Right-Ear Advantage for Unaided and Aided Speech Perception in Noise in Older Adults

Purpose Speech perception in noise becomes difficult with age but can be facilitated by audiovisual (AV) speech cues and sentence context in healthy older adults. However, individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may present with deficits in AV integration, potentially limiting the extent to which they can benefit from AV cues. This study investigated the benefit of these cues in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), individuals with AD, and healthy older adult controls. Method This study compared auditory-only and AV speech perception of sentences presented in noise. These sentences had one of two levels of context: high (e.g., “Stir your coffee with a spoon”) and low (e.g., “Bob didn't think about the spoon”). Fourteen older controls ( M age = 72.71 years, SD = 9.39), 13 individuals with MCI ( M age = 79.92 years, SD = 5.52), and nine individuals with probable Alzheimer's-type dementia ( M age = 79.38 years, SD = 3.40) completed the speech perception task and were asked to repeat the terminal word of each sentence. Results All three groups benefited (i.e., identified more terminal words) from AV and sentence context. Individuals with MCI showed a smaller AV benefit compared to controls in low-context conditions, suggesting difficulties with AV integration. Individuals with AD showed a smaller benefit in high-context conditions compared to controls, indicating difficulties with AV integration and context use in AD. Conclusions Individuals with MCI and individuals with AD do benefit from AV speech and semantic context during speech perception in noise (albeit to a lower extent than healthy older adults). This suggests that engaging in face-to-face communication and providing ample context will likely foster more effective communication between patients and caregivers, professionals, and loved ones.

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Medial Olivocochlear Functioning and Speech Perception in Noise in Older Adults

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000128978 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 328-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Siti Zamratol-Mai Sarah Mukari ◽

Wan Hasyimah Wan Mamat

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Speech Perception In Noise ◽

Medial Olivocochlear

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Effects of Age and Implanted Ear on Speech Recognition in Adults with Unilateral Cochlear Implants

Audiology and Neurotology ◽

10.1159/000446390 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 223-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Robert Allan Sharpe ◽

Elizabeth L. Camposeo ◽

Wasef K. Muzaffar ◽

Meredith A. Holcomb ◽

Judy R. Dubno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Cochlear Implants ◽

Retrospective Review ◽

Functional Outcomes ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Hearing In Noise ◽

Noise Test ◽

Right Ear Advantage ◽

The Right

The objective of this study was to examine how age and implanted ear contribute to functional outcomes with cochlear implantation (CI). A retrospective review was performed on 96 adults who underwent unilateral CI. Older adults with right-ear implants had higher Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) scores at 1 year by 10.3% (p = 0.06). When adjusted to rationalized arcsine units (rau), right-ear HINT scores in older adults were higher by 12.1 rau (p = 0.04). Older adults had an 8.9% advantage on the right side compared to the left in post- versus preimplant scores for consonant-vowel nucleus-consonant words (p = 0.05). No significant differences were observed for younger adults. In conclusion, although adults of all ages experience improvements in speech perception following CI, there might be a subtle but consistent right-ear advantage in older adults.

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Dichotic speech perception: An interpretation of right‐ear advantage and temporal offset effects

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America ◽

10.1121/1.1913381 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 53 (3) ◽

pp. 699-709 ◽

Cited By ~ 102

Author(s):

Charles I. Berlin ◽

Sena S. Lowe‐Bell ◽

John K. Cullen ◽

Carl L. Thompson ◽

Carl F. Loovis

Keyword(s):

Speech Perception ◽

Ear Advantage ◽

Right Ear Advantage ◽

Temporal Offset

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Speech Perception in Noise Is Associated With Different Cognitive Abilities in Chinese-Speaking Older Adults With and Without Hearing Aids

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640300 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Yuan Chen ◽

Lena L. N. Wong ◽

Shaina Shing Chan ◽

Joannie Yu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Executive Function ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

Chinese Adults ◽

Speech Perception In Noise ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Adults

Chinese-speaking older adults usually do not perceive a hearing problem until audiometric thresholds exceed 45 dB HL, and the audiometric thresholds of the average hearing-aid (HA) user often exceed 60 dB HL. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between cognitive and hearing functions (measured as audiometric or speech reception thresholds) in older Chinese adults with HAs and with untreated hearing loss (HL). Participants were 49 Chinese older adults who used HAs and had moderate to severe HL (HA group), and 46 older Chinese who had mild to moderately severe HL but did not use HAs (untreated; or UT group). Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to evaluate how well age, education level, audiometric thresholds, and speech perception in noise were related to performance on general cognitive function, working memory, executive function, attention, and verbal learning tests. Results showed that speech perception in noise alone accounted for 13–25% of the variance in general cognitive function, working memory, and executive function in the UT group, and 9–21% of the variance in general cognitive function and verbal learning in the HA group (i.e., medium effect sizes). Audiometric thresholds did not explain any proportion of the variance in cognitive functioning in the HA or UT group. Thus, speech perception in noise accounts for more variance in cognitive performance than audiometric thresholds, and is significantly associated with different cognitive functions in older Chinese adults with HAs and with untreated HL.

