Rescuing auditory temporal processing with a novel augmented acoustic environment in a mouse model of congenital SNHL

AbstractCongenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) affects thousands of infants each year and results in significant delays in speech and language development. Previous studies have shown that early exposure to a simple augmented acoustic environment (AAE) can limit the effects of progressive SNHL on hearing sensitivity. However, SNHL is also accompanied by “hidden hearing loss” that is not assessed on standard audiological exams, such as reduced temporal processing acuity. To assess whether sound therapy may improve these hidden deficits, a mouse model of congenital SNHL was exposed to simple or temporally complex AAE. Peripheral function and sound sensitivity in auditory midbrain neurons improved following exposure to both types of AAE. However, only exposure to a novel, temporally complex AAE significantly improved a measure of temporal processing acuity, neural gap-in-noise detection in the auditory midbrain. These experiments suggest that targeted sound therapy may improve hearing outcomes for children suffering from congenital SNHL.

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Rescuing auditory temporal processing with a novel augmented acoustic environment in an animal model of congenital hearing loss

eNeuro ◽

10.1523/eneuro.0231-21.2021 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. ENEURO.0231-21.2021

Author(s):

Adam C. Dziorny ◽

Anne E. Luebke ◽

Luisa L. Scott ◽

Joseph P. Walton

Keyword(s):

Animal Model ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Temporal Processing ◽

Congenital Hearing Loss ◽

Auditory Temporal Processing ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

Augmented Acoustic Environment

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Progressive hearing loss in mouse models of presbycusis: Influence of an augmented acoustic environment and of gender

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.429003 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 107 (5) ◽

pp. 2797-2798

Author(s):

James F. Willott

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Mouse Models ◽

Progressive Hearing Loss ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

Augmented Acoustic Environment

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Temporal Processing in Low-Frequency Channels: Effects of Age and Hearing Loss in Middle-Aged Listeners

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.22.7.2 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 22 (07) ◽

pp. 393-404 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Elizabeth D. Leigh-Paffenroth ◽

Saravanan Elangovan

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Word Recognition ◽

Temporal Processing ◽

Background Noise ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Gap Detection ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Hearing Sensitivity

Background: Hearing loss and age interfere with the auditory system's ability to process temporal changes in the acoustic signal. A key unresolved question is whether high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss (HFSNHL) affects temporal processing in the low-frequency region where hearing loss is minimal or nonexistent. A second unresolved question is whether changes in hearing occur in middle-aged subjects in the absence of HFSNHL. Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the influence of HFSNHL and aging on the auditory temporal processing abilities of low-frequency auditory channels with normal hearing sensitivity and (2) to examine the relations among gap detection measures, self-assessment reports of understanding speech, and functional measures of speech perception in middle-aged individuals with and without HFSNHL. Research Design: The subject groups were matched for either age (middle age) or pure-tone sensitivity (with or without hearing loss) to study the effects of age and HFSNHL on behavioral and functional measures of temporal processing and word recognition performance. These effects were analyzed by individual repeated-measures analyses of variance. Post hoc analyses were performed for each significant main effect and interaction. The relationships among the measures were analyzed with Pearson correlations. Study Sample: Eleven normal-hearing young adults (YNH), eight normal-hearing middle-aged adults (MANH), and nine middle-aged adults with HFSNHL were recruited for this study. Normal hearing sensitivity was defined as pure-tone thresholds ≤25 dB HL for octave frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz. HFSNHL was defined as pure-tone thresholds ≤25 dB HL from 250 to 2000 Hz and ≥35 dB HL from 3000 to 8000 Hz. Data Collection and Analysis: Gap detection thresholds (GDTs) were measured under within-channel and between-channel conditions with the stimulus spectrum limited to regions of normal hearing sensitivity for the HFSNHL group (i.e., <2000 Hz). Self-perceived hearing problems were measured by a questionnaire (Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit), and word recognition performance was assessed under four conditions: quiet and babble, with and without low-pass filtering (cutoff frequency = 2000 Hz). Results: The effects of HFSNHL and age were found for gap detection, self-perceived hearing problems, and word recognition in noise. The presence of HFSNHL significantly increased GDTs for stimuli presented in regions of normal pure-tone sensitivity. In addition, middle-aged subjects with normal hearing sensitivity reported significantly more problems hearing in background noise than the young normal-hearing subjects. Significant relationships between self-report measures of hearing ability in background noise and word recognition in babble were found. Conclusions: The conclusions from the present study are twofold: (1) HFSNHL may have an off-channel impact on auditory temporal processing, and (2) presenescent changes in the auditory system of MANH subjects increased self-perceived problems hearing in background noise and decreased functional performance in background noise compared with YNH subjects.

