to air-conducted sounds produced by the external vibrator. Pure tone audiograms and speech reception (recognition) thresholds were determined in response to the delivery of the stimuli by a clinical bone vibrator applied to the cheek, neck and shoulder. Pure tone and speech recognition thresholds were obtained; the participants were able to repeat the words they heard by soft tissue conduction, confirming that the auditory pathways in the brain had been stimulated, with minimal involvement of the somatosensory pathways.
PubMed: 38391775
DOI: 10.3390/audiolres14010018 -
European Journal of Physical and... Apr 2024Family caregivers (FC) contribute to reducing the misdiagnosis rate in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Unfortunately, the recent pandemic of COVID-19...
BACKGROUND
Family caregivers (FC) contribute to reducing the misdiagnosis rate in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Unfortunately, the recent pandemic of COVID-19 imposed drastic restrictions that limited the access of FC to the sensory/cognitive stimulation protocols. Telemedicine approaches have been implemented to avoid discontinuity in care pathways and to ensure caregivers involvement in rehabilitation programs.
AIM
The aim was to investigate whether the presence of FC remotely connected might help clinicians in eliciting higher cortically mediated behavioral responses in patients with DOC.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.
SETTING
Post-acute Unit of Neurorehabilitation.
POPULATION
DOC due to severe brain injury.
METHODS
Consecutive patients with DOC were assessed by means of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) by two expert examiners. Each patient underwent to five assessments in two weeks in three different conditions: 1) by the examiner only (standard); 2) with the verbal stimulation given by the FC remotely connected by PC tablet (caregiver in remote); and 3) with the verbal stimulation given by the FC physically present (caregiver in presence).
RESULTS
Thirty patients with DOC (VS/UWS=10; MCS=20; mean age: 51, range: 21-79; vascular: 16; anoxic: 6; TBI=8) and their FC were enrolled. Higher total scores of CRS-R were recorded both in "caregiver in remote" and in "caregiver in presence" than in standard condition (standard vs. remote, Z=2.942, P=0.003; standard vs. presence, Z=3.736, P<0.001). Furthermore, the administration of the CRS-R with a FC, elicited higher levels of behavioral responses in MCS patients, than CRS-R performed in standard condition. In particular, 2 patients out of 30 (6.66%) showed higher scores and better diagnosis when the CRS-R was administered with FC in remote. Similarly, 5 out of 30 patients (16.66%) showed better diagnoses when the CRS-R was administered with FC in presence. Five patients changed diagnosis between standard and presence conditions (3 MCS- were diagnosed as MCS+; 2 MCS+ were diagnosed as conscious).
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings add new evidence regarding the beneficial role of family members in the diagnosis of DOC, even mediated by telemedicine approach.
CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT
In future guidelines, FC should have an active and supporting role in the diagnostic and rehabilitative process of DOC.
Topics: Humans; Middle Aged; Caregivers; Consciousness Disorders; Acoustic Stimulation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Consciousness; Coma; Persistent Vegetative State
PubMed: 38381451
DOI: 10.23736/S1973-9087.24.08179-6 -
Brain and Behavior Jan 2024Previous studies have reported that hearing loss (HL) is associated with dementia, although the mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive. This study aimed to evaluate...
INTRODUCTION
Previous studies have reported that hearing loss (HL) is associated with dementia, although the mechanistic underpinnings remain elusive. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in brain metabolism in patients with HL and different types of dementia.
METHODS
Patients with cognitive impairment (CI) and HL treated at the university-based memory clinic from May 2016 to October 2021 were included. In total, 108 patients with CI and HL prospectively underwent audiometry, neuropsychological test, magnetic resonance imaging, and F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. Twenty-seven individuals without cognitive impairment and hearing loss were enrolled as a control group. Multivariable regression was performed to evaluate brain regions correlated with each pathology type after adjusting for confounding factors.
RESULTS
Multivariable regression analyses revealed that Alzheimer's disease-related CI (ADCI) was associated with hypometabolic changes in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), right middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and bilateral medial temporal lobe. Lewy body disease-related CI (LBDCI) and vascular CI were associated with hypermetabolic and hypometabolic changes in the ascending auditory pathway, respectively. In the pure ADCI group, the degree of HL was positively associated with abnormal increase of brain metabolism in the right MTG, whereas it was negatively associated with decreased brain metabolism in the right STG in the pure LBDCI group.
CONCLUSION
Each dementia type is associated with distinct changes in brain metabolism in patients with HL.
Topics: Humans; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Alzheimer Disease; Brain; Positron-Emission Tomography; Cognitive Dysfunction; Hearing Loss; Dizocilpine Maleate
PubMed: 38376024
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3374 -
Brain and Language Mar 2024In current sensorimotor theories pertaining to speech perception, there is a notable emphasis on the involvement of the articulatory-motor system in the processing of...
In current sensorimotor theories pertaining to speech perception, there is a notable emphasis on the involvement of the articulatory-motor system in the processing of speech sounds. Using ultra-high field diffusion-weighted imaging at 7 Tesla, we visualized the white matter tracts connected to areas activated during a simple speech-sound production task in 18 healthy right-handed adults. Regions of interest for white matter tractography were individually determined through 7T functional MRI (fMRI) analyses, based on activations during silent vocalization tasks. These precentral seed regions, activated during the silent production of a lip-vowel sound, demonstrated anatomical connectivity with posterior superior temporal gyrus areas linked to the auditory perception of phonetic sounds. Our study provides a macrostructural foundation for understanding connections in speech production and underscores the central role of the articulatory motor system in speech perception. These findings highlight the value of ultra-high field 7T MR acquisition in unraveling the neural underpinnings of speech.
Topics: Adult; Humans; White Matter; Auditory Perception; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Hand; Language
PubMed: 38354542
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105391