Alexandros Sfakianakis
Anapafseos 5 . Agios Nikolaos
Crete.Greece.72100
2841026182
Anapafseos 5 . Agios Nikolaos
Crete.Greece.72100
2841026182
6948891480
Πέμπτη 25 Μαΐου 2017
Video Blog: AudioNotch Device Compatibility
Here’s a video we made about the various types of devices that AudioNotch’s web application works on:
(a web application is an application that is accessed by visiting a web site)
Device Compatibility: AudioNotch from AudioNotch on Vimeo.
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Video Blog: What is Notched Sound Therapy?
Here’s a video explainer we made that describes, in greater detail, what Notched Sound Therapy is and how it works.
What is Notched Sound Therapy? from AudioNotch on Vimeo.
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Rehabilitation and Psychosocial Determinants of Cochlear Implant Outcomes in Older Adults.
Objective: The cochlear implant (CI) has been shown to be associated with better hearing, cognitive abilities, and functional independence. There is variability however in how much benefit each recipient derives from his or her CI. This study's primary objective is to determine the effects of individual and environmental characteristics on CI outcomes. Design: Seventy-six adults who developed postlingual severe to profound hearing loss and received their first unilateral CI at 65 years and older were eligible for the study. Fifty-five patients were asked to participate and the 33 (60%) with complete data were classified as "group 1." The remaining patients were placed in "group 2." Primary outcomes included changes in quality of life and open-set speech perception scores. Independent variables included age, health status, trait emotional intelligence (EI), comfort with technology, and living arrangements. Survey outcomes and audiological measurements were collected prospectively at 12 months after surgery, whereas preoperative data were collected retrospectively. Comparisons between groups 1 and 2 were made. Wilcoxon signed rank test, Spearman correlations, Mann-Whitney tests, Chi-square tests, and linear regressions were performed only on group 1 data. Results: Having a CI was associated with improved quality of life and speech perception. Familiarity with electronic tablets was associated with increased 12-month postoperative AzBio gains when adjusted for preoperative AzBio scores (adjusted p = 0.019), but only marginally significant when a family-wise error correction was applied (p = 0.057). Furthermore, patients who lived with other people scored at least 20 points higher on the AzBio sentences than those who lived alone (adjusted p = 0.046). Finally, consultation with an auditory rehabilitation therapist was associated with higher self-reported quality of life (p = 0.035). Conclusion: This study suggests that in a cohort of older patients cochlear implantation is associated with a meaningful increase in both quality of life and speech perception. Furthermore, it suggests the potential importance of adjunct support and services, including the tailoring of CI rehabilitation sessions depending on the patient's familiarity with technology and living situation. Investment in rehabilitation and other services is associated with improvements in quality of life and may mitigate clinical, individual and social risk factors for poor communication outcome. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Children With Single-Sided Deafness Use Their Cochlear Implant.
Objectives: To assess acceptance of a cochlear implant (CI) by children with single-sided deafness (SSD) as measured by duration of CI use across daily listening environments. Design: Datalogs for 7 children aged 1.1 to 14.5 years (mean +/- SD: 5.9 +/- 5.9 years old), who had SSD and were implanted in their deaf ear, were anonymized and extracted from their CI processors. Data for all available follow-up clinical appointments were included, ranging from two to six visits. Measures calculated from each datalog included frequency and duration of time the coil disconnected from the internal device, average daily CI use, and both duration (hr/day) and percentage of CI use (% daily use) in different intensity ranges and environment types. Linear mixed effects regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationships between CI experience, daily CI use, frequency of coil-offs, and duration of coil-off time. Nonlinear regression analyses were used to evaluate CI use with age in different acoustic environments. Results: Children with SSD used their CI on average 7.4 hr/day. Older children used their CI for longer periods of the day than younger children. Longitudinal data indicated consistent CI use from the date of CI activation. Frequency of coil-offs reduced with CI experience, but did not significantly contribute to hours of coil-off time. Children used their CI longest in environments that were moderately loud (50 to 70 dB A) and classified as containing speech-in-noise. Preschoolers tended to spend less time in quiet but more time in music than infants/toddlers and adolescents. Conclusions: Children with SSD consistently use their CI upon activation in a variety of environments commonly experienced by children. CI use in children with SSD resembles reported bilateral hearing aid use in children but is longer than reported hearing aid use in children with less severe unilateral hearing loss, suggesting that (1) the normal-hearing ear did not detract from consistent CI use; and (2) a greater asymmetry between ears presents a significant impairment that may facilitate device use to access bilateral sound. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The Effect of Visual Variability on the Learning of Academic Concepts
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to identify effects of variability of visual input on development of conceptual representations of academic concepts for college-age students with normal language (NL) and those with language-learning disabilities (LLD).
Method
Students with NL (n = 11) and LLD (n = 11) participated in a computer-based training for introductory biology course concepts. Participants were trained on half the concepts under a low-variability condition and half under a high-variability condition. Participants completed a posttest in which they were asked to identify and rate the accuracy of novel and trained visual representations of the concepts. We performed separate repeated measures analyses of variance to examine the accuracy of identification and ratings.
Results
Participants were equally accurate on trained and novel items in the high-variability condition, but were less accurate on novel items only in the low-variability condition. The LLD group showed the same pattern as the NL group; they were just less accurate.
Conclusions
Results indicated that high-variability visual input may facilitate the acquisition of academic concepts in college students with NL and LLD. High-variability visual input may be especially beneficial for generalization to novel representations of concepts. Implicit learning methods may be harnessed by college courses to provide students with basic conceptual knowledge when they are entering courses or beginning new units.from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2s08UQr
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Rehabilitation and Psychosocial Determinants of Cochlear Implant Outcomes in Older Adults.
Objective: The cochlear implant (CI) has been shown to be associated with better hearing, cognitive abilities, and functional independence. There is variability however in how much benefit each recipient derives from his or her CI. This study's primary objective is to determine the effects of individual and environmental characteristics on CI outcomes. Design: Seventy-six adults who developed postlingual severe to profound hearing loss and received their first unilateral CI at 65 years and older were eligible for the study. Fifty-five patients were asked to participate and the 33 (60%) with complete data were classified as "group 1." The remaining patients were placed in "group 2." Primary outcomes included changes in quality of life and open-set speech perception scores. Independent variables included age, health status, trait emotional intelligence (EI), comfort with technology, and living arrangements. Survey outcomes and audiological measurements were collected prospectively at 12 months after surgery, whereas preoperative data were collected retrospectively. Comparisons between groups 1 and 2 were made. Wilcoxon signed rank test, Spearman correlations, Mann-Whitney tests, Chi-square tests, and linear regressions were performed only on group 1 data. Results: Having a CI was associated with improved quality of life and speech perception. Familiarity with electronic tablets was associated with increased 12-month postoperative AzBio gains when adjusted for preoperative AzBio scores (adjusted p = 0.019), but only marginally significant when a family-wise error correction was applied (p = 0.057). Furthermore, patients who lived with other people scored at least 20 points higher on the AzBio sentences than those who lived alone (adjusted p = 0.046). Finally, consultation with an auditory rehabilitation therapist was associated with higher self-reported quality of life (p = 0.035). Conclusion: This study suggests that in a cohort of older patients cochlear implantation is associated with a meaningful increase in both quality of life and speech perception. Furthermore, it suggests the potential importance of adjunct support and services, including the tailoring of CI rehabilitation sessions depending on the patient's familiarity with technology and living situation. Investment in rehabilitation and other services is associated with improvements in quality of life and may mitigate clinical, individual and social risk factors for poor communication outcome. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Children With Single-Sided Deafness Use Their Cochlear Implant.
