Analysis of Performance on Cognitive Test Measures Before, During, and After 6 Months of Hearing Aid Use: A Single-Subject Experimental Design

Purpose

The present study examined the effect of hearing aid use on cognitive test performance using a single-subject treatment design.

Method

Six participants 54 to 64 years old with sensorineural hearing loss were fitted with hearing aids. Participants used the hearing aids for approximately 8 hr each day for the duration of the study. A battery of cognitive tests was administered to participants during baseline (pre–hearing aid fitting), treatment (hearing aid use), and withdrawal (post–hearing aid use) study phases over a period of 6 months of hearing aid use.

Results

All participants showed significant improvements in performance on the cognitive test measures with hearing aid use. The most significant treatment effects were evidenced at 2 to 4 weeks of hearing aid use on the Listening Span Test and an auditory selective attention task. In many cases, cognitive performance scores returned to baseline levels after the participant stopped using the hearing aids.

Conclusion

The findings from this study are consistent with the hypothesis that hearing aid use may improve cognitive performance by improving audibility and decreasing the cognitive load of the listening task.

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Revised Conceptual Framework of Parent-to-Parent Support for Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Modified Delphi Study

Background

A scoping review of the literature was conducted, resulting in the development of a conceptual framework of parent-to-parent support for parents with children who are Deaf or hard of hearing. This is the 2nd stage of a dual-stage scoping review.

Purpose

This study sought stakeholder opinion and feedback with an aim to achieve consensus on the constructs, components, and design of the initial conceptual framework.

Research Design

A modified electronic Delphi study was completed with 21 handpicked experts from 7 countries who have experience in provision, research, or experience in the area of parent-to-parent support. Participants completed an online questionnaire using an 11-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) and open-ended questions to answer various questions related to the descriptor terms, definitions, constructs, components, and overall design of the framework.

Results

Participant responses led to the revision of the original conceptual framework.

Conclusion

The findings from this dual-stage scoping review and electronic Delphi study provide a conceptual framework that defines the vital contribution of parents in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs that will be a useful addition to these programs.

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Analysis of Performance on Cognitive Test Measures Before, During, and After 6 Months of Hearing Aid Use: A Single-Subject Experimental Design

Purpose

The present study examined the effect of hearing aid use on cognitive test performance using a single-subject treatment design.

Method

Six participants 54 to 64 years old with sensorineural hearing loss were fitted with hearing aids. Participants used the hearing aids for approximately 8 hr each day for the duration of the study. A battery of cognitive tests was administered to participants during baseline (pre–hearing aid fitting), treatment (hearing aid use), and withdrawal (post–hearing aid use) study phases over a period of 6 months of hearing aid use.

Results

All participants showed significant improvements in performance on the cognitive test measures with hearing aid use. The most significant treatment effects were evidenced at 2 to 4 weeks of hearing aid use on the Listening Span Test and an auditory selective attention task. In many cases, cognitive performance scores returned to baseline levels after the participant stopped using the hearing aids.

Conclusion

The findings from this study are consistent with the hypothesis that hearing aid use may improve cognitive performance by improving audibility and decreasing the cognitive load of the listening task.

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Revised Conceptual Framework of Parent-to-Parent Support for Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Modified Delphi Study

Background

A scoping review of the literature was conducted, resulting in the development of a conceptual framework of parent-to-parent support for parents with children who are Deaf or hard of hearing. This is the 2nd stage of a dual-stage scoping review.

Purpose

This study sought stakeholder opinion and feedback with an aim to achieve consensus on the constructs, components, and design of the initial conceptual framework.

Research Design

A modified electronic Delphi study was completed with 21 handpicked experts from 7 countries who have experience in provision, research, or experience in the area of parent-to-parent support. Participants completed an online questionnaire using an 11-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) and open-ended questions to answer various questions related to the descriptor terms, definitions, constructs, components, and overall design of the framework.

Results

Participant responses led to the revision of the original conceptual framework.

Conclusion

The findings from this dual-stage scoping review and electronic Delphi study provide a conceptual framework that defines the vital contribution of parents in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs that will be a useful addition to these programs.

