Journal of the American Academy of Audiology最新文献

Background:  Tinnitus, hyperacusis, and difficulties listening in background noise may be associated with the loss of auditory nerve fibers known as the condition of cochlear synaptopathy. Multiple research-based tests of auditory function have been developed to identify the potential for synaptopathy in animals and humans, including assessment of the middle-ear muscle reflex (MEMR). Despite these research-based tests, there is no verified method for measuring or identifying the potential for cochlear synaptopathy using standard audiologic equipment.

Purpose:  The goal of this study was to determine if commonly used audiometric equipment could be configured in a way that approximated the test methods used in the research environment, making it a viable tool in the assessment of patients who present with symptoms consistent with cochlear synaptopathy (tinnitus, hyperacusis, speech-in-noise difficulties).

Methods:  Laboratory-based and clinically based measures of MEMR strength-as estimated from changes in probe pressure/admittance in response to contralateral noise-were compared for 20 subjects. MEMR strength estimated from laboratory equipment increased with increasing intensity of the contralateral noise elicitor.

Results and conclusions:  A moderate positive correlation was found between laboratory- and clinically based measures of MEMR strength. This correlation supports the hypothesis that commonly used clinical equipment can be employed to assess the potential for cochlear synaptopathy in patients who present with the associated symptoms.

Objective:  The aim of this study was to assess whether the age of patients and severity and configuration of hearing loss would impact on the correlations between auditory brainstem response (ABR) and auditory steady-state response (ASSR) results.

Methods:  ASSR and ABR test results of 806 ears were evaluated retrospectively.

Results:  The ASSR thresholds correlated significantly with click ABR (c-ABR) thresholds (p < 0.01), especially at 2 to 4 kHz. The correlations were significant in all age groups and severities and configurations of hearing loss (p < 0.01).

Conclusions:  Since c-ABR responses help detect hearing thresholds between 2 and 4 kHz and ASSRs help detect hearing thresholds between 0.5 and 4 kHz, these tests should be complementary when low frequencies are also involved in hearing loss. Otherwise, the outcomes of ABR and ASSR tests seem comparable independent of age of the patients and configuration and severity of hearing loss.

Background:  Irrelevant sound or speech effect affects an individual's serial recall task of visual and auditory presentations. Cartoon soundscape mimics irrelevant sound effects. A constant and repeated exposure to cartoons in early childhood should influence children's auditory learning or recall performance.

Purpose:  To investigate the effects of cartoons' soundscape irrelevant sound effects on young children's auditory processing and working memory skills.

Research design:  A cross-sectional study was used to observe the influence of the cartoon soundscape irrelevant sound effects on children.

Study sample:  Sixty young children having hearing thresholds within 15 dB HL, in the age range 5 to 6 years, exposed to cartoons (Indian plus non-Indian) were considered for the study.

Data collection and analysis:  Pitch pattern test (PPT), duration pattern test (DPT), and Corsi block working memory apparatus were applied to the participants exposed to cartoons. The data obtained were compared statistically in terms of the groups' performances.

Results:  There was a significant difference in PPT (p = 0.023) and DPT (p = 0.001) between the exposed and nonexposed groups. In contrast, there was no significant difference between the two groups in Corsi block working memory (p > 0.05).

Conclusion:  Cartoon soundscape irrelevant sound or speech affects young children's auditory processing skills. The visual-spatial recall follows a different developmental pattern in young children without recoding to phonological aspects. It is predicted that our study findings might help determine the ill effects of cartoons on the auditory and language development process.

Background:  The masking-level difference (MLD) can be measured via voluntary behavioral responses (voluntary behavioral MLD [vMLD]) and/or via electrophysiological cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs; electrophysiological MLD [eMLD]). It may be possible to enhance the ecologic validity of the MLD by using nonsense-syllable speech stimuli.