Objectives: To assess acceptance of a cochlear implant (CI) by children with single-sided deafness (SSD) as measured by duration of CI use across daily listening environments. Design: Datalogs for 7 children aged 1.1 to 14.5 years (mean +/- SD: 5.9 +/- 5.9 years old), who had SSD and were implanted in their deaf ear, were anonymized and extracted from their CI processors. Data for all available follow-up clinical appointments were included, ranging from two to six visits. Measures calculated from each datalog included frequency and duration of time the coil disconnected from the internal device, average daily CI use, and both duration (hr/day) and percentage of CI use (% daily use) in different intensity ranges and environment types. Linear mixed effects regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationships between CI experience, daily CI use, frequency of coil-offs, and duration of coil-off time. Nonlinear regression analyses were used to evaluate CI use with age in different acoustic environments. Results: Children with SSD used their CI on average 7.4 hr/day. Older children used their CI for longer periods of the day than younger children. Longitudinal data indicated consistent CI use from the date of CI activation. Frequency of coil-offs reduced with CI experience, but did not significantly contribute to hours of coil-off time. Children used their CI longest in environments that were moderately loud (50 to 70 dB A) and classified as containing speech-in-noise. Preschoolers tended to spend less time in quiet but more time in music than infants/toddlers and adolescents. Conclusions: Children with SSD consistently use their CI upon activation in a variety of environments commonly experienced by children. CI use in children with SSD resembles reported bilateral hearing aid use in children but is longer than reported hearing aid use in children with less severe unilateral hearing loss, suggesting that (1) the normal-hearing ear did not detract from consistent CI use; and (2) a greater asymmetry between ears presents a significant impairment that may facilitate device use to access bilateral sound. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The Effect of Visual Variability on the Learning of Academic Concepts
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to identify effects of variability of visual input on development of conceptual representations of academic concepts for college-age students with normal language (NL) and those with language-learning disabilities (LLD).
Method
Students with NL (n = 11) and LLD (n = 11) participated in a computer-based training for introductory biology course concepts. Participants were trained on half the concepts under a low-variability condition and half under a high-variability condition. Participants completed a posttest in which they were asked to identify and rate the accuracy of novel and trained visual representations of the concepts. We performed separate repeated measures analyses of variance to examine the accuracy of identification and ratings.
Results
Participants were equally accurate on trained and novel items in the high-variability condition, but were less accurate on novel items only in the low-variability condition. The LLD group showed the same pattern as the NL group; they were just less accurate.
Conclusions
Results indicated that high-variability visual input may facilitate the acquisition of academic concepts in college students with NL and LLD. High-variability visual input may be especially beneficial for generalization to novel representations of concepts. Implicit learning methods may be harnessed by college courses to provide students with basic conceptual knowledge when they are entering courses or beginning new units.from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2s08UQr
via IFTTT
Rehabilitation and Psychosocial Determinants of Cochlear Implant Outcomes in Older Adults.
Objective: The cochlear implant (CI) has been shown to be associated with better hearing, cognitive abilities, and functional independence. There is variability however in how much benefit each recipient derives from his or her CI. This study's primary objective is to determine the effects of individual and environmental characteristics on CI outcomes. Design: Seventy-six adults who developed postlingual severe to profound hearing loss and received their first unilateral CI at 65 years and older were eligible for the study. Fifty-five patients were asked to participate and the 33 (60%) with complete data were classified as "group 1." The remaining patients were placed in "group 2." Primary outcomes included changes in quality of life and open-set speech perception scores. Independent variables included age, health status, trait emotional intelligence (EI), comfort with technology, and living arrangements. Survey outcomes and audiological measurements were collected prospectively at 12 months after surgery, whereas preoperative data were collected retrospectively. Comparisons between groups 1 and 2 were made. Wilcoxon signed rank test, Spearman correlations, Mann-Whitney tests, Chi-square tests, and linear regressions were performed only on group 1 data. Results: Having a CI was associated with improved quality of life and speech perception. Familiarity with electronic tablets was associated with increased 12-month postoperative AzBio gains when adjusted for preoperative AzBio scores (adjusted p = 0.019), but only marginally significant when a family-wise error correction was applied (p = 0.057). Furthermore, patients who lived with other people scored at least 20 points higher on the AzBio sentences than those who lived alone (adjusted p = 0.046). Finally, consultation with an auditory rehabilitation therapist was associated with higher self-reported quality of life (p = 0.035). Conclusion: This study suggests that in a cohort of older patients cochlear implantation is associated with a meaningful increase in both quality of life and speech perception. Furthermore, it suggests the potential importance of adjunct support and services, including the tailoring of CI rehabilitation sessions depending on the patient's familiarity with technology and living situation. Investment in rehabilitation and other services is associated with improvements in quality of life and may mitigate clinical, individual and social risk factors for poor communication outcome. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Children With Single-Sided Deafness Use Their Cochlear Implant.
Objectives: To assess acceptance of a cochlear implant (CI) by children with single-sided deafness (SSD) as measured by duration of CI use across daily listening environments. Design: Datalogs for 7 children aged 1.1 to 14.5 years (mean +/- SD: 5.9 +/- 5.9 years old), who had SSD and were implanted in their deaf ear, were anonymized and extracted from their CI processors. Data for all available follow-up clinical appointments were included, ranging from two to six visits. Measures calculated from each datalog included frequency and duration of time the coil disconnected from the internal device, average daily CI use, and both duration (hr/day) and percentage of CI use (% daily use) in different intensity ranges and environment types. Linear mixed effects regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationships between CI experience, daily CI use, frequency of coil-offs, and duration of coil-off time. Nonlinear regression analyses were used to evaluate CI use with age in different acoustic environments. Results: Children with SSD used their CI on average 7.4 hr/day. Older children used their CI for longer periods of the day than younger children. Longitudinal data indicated consistent CI use from the date of CI activation. Frequency of coil-offs reduced with CI experience, but did not significantly contribute to hours of coil-off time. Children used their CI longest in environments that were moderately loud (50 to 70 dB A) and classified as containing speech-in-noise. Preschoolers tended to spend less time in quiet but more time in music than infants/toddlers and adolescents. Conclusions: Children with SSD consistently use their CI upon activation in a variety of environments commonly experienced by children. CI use in children with SSD resembles reported bilateral hearing aid use in children but is longer than reported hearing aid use in children with less severe unilateral hearing loss, suggesting that (1) the normal-hearing ear did not detract from consistent CI use; and (2) a greater asymmetry between ears presents a significant impairment that may facilitate device use to access bilateral sound. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rVLYmc
via IFTTT
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via IFTTT
The Effect of Visual Variability on the Learning of Academic Concepts
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to identify effects of variability of visual input on development of conceptual representations of academic concepts for college-age students with normal language (NL) and those with language-learning disabilities (LLD).
Method
Students with NL (n = 11) and LLD (n = 11) participated in a computer-based training for introductory biology course concepts. Participants were trained on half the concepts under a low-variability condition and half under a high-variability condition. Participants completed a posttest in which they were asked to identify and rate the accuracy of novel and trained visual representations of the concepts. We performed separate repeated measures analyses of variance to examine the accuracy of identification and ratings.
Results
Participants were equally accurate on trained and novel items in the high-variability condition, but were less accurate on novel items only in the low-variability condition. The LLD group showed the same pattern as the NL group; they were just less accurate.
Conclusions
Results indicated that high-variability visual input may facilitate the acquisition of academic concepts in college students with NL and LLD. High-variability visual input may be especially beneficial for generalization to novel representations of concepts. Implicit learning methods may be harnessed by college courses to provide students with basic conceptual knowledge when they are entering courses or beginning new units.from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2s08UQr
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Language Development and Impairment in Children with Mild to Moderate Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Purpose
The goal of this study was to examine language development and factors related to language impairments in children with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss (MMHL).
Method
Ninety children, aged 8–16 years (46 children with MMHL; 44 aged-matched controls), were administered a battery of standardized language assessments, including measures of phonological processing, receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar, word and nonword reading, and parental report of communication skills. Group differences were examined after controlling for nonverbal ability.
Results
Children with MMHL performed as well as controls on receptive vocabulary and word and nonword reading. They also performed within normal limits, albeit significantly worse than controls, on expressive vocabulary, and on receptive and expressive grammar, and worse than both controls and standardized norms on phonological processing and parental report of communication skills. However, there was considerable variation in performance, with 26% showing evidence of clinically significant oral or written language impairments. Poor performance was not linked to severity of hearing loss nor age of diagnosis. Rather, outcomes were related to nonverbal ability, maternal education, and presence/absence of family history of language problems.
