Audiology and Neuro-Otology最新文献

Introduction: This study investigated the effect of different auditory stimuli and cognitive tasks on balance in healthy young adults.

Methods: Thirty-three participants, aged 23.33 ± 2.43 years, were included in the study. The hearing levels of the participants were determined. Static and dynamic postural stability and limits of stability (LOS) tests were performed in the absence of auditory stimuli, in the presence of spondee word lists at 70 dB(A) and in the presence of spondee+white noise (-6 dB signal-to-noise ratio [SNR]), while auditory stimuli were presented bilaterally with supra-aural headphones. Participants were asked to repeat the words they listened to while performing balance-related tasks.

Results: No significant differences between the three conditions were observed in the postural stability and LOS results. Increase in total repetition error was observed as the listening task became more difficult.

Conclusion: The presence of auditory stimuli and the cognitive tasks did not cause any changes in the participants' balance.

Objective: To describe a series of six cochlear implant (CI) patients with an extraordinary peak in transimpedances.

Study design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Participants: Six adult CI patients who underwent transimpedance measurements and postoperative imaging.

Main outcome measure: Intra- and postoperative transimpedance measurements and a visual inspection of transimpedance matrices (TIMs). The position of electrodes was radiologically identified.

Results: From six patients with TIMs showing an extraordinary peak in the off-diagonal area, five C electrode arrays showed no correct scalar localization in the scala tympani, and one had a correct scalar localization in the scala tympani.

Conclusions: A peaking transimpedance might be a marker for scalar dislocation in CIs.

Purpose: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relationship between general intelligence (GI) in youth and hearing loss (HL). However, no large-scale study assessed the relations of GI in late adolescence with conductive HL and sensorineural HL, stratified by severity. This study examined the connection between HL and GI in late adolescence.

Methods: Cross-sectional study on mandatory pre-military recruitment data recorded during 1967-2019 of patients aged 17-19. We compared GI between sensorineural HL, conductive HL, and those with normal hearing. In addition, we used logistic regression to measure the associations between HL and GI after adjuring for age, sex, education, and socioeconomic status.

Results: Among 3,104,851 adolescents assessed, 20,075 (0.6%) exhibited hearing loss (HL). We categorized general intelligence (GI) into three levels for analysis: low (lowest category), medium, and high (reference category). Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) revealed that sensorineural HL (SNHL) was associated with lower GI levels, with ORs ranging from 1.3 [95% CI 1.4-1.2] for the lowest GI category to 1.1 [95% CI 1.15-0.04] for the medium category. Conductive HL (CHL) also demonstrated significant associations, with ORs from 1.8 [95% CI 1.9-1.6] for the lowest GI level to 1.1 [95% CI 1.2-0.9] for medium. Further analysis revealed a statistically significant, severity-dependent relationship between SNHL and the odds of being in the lowest GI quartile (Q1). Specifically, the odds ratios for SNHL ranged from 1.2 [95% CI 1.1-1.3] to 1.3 [95% CI 1.1-1.5] as severity increased, indicating a strong link between greater SNHL severity and reduced cognitive performance. In contrast, CHL did not show a consistent correlation between its severity and GI outcomes, with an OR of 1.6 [95% CI 1.2-2.3] across severity levels.

Conclusion: We report a strong relationship between HL and GI in late adolescence. Sensorineural HL, but not conductive HL, demonstrated a severity-based decline in GI. The results highlight the value of early, specifically targeted therapies for HL that consider its etiology and degree.

Introduction: Worldwide around 400 million people suffer from hearing loss. There is increasing evidence that hearing loss is a modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. However, several risk factors for cognition are common in hearing-impaired individuals, including vestibular dysfunction, anxiety, and depression. This study aimed to explore the effect of hearing loss on cognitive functioning in older adults, considering the effects of vestibular function, anxiety, and depression on cognitive performance.

Method: A cross-sectional study was performed on 42 subjects with moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and 42 matched normal-hearing controls. Matching was based on the following factors; sex, age, education level, level of anxiety and depression, and vestibular function. The test battery consisted of a cognitive assessment (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status adjusted for the Hearing Impaired [RBANS-H]), hearing assessment (Pure Tone Average and speech-in-noise testing), and vestibular assessment (video Head Impulse Test [vHIT]). Depression and anxiety were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires.

