Auditory Gating and Extended High-Frequency Thresholds in Normal-Hearing Adults With Minimal Tinnitus

Introduction: Normal-hearing people often have complaints about the ability to recognize speech in noise. Such disabilities are not typically assessed with conventional audiometry. Suprathreshold temporal deficits might contribute to reduced word recognition in noise as well as reduced temporally based binaural release of masking for speech. Extended high-frequency audibility (>8 kHz) has also been shown to contribute to speech perception in noise. The primary aim of this study was to compare conventional audiometric measures with measures that could reveal subclinical deficits. Methods: Conventional and extended high-frequency audiometry was done with 119 normal-hearing people ranging in age from 18 to 72. The ability to recognize words in noise was evaluated with and without differences in temporally based spatial cues. A low-uncertainty, closed-set word recognition task was used to limit cognitive influences. Results: In normal-hearing listeners, word recognition in noise ability decreases significantly with increasing pure-tone average (PTA). On average, signal-to-noise ratios worsened by 5.7 and 6.0 dB over the normal range, for the diotic and dichotic conditions, respectively. When controlling for age, a significant relationship remained in the diotic condition. Measurement error was estimated at 1.4 and 1.6 dB for the diotic and dichotic conditions, respectively. Controlling for both PTA and age, EHF-PTAs showed significant partial correlations with SNR50 in both conditions (ρ = 0.30 and 0.23). Temporally based binaural release of masking worsened with age by 1.94 dB from 18 to 72 years old but showed no significant relationship with either PTA. Conclusions: All three assessments in this study demonstrated hearing problems independently of those observed in conventional audiometry. Considerable degradations in word recognition in noise abilities were observed as PTAs increased within the normal range. The use of an efficient words-in-noise measure might help identify functional hearing problems for individuals that are traditionally normal hearing. Extended audiometry provided additional predictive power for word recognition in noise independent of both the PTA and age. Temporally based binaural release of masking for word recognition decreased with age independent of PTAs within the normal range, indicating multiple mechanisms of age-related decline with potential clinical impact.

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Temporal Resolution in Regions of Normal Hearing and Speech Perception in Noise for Adults with Sloping High-Frequency Hearing Loss

Ear and Hearing ◽

10.1097/aud.0b013e3181bb69be ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 115-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Yanmei Feng ◽

Shankai Yin ◽

Michael Kiefte ◽

Jian Wang

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Temporal Resolution ◽

High Frequency ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽

Speech Perception In Noise

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Diplacusis Associated with Bilateral High Frequency Hearing Loss

Journal of Speech and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.1801.05 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 5-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dale O. Robinson ◽

John H. Gaeth

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Hard Of Hearing ◽

High Frequency ◽

Traditional Method ◽

Constant Error ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Psychophysical Method ◽

High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽

Standard Tone ◽

Method Of Adjustment

Seven normal-hearing subjects and seven subjects with mild bilateral high-frequency sensorineural hearing losses were studied to explore the presence of diplacusis. A tracking procedure of psychophysical method of adjustment-limits was used for pitch judgments rather than the traditional method of adjustment. Each subject was presented with a standard 4000-Hz tone for 500 msec and alternately a variable tone for 500 msec. Subjects were instructed to adjust the variable tone upward or downward in pitch to bracket the pitch sensation of the standard tone. Two intra-aural and two interaural listening conditions were studied. A graphic representation of the subjects' adjustments of the variable tone was obtained for each condition. The resulting tracing indicated frequency correlates to the pitch adjustments from which excursion width and constant error were calculated. Some hard-of-hearing subjects and one normal-hearing subject were found to have diplacusis. Subjects with hearing losses exhibited larger excursion widths for intra- and interaural listening conditions. Subjects with hearing losses tended to be less consistent in pitch judgments than normal-hearing subjects. These findings were interpreted to mean that bilaterally symmetrical hearing losses increase the incidence of pitch aberrations.