Conclusions
Clinically significant language impairments are not an inevitable consequence of MMHL. Risk factors appear to include lower maternal education and family history of language problems, whereas nonverbal ability may constitute a protective factor.from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rm7fbS
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Velopharyngeal Status of Stop Consonants and Vowels Produced by Young Children With and Without Repaired Cleft Palate at 12, 14, and 18 Months of Age: A Preliminary Analysis
Purpose
The objective was to determine velopharyngeal (VP) status of stop consonants and vowels produced by young children with repaired cleft palate (CP) and typically developing (TD) children from 12 to 18 months of age.
Method
Nasal ram pressure (NRP) was monitored in 9 children (5 boys, 4 girls) with repaired CP with or without cleft lip and 9 TD children (5 boys, 4 girls) at 12, 14, and 18 months of age. VP status was categorized as open or closed for oral stops and vowels in three contexts—consonant–vowel syllables, vowel–consonant–vowel syllables, and isolated vowels—on the basis of the presence or absence of positive nasal ram pressure.
Results
At 12 months of age, TD children produced 98% of stops and vowels in syllables with VP closure throughout the entire segment compared with 81% of stops and vowels for children with CP (p Conclusionsfrom #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rVcrjU
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Gauging the Auditory Dimensions of Dysarthric Impairment: Reliability and Construct Validity of the Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales (BoDyS)
Purpose
Standardized clinical assessment of dysarthria is essential for management and research. We present a new, fully standardized dysarthria assessment, the Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales (BoDyS). The measurement model of the BoDyS is based on auditory evaluations of connected speech using 9 scales (traits) assessed by 4 elicitation methods. Analyses of the BoDyS' reliability and construct validity were performed to test this model, with the aim of gauging the auditory dimensions of speech impairment in dysarthria.
Method
Interrater agreement was examined in 70 persons with dysarthria. Construct validity was examined in 190 persons with dysarthria using a multitrait-multimethod design with confirmatory factor analysis.
Results
Interrater agreement of Conclusionsfrom #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rlYi2d
via IFTTT
Language Development and Impairment in Children with Mild to Moderate Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Purpose
The goal of this study was to examine language development and factors related to language impairments in children with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss (MMHL).
Method
Ninety children, aged 8–16 years (46 children with MMHL; 44 aged-matched controls), were administered a battery of standardized language assessments, including measures of phonological processing, receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar, word and nonword reading, and parental report of communication skills. Group differences were examined after controlling for nonverbal ability.
Results
Children with MMHL performed as well as controls on receptive vocabulary and word and nonword reading. They also performed within normal limits, albeit significantly worse than controls, on expressive vocabulary, and on receptive and expressive grammar, and worse than both controls and standardized norms on phonological processing and parental report of communication skills. However, there was considerable variation in performance, with 26% showing evidence of clinically significant oral or written language impairments. Poor performance was not linked to severity of hearing loss nor age of diagnosis. Rather, outcomes were related to nonverbal ability, maternal education, and presence/absence of family history of language problems.
Conclusions
Clinically significant language impairments are not an inevitable consequence of MMHL. Risk factors appear to include lower maternal education and family history of language problems, whereas nonverbal ability may constitute a protective factor.from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rm7fbS
via IFTTT
Velopharyngeal Status of Stop Consonants and Vowels Produced by Young Children With and Without Repaired Cleft Palate at 12, 14, and 18 Months of Age: A Preliminary Analysis
Purpose
The objective was to determine velopharyngeal (VP) status of stop consonants and vowels produced by young children with repaired cleft palate (CP) and typically developing (TD) children from 12 to 18 months of age.
Method
Nasal ram pressure (NRP) was monitored in 9 children (5 boys, 4 girls) with repaired CP with or without cleft lip and 9 TD children (5 boys, 4 girls) at 12, 14, and 18 months of age. VP status was categorized as open or closed for oral stops and vowels in three contexts—consonant–vowel syllables, vowel–consonant–vowel syllables, and isolated vowels—on the basis of the presence or absence of positive nasal ram pressure.
Results
At 12 months of age, TD children produced 98% of stops and vowels in syllables with VP closure throughout the entire segment compared with 81% of stops and vowels for children with CP (p Conclusionsfrom #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rVcrjU
via IFTTT
Gauging the Auditory Dimensions of Dysarthric Impairment: Reliability and Construct Validity of the Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales (BoDyS)
Purpose
Standardized clinical assessment of dysarthria is essential for management and research. We present a new, fully standardized dysarthria assessment, the Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales (BoDyS). The measurement model of the BoDyS is based on auditory evaluations of connected speech using 9 scales (traits) assessed by 4 elicitation methods. Analyses of the BoDyS' reliability and construct validity were performed to test this model, with the aim of gauging the auditory dimensions of speech impairment in dysarthria.
Method
Interrater agreement was examined in 70 persons with dysarthria. Construct validity was examined in 190 persons with dysarthria using a multitrait-multimethod design with confirmatory factor analysis.
Results
Interrater agreement of Conclusionsfrom #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rlYi2d
via IFTTT
Language Development and Impairment in Children with Mild to Moderate Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Purpose
The goal of this study was to examine language development and factors related to language impairments in children with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss (MMHL).
Method
Ninety children, aged 8–16 years (46 children with MMHL; 44 aged-matched controls), were administered a battery of standardized language assessments, including measures of phonological processing, receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar, word and nonword reading, and parental report of communication skills. Group differences were examined after controlling for nonverbal ability.
Results
Children with MMHL performed as well as controls on receptive vocabulary and word and nonword reading. They also performed within normal limits, albeit significantly worse than controls, on expressive vocabulary, and on receptive and expressive grammar, and worse than both controls and standardized norms on phonological processing and parental report of communication skills. However, there was considerable variation in performance, with 26% showing evidence of clinically significant oral or written language impairments. Poor performance was not linked to severity of hearing loss nor age of diagnosis. Rather, outcomes were related to nonverbal ability, maternal education, and presence/absence of family history of language problems.
Conclusions
Clinically significant language impairments are not an inevitable consequence of MMHL. Risk factors appear to include lower maternal education and family history of language problems, whereas nonverbal ability may constitute a protective factor.from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rm7fbS
via IFTTT
Velopharyngeal Status of Stop Consonants and Vowels Produced by Young Children With and Without Repaired Cleft Palate at 12, 14, and 18 Months of Age: A Preliminary Analysis
Purpose
The objective was to determine velopharyngeal (VP) status of stop consonants and vowels produced by young children with repaired cleft palate (CP) and typically developing (TD) children from 12 to 18 months of age.
Method
Nasal ram pressure (NRP) was monitored in 9 children (5 boys, 4 girls) with repaired CP with or without cleft lip and 9 TD children (5 boys, 4 girls) at 12, 14, and 18 months of age. VP status was categorized as open or closed for oral stops and vowels in three contexts—consonant–vowel syllables, vowel–consonant–vowel syllables, and isolated vowels—on the basis of the presence or absence of positive nasal ram pressure.
Results
At 12 months of age, TD children produced 98% of stops and vowels in syllables with VP closure throughout the entire segment compared with 81% of stops and vowels for children with CP (p Conclusionsfrom #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rVcrjU
via IFTTT
Gauging the Auditory Dimensions of Dysarthric Impairment: Reliability and Construct Validity of the Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales (BoDyS)
Purpose
Standardized clinical assessment of dysarthria is essential for management and research. We present a new, fully standardized dysarthria assessment, the Bogenhausen Dysarthria Scales (BoDyS). The measurement model of the BoDyS is based on auditory evaluations of connected speech using 9 scales (traits) assessed by 4 elicitation methods. Analyses of the BoDyS' reliability and construct validity were performed to test this model, with the aim of gauging the auditory dimensions of speech impairment in dysarthria.
Method
Interrater agreement was examined in 70 persons with dysarthria. Construct validity was examined in 190 persons with dysarthria using a multitrait-multimethod design with confirmatory factor analysis.