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Reference values of selected auditory temporal processing tests for Polish school children

Otolaryngologia Polska ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0012.4366 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 72 (4) ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Elżbieta Włodarczyk ◽

Agata Szkiełkowska ◽

Adam Piłka

Keyword(s):

Reference Values ◽

Temporal Processing ◽

Auditory Processing ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Normative Values ◽

Auditory Information ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Frequency Pattern ◽

Auditory Temporal Processing ◽

Sound Sensitivity

Introduction: Distorted processing of auditory information has a negative impact on the child’s cognitive development. There are only a few studies conducted by Polish researchers determining the normative values of psychoacoustic tests in auditory processing disorders. They are inconsistent due to different methodologies and different research protocols. Objective: The aim of the work was to determine the reference values of selected psychoacoustic tests for the population of Polish children between 7 and 12 years of age. Material and method: The study group consisted of 213 healthy children from 7 to 12 years of age. The condition for including the child in the study was an intellectual norm, proper sound sensitivity, proper development of children’s voice and speech. All children underwent two auditory temporal processing tests. The diagnostic procedure used a standardized Frequency Pattern Test (FPT) and Duration Pattern Test (DPT). The tests were carried out in accordance with the authors' recommendations, using the original versions available on the CD for 60 dB SL intensity, simultaneously for the right and left ear. Results: The reference values for FPT and DPT tests were determined at various age ranges in children aged 7-12. It has been shown that auditory functions change with age and development of the child. Reference values including age, language, cultural and educational differences were prepared. Conclusions: The development of reference values for individual tests for the Polish children population is a key element in the reliable diagnosis of auditory processing.

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Efficacy of Sound Therapy for Tinnitus Using an Enriched Acoustic Environment with Hearing-Loss Matched Broadband Noise

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci12010082 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 82

Author(s):

María Cuesta ◽

Christiam Garzón ◽

Pedro Cobo

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Chronic Condition ◽

Broadband Noise ◽

Sound Stimulus ◽

Severity Scale ◽

Acoustic Environment ◽

Tinnitus Severity ◽

Baseline Severity ◽

Sound Therapy ◽

Tinnitus Distress

Background: Tinnitus is a rather heterogeneous chronic condition/disorder which is difficult to treat. Some tinnitus treatments combine sound therapy with counselling. The main goal of this study is to report the efficacy of a customized sound therapy combined with counselling on a cohort of 83 tinnitus patients. Methods: 119 tinnitus subjects, recruited between January 2018 and June 2021, were subjected to a treatment consisting of a combination of an initial counselling session and four-month sound therapy. The sound stimulus was a personalized broadband noise colored by the audiometry of the subjects. These stimuli were given to the patients in mp3 format to be heard 1 h per day over 4 months. The tinnitus severity of the patients was evaluated monthly through the validated Spanish version of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. Results: Of the patients, 30% (36 of 119) withdrew from the treatment before finishing, and 96% (80 of 83) of the subjects completing the therapy attained some relief after 4 months. The overall average THI decrease of these 80 participants was 23. However, when the THI was analyzed by severity scales, it was found that patients with initial mild, moderate, severe and catastrophic handicap had an average THI decrease of 14, 20, 31 and 42 points, respectively. Thus, the average THI decrease depended on the baseline severity scale of patients. Conclusions: Consequently, the proposed treatment was demonstrated to be effective in providing clinically relevant relief in tinnitus distress patients in just 4 months.

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Temporal Factors and Speech Recognition Performance in Young and Elderly Listeners

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3606.1276 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 36 (6) ◽

pp. 1276-1285 ◽

Cited By ~ 259

Author(s):

Sandra Gordon-Salant ◽

Peter J. Fitzgibbons

Keyword(s):

Speech Recognition ◽

Temporal Processing ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Duration Discrimination ◽

Related Factors ◽

Auditory Temporal Processing ◽

Percent Correct ◽

Hearing Sensitivity ◽

Age Related ◽

Processing Abilities

This study investigated factors that contribute to deficits of elderly listeners in recognizing speech that is degraded by temporal waveform distortion. Young and elderly listeners with normal hearing sensitivity and with mild-to-moderate, sloping sensorineural hearing losses were evaluated. Low-predictability (LP) sentences from the Revised Speech Perception in Noise test (R-SPIN) (Bilger, Nuetzel, Rabinowitz, & Rzeczkowski, 1984) were presented to subjects in undistorted form and in three forms of distortion: time compression, reverberation, and interruption. Percent-correct recognition scores indicated that age and hearing impairment contributed independently to deficits in recognizing all forms of temporally distorted speech. In addition, subjects’ auditory temporal processing abilities were assessed on duration discrimination and gap detection tasks. Canonical correlation procedures showed that some of the suprathreshold temporal processing measures, especially gap duration discrimination, contributed to the ability to recognize reverberant speech. The overall conclusion is that age-related factors other than peripheral hearing loss contribute to diminished speech recognition performance of elderly listeners.

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