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The Effects of Varying Directional Bandwidth in Hearing Aid Users' Preference and Speech-in-Noise Performance

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2017_aja-17-0063 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 95-103

Author(s):

Adriana Goyette ◽

Jeff Crukley ◽

Jason Galster

Keyword(s):

Hearing Impairment ◽

High Frequency ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Internal Noise ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Noise Performance ◽

Directional Microphones ◽

Speech In Noise ◽

Directional Microphone ◽

Hearing In Noise

Purpose Directional microphone systems are typically used to improve hearing aid users' understanding of speech in noise. However, directional microphones also increase internal hearing aid noise. The purpose of this study was to investigate how varying directional microphone bandwidth affected listening preference and speech-in-noise performance. Method Ten participants with normal hearing and 10 participants with hearing impairment compared internal noise levels between hearing aid memories with 4 different microphone modes: omnidirectional, full directional, high-frequency directionality with directional processing above 900 Hz, and high-frequency directionality with directional processing above 2000 Hz. Speech-in-noise performance was measured with each memory for the participants with hearing impairment. Results Participants with normal hearing preferred memories with less directional bandwidth. Participants with hearing impairment also tended to prefer the memories with less directional bandwidth. However, the majority of participants with hearing impairment did not indicate a preference between omnidirectional and directional above 2000 Hz memories. Average hearing-in-noise performance improved with increasing directional bandwidth. Conclusions Most participants preferred memories with less directional bandwidth in quiet. Participants with hearing impairment indicated no difference in preference between directional above 2000 Hz and the omnidirectional memories. Speech recognition in noise performance improved with increasing directional bandwidth.

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"Minimal" High-Frequency Hearing Loss and School-Age Children

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/0161-1461.2801.77 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 77-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Carole E. Johnson ◽

Ramona L. Stein ◽

Alicia Broadway ◽

Tamatha S. Markwalter

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

High Frequency ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

School Age Children ◽

Identification Performance ◽

Vowel Identification ◽

High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽

Sequential Information ◽

Confusion Matrices

The purpose of this study was to assess the consonant and vowel identification abilities of 12 children with minimal high-frequency hearing loss, 12 children with normal hearing, and 12 young adults with normal hearing using nonsense syllables recorded in a classroom with reverberation time of 0.7 s in two conditions of: (1) quiet and (2) noise (+13 dB S/N against a multi-talker babble). The young adults achieved significantly higher mean consonant and vowel identification scores than both groups of children. The children with normal hearing had significantly higher mean consonant identification scores in quiet than the children with minimal high-frequency hearing loss, but the groups performances did not differ in noise. Further, the two groups of children did not differ in vowel identification performance. Listeners’ responses to consonant stimuli were converted to confusion matrices and submitted to a sequential information analysis (SINFA, Wang & Bilger, 1973). The SINFA determined that the amount of information transmitted, both overall and for individual features, differed as a function of listener group ad listening condition.

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Sound Localization in Single-Sided Deaf Participants Provided With a Cochlear Implant

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.753339 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Alexandra Annemarie Ludwig ◽

Sylvia Meuret ◽

Rolf-Dieter Battmer ◽

Marc Schönwiesner ◽

Michael Fuchs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cochlear Implant ◽

Sound Localization ◽

High Frequency ◽

Real Life ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Frequency Noise ◽

Speech Understanding ◽

Speech Understanding In Noise ◽

Single Sided Deafness

Spatial hearing is crucial in real life but deteriorates in participants with severe sensorineural hearing loss or single-sided deafness. This ability can potentially be improved with a unilateral cochlear implant (CI). The present study investigated measures of sound localization in participants with single-sided deafness provided with a CI. Sound localization was measured separately at eight loudspeaker positions (4°, 30°, 60°, and 90°) on the CI side and on the normal-hearing side. Low- and high-frequency noise bursts were used in the tests to investigate possible differences in the processing of interaural time and level differences. Data were compared to normal-hearing adults aged between 20 and 83. In addition, the benefit of the CI in speech understanding in noise was compared to the localization ability. Fifteen out of 18 participants were able to localize signals on the CI side and on the normal-hearing side, although performance was highly variable across participants. Three participants always pointed to the normal-hearing side, irrespective of the location of the signal. The comparison with control data showed that participants had particular difficulties localizing sounds at frontal locations and on the CI side. In contrast to most previous results, participants were able to localize low-frequency signals, although they localized high-frequency signals more accurately. Speech understanding in noise was better with the CI compared to testing without CI, but only at a position where the CI also improved sound localization. Our data suggest that a CI can, to a large extent, restore localization in participants with single-sided deafness. Difficulties may remain at frontal locations and on the CI side. However, speech understanding in noise improves when wearing the CI. The treatment with a CI in these participants might provide real-world benefits, such as improved orientation in traffic and speech understanding in difficult listening situations.