Purpose:  The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of measuring both the vMLD and eMLD with speech stimuli. The study also investigates whether certain nonsense-syllable stimuli (/α/, /dα/, /di/, /tα/, /wα/) may be more useful than others in measuring both the vMLD and eMLD.

Research design:  This is a descriptive feasibility pilot study.

Study sample:  Seventeen young adults (age range 19-26 years; 15 women) with hearing thresholds of 0.25-8.0 kHz ≤ 25 dB HL, bilaterally, were recruited.

Data collection and analysis:  Behavioral and electrophysiological MLDs were measured with similar methods. The MLD was defined as SoNo - SπNo thresholds. Stimuli were natural-sounding nonsense syllables (/α/, /dα/, /di/, /tα/, /wα/), which were presented in 65 dB HL continuous speech-weighted noise. The eMLD was measured with the CAEP P2. Group means, standard deviations, and distributions were presented. The feasibility of using nonsense syllables was evaluated by considering whether measurable vMLDs and eMLDs were produced. Useful nonsense syllables produced vMLDs and eMLDs with (1) comparatively large mean magnitudes, (2) few negligible MLDs, and (3) distributions with adequate spread and few extreme values.

Results:  The stimuli /α/ (6.0 [1.9]) and /wα/ (7.5 [1.3]) produced vMLDs with the highest average magnitudes, with no vMLDs of 0 dB and with adequate spread. The stimulus /α/ produced eMLDs with the highest average magnitude (9.6 [2.8]), no eMLDs of 0 dB and adequate spread, whereas the stimulus /wα/ produced eMLDs with an adequate magnitude (6.9 [3.9]), no MLDs of 0 dB, but with a right-skewed distribution and an extreme value. The other stimuli produced vMLDs with low mean magnitudes and several vMLDs of 0 dB.

Conclusion:  These pilot data support the feasibility of using nonsense syllables to record vMLDs and eMLDs. The stimulus /α/ appeared most useful for both behavioral and electrophysiological modalities. Differences in MLDs across modalities may be attributed to low-level audibility of some high-frequency components of the stimuli.

Background:  Individual cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (RFs) have been associated with hearing loss (HL). The relationship to aggregate risk is poorly understood and has not been explored in the Hispanic/Latino population.

Purpose:  The aim of this study was to characterize the association between aggregate CVD RF burden and hearing among Hispanics/Latinos.

Research design:  Cross-sectional examination.

Study sample:  Participants (18-74 years; n = 12,766) in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

Data collection and analysis:  Thresholds (0.5-8 kHz) were obtained, and HL was defined dichotomously as pure-tone average (PTA_{0.5,1, 2,4}) > 25 dB HL. Optimal CVD risk burden was defined as follows: systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 120 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) < 80 mm Hg; total cholesterol < 180 mg/dL; nonsmoking; and no diabetes. Major CVD RFs were diabetes, currently smoking, SBP >160 or DBP > 100 mm Hg (or antihypertensives), and total cholesterol > 240 mg/dL (or statins). Thresholds were estimated by age (18-44 and ≥45 years) and sex using linear regression. The association between CVD risk burden and HL was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Models were adjusted for age, sex, Hispanic/Latino background, center, education, income, alcohol use, body mass index, and noise exposure.

Results:  In the target population, 53.03% were female and 18.81% and 8.52% had all RFs optimal and ≥2 major RFs, respectively. Elevated BP (SBP 120-139 mm Hg or DBP 80-89 mm Hg) was associated with HL in females < 45 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-4.16). Diabetes (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.01-1.84) and tobacco smoking (OR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.03-2.01) were associated with HL in females ≥ 45 years. The odds of HL were higher for females ≥ 45 years with ≥2 RFs versus those with all RFs optimal (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.12-3.53). Elevated BP (SBP 140-159 mm Hg or DBP 90-99 mm Hg), but not aggregate risk burden, was associated with HL in males ≥ 45 years (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.02-2.19). No relationships with major CVD RFs were significant in males < 45 years.