Results
Interrater agreement of Conclusionsfrom #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rlYi2d
via IFTTT
Peak medial (but not lateral) hamstring activity is significantly lower during stance phase of running. An EMG investigation using a reduced gravity treadmill
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Clint Hansen, Einar Einarson, Athol Thomson, Rodney Whiteley
The hamstrings are seen to work during late swing phase (presumably to decelerate the extending shank) then during stance phase (presumably stabilizing the knee and contributing to horizontal force production during propulsion) of running. A better understanding of this hamstring activation during running may contribute to injury prevention and performance enhancement (targeting the specific role via specific contraction mode). Twenty active adult males underwent surface EMG recordings of their medial and lateral hamstrings while running on a reduced gravity treadmill. Participants underwent 36 different conditions for combinations of 50%–100% altering bodyweight (10% increments) & 6–16km/h (2km/h increments, i.e.: 36 conditions) for a minimum of 6 strides of each leg (maximum 32). EMG was normalized to the peak value seen for each individual during any stride in any trial to describe relative activation levels during gait. Increasing running speed effected greater increases in EMG for all muscles than did altering bodyweight. Peak EMG for the lateral hamstrings during running trials was similar for both swing and stance phase whereas the medial hamstrings showed an approximate 20% reduction during stance compared to swing phase. It is suggested that the lateral hamstrings work equally hard during swing and stance phase however the medial hamstrings are loaded slightly less every stance phase. Likely this helps explain the higher incidence of lateral hamstring injury. Hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation programs incorporating running should consider running speed as more potent stimulus for increasing hamstring muscle activation than impact loading.
from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2rlDKXm
via IFTTT
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Clint Hansen, Einar Einarson, Athol Thomson, Rodney Whiteley
The hamstrings are seen to work during late swing phase (presumably to decelerate the extending shank) then during stance phase (presumably stabilizing the knee and contributing to horizontal force production during propulsion) of running. A better understanding of this hamstring activation during running may contribute to injury prevention and performance enhancement (targeting the specific role via specific contraction mode). Twenty active adult males underwent surface EMG recordings of their medial and lateral hamstrings while running on a reduced gravity treadmill. Participants underwent 36 different conditions for combinations of 50%–100% altering bodyweight (10% increments) & 6–16km/h (2km/h increments, i.e.: 36 conditions) for a minimum of 6 strides of each leg (maximum 32). EMG was normalized to the peak value seen for each individual during any stride in any trial to describe relative activation levels during gait. Increasing running speed effected greater increases in EMG for all muscles than did altering bodyweight. Peak EMG for the lateral hamstrings during running trials was similar for both swing and stance phase whereas the medial hamstrings showed an approximate 20% reduction during stance compared to swing phase. It is suggested that the lateral hamstrings work equally hard during swing and stance phase however the medial hamstrings are loaded slightly less every stance phase. Likely this helps explain the higher incidence of lateral hamstring injury. Hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation programs incorporating running should consider running speed as more potent stimulus for increasing hamstring muscle activation than impact loading.
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Stance instability in preclinical SCA1 mutation carriers: A 4-year prospective posturography study
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Lorenzo Nanetti, Dario Alpini, Valentina Mattei, Anna Castaldo, Alessia Mongelli, Greta Brenna, Cinzia Gellera, Caterina Mariotti
ObjectiveWe aimed to study postural balance in preclinical Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) mutation carriers to identify and observe specific motor functional deficit before evident clinical manifestation.MethodsParticipants were 9 asymptomatic SCA1 mutation carriers (6M/3F), aged 31.8±7years (range 22–44), and 17 age-matched non-carrier controls (5M/12F) (age 18–42). Subjects underwent postural tests on a force platform (Tetrax®-IBS, Sunlight Medical Ltd.) with and without visual feedback. Amount of body sway was represented by stability index (ST). Tests were repeated after 2- and 4-years. Estimated years to onset were calculated.ResultsIn controls, ST was unchanged from baseline to 4-year evaluations in all standing conditions. SCA1 mutation carriers performed similarly to controls in the postural tasks with open eyes, whereas in conditions without visual feedback SCA1 carriers had significantly higher ST than controls at all longitudinal evaluations. Close-to-disease onset carriers (≤7years) showed more prominent time-dependent stance abnormalities (p<0.0001 for all comparisons).ConclusionsTraceable and progressive postural abnormalities can be observed in preclinical close-to-onset SCA1 carriers. Quantitative analysis of stance could represent a promising outcome measure in clinical trials including preclinical subjects.
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Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Lorenzo Nanetti, Dario Alpini, Valentina Mattei, Anna Castaldo, Alessia Mongelli, Greta Brenna, Cinzia Gellera, Caterina Mariotti
ObjectiveWe aimed to study postural balance in preclinical Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) mutation carriers to identify and observe specific motor functional deficit before evident clinical manifestation.MethodsParticipants were 9 asymptomatic SCA1 mutation carriers (6M/3F), aged 31.8±7years (range 22–44), and 17 age-matched non-carrier controls (5M/12F) (age 18–42). Subjects underwent postural tests on a force platform (Tetrax®-IBS, Sunlight Medical Ltd.) with and without visual feedback. Amount of body sway was represented by stability index (ST). Tests were repeated after 2- and 4-years. Estimated years to onset were calculated.ResultsIn controls, ST was unchanged from baseline to 4-year evaluations in all standing conditions. SCA1 mutation carriers performed similarly to controls in the postural tasks with open eyes, whereas in conditions without visual feedback SCA1 carriers had significantly higher ST than controls at all longitudinal evaluations. Close-to-disease onset carriers (≤7years) showed more prominent time-dependent stance abnormalities (p<0.0001 for all comparisons).ConclusionsTraceable and progressive postural abnormalities can be observed in preclinical close-to-onset SCA1 carriers. Quantitative analysis of stance could represent a promising outcome measure in clinical trials including preclinical subjects.
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Spinal fusion limits upper body range of motion during gait without inducing compensatory mechanisms in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): R.M. Holewijn, I. Kingma, M. de Kleuver, J.J.P. Schimmel, N.L.W. Keijsers
IntroductionPrevious studies show a limited alteration of gait at normal walking speed after spinal fusion surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), despite the presumed essential role of spinal mobility during gait. This study analyses how spinal fusion affects gait at more challenging walking speeds. More specifically, we investigated whether thoracic-pelvic rotations are reduced to a larger extent at higher gait speeds and whether compensatory mechanisms above and below the stiffened spine are present.Methods18 AIS patients underwent gait analysis at increasing walking speeds (0.45 to 2.22m/s) before and after spinal fusion. The range of motion (ROM) of the upper (thorax, thoracic-pelvic and pelvis) and lower body (hip, knee and ankle) was determined in all three planes. Spatiotemporal parameters of interest were stride length and cadence.ResultsSpinal fusion diminished transverse plane thoracic-pelvic ROM and this difference was more explicit at higher walking speeds. Transversal pelvis ROM was also decreased but this effect was not affected by speed. Lower body ROM, step length and cadence remained unaffected.DiscussionDespite the reduction of upper body ROM after spine surgery during high speed gait, no altered spatiotemporal parameters or increased compensatory ROM above or below the fusion (i.e. in the shoulder girdle or lower extremities) was identified. Thus, it remains unclear how patients can cope so well with such major surgery. Future studies should focus on analyzing the kinematics of individual spinal levels above and below the fusion during gait to investigate possible compensatory mechanisms within the spine.