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Binaural Interference and the Effects of Age and Hearing Loss

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.15011 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 28 (01) ◽

pp. 005-013 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Bruna S. S. Mussoi ◽

Ruth A. Bentler

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hearing Loss ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Elderly Population ◽

Group Analysis ◽

The Elderly ◽

Normal Hearing ◽

Group Data ◽

Ear Advantage ◽

Right Ear Advantage

AbstractThe existence of binaural interference, defined here as poorer speech recognition with both ears than with the better ear alone, is well documented. Studies have suggested that its prevalence may be higher in the elderly population. However, no study to date has explored binaural interference in groups of younger and older adults in conditions that favor binaural processing (i.e., in spatially separated noise). Also, the effects of hearing loss have not been studied.To examine binaural interference through speech perception tests, in groups of younger adults with normal hearing, older adults with normal hearing for their age, and older adults with hearing loss.A cross-sectional study.Thirty-three participants with symmetric thresholds were recruited from the University of Iowa community. Participants were grouped as follows: younger with normal hearing (18–28 yr, n = 12), older with normal hearing for their age (73–87 yr, n = 9), and older with hearing loss (78–94 yr, n = 12). Prior noise exposure was ruled out.The Connected Speech Test (CST) and Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) were administered to all participants bilaterally, and to each ear separately. Test materials were presented in the sound field with speech at 0° azimuth and the noise at 180°. The Dichotic Digits Test (DDT) was administered to all participants through earphones. Hearing aids were not used during testing. Group results were compared with repeated measures and one-way analysis of variances, as appropriate. Within-subject analyses using pre-established critical differences for each test were also performed.The HINT revealed no effect of condition (individual ear versus bilateral presentation) using group analysis, although within-subject analysis showed that 27% of the participants had binaural interference (18% had binaural advantage). On the CST, there was significant binaural advantage across all groups with group data analysis, as well as for 12% of the participants at each of the two signal-to-babble ratios (SBRs) tested. One participant had binaural interference at each SBR. Finally, on the DDT, a significant right-ear advantage was found with group data, and for at least some participants. Regarding age effects, more participants in the pooled elderly groups had binaural interference (33.3%) than in the younger group (16.7%), on the HINT. The presence of hearing loss yielded overall lower scores, but none of the comparisons between bilateral and unilateral performance were affected by hearing loss.Results of within-subject analyses on the HINT agree with previous findings of binaural interference in ≥17% of listeners. Across all groups, a significant right-ear advantage was also seen on the DDT. HINT results support the notion that the prevalence of binaural interference is likely higher in the elderly population. Hearing loss, however, did not affect the differences between bilateral and better unilateral scores. The possibility of binaural interference should be considered when fitting hearing aids to listeners with symmetric hearing loss. Comparing bilateral to unilateral (unaided) performance on tests such as the HINT may provide the clinician with objective data to support subjective preference for one hearing aid as opposed to two.

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Auditory Training Using Remembering the Order of Sentences for the Elderly Who Wear Hearing Aids: Is it Effective for Speech Perception in Noise, Working Memory and Reasoning Ability?

Audiology and Speech Research ◽

10.21848/asr.200018 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 124-132

Author(s):

Donghoon Kang ◽

So Hyun Kim ◽

Dajung Yun ◽

Junghwa Bahng

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Working Memory ◽

Speech Perception ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Self Report ◽

Auditory Training ◽

Reasoning Ability ◽

Speech Perception In Noise ◽

Reasoning Test

Purpose: The present study examines auditory training outcomes in terms of speech perception in noise, working memory, reasoning ability, and subjective hearing aid satisfaction. Methods: Ten older adults who wear hearing aids (mean age: 71.6) voluntarily participated in the study. For the training material, 78 sentence sets composed of 3 to 5 sentences were used. During the auditory training, participants tried to remember the order of sentences. Among the 78 sentence sets, 45 contained clues and the rest did not. Each participant underwent assessments including speech perception in noise and digit spans and reasoning test and completed a self-report hearing aid satisfaction questionnaire both pre- and post-auditory training. The participants completed eight sessions of the auditory training. Results: The results showed a statistically significant increase in speech recognition ability in noise, short-term memory, and working memory, as well as satisfaction with hearing aid use. Despite a slight increase on the reasoning test, there was no statistically significant improvement.Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that the auditory training in remembering the order of sentences improved speech perception in noise, sensory and working memory, and subjective satisfaction with hearing aids. Future research can investigate more effective auditory training tools to improve the various cognitive skills and communication ability of older adults who wear hearing aids.

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