Results: A significantly lower total cognitive (RBANS-H) score was observed in the group with SNHL compared to controls (100.93 [12.94] vs. 108.88 [10.47], p = 0.003). The difference among both groups was most pronounced in the subdomains Visuospatial/Constructional (92.90 [16.32] vs. 103.12 [12.83], p = 0.002) and Attention (96.62 [12.52] vs. 104.02 [11.81], p = 0.007). The other subdomains Immediate Memory, Language, and Delayed Memory did not differ significantly between the groups with SNHL and the normal-hearing controls.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that hearing loss negatively affects cognitive functioning, even in older adults with normal vestibular function.

Introduction Tinnitus, the perception of sound without an external auditory stimulus, affects approximately 10% to 15% of the population and is often associated with significant comorbidities such as headaches. These conditions can severely impact the quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a food supplement in reducing the symptoms of both tinnitus and headache in patients experiencing these conditions concurrently. Methods This prospective study included 32 patients (21 males and 11 females) aged between 23 and 68 years (mean age 49.38 years) who were experiencing both tinnitus and headache. The study assessed the impact of a food supplement on tinnitus and headache over a 90-day treatment period using three main instruments: the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for discomfort. Statistical analyses, including paired t-tests, were conducted to compare pre- and post-treatment scores. In the same dataset, Ridge Regression, a linear regression model with L2 regularization, was used to predict post-treatment scores (THI90, HIT90, VAS90). Results The results indicated a statistically significant reduction in all three measures after 90 days of treatment. The mean THI score decreased from 29.81 to 27.06 (p = 0.011), the mean HIT-6 score decreased from 50.41 to 48.75 (p = 0.019), and the mean VAS score for discomfort decreased from 7.63 to 7.13 (p = 0.033). The optimal Ridge Regression model was found with an `alpha` value of approximately 3.73. The performance metrics on the test set were as follows: Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 13.91 and an R-squared score of 0.61, indicating that the model explains approximately 61% of the variance in the post-treatment scores. These results indicate that pre-treatment scores are significant predictors of post-treatment outcomes, and gender plays a notable role in predicting HIT and VAS scores post-treatment. Conclusion This study demonstrates that a food supplement is effective in reducing the symptoms of tinnitus and headache in patients suffering from both conditions. The significant improvements in THI, HIT-6, and VAS scores indicate a positive impact on patient quality of life. Further research with larger sample sizes and more detailed subgroup analyses is recommended to fully understand the differential impacts of treatment across various demographics.

Introduction: Auditory performance and language proficiency in young children who utilize auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) throughout the first 3 years of life are difficult to predict. ABI users have challenges as a result of delays in language proficiency and the acquisition of reading comprehension, even if ABI technology offers auditory experiences that enhance spoken language development. The aim of this study was to evaluate about the impact of language proficiency on reading comprehension skills in children with ABI.

Method: In this study, 20 children with ABI were evaluated for their reading comprehension abilities and language proficiency using an Informal Reading Inventory, Test of Early Language Development-Third Edition (TELD-3), Categories of Auditory Performance-II (CAP-II), and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR). Three distinct aspects of reading comprehension were assessed and analyzed to provide a composite score for reading comprehension abilities. TELD-3, which measures receptive and expressive language proficiency, was presented through spoken language.

Results: Studies have shown that there was a relationship between language proficiency and reading comprehension in children with ABI. In the present study, it was determined that the total scores of reading comprehension skills of the children who had poor language proficiency and enrolled in the school for the deaf were also low. The children use short, basic sentences, often repeat words and phrases, and have a restricted vocabulary. In addition, the children had difficulty reading characters and detailed paragraphs and could not remember events in a logical order.

Conclusion: Children with ABI may potentially have complicated reading comprehension abilities due to lack of access to all the speech formants needed to develop spoken language. In addition, variables affecting the reading levels of children with ABI include factors such as age at implantation, duration of implant use, presence of additional disability, communication model, and access to auditory rehabilitation. The reading comprehension skills of ABI users were evaluated in this study for the first time in the literature and may constitute a starting point for the examination of variables affecting reading comprehension in this area.

Introduction: For a comprehensive approach in children with hearing loss (HL), some cognitive and language skills should also be considered, along with auditory skills. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the working memory and language skills in children with mild to moderate HL.

Methods: Forty children with mild to moderate HL between the ages of 4 and 9 years were included in this study. The children with mild and moderate HL were evaluated in two groups. The Meaningless Word Repetition test, Test of Language Development-Primary test, and Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale were administered to assess working memory, language skills, and auditory perception, respectively. Also, the relationship between language and memory skills was evaluated.