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Analysis of Performance on Cognitive Test Measures Before, During, and After 6 Months of Hearing Aid Use: A Single-Subject Experimental Design

Purpose

The present study examined the effect of hearing aid use on cognitive test performance using a single-subject treatment design.

Method

Six participants 54 to 64 years old with sensorineural hearing loss were fitted with hearing aids. Participants used the hearing aids for approximately 8 hr each day for the duration of the study. A battery of cognitive tests was administered to participants during baseline (pre–hearing aid fitting), treatment (hearing aid use), and withdrawal (post–hearing aid use) study phases over a period of 6 months of hearing aid use.

Results

All participants showed significant improvements in performance on the cognitive test measures with hearing aid use. The most significant treatment effects were evidenced at 2 to 4 weeks of hearing aid use on the Listening Span Test and an auditory selective attention task. In many cases, cognitive performance scores returned to baseline levels after the participant stopped using the hearing aids.

Conclusion

The findings from this study are consistent with the hypothesis that hearing aid use may improve cognitive performance by improving audibility and decreasing the cognitive load of the listening task.

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Revised Conceptual Framework of Parent-to-Parent Support for Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Modified Delphi Study

Background

A scoping review of the literature was conducted, resulting in the development of a conceptual framework of parent-to-parent support for parents with children who are Deaf or hard of hearing. This is the 2nd stage of a dual-stage scoping review.

Purpose

This study sought stakeholder opinion and feedback with an aim to achieve consensus on the constructs, components, and design of the initial conceptual framework.

Research Design

A modified electronic Delphi study was completed with 21 handpicked experts from 7 countries who have experience in provision, research, or experience in the area of parent-to-parent support. Participants completed an online questionnaire using an 11-point Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) and open-ended questions to answer various questions related to the descriptor terms, definitions, constructs, components, and overall design of the framework.

Results

Participant responses led to the revision of the original conceptual framework.

Conclusion

The findings from this dual-stage scoping review and electronic Delphi study provide a conceptual framework that defines the vital contribution of parents in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention programs that will be a useful addition to these programs.

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Prevalence and Nature of Hearing Loss in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to clarify the prevalence, type, severity, and age-dependency of hearing loss in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Method

Extensive audiological measurements were conducted in 40 persons with proven 22q11.2 deletion (aged 6–36 years). Besides air and bone conduction thresholds in the frequency range between 0.125 and 8.000 kHz, high-frequency thresholds up to 16.000 kHz were determined and tympanometry, acoustic reflex (AR) measurement, and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) testing were performed.

Results

Hearing loss was identified in 59% of the tested ears and was mainly conductive in nature. In addition, a high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss with down-sloping curve was found in the majority of patients. Aberrant tympanometric results were recorded in 39% of the ears. In 85% of ears with a Type A or C tympanometric peak, ARs were absent. A DPOAE response in at least 6 frequencies was present in only 23% of the ears with a hearing threshold ≤30 dB HL. In patients above 14 years of age, there was a significantly lower percentage of measurable DPOAEs.

Conclusion

Hearing loss in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is highly prevalent and both conductive and high-frequency sensorineural in nature. The age-dependent absence of DPOAEs in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome suggests cochlear damage underlying the high-frequency hearing loss.

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Prevalence and Nature of Hearing Loss in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to clarify the prevalence, type, severity, and age-dependency of hearing loss in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Method

Extensive audiological measurements were conducted in 40 persons with proven 22q11.2 deletion (aged 6–36 years). Besides air and bone conduction thresholds in the frequency range between 0.125 and 8.000 kHz, high-frequency thresholds up to 16.000 kHz were determined and tympanometry, acoustic reflex (AR) measurement, and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) testing were performed.

Results

Hearing loss was identified in 59% of the tested ears and was mainly conductive in nature. In addition, a high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss with down-sloping curve was found in the majority of patients. Aberrant tympanometric results were recorded in 39% of the ears. In 85% of ears with a Type A or C tympanometric peak, ARs were absent. A DPOAE response in at least 6 frequencies was present in only 23% of the ears with a hearing threshold ≤30 dB HL. In patients above 14 years of age, there was a significantly lower percentage of measurable DPOAEs.

