The mismatch negativity (MMN) – A unique window to disturbed central auditory processing in ageing and different clinical conditions

Deficits in central auditory processing may occur in a variety of clinical conditions including traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, auditory neuropathy/dyssynchrony syndrome, neurological disorders associated with aging, and aphasia. Deficits in central auditory processing of a more subtle nature have also been studied extensively in neurodevelopmental disorders in children with learning disabilities, ADD, and developmental language disorders. Illustrative cases are reviewed demonstrating the use of an audiological test battery in patients with auditory neuropathy/dyssynchrony syndrome, bilateral lesions to the inferior colliculi, and bilateral lesions to the temporal lobes. Electrophysiological tests of auditory function were utilized to define the locus of dysfunction at neural levels ranging from the auditory nerve, midbrain, and cortical levels.

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Mismatch negativity in older adults and its relationship with the cognitive and behavioral aspects of central auditory processing

Clinics ◽

10.6061/clinics/2021/e1830 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 76 ◽

Author(s):

Mirtes Brückmann ◽

Karina Carlesso Pagliarin ◽

Michele Vargas Garcia

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Mismatch Negativity ◽

Central Auditory Processing ◽

Behavioral Aspects

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The Effect of Aging and the High-Frequency Auditory Threshold on Speech-Evoked Mismatch Negativity in a Noisy Background

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000441693 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Junming Chen ◽

Suijun Chen ◽

Yiqing Zheng ◽

Yongkang Ou

Keyword(s):

Auditory Processing ◽

High Frequency ◽

Mismatch Negativity ◽

Pure Tone ◽

The Elderly ◽

Elderly Subjects ◽

Control Group ◽

Central Auditory Processing ◽

Hearing Thresholds ◽

Noisy Background

Mismatch negativity (MMN) has been widely used to study the function of central auditory processing in the elderly. However, current research has not yet considered the effect of noise and high-frequency hearing threshold on MMN in the elderly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aging and high-frequency hearing loss on speech-related MMN in noisy backgrounds. Additionally, the possible mechanisms of central auditory processing dysfunction in the elderly were investigated. Fifty people aged 61-80 (70 ± 5.8) years were recruited for this study. They were divided into a 61- to 70-year-old group and a 71- to 80-year-old group. Fifty younger adults aged 21-40 (31 ± 5.3) years were recruited as healthy controls. Pure-tone hearing thresholds were recorded. A speech discrimination score (SDS) and a speech-evoked MMN under white noise with a bandwidth from 125 to 8,000 Hz background condition were recorded. The relationships between SDS and MMN latency and amplitude were analyzed. The effects of age and binaural 2,000-, 4,000- and 8,000-Hz pure-tone hearing thresholds on MMN latency and amplitude were analyzed. We found that the hearing thresholds of 2,000, 4,000 and 8,000 Hz in the 61- to 70-year-old and 71- to 80-year-old groups were higher than those in the control group. The SDS in a noisy background in the 61- to 70-year-old and 71- to 80-year-old groups were lower than those in the control group. Speech-evoked MMN latency was longer in the 61- to 70-year-old and in the 71- to 80-year-old groups than in the control group (215.8 ± 14.2 ms). SDS and speech-evoked MMN latency were negatively correlated. Age and speech-evoked MMN latency were positively correlated, as were the binaural 4,000- to 8,000-Hz pure-tone hearing thresholds and speech-evoked MMN. This study suggests that in elderly subjects, the function of preattentive central auditory processing changes. Additionally, increasing age and high-frequency hearing thresholds create a synergy in neurons that is weakened in the MMN time window, which may be a cause of central auditory processing disorders in elderly subjects in noisy background conditions.

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Mismatch Negativity in the Assessment of Central Auditory Function

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/1059-0889.0302.39 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 39-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Nina Kraus ◽

Therese J. McGee

Keyword(s):

Auditory Processing ◽

Mismatch Negativity ◽

Stimulus Change ◽

Acoustic Stimulus ◽

Auditory Evoked Potential ◽

School Age Children ◽

Central Auditory Processing ◽

Hearing Sensitivity ◽

Speech Stimuli ◽

Basic Characteristics

The mismatch negativity (MMN) is an auditory evoked potential that is undergoing research both on its basic characteristics and its potential clinical applications. Current work indicates that the MMN is a passively elicited measure of the brain's response to stimulus change and is therefore a measure of auditory discrimination. If the MMN can be evoked by acoustic stimulus differences that are important in everyday communication, it may serve as a tool for evaluating central auditory processing in individuals whose hearing sensitivity is normal but whose history and behavior indicate difficulties in auditory perception.In this Short Course, we provide an overview of the MMN, how it is recorded and current thinking on what it reflects. We describe its characteristics in normal school-age children, particularly in response to speech stimuli. We also describe our early experience with populations for whom the assessment of central auditory processing is important for clinical management.

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