Results: The study found statistically significant correlations between language skills and working memory test scores. Additionally, statistically significant differences were found between children with mild and moderate HL in terms of language and memory skills (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The children with moderate HL demonstrated poorer performance compared to those with mild HL. Even if it is mild, the degree of HL affects children's language and memory skills. It is emphasized that the relationship between language and working memory should be taken into consideration in auditory rehabilitation programs for these children.

Introduction: Dichotic listening (DL) is a test where auditory stimuli are presented simultaneously to each ear. DL has clinical applications in assessing APD, schizophrenia, and brain injury. It is sensitive to hemisphere differences and has been used to study language lateralization. The study aimed to develop, validate, and establish norms for a Quadri condition Dichotic Double Word Test (free recall, forced right, forced left, and switch attention) in the Kannada language (DDWT-K).

Methods: This study was carried out in two phases. Phase 1 aimed to develop and validate the DDWT-K and phase 2 involved data collection. The developed novel dichotic test was administered on 100 normal-hearing adults in four conditions - free recall, forced right, forced left, and switch attention.

Results: The results showed significant ear differences in free recall condition indicating right ear advantage. The switch attention condition showed slightly poorer performance when compared to both the forced attention condition indicating greater task difficulty. The test-retest reliability was above 0.7 for all the conditions indicating good reliability.

Conclusions: The findings demonstrated the best preservation of the original dichotic effects and hence ready for clinical use.

Introduction: Jugulotympanic paraganglioma (JTP) refers to paraganglioma arising from jugular bulb, which can invade surrounding structures such as the bones, blood vessels, meninges, and cranial nerves. The authors conducted a study to find surgical indications to avoid a serious cranial nerve complications by analyzing the medical records of patients who underwent surgical management for JTP.

Methods: We performed a single-institution, retrospective review of patients who underwent resection of JTP from 2004 to 2022. Patients underwent either Fisch infratemporal fossa approach type A (ITFA-A) or modification of ITFA-A with partial rerouting of the facial nerve. Preoperative and postoperative lower cranial nerve (LCN) function and facial function using the House-Brackmann (H-B) grade were evaluated.

Results: The study included 19 patients with a mean age of 43.1 years (standard deviation [SD], 16.1 years). The average tumor size was 28.6 mm (SD 12.6 mm). In patients with Fisch classes C1 and C2 tumors, there were 3 and 11 patients, respectively. Gross total tumor removal (GTR) was performed in all patients with classes C1 and C2. GTR was achieved in 2 out of the 5 patients with class C3 tumor. Seventeen patients underwent ITFA-A and 2 patients underwent partial rerouting. Facial function before surgery was normal in all but 3 cases. Among 16 patients with preoperative normal facial function, 13 had H-B grade I to II and 3 had H-B grade III at 1 year after surgery. Total and partial rerouting did not significantly affect facial function immediately after surgery or at the postoperative 1-year evaluation (p = 1.00). Preoperative LCN function was normal in all patients. LCN palsy lasting more than 1 year occurred in 7 patients after surgery. Patients with Fisch class C1 tumor did not develop postoperative LCN palsy. Among the patients with class C2 tumor, none of 5 patients with medial invasion depth less than 9.5 mm developed LCN palsy, whereas 5 of 6 patients (83.3%) with invasion depth of 9.5 mm or greater developed LCN palsy (p = 0.02).

Conclusion: JTPs with deep medial invasion should be managed conservatively to prevent LCN palsy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) to narrow-band chirps (NB-chirps) for estimating hearing levels in children.

Design: Thresholds from the NB-chirp ASSR were evaluated in 30 sedated children with normal hearing or hearing loss. The correlation between the NB-chirp ASSR and pure-tone audiometry (PTA) thresholds was analyzed, and the difference score (DS) between these thresholds was calculated. Data from the NB-chirp ASSR were compared to retrospective data from conventional ASSR to exponentially amplitude-modulated tones in 25 sedated children.

Results: Positive correlations between the NB-chirp ASSR and PTA thresholds were found at 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz. Multiple comparisons of the DSs for the NB-chirp ASSR and PTA revealed significant differences at 500-2,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz, as well as 1,000-2,000 Hz, and 4,000 Hz. Comparisons of the DSs demonstrated that the DS of the NB-chirp ASSR was significantly smaller than that of the conventional ASSR at 2,000 Hz. Furthermore, the testing times for the NB-chirp ASSR were significantly shorter than those for the conventional ASSR.

Conclusion: The NB-chirp ASSR closely reflected the PTA thresholds, and the testing time was shorter than that of the conventional ASSR. Thus, this study demonstrated that the NB-chirp ASSR is useful for hearing threshold estimation in children.