Conclusion

Hearing loss in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is highly prevalent and both conductive and high-frequency sensorineural in nature. The age-dependent absence of DPOAEs in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome suggests cochlear damage underlying the high-frequency hearing loss.

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Prevalence and Nature of Hearing Loss in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to clarify the prevalence, type, severity, and age-dependency of hearing loss in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Method

Extensive audiological measurements were conducted in 40 persons with proven 22q11.2 deletion (aged 6–36 years). Besides air and bone conduction thresholds in the frequency range between 0.125 and 8.000 kHz, high-frequency thresholds up to 16.000 kHz were determined and tympanometry, acoustic reflex (AR) measurement, and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) testing were performed.

Results

Hearing loss was identified in 59% of the tested ears and was mainly conductive in nature. In addition, a high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss with down-sloping curve was found in the majority of patients. Aberrant tympanometric results were recorded in 39% of the ears. In 85% of ears with a Type A or C tympanometric peak, ARs were absent. A DPOAE response in at least 6 frequencies was present in only 23% of the ears with a hearing threshold ≤30 dB HL. In patients above 14 years of age, there was a significantly lower percentage of measurable DPOAEs.

Conclusion

Hearing loss in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is highly prevalent and both conductive and high-frequency sensorineural in nature. The age-dependent absence of DPOAEs in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome suggests cochlear damage underlying the high-frequency hearing loss.

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Membrane Prestin Expression Correlates with the Magnitude of Prestin-Associated Charge Movement

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Michelle L. Seymour, Lavanya Rajagopalan, Guillaume Duret, Matthew J. Volk, Haiying Liu, William E. Brownell, Fred A. Pereira
Full expression of electromotility, generation of non-linear capacitance (NLC), and high-acuity mammalian hearing require prestin function in the lateral wall of cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). Estimates of the number of prestin molecules in the OHC membrane vary, and a consensus has not emerged about the correlation between prestin expression and prestin-associated charge movement in the OHC. Using an inducible prestin-expressing cell line, we demonstrate that the charge density, but not the voltage at peak capacitance, directly correlates with the amount of prestin in the plasma membrane. This correlation is evident in studies involving a controlled increase of prestin expression with time after induction and inducer dose-response. Conversely, membrane prestin levels and charge density gradually decline together following the reduction of prestin levels from a steady state by removal of the inducer. Thus, charge density directly correlates with the level of membrane prestin expression, whereas changing membrane levels of prestin have no effect on the voltage at peak capacitance in this inducible prestin-expressing cell line.



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Detection efficiency of Auditory Steady State evoked by modulated noise

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): T.S. Santos, J.J. Silva, O.G. Lins, D.B. Melges, C.J. Tierra-Criollo
AimThis study aimed to investigate the efficiency of Magnitude Squared Coherence (MSC) and Spectral F test (SFT) for the detection of auditory steady state responses (ASSR) obtained by amplitude-modulated noises.Material and MethodsTwenty individuals (12 women) without any history of neurological or audiological diseases, aged from 18 to 59 years (mean±standard deviation=26.45 ± 3.9 years), who provided written informed consent, participated in the study. The Audiostim system was used for stimulating and ASSR recording. The tested stimuli were amplitude-modulated Wide-band noise (WBN), Low-band noise (LBN), High-band noise (HBN), Two-band noise (TBN) between 77 and 110 Hz, applied in intensity levels of 55, 45, and 25 dB sound pressure level (SPL). MSC and SFT, two statistical-based detection techniques, were applied with a significance level of 5%. Detection times and rates were compared using the Friedman test and Tukey-Kramer as post hoc analysis. Also based on the stimulation parameters (stimuli types and intensity levels) and detection techniques (MSC or SFT), 16 different pass/fail protocols, for which the true negatives (TN) were calculated.ResultsThe median detection times ranged from 68 to 157s for 55 dB SPL, 68-99s for 45 dB SPL, and 84-118s for 25 dB SPL. No statistical difference was found between MSC and STF considering the median detection times (p>0.05). The detection rates ranged from 100% to 55.6% in 55 dB SPL, 97.2% to 38.9% in 45 dB SPL and 66.7% to 8.3% in 25 dB SPL. Also for detection rates, no statistical difference was observed between MSC and STF (p>0.05). True negatives (TN) above 90% were found for Protocols that employed WBN or HBN, at 55 dB SPL or that used WBN or HBN, at 45 dB SPL. For Protocols employing TBN, at 55 dB SPL or 45 dB SPL TN below 60% were found due to the low detection rates of stimuli that included low-band frequencies.ConclusionThe stimuli that include high-frequency content showed higher detection rates (>90%) and lower detection times (<3 min). The noise composed by two bands applied separately (TBN) is not feasible for clinical applications since it requires prolonging the exam duration, and also led to a reduced percentage of true negatives.On the other hand, WBN and HBN achieved high detection performance and high TN and should be investigated to implement pass/fail protocol for hearing screening with clinical population. Finally, both WBN and HBN seemed to be indifferent to the employed technique (SFT or MSC), which can be seen as another advantage of ASSR employment.