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Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): R.M. Holewijn, I. Kingma, M. de Kleuver, J.J.P. Schimmel, N.L.W. Keijsers
IntroductionPrevious studies show a limited alteration of gait at normal walking speed after spinal fusion surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), despite the presumed essential role of spinal mobility during gait. This study analyses how spinal fusion affects gait at more challenging walking speeds. More specifically, we investigated whether thoracic-pelvic rotations are reduced to a larger extent at higher gait speeds and whether compensatory mechanisms above and below the stiffened spine are present.Methods18 AIS patients underwent gait analysis at increasing walking speeds (0.45 to 2.22m/s) before and after spinal fusion. The range of motion (ROM) of the upper (thorax, thoracic-pelvic and pelvis) and lower body (hip, knee and ankle) was determined in all three planes. Spatiotemporal parameters of interest were stride length and cadence.ResultsSpinal fusion diminished transverse plane thoracic-pelvic ROM and this difference was more explicit at higher walking speeds. Transversal pelvis ROM was also decreased but this effect was not affected by speed. Lower body ROM, step length and cadence remained unaffected.DiscussionDespite the reduction of upper body ROM after spine surgery during high speed gait, no altered spatiotemporal parameters or increased compensatory ROM above or below the fusion (i.e. in the shoulder girdle or lower extremities) was identified. Thus, it remains unclear how patients can cope so well with such major surgery. Future studies should focus on analyzing the kinematics of individual spinal levels above and below the fusion during gait to investigate possible compensatory mechanisms within the spine.
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Peak medial (but not lateral) hamstring activity is significantly lower during stance phase of running. An EMG investigation using a reduced gravity treadmill
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Clint Hansen, Einar Einarson, Athol Thomson, Rodney Whiteley
The hamstrings are seen to work during late swing phase (presumably to decelerate the extending shank) then during stance phase (presumably stabilizing the knee and contributing to horizontal force production during propulsion) of running. A better understanding of this hamstring activation during running may contribute to injury prevention and performance enhancement (targeting the specific role via specific contraction mode). Twenty active adult males underwent surface EMG recordings of their medial and lateral hamstrings while running on a reduced gravity treadmill. Participants underwent 36 different conditions for combinations of 50%–100% altering bodyweight (10% increments) & 6–16km/h (2km/h increments, i.e.: 36 conditions) for a minimum of 6 strides of each leg (maximum 32). EMG was normalized to the peak value seen for each individual during any stride in any trial to describe relative activation levels during gait. Increasing running speed effected greater increases in EMG for all muscles than did altering bodyweight. Peak EMG for the lateral hamstrings during running trials was similar for both swing and stance phase whereas the medial hamstrings showed an approximate 20% reduction during stance compared to swing phase. It is suggested that the lateral hamstrings work equally hard during swing and stance phase however the medial hamstrings are loaded slightly less every stance phase. Likely this helps explain the higher incidence of lateral hamstring injury. Hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation programs incorporating running should consider running speed as more potent stimulus for increasing hamstring muscle activation than impact loading.
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Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Clint Hansen, Einar Einarson, Athol Thomson, Rodney Whiteley
The hamstrings are seen to work during late swing phase (presumably to decelerate the extending shank) then during stance phase (presumably stabilizing the knee and contributing to horizontal force production during propulsion) of running. A better understanding of this hamstring activation during running may contribute to injury prevention and performance enhancement (targeting the specific role via specific contraction mode). Twenty active adult males underwent surface EMG recordings of their medial and lateral hamstrings while running on a reduced gravity treadmill. Participants underwent 36 different conditions for combinations of 50%–100% altering bodyweight (10% increments) & 6–16km/h (2km/h increments, i.e.: 36 conditions) for a minimum of 6 strides of each leg (maximum 32). EMG was normalized to the peak value seen for each individual during any stride in any trial to describe relative activation levels during gait. Increasing running speed effected greater increases in EMG for all muscles than did altering bodyweight. Peak EMG for the lateral hamstrings during running trials was similar for both swing and stance phase whereas the medial hamstrings showed an approximate 20% reduction during stance compared to swing phase. It is suggested that the lateral hamstrings work equally hard during swing and stance phase however the medial hamstrings are loaded slightly less every stance phase. Likely this helps explain the higher incidence of lateral hamstring injury. Hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation programs incorporating running should consider running speed as more potent stimulus for increasing hamstring muscle activation than impact loading.
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Stance instability in preclinical SCA1 mutation carriers: A 4-year prospective posturography study
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Lorenzo Nanetti, Dario Alpini, Valentina Mattei, Anna Castaldo, Alessia Mongelli, Greta Brenna, Cinzia Gellera, Caterina Mariotti
ObjectiveWe aimed to study postural balance in preclinical Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) mutation carriers to identify and observe specific motor functional deficit before evident clinical manifestation.MethodsParticipants were 9 asymptomatic SCA1 mutation carriers (6M/3F), aged 31.8±7years (range 22–44), and 17 age-matched non-carrier controls (5M/12F) (age 18–42). Subjects underwent postural tests on a force platform (Tetrax®-IBS, Sunlight Medical Ltd.) with and without visual feedback. Amount of body sway was represented by stability index (ST). Tests were repeated after 2- and 4-years. Estimated years to onset were calculated.ResultsIn controls, ST was unchanged from baseline to 4-year evaluations in all standing conditions. SCA1 mutation carriers performed similarly to controls in the postural tasks with open eyes, whereas in conditions without visual feedback SCA1 carriers had significantly higher ST than controls at all longitudinal evaluations. Close-to-disease onset carriers (≤7years) showed more prominent time-dependent stance abnormalities (p<0.0001 for all comparisons).ConclusionsTraceable and progressive postural abnormalities can be observed in preclinical close-to-onset SCA1 carriers. Quantitative analysis of stance could represent a promising outcome measure in clinical trials including preclinical subjects.
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Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Lorenzo Nanetti, Dario Alpini, Valentina Mattei, Anna Castaldo, Alessia Mongelli, Greta Brenna, Cinzia Gellera, Caterina Mariotti
ObjectiveWe aimed to study postural balance in preclinical Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) mutation carriers to identify and observe specific motor functional deficit before evident clinical manifestation.MethodsParticipants were 9 asymptomatic SCA1 mutation carriers (6M/3F), aged 31.8±7years (range 22–44), and 17 age-matched non-carrier controls (5M/12F) (age 18–42). Subjects underwent postural tests on a force platform (Tetrax®-IBS, Sunlight Medical Ltd.) with and without visual feedback. Amount of body sway was represented by stability index (ST). Tests were repeated after 2- and 4-years. Estimated years to onset were calculated.ResultsIn controls, ST was unchanged from baseline to 4-year evaluations in all standing conditions. SCA1 mutation carriers performed similarly to controls in the postural tasks with open eyes, whereas in conditions without visual feedback SCA1 carriers had significantly higher ST than controls at all longitudinal evaluations. Close-to-disease onset carriers (≤7years) showed more prominent time-dependent stance abnormalities (p<0.0001 for all comparisons).ConclusionsTraceable and progressive postural abnormalities can be observed in preclinical close-to-onset SCA1 carriers. Quantitative analysis of stance could represent a promising outcome measure in clinical trials including preclinical subjects.
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Spinal fusion limits upper body range of motion during gait without inducing compensatory mechanisms in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): R.M. Holewijn, I. Kingma, M. de Kleuver, J.J.P. Schimmel, N.L.W. Keijsers
IntroductionPrevious studies show a limited alteration of gait at normal walking speed after spinal fusion surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), despite the presumed essential role of spinal mobility during gait. This study analyses how spinal fusion affects gait at more challenging walking speeds. More specifically, we investigated whether thoracic-pelvic rotations are reduced to a larger extent at higher gait speeds and whether compensatory mechanisms above and below the stiffened spine are present.Methods18 AIS patients underwent gait analysis at increasing walking speeds (0.45 to 2.22m/s) before and after spinal fusion. The range of motion (ROM) of the upper (thorax, thoracic-pelvic and pelvis) and lower body (hip, knee and ankle) was determined in all three planes. Spatiotemporal parameters of interest were stride length and cadence.ResultsSpinal fusion diminished transverse plane thoracic-pelvic ROM and this difference was more explicit at higher walking speeds. Transversal pelvis ROM was also decreased but this effect was not affected by speed. Lower body ROM, step length and cadence remained unaffected.DiscussionDespite the reduction of upper body ROM after spine surgery during high speed gait, no altered spatiotemporal parameters or increased compensatory ROM above or below the fusion (i.e. in the shoulder girdle or lower extremities) was identified. Thus, it remains unclear how patients can cope so well with such major surgery. Future studies should focus on analyzing the kinematics of individual spinal levels above and below the fusion during gait to investigate possible compensatory mechanisms within the spine.