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Sensory Inhibition Is Related to Variable Speech Perception in Noise in Adults With Normal Hearing

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-19-00261 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (5) ◽

pp. 1595-1607

Author(s):

Julia Campbell ◽

Mashhood Nielsen ◽

Alison LaBrec ◽

Connor Bean

Keyword(s):

Speech Perception ◽

High Frequency ◽

Auditory Evoked Potentials ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Speech Perception In Noise ◽

Inhibitory Mechanisms ◽

Mild Impairment ◽

Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials ◽

Inhibitory Networks

Purpose Speech perception in noise (SPiN) varies widely in individuals with normal hearing, which may be attributed to factors that are not reflected in the audiogram, such as inhibition. However, inhibition is involved at both sensory and cognitive stages of auditory perception, and while inhibition at the cognitive level has been shown to be a significant factor in SPiN processes, it is unknown whether sensory inhibition may also contribute to SPiN variability. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate sensory inhibition in adults with normal hearing and mild SPiN impairment. Method Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) were recorded in 49 adults via high-density electroencephalography using an auditory gating paradigm. Participants were categorized according to a median signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss of 1.5 dB: typical SNR loss ≤ 1.5 dB ( n = 32), mild SNR loss > 1.5 dB ( n = 17). CAEP gating responses were compared and correlated with SNR loss and extended high-frequency thresholds. Current density reconstructions were performed to qualitatively observe underlying cortical inhibitory networks in each group. Results In comparison to adults with typical SPiN ability, adults with mild SPiN impairment showed an absence of the gating response. A CAEP gating component (P2) reflected decreased sensory inhibition and correlated with increased SNR loss. Extended high-frequency thresholds were also found to correlate with SNR loss, but not gating function. An atypical cortical inhibitory network was observed in the mild SNR loss group, with reduced frontal and absent prefrontal activation. Conclusion Sensory inhibition appears to be atypical and related to SPiN deficits in adults with mild impairment. In addition, cortical inhibitory networks appear to be incomplete, with a possible compensatory parietal network. Further research is needed to delineate between types or levels of central inhibitory mechanisms and their contribution to SPiN processes.

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The Relevance of the High Frequency Audiometry in Tinnitus Patients with Normal Hearing in Conventional Pure-Tone Audiometry

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2015/302515 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Veronika Vielsmeier ◽

Astrid Lehner ◽

Jürgen Strutz ◽

Thomas Steffens ◽

Peter M. Kreuzer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

High Frequency ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Pure Tone Audiometry ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽

Additional Information ◽

Tinnitus Severity ◽

Hearing Thresholds ◽

High Frequency Audiometry

Objective. The majority of tinnitus patients suffer from hearing loss. But a subgroup of tinnitus patients show normal hearing thresholds in the conventional pure-tone audiometry (125 Hz–8 kHz). Here we explored whether the results of the high frequency audiometry (>8 kHz) provide relevant additional information in tinnitus patients with normal conventional audiometry by comparing those with normal and pathological high frequency audiometry with respect to their demographic and clinical characteristics.Subjects and Methods. From the database of the Tinnitus Clinic at Regensburg we identified 75 patients with normal hearing thresholds in the conventional pure-tone audiometry. We contrasted these patients with normal and pathological high-frequency audiogram and compared them with respect to gender, age, tinnitus severity, pitch, laterality and duration, comorbid symptoms and triggers for tinnitus onset.Results. Patients with pathological high frequency audiometry were significantly older and had higher scores on the tinnitus questionnaires in comparison to patients with normal high frequency audiometry. Furthermore, there was an association of high frequency audiometry with the laterality of tinnitus.Conclusion. In tinnitus patients with normal pure-tone audiometry the high frequency audiometry provides useful additional information. The association between tinnitus laterality and asymmetry of the high frequency audiometry suggests a potential causal role for the high frequency hearing loss in tinnitus etiopathogenesis.

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