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Membrane Prestin Expression Correlates with the Magnitude of Prestin-Associated Charge Movement

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Michelle L. Seymour, Lavanya Rajagopalan, Guillaume Duret, Matthew J. Volk, Haiying Liu, William E. Brownell, Fred A. Pereira
Full expression of electromotility, generation of non-linear capacitance (NLC), and high-acuity mammalian hearing require prestin function in the lateral wall of cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). Estimates of the number of prestin molecules in the OHC membrane vary, and a consensus has not emerged about the correlation between prestin expression and prestin-associated charge movement in the OHC. Using an inducible prestin-expressing cell line, we demonstrate that the charge density, but not the voltage at peak capacitance, directly correlates with the amount of prestin in the plasma membrane. This correlation is evident in studies involving a controlled increase of prestin expression with time after induction and inducer dose-response. Conversely, membrane prestin levels and charge density gradually decline together following the reduction of prestin levels from a steady state by removal of the inducer. Thus, charge density directly correlates with the level of membrane prestin expression, whereas changing membrane levels of prestin have no effect on the voltage at peak capacitance in this inducible prestin-expressing cell line.



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Detection efficiency of Auditory Steady State evoked by modulated noise

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): T.S. Santos, J.J. Silva, O.G. Lins, D.B. Melges, C.J. Tierra-Criollo
AimThis study aimed to investigate the efficiency of Magnitude Squared Coherence (MSC) and Spectral F test (SFT) for the detection of auditory steady state responses (ASSR) obtained by amplitude-modulated noises.Material and MethodsTwenty individuals (12 women) without any history of neurological or audiological diseases, aged from 18 to 59 years (mean±standard deviation=26.45 ± 3.9 years), who provided written informed consent, participated in the study. The Audiostim system was used for stimulating and ASSR recording. The tested stimuli were amplitude-modulated Wide-band noise (WBN), Low-band noise (LBN), High-band noise (HBN), Two-band noise (TBN) between 77 and 110 Hz, applied in intensity levels of 55, 45, and 25 dB sound pressure level (SPL). MSC and SFT, two statistical-based detection techniques, were applied with a significance level of 5%. Detection times and rates were compared using the Friedman test and Tukey-Kramer as post hoc analysis. Also based on the stimulation parameters (stimuli types and intensity levels) and detection techniques (MSC or SFT), 16 different pass/fail protocols, for which the true negatives (TN) were calculated.ResultsThe median detection times ranged from 68 to 157s for 55 dB SPL, 68-99s for 45 dB SPL, and 84-118s for 25 dB SPL. No statistical difference was found between MSC and STF considering the median detection times (p>0.05). The detection rates ranged from 100% to 55.6% in 55 dB SPL, 97.2% to 38.9% in 45 dB SPL and 66.7% to 8.3% in 25 dB SPL. Also for detection rates, no statistical difference was observed between MSC and STF (p>0.05). True negatives (TN) above 90% were found for Protocols that employed WBN or HBN, at 55 dB SPL or that used WBN or HBN, at 45 dB SPL. For Protocols employing TBN, at 55 dB SPL or 45 dB SPL TN below 60% were found due to the low detection rates of stimuli that included low-band frequencies.ConclusionThe stimuli that include high-frequency content showed higher detection rates (>90%) and lower detection times (<3 min). The noise composed by two bands applied separately (TBN) is not feasible for clinical applications since it requires prolonging the exam duration, and also led to a reduced percentage of true negatives.On the other hand, WBN and HBN achieved high detection performance and high TN and should be investigated to implement pass/fail protocol for hearing screening with clinical population. Finally, both WBN and HBN seemed to be indifferent to the employed technique (SFT or MSC), which can be seen as another advantage of ASSR employment.



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Membrane Prestin Expression Correlates with the Magnitude of Prestin-Associated Charge Movement

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Michelle L. Seymour, Lavanya Rajagopalan, Guillaume Duret, Matthew J. Volk, Haiying Liu, William E. Brownell, Fred A. Pereira
Full expression of electromotility, generation of non-linear capacitance (NLC), and high-acuity mammalian hearing require prestin function in the lateral wall of cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). Estimates of the number of prestin molecules in the OHC membrane vary, and a consensus has not emerged about the correlation between prestin expression and prestin-associated charge movement in the OHC. Using an inducible prestin-expressing cell line, we demonstrate that the charge density, but not the voltage at peak capacitance, directly correlates with the amount of prestin in the plasma membrane. This correlation is evident in studies involving a controlled increase of prestin expression with time after induction and inducer dose-response. Conversely, membrane prestin levels and charge density gradually decline together following the reduction of prestin levels from a steady state by removal of the inducer. Thus, charge density directly correlates with the level of membrane prestin expression, whereas changing membrane levels of prestin have no effect on the voltage at peak capacitance in this inducible prestin-expressing cell line.



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Detection efficiency of Auditory Steady State evoked by modulated noise

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): T.S. Santos, J.J. Silva, O.G. Lins, D.B. Melges, C.J. Tierra-Criollo
AimThis study aimed to investigate the efficiency of Magnitude Squared Coherence (MSC) and Spectral F test (SFT) for the detection of auditory steady state responses (ASSR) obtained by amplitude-modulated noises.Material and MethodsTwenty individuals (12 women) without any history of neurological or audiological diseases, aged from 18 to 59 years (mean±standard deviation=26.45 ± 3.9 years), who provided written informed consent, participated in the study. The Audiostim system was used for stimulating and ASSR recording. The tested stimuli were amplitude-modulated Wide-band noise (WBN), Low-band noise (LBN), High-band noise (HBN), Two-band noise (TBN) between 77 and 110 Hz, applied in intensity levels of 55, 45, and 25 dB sound pressure level (SPL). MSC and SFT, two statistical-based detection techniques, were applied with a significance level of 5%. Detection times and rates were compared using the Friedman test and Tukey-Kramer as post hoc analysis. Also based on the stimulation parameters (stimuli types and intensity levels) and detection techniques (MSC or SFT), 16 different pass/fail protocols, for which the true negatives (TN) were calculated.ResultsThe median detection times ranged from 68 to 157s for 55 dB SPL, 68-99s for 45 dB SPL, and 84-118s for 25 dB SPL. No statistical difference was found between MSC and STF considering the median detection times (p>0.05). The detection rates ranged from 100% to 55.6% in 55 dB SPL, 97.2% to 38.9% in 45 dB SPL and 66.7% to 8.3% in 25 dB SPL. Also for detection rates, no statistical difference was observed between MSC and STF (p>0.05). True negatives (TN) above 90% were found for Protocols that employed WBN or HBN, at 55 dB SPL or that used WBN or HBN, at 45 dB SPL. For Protocols employing TBN, at 55 dB SPL or 45 dB SPL TN below 60% were found due to the low detection rates of stimuli that included low-band frequencies.ConclusionThe stimuli that include high-frequency content showed higher detection rates (>90%) and lower detection times (<3 min). The noise composed by two bands applied separately (TBN) is not feasible for clinical applications since it requires prolonging the exam duration, and also led to a reduced percentage of true negatives.On the other hand, WBN and HBN achieved high detection performance and high TN and should be investigated to implement pass/fail protocol for hearing screening with clinical population. Finally, both WBN and HBN seemed to be indifferent to the employed technique (SFT or MSC), which can be seen as another advantage of ASSR employment.



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Membrane Prestin Expression Correlates with the Magnitude of Prestin-Associated Charge Movement

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Michelle L. Seymour, Lavanya Rajagopalan, Guillaume Duret, Matthew J. Volk, Haiying Liu, William E. Brownell, Fred A. Pereira
Full expression of electromotility, generation of non-linear capacitance (NLC), and high-acuity mammalian hearing require prestin function in the lateral wall of cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). Estimates of the number of prestin molecules in the OHC membrane vary, and a consensus has not emerged about the correlation between prestin expression and prestin-associated charge movement in the OHC. Using an inducible prestin-expressing cell line, we demonstrate that the charge density, but not the voltage at peak capacitance, directly correlates with the amount of prestin in the plasma membrane. This correlation is evident in studies involving a controlled increase of prestin expression with time after induction and inducer dose-response. Conversely, membrane prestin levels and charge density gradually decline together following the reduction of prestin levels from a steady state by removal of the inducer. Thus, charge density directly correlates with the level of membrane prestin expression, whereas changing membrane levels of prestin have no effect on the voltage at peak capacitance in this inducible prestin-expressing cell line.



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Detection efficiency of Auditory Steady State evoked by modulated noise

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): T.S. Santos, J.J. Silva, O.G. Lins, D.B. Melges, C.J. Tierra-Criollo
AimThis study aimed to investigate the efficiency of Magnitude Squared Coherence (MSC) and Spectral F test (SFT) for the detection of auditory steady state responses (ASSR) obtained by amplitude-modulated noises.Material and MethodsTwenty individuals (12 women) without any history of neurological or audiological diseases, aged from 18 to 59 years (mean±standard deviation=26.45 ± 3.9 years), who provided written informed consent, participated in the study. The Audiostim system was used for stimulating and ASSR recording. The tested stimuli were amplitude-modulated Wide-band noise (WBN), Low-band noise (LBN), High-band noise (HBN), Two-band noise (TBN) between 77 and 110 Hz, applied in intensity levels of 55, 45, and 25 dB sound pressure level (SPL). MSC and SFT, two statistical-based detection techniques, were applied with a significance level of 5%. Detection times and rates were compared using the Friedman test and Tukey-Kramer as post hoc analysis. Also based on the stimulation parameters (stimuli types and intensity levels) and detection techniques (MSC or SFT), 16 different pass/fail protocols, for which the true negatives (TN) were calculated.ResultsThe median detection times ranged from 68 to 157s for 55 dB SPL, 68-99s for 45 dB SPL, and 84-118s for 25 dB SPL. No statistical difference was found between MSC and STF considering the median detection times (p>0.05). The detection rates ranged from 100% to 55.6% in 55 dB SPL, 97.2% to 38.9% in 45 dB SPL and 66.7% to 8.3% in 25 dB SPL. Also for detection rates, no statistical difference was observed between MSC and STF (p>0.05). True negatives (TN) above 90% were found for Protocols that employed WBN or HBN, at 55 dB SPL or that used WBN or HBN, at 45 dB SPL. For Protocols employing TBN, at 55 dB SPL or 45 dB SPL TN below 60% were found due to the low detection rates of stimuli that included low-band frequencies.ConclusionThe stimuli that include high-frequency content showed higher detection rates (>90%) and lower detection times (<3 min). The noise composed by two bands applied separately (TBN) is not feasible for clinical applications since it requires prolonging the exam duration, and also led to a reduced percentage of true negatives.On the other hand, WBN and HBN achieved high detection performance and high TN and should be investigated to implement pass/fail protocol for hearing screening with clinical population. Finally, both WBN and HBN seemed to be indifferent to the employed technique (SFT or MSC), which can be seen as another advantage of ASSR employment.



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Membrane Prestin Expression Correlates with the Magnitude of Prestin-Associated Charge Movement

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Michelle L. Seymour, Lavanya Rajagopalan, Guillaume Duret, Matthew J. Volk, Haiying Liu, William E. Brownell, Fred A. Pereira
Full expression of electromotility, generation of non-linear capacitance (NLC), and high-acuity mammalian hearing require prestin function in the lateral wall of cochlear outer hair cells (OHCs). Estimates of the number of prestin molecules in the OHC membrane vary, and a consensus has not emerged about the correlation between prestin expression and prestin-associated charge movement in the OHC. Using an inducible prestin-expressing cell line, we demonstrate that the charge density, but not the voltage at peak capacitance, directly correlates with the amount of prestin in the plasma membrane. This correlation is evident in studies involving a controlled increase of prestin expression with time after induction and inducer dose-response. Conversely, membrane prestin levels and charge density gradually decline together following the reduction of prestin levels from a steady state by removal of the inducer. Thus, charge density directly correlates with the level of membrane prestin expression, whereas changing membrane levels of prestin have no effect on the voltage at peak capacitance in this inducible prestin-expressing cell line.



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Detection efficiency of Auditory Steady State evoked by modulated noise

Publication date: Available online 1 June 2016
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): T.S. Santos, J.J. Silva, O.G. Lins, D.B. Melges, C.J. Tierra-Criollo
AimThis study aimed to investigate the efficiency of Magnitude Squared Coherence (MSC) and Spectral F test (SFT) for the detection of auditory steady state responses (ASSR) obtained by amplitude-modulated noises.Material and MethodsTwenty individuals (12 women) without any history of neurological or audiological diseases, aged from 18 to 59 years (mean±standard deviation=26.45 ± 3.9 years), who provided written informed consent, participated in the study. The Audiostim system was used for stimulating and ASSR recording. The tested stimuli were amplitude-modulated Wide-band noise (WBN), Low-band noise (LBN), High-band noise (HBN), Two-band noise (TBN) between 77 and 110 Hz, applied in intensity levels of 55, 45, and 25 dB sound pressure level (SPL). MSC and SFT, two statistical-based detection techniques, were applied with a significance level of 5%. Detection times and rates were compared using the Friedman test and Tukey-Kramer as post hoc analysis. Also based on the stimulation parameters (stimuli types and intensity levels) and detection techniques (MSC or SFT), 16 different pass/fail protocols, for which the true negatives (TN) were calculated.ResultsThe median detection times ranged from 68 to 157s for 55 dB SPL, 68-99s for 45 dB SPL, and 84-118s for 25 dB SPL. No statistical difference was found between MSC and STF considering the median detection times (p>0.05). The detection rates ranged from 100% to 55.6% in 55 dB SPL, 97.2% to 38.9% in 45 dB SPL and 66.7% to 8.3% in 25 dB SPL. Also for detection rates, no statistical difference was observed between MSC and STF (p>0.05). True negatives (TN) above 90% were found for Protocols that employed WBN or HBN, at 55 dB SPL or that used WBN or HBN, at 45 dB SPL. For Protocols employing TBN, at 55 dB SPL or 45 dB SPL TN below 60% were found due to the low detection rates of stimuli that included low-band frequencies.ConclusionThe stimuli that include high-frequency content showed higher detection rates (>90%) and lower detection times (<3 min). The noise composed by two bands applied separately (TBN) is not feasible for clinical applications since it requires prolonging the exam duration, and also led to a reduced percentage of true negatives.On the other hand, WBN and HBN achieved high detection performance and high TN and should be investigated to implement pass/fail protocol for hearing screening with clinical population. Finally, both WBN and HBN seemed to be indifferent to the employed technique (SFT or MSC), which can be seen as another advantage of ASSR employment.



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Outcome measures based on classification performance fail to predict the intelligibility of binary-masked speech

To date, the most commonly used outcome measure for assessing ideal binary mask estimation algorithms is based on the difference between the hit rate and the false alarm rate (H-FA). Recently, the error distribution has been shown to substantially affect intelligibility. However, H-FA treats each mask unit independently and does not take into account how errors are distributed. Alternatively, algorithms can be evaluated with the short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) metric using the reconstructed speech. This study investigates the ability of H-FA and STOI to predict intelligibility for binary-masked speech using masks with different error distributions. The results demonstrate the inability of H-FA to predict the behavioral intelligibility and also illustrate the limitations of STOI. Since every estimation algorithm will make errors that are distributed in different ways, performance evaluations should not be made solely on the basis of these metrics.

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Unidirectional acoustic probe based on the particle velocity gradienta)

This paper presents the foundations of a unidirectional acoustic probe based on the particle velocity gradient. Highly directional characteristics play a key role in reducing the influence of undesired acoustic sources. These characteristics can be achieved by using multiple acoustic sensors in a spatial gradient arrangement. Two particle velocity sensors possessing the figure eight directivity pattern were used in a first-order gradient configuration to yield a unidirectional probe that can reject most excitations originating from both sides and the rear. The effects of key parameters are thoroughly discussed, and the proposed theory is validated in practice.

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The Contribution of Hearing and Hearing Loss to Balance Control

This study investigated the hypothesis that a hearing ‘map' of our surroundings is used to maintain balance control. We investigated the effects of sound on postural sway using centre of pressure analysis in 50 subjects with normal hearing, 28 with hearing loss and 19 with vestibular dysfunction. The acoustic environments utilized sound cues that were either present or absent. It was found that auditory cues are utilized by subjects with normal hearing to improve postural sway. The ability to utilize sound for postural control is diminished when there is a hearing loss, but this appears to be overcome by the use of a hearing aid. Patients with additional vestibular deficits exploit auditory cues to a greater degree, suggesting that sensory weighting to enhance the use of auditory cues may be applied when there is diminished sensory redundancy.
Audiol Neurotol 2016;21:195-202

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Unidirectional acoustic probe based on the particle velocity gradienta)

This paper presents the foundations of a unidirectional acoustic probe based on the particle velocity gradient. Highly directional characteristics play a key role in reducing the influence of undesired acoustic sources. These characteristics can be achieved by using multiple acoustic sensors in a spatial gradient arrangement. Two particle velocity sensors possessing the figure eight directivity pattern were used in a first-order gradient configuration to yield a unidirectional probe that can reject most excitations originating from both sides and the rear. The effects of key parameters are thoroughly discussed, and the proposed theory is validated in practice.

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The impact of tinnitus upon cognition in adults: A systematic review

10.1080/14992027.2016.1185168<br/>Susan Tegg-Quinn

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The impact of tinnitus upon cognition in adults: A systematic review

10.1080/14992027.2016.1185168<br/>Susan Tegg-Quinn

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The Cortical Automatic Threshold Estimation in Adults

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Symptom: Congenital Hearing Loss

No abstract available

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Help-Seeking in Tinnitus: Low Patient Satisfaction Calls for Improvements

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Outer Hair Cell Damage: A Completely Different Listening Experience

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Respect (and Treat!) Your Elders

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Lessons from LOCHI

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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in the Campus

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Hit the Right Notes with Musician Earplugs

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The Cortical Automatic Threshold Estimation in Adults

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“I'm Not a Banker”

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Expanding Borders: Consumer Electronics Giant to Enter the Hearing Health Care Space

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Symptom: Congenital Hearing Loss

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Help-Seeking in Tinnitus: Low Patient Satisfaction Calls for Improvements

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Outer Hair Cell Damage: A Completely Different Listening Experience

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Respect (and Treat!) Your Elders

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Lessons from LOCHI

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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in the Campus

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Hit the Right Notes with Musician Earplugs

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Manufacturers News

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Respect (and Treat!) Your Elders

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Lessons from LOCHI

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Manufacturers News

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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in the Campus

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Hit the Right Notes with Musician Earplugs

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Manufacturers News

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