Conclusions:  HL is associated with elevated BP in females < 45 years, with diabetes and hypertension in males ≥ 45 years, and with diabetes, smoking, and having ≥2 major CVD RFs in females ≥ 45 years. Future studies are needed to examine if these factors are associated with incident HL.

Background:  The condition of persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD) is a common chronic vestibular disorder that is thought to be due to a central vestibular maladaptation. The condition is frequently encountered in those with a history of migraine, anxiety, or panic attacks. Many cases of PPPD are preceded by vestibular disorders, with vestibular migraine thought to precede at least 20% of cases.

Purpose:  Those with a history of migraine have been shown to have difficulties with sensory integration, habituation, and intolerance to stimuli. This often leads to discomfort associated with some vestibular test procedures, specifically caloric irrigations. At this time there has been little investigation into any prolonged symptoms associated with undergoing vestibular test procedures in this population.

Conclusions:  We pose a case report of a patient with a history of migraine that developed new-onset PPPD following caloric irrigations.

Objectives:  The objective of the present study was to describe pressurized wideband absorbance at tympanometric peak pressure (WBA_TPP) and 0 daPa (WBA₀) in healthy Caucasian neonates.

Subjects:  A total of 249 ears from 249 neonates who passed a test battery of 1,000-Hz tympanometry, distortion product otoacoustic emissions and automated auditory brainstem response were included in the study.

Method:  WBA_TPP and WBA₀ were averaged in one-third octave frequencies from 0.25 to 8 kHz. Data were statistically analyzed for effects of frequency, ear, and gender.

Results:  Normative WBA_TPP and WBA₀ data obtained from healthy neonates are presented. There was no significant difference between WBA_TPP and WBA₀ at all frequencies. Both WBA_TPP and WBA₀ demonstrated a multipeaked pattern with maxima of 0.80 and 0.72 at 1.25 to 1.5 and 6 kHz, respectively, and two minima of 0.45 and 0.49 at 0.4 to 0.5 and 4 kHz, respectively. The effects of ear and gender were not significant for both WBA measures.

Conclusion:  Pressurized WBA_TPP and WBA₀ data were provided for healthy Caucasian neonates. They will be useful for the assessment of middle ear function and assist in differentiating between conductive and sensorineural hearing losses in neonates.

Background:  The standard audiological protocol utilizes quiet measures. However, it has been noted that speech recognition in noise (SRN) testing provides information that cannot be inferred from quiet measures.

Purpose:  The purpose of this convergent validity study was to investigate the relationships between behavioral responses in quiet and in noise.

Research design:  Bilateral pure-tone averages (BPTA) were calculated for thresholds from 500 to 6000 Hz. The Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) thresholds in quiet (HINT-Q) were also measured. SRN performances were determined using the HINT Noise Front (HINT-F) condition and the AzBio test. The HINT-F uses steady-state speech-shaped noise and the AzBio uses a 10-talker babble. All conditions were randomized.

Study sample:  Fifty young, native English-speaking females with pure-tone thresholds less than or equal to 25 dB HL participated in this study. The average age of the participants was 20.5 years (standard deviation = 1.47).

Data collection and analysis:  Pearson correlation coefficients were used to quantify the relationships between all measures.

Results:  Statistically significant relationships were found between HINT-Q thresholds versus BPTA _{(0.5-6.0 kHz)} (r = 0.62, p < 0.01) and between HINT-F thresholds versus AzBio (0 dB signal-to-noise ratio) scores (r = -0.41, p < 0.05). No significant relationships were found between any of the quiet versus noise measures.

Conclusion:  These results suggest that, for individuals with pure-tone thresholds less than or equal to 25 dB HL, SRN ability must be measured directly and not inferred from PTA or speech-in-quiet measures. It is possible, to a modest degree, to predict AzBio performances from the HINT-F thresholds, and vice versa.