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Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): R.M. Holewijn, I. Kingma, M. de Kleuver, J.J.P. Schimmel, N.L.W. Keijsers
IntroductionPrevious studies show a limited alteration of gait at normal walking speed after spinal fusion surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), despite the presumed essential role of spinal mobility during gait. This study analyses how spinal fusion affects gait at more challenging walking speeds. More specifically, we investigated whether thoracic-pelvic rotations are reduced to a larger extent at higher gait speeds and whether compensatory mechanisms above and below the stiffened spine are present.Methods18 AIS patients underwent gait analysis at increasing walking speeds (0.45 to 2.22m/s) before and after spinal fusion. The range of motion (ROM) of the upper (thorax, thoracic-pelvic and pelvis) and lower body (hip, knee and ankle) was determined in all three planes. Spatiotemporal parameters of interest were stride length and cadence.ResultsSpinal fusion diminished transverse plane thoracic-pelvic ROM and this difference was more explicit at higher walking speeds. Transversal pelvis ROM was also decreased but this effect was not affected by speed. Lower body ROM, step length and cadence remained unaffected.DiscussionDespite the reduction of upper body ROM after spine surgery during high speed gait, no altered spatiotemporal parameters or increased compensatory ROM above or below the fusion (i.e. in the shoulder girdle or lower extremities) was identified. Thus, it remains unclear how patients can cope so well with such major surgery. Future studies should focus on analyzing the kinematics of individual spinal levels above and below the fusion during gait to investigate possible compensatory mechanisms within the spine.
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Peak medial (but not lateral) hamstring activity is significantly lower during stance phase of running. An EMG investigation using a reduced gravity treadmill
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Clint Hansen, Einar Einarson, Athol Thomson, Rodney Whiteley
The hamstrings are seen to work during late swing phase (presumably to decelerate the extending shank) then during stance phase (presumably stabilizing the knee and contributing to horizontal force production during propulsion) of running. A better understanding of this hamstring activation during running may contribute to injury prevention and performance enhancement (targeting the specific role via specific contraction mode). Twenty active adult males underwent surface EMG recordings of their medial and lateral hamstrings while running on a reduced gravity treadmill. Participants underwent 36 different conditions for combinations of 50%–100% altering bodyweight (10% increments) & 6–16km/h (2km/h increments, i.e.: 36 conditions) for a minimum of 6 strides of each leg (maximum 32). EMG was normalized to the peak value seen for each individual during any stride in any trial to describe relative activation levels during gait. Increasing running speed effected greater increases in EMG for all muscles than did altering bodyweight. Peak EMG for the lateral hamstrings during running trials was similar for both swing and stance phase whereas the medial hamstrings showed an approximate 20% reduction during stance compared to swing phase. It is suggested that the lateral hamstrings work equally hard during swing and stance phase however the medial hamstrings are loaded slightly less every stance phase. Likely this helps explain the higher incidence of lateral hamstring injury. Hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation programs incorporating running should consider running speed as more potent stimulus for increasing hamstring muscle activation than impact loading.
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Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Clint Hansen, Einar Einarson, Athol Thomson, Rodney Whiteley
The hamstrings are seen to work during late swing phase (presumably to decelerate the extending shank) then during stance phase (presumably stabilizing the knee and contributing to horizontal force production during propulsion) of running. A better understanding of this hamstring activation during running may contribute to injury prevention and performance enhancement (targeting the specific role via specific contraction mode). Twenty active adult males underwent surface EMG recordings of their medial and lateral hamstrings while running on a reduced gravity treadmill. Participants underwent 36 different conditions for combinations of 50%–100% altering bodyweight (10% increments) & 6–16km/h (2km/h increments, i.e.: 36 conditions) for a minimum of 6 strides of each leg (maximum 32). EMG was normalized to the peak value seen for each individual during any stride in any trial to describe relative activation levels during gait. Increasing running speed effected greater increases in EMG for all muscles than did altering bodyweight. Peak EMG for the lateral hamstrings during running trials was similar for both swing and stance phase whereas the medial hamstrings showed an approximate 20% reduction during stance compared to swing phase. It is suggested that the lateral hamstrings work equally hard during swing and stance phase however the medial hamstrings are loaded slightly less every stance phase. Likely this helps explain the higher incidence of lateral hamstring injury. Hamstring injury prevention and rehabilitation programs incorporating running should consider running speed as more potent stimulus for increasing hamstring muscle activation than impact loading.
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Stance instability in preclinical SCA1 mutation carriers: A 4-year prospective posturography study
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Lorenzo Nanetti, Dario Alpini, Valentina Mattei, Anna Castaldo, Alessia Mongelli, Greta Brenna, Cinzia Gellera, Caterina Mariotti
ObjectiveWe aimed to study postural balance in preclinical Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) mutation carriers to identify and observe specific motor functional deficit before evident clinical manifestation.MethodsParticipants were 9 asymptomatic SCA1 mutation carriers (6M/3F), aged 31.8±7years (range 22–44), and 17 age-matched non-carrier controls (5M/12F) (age 18–42). Subjects underwent postural tests on a force platform (Tetrax®-IBS, Sunlight Medical Ltd.) with and without visual feedback. Amount of body sway was represented by stability index (ST). Tests were repeated after 2- and 4-years. Estimated years to onset were calculated.ResultsIn controls, ST was unchanged from baseline to 4-year evaluations in all standing conditions. SCA1 mutation carriers performed similarly to controls in the postural tasks with open eyes, whereas in conditions without visual feedback SCA1 carriers had significantly higher ST than controls at all longitudinal evaluations. Close-to-disease onset carriers (≤7years) showed more prominent time-dependent stance abnormalities (p<0.0001 for all comparisons).ConclusionsTraceable and progressive postural abnormalities can be observed in preclinical close-to-onset SCA1 carriers. Quantitative analysis of stance could represent a promising outcome measure in clinical trials including preclinical subjects.
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Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): Lorenzo Nanetti, Dario Alpini, Valentina Mattei, Anna Castaldo, Alessia Mongelli, Greta Brenna, Cinzia Gellera, Caterina Mariotti
ObjectiveWe aimed to study postural balance in preclinical Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) mutation carriers to identify and observe specific motor functional deficit before evident clinical manifestation.MethodsParticipants were 9 asymptomatic SCA1 mutation carriers (6M/3F), aged 31.8±7years (range 22–44), and 17 age-matched non-carrier controls (5M/12F) (age 18–42). Subjects underwent postural tests on a force platform (Tetrax®-IBS, Sunlight Medical Ltd.) with and without visual feedback. Amount of body sway was represented by stability index (ST). Tests were repeated after 2- and 4-years. Estimated years to onset were calculated.ResultsIn controls, ST was unchanged from baseline to 4-year evaluations in all standing conditions. SCA1 mutation carriers performed similarly to controls in the postural tasks with open eyes, whereas in conditions without visual feedback SCA1 carriers had significantly higher ST than controls at all longitudinal evaluations. Close-to-disease onset carriers (≤7years) showed more prominent time-dependent stance abnormalities (p<0.0001 for all comparisons).ConclusionsTraceable and progressive postural abnormalities can be observed in preclinical close-to-onset SCA1 carriers. Quantitative analysis of stance could represent a promising outcome measure in clinical trials including preclinical subjects.
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Spinal fusion limits upper body range of motion during gait without inducing compensatory mechanisms in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients
Publication date: September 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): R.M. Holewijn, I. Kingma, M. de Kleuver, J.J.P. Schimmel, N.L.W. Keijsers
IntroductionPrevious studies show a limited alteration of gait at normal walking speed after spinal fusion surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), despite the presumed essential role of spinal mobility during gait. This study analyses how spinal fusion affects gait at more challenging walking speeds. More specifically, we investigated whether thoracic-pelvic rotations are reduced to a larger extent at higher gait speeds and whether compensatory mechanisms above and below the stiffened spine are present.Methods18 AIS patients underwent gait analysis at increasing walking speeds (0.45 to 2.22m/s) before and after spinal fusion. The range of motion (ROM) of the upper (thorax, thoracic-pelvic and pelvis) and lower body (hip, knee and ankle) was determined in all three planes. Spatiotemporal parameters of interest were stride length and cadence.ResultsSpinal fusion diminished transverse plane thoracic-pelvic ROM and this difference was more explicit at higher walking speeds. Transversal pelvis ROM was also decreased but this effect was not affected by speed. Lower body ROM, step length and cadence remained unaffected.DiscussionDespite the reduction of upper body ROM after spine surgery during high speed gait, no altered spatiotemporal parameters or increased compensatory ROM above or below the fusion (i.e. in the shoulder girdle or lower extremities) was identified. Thus, it remains unclear how patients can cope so well with such major surgery. Future studies should focus on analyzing the kinematics of individual spinal levels above and below the fusion during gait to investigate possible compensatory mechanisms within the spine.
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Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 57
Author(s): R.M. Holewijn, I. Kingma, M. de Kleuver, J.J.P. Schimmel, N.L.W. Keijsers
IntroductionPrevious studies show a limited alteration of gait at normal walking speed after spinal fusion surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), despite the presumed essential role of spinal mobility during gait. This study analyses how spinal fusion affects gait at more challenging walking speeds. More specifically, we investigated whether thoracic-pelvic rotations are reduced to a larger extent at higher gait speeds and whether compensatory mechanisms above and below the stiffened spine are present.Methods18 AIS patients underwent gait analysis at increasing walking speeds (0.45 to 2.22m/s) before and after spinal fusion. The range of motion (ROM) of the upper (thorax, thoracic-pelvic and pelvis) and lower body (hip, knee and ankle) was determined in all three planes. Spatiotemporal parameters of interest were stride length and cadence.ResultsSpinal fusion diminished transverse plane thoracic-pelvic ROM and this difference was more explicit at higher walking speeds. Transversal pelvis ROM was also decreased but this effect was not affected by speed. Lower body ROM, step length and cadence remained unaffected.DiscussionDespite the reduction of upper body ROM after spine surgery during high speed gait, no altered spatiotemporal parameters or increased compensatory ROM above or below the fusion (i.e. in the shoulder girdle or lower extremities) was identified. Thus, it remains unclear how patients can cope so well with such major surgery. Future studies should focus on analyzing the kinematics of individual spinal levels above and below the fusion during gait to investigate possible compensatory mechanisms within the spine.
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A novel frameshift mutation of SMPX causes a rare form of X-linked nonsyndromic hearing loss in a Chinese family
by Zhijie Niu, Yong Feng, Lingyun Mei, Jie Sun, Xueping Wang, Juncheng Wang, Zhengmao Hu, Yunpeng Dong, Hongsheng Chen, Chufeng He, Yalan Liu, Xinzhang Cai, Xuezhong Liu, Lu Jiang
X-linked hearing impairment is the rarest form of genetic hearing loss (HL) and represents only a minor fraction of all cases. The aim of this study was to investigate the cause of X-linked inherited sensorineural HL in a four-generation Chinese family. A novel duplication variant (c.217dupA, p.Ile73Asnfs*5) in SMPX was identified by whole-exome sequencing. The frameshift mutation predicted to result in the premature truncation of the SMPX protein was co-segregated with the HL phenotype and was absent in 295 normal controls. Subpopulation screening of the coding exons and flanking introns of SMPX was further performed for 338 Chinese patients with nonsydromic HL by Sanger sequencing, and another two potential causative substitutions (c.238C>A and c.55A>G) in SMPX were identified in additional sporadic cases of congenital deafness. Collectively, this study is the first to report the role of SMPX in Chinese population and identify a novel frameshift mutation in SMPX that causes not only nonsyndromic late-onset progressive HL, but also congenital hearing impairment. Our findings extend the mutation and phenotypic spectrum of the SMPX gene.from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2r0on3z
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National Academies of Practice and Audiology
Three members of the American Academy of Audiology, Bettie Borton, AuD; Victor Bray, PhD, and Victoria Keetay, PhD, were recently selected to serve in leadership positions in the the National Academies of Practice (NAP). Bettie Borton and Victoria Keetay are the chair and vice chair of the Audiology Academy in the NAP, respectively. Victor Bray, founding chair of the Audiology Academy, has been elected as Secretary/Treasurer to NAP’s Executive Council.
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Tinnitus Gone After A Year
Tinnitus is an audiological condition commonly described as either a ringing in the ear for no known reason. Some experience it as buzzing, humming, or even as a loud, roaring noise. In very rare cases, tinnitus sufferers may actually hear music. Although annoying, it isn’t painful, and it is often possible that treatment will result in tinnitus gone after a year.
Tinnitus by itself is not a disease but rather a symptom of conditions that range from minor to severe. Causes include such ear was blocking ear canals, fluid in the inner ear, aneurysm, or even Meniere’s disease. The first step for those who experience these symptoms is to visit their health care professional to find the underlying cause. Two types of tinnitus exist — subjective and objective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus is sound that only the specific patient hears, while objective tinnitus can be heard by others. It’s estimated that over 99 percent of all of those who suffer from tinnitus experience the subjective variety. Objective tinnitus is usually caused by internal bodily functions such as blood flow disorders.
Science currently has no cure for tinnitus, but fortunately, treatment options exist that offer many of those who suffer from the condition a measure of relief. The simplest way to get the tinnitus gone after a year is to stop is to effectively treat the root cause, but when that can’t be done, sound therapies, hearing aids, and behavioral therapies often alleviate symptoms. Many of those who suffer from tinnitus are also experiencing some form of hearing loss, so fitting them with hearing aids sometimes eliminates tinnitus completely.
Other possible courses of treatment for tinnitus include vitamin and mineral therapy, biofeedback, and cognitive therapy. Studies have shown that many who suffer from tinnitus also experience decreased levels of magnesium and zinc. Ginkgo supplements have also been found by some to reduce occurrences of tinnitus. Biofeedback can be helpful in treating tinnitus because it empowers the patient with techniques designed to minimize responses to the stimuli that may result in an onset of tinnitus. Cognitive therapy may offer some relief to those who are struggling with coping with the negative aspects of this disorder such as problems sleeping and increased feelings of anger and frustration.
Because tinnitus is often a condition associated with working in loud environments or otherwise being exposed to loud noises over a period of time, those who are at risk are advised to wear hearing protection. Also, cleaning the ears out with cotton swabs is not advised because this procedure serves to push ear wax further back into the inner ear canal.
Tinnitus has many possible causes and potential treatments. Patients often have to explore several treatment strategies to achieve tinnitus gone after a year before finding something that works for their individual situation.
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Noise and pitch interact during the cortical segregation of concurrent speech
Publication date: Available online 25 May 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Gavin M. Bidelman, Anusha Yellamsetty
Behavioral studies reveal listeners exploit intrinsic differences in voice fundamental frequency (F0) to segregate concurrent speech sounds—the so-called “F0-benefit.” More favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the environment, an extrinsic acoustic factor, similarly benefits the parsing of simultaneous speech. Here, we examined the neurobiological substrates of these two cues in the perceptual segregation of concurrent speech mixtures. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while listeners performed a speeded double-vowel identification task. Listeners heard two concurrent vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones presented in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5 dB SNR) conditions. Behaviorally, listeners were more accurate in correctly identifying both vowels for larger F0 separations but F0-benefit was more pronounced at more favorable SNRs (i.e., pitch × SNR interaction). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that only the P2 wave (∼200 ms) showed a similar F0 x SNR interaction as behavior and was correlated with listeners' perceptual F0-benefit. Neural classifiers applied to the ERPs further suggested that speech sounds are segregated neurally within 200 ms based on SNR whereas segregation based on pitch occurs later in time (400–700 ms). The earlier timing of extrinsic SNR compared to intrinsic F0-based segregation implies that the cortical extraction of speech from noise is more efficient than differentiating speech based on pitch cues alone, which may recruit additional cortical processes. Findings indicate that noise and pitch differences interact relatively early in cerebral cortex and that the brain arrives at the identities of concurrent speech mixtures as early as ∼200 ms.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Gavin M. Bidelman, Anusha Yellamsetty
Behavioral studies reveal listeners exploit intrinsic differences in voice fundamental frequency (F0) to segregate concurrent speech sounds—the so-called “F0-benefit.” More favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the environment, an extrinsic acoustic factor, similarly benefits the parsing of simultaneous speech. Here, we examined the neurobiological substrates of these two cues in the perceptual segregation of concurrent speech mixtures. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while listeners performed a speeded double-vowel identification task. Listeners heard two concurrent vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones presented in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5 dB SNR) conditions. Behaviorally, listeners were more accurate in correctly identifying both vowels for larger F0 separations but F0-benefit was more pronounced at more favorable SNRs (i.e., pitch × SNR interaction). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that only the P2 wave (∼200 ms) showed a similar F0 x SNR interaction as behavior and was correlated with listeners' perceptual F0-benefit. Neural classifiers applied to the ERPs further suggested that speech sounds are segregated neurally within 200 ms based on SNR whereas segregation based on pitch occurs later in time (400–700 ms). The earlier timing of extrinsic SNR compared to intrinsic F0-based segregation implies that the cortical extraction of speech from noise is more efficient than differentiating speech based on pitch cues alone, which may recruit additional cortical processes. Findings indicate that noise and pitch differences interact relatively early in cerebral cortex and that the brain arrives at the identities of concurrent speech mixtures as early as ∼200 ms.
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Brain activity underlying the recovery of meaning from degraded speech: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study
Publication date: Available online 25 May 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Pramudi Wijayasiri, Douglas E.H. Hartley, Ian M. Wiggins
The purpose of this study was to establish whether functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging brain-imaging technique based on optical principles, is suitable for studying the brain activity that underlies effortful listening. In an event-related fNIRS experiment, normally-hearing adults listened to sentences that were either clear or degraded (noise vocoded). These sentences were presented simultaneously with a non-speech distractor, and on each trial participants were instructed to attend either to the speech or to the distractor. The primary region of interest for the fNIRS measurements was the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), a cortical region involved in higher-order language processing. The fNIRS results confirmed findings previously reported in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature. Firstly, the LIFG exhibited an elevated response to degraded versus clear speech, but only when attention was directed towards the speech. This attention-dependent increase in frontal brain activation may be a neural marker for effortful listening. Secondly, during attentive listening to degraded speech, the haemodynamic response peaked significantly later in the LIFG than in superior temporal cortex, possibly reflecting the engagement of working memory to help reconstruct the meaning of degraded sentences. The homologous region in the right hemisphere may play an equivalent role to the LIFG in some left-handed individuals. In conclusion, fNIRS holds promise as a flexible tool to examine the neural signature of effortful listening.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Pramudi Wijayasiri, Douglas E.H. Hartley, Ian M. Wiggins
The purpose of this study was to establish whether functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging brain-imaging technique based on optical principles, is suitable for studying the brain activity that underlies effortful listening. In an event-related fNIRS experiment, normally-hearing adults listened to sentences that were either clear or degraded (noise vocoded). These sentences were presented simultaneously with a non-speech distractor, and on each trial participants were instructed to attend either to the speech or to the distractor. The primary region of interest for the fNIRS measurements was the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), a cortical region involved in higher-order language processing. The fNIRS results confirmed findings previously reported in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature. Firstly, the LIFG exhibited an elevated response to degraded versus clear speech, but only when attention was directed towards the speech. This attention-dependent increase in frontal brain activation may be a neural marker for effortful listening. Secondly, during attentive listening to degraded speech, the haemodynamic response peaked significantly later in the LIFG than in superior temporal cortex, possibly reflecting the engagement of working memory to help reconstruct the meaning of degraded sentences. The homologous region in the right hemisphere may play an equivalent role to the LIFG in some left-handed individuals. In conclusion, fNIRS holds promise as a flexible tool to examine the neural signature of effortful listening.
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Noise and pitch interact during the cortical segregation of concurrent speech
Publication date: Available online 25 May 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Gavin M. Bidelman, Anusha Yellamsetty
Behavioral studies reveal listeners exploit intrinsic differences in voice fundamental frequency (F0) to segregate concurrent speech sounds—the so-called “F0-benefit.” More favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the environment, an extrinsic acoustic factor, similarly benefits the parsing of simultaneous speech. Here, we examined the neurobiological substrates of these two cues in the perceptual segregation of concurrent speech mixtures. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while listeners performed a speeded double-vowel identification task. Listeners heard two concurrent vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones presented in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5 dB SNR) conditions. Behaviorally, listeners were more accurate in correctly identifying both vowels for larger F0 separations but F0-benefit was more pronounced at more favorable SNRs (i.e., pitch × SNR interaction). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that only the P2 wave (∼200 ms) showed a similar F0 x SNR interaction as behavior and was correlated with listeners' perceptual F0-benefit. Neural classifiers applied to the ERPs further suggested that speech sounds are segregated neurally within 200 ms based on SNR whereas segregation based on pitch occurs later in time (400–700 ms). The earlier timing of extrinsic SNR compared to intrinsic F0-based segregation implies that the cortical extraction of speech from noise is more efficient than differentiating speech based on pitch cues alone, which may recruit additional cortical processes. Findings indicate that noise and pitch differences interact relatively early in cerebral cortex and that the brain arrives at the identities of concurrent speech mixtures as early as ∼200 ms.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Gavin M. Bidelman, Anusha Yellamsetty
Behavioral studies reveal listeners exploit intrinsic differences in voice fundamental frequency (F0) to segregate concurrent speech sounds—the so-called “F0-benefit.” More favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the environment, an extrinsic acoustic factor, similarly benefits the parsing of simultaneous speech. Here, we examined the neurobiological substrates of these two cues in the perceptual segregation of concurrent speech mixtures. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while listeners performed a speeded double-vowel identification task. Listeners heard two concurrent vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones presented in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5 dB SNR) conditions. Behaviorally, listeners were more accurate in correctly identifying both vowels for larger F0 separations but F0-benefit was more pronounced at more favorable SNRs (i.e., pitch × SNR interaction). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that only the P2 wave (∼200 ms) showed a similar F0 x SNR interaction as behavior and was correlated with listeners' perceptual F0-benefit. Neural classifiers applied to the ERPs further suggested that speech sounds are segregated neurally within 200 ms based on SNR whereas segregation based on pitch occurs later in time (400–700 ms). The earlier timing of extrinsic SNR compared to intrinsic F0-based segregation implies that the cortical extraction of speech from noise is more efficient than differentiating speech based on pitch cues alone, which may recruit additional cortical processes. Findings indicate that noise and pitch differences interact relatively early in cerebral cortex and that the brain arrives at the identities of concurrent speech mixtures as early as ∼200 ms.
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Brain activity underlying the recovery of meaning from degraded speech: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study
Publication date: Available online 25 May 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Pramudi Wijayasiri, Douglas E.H. Hartley, Ian M. Wiggins
The purpose of this study was to establish whether functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging brain-imaging technique based on optical principles, is suitable for studying the brain activity that underlies effortful listening. In an event-related fNIRS experiment, normally-hearing adults listened to sentences that were either clear or degraded (noise vocoded). These sentences were presented simultaneously with a non-speech distractor, and on each trial participants were instructed to attend either to the speech or to the distractor. The primary region of interest for the fNIRS measurements was the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), a cortical region involved in higher-order language processing. The fNIRS results confirmed findings previously reported in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature. Firstly, the LIFG exhibited an elevated response to degraded versus clear speech, but only when attention was directed towards the speech. This attention-dependent increase in frontal brain activation may be a neural marker for effortful listening. Secondly, during attentive listening to degraded speech, the haemodynamic response peaked significantly later in the LIFG than in superior temporal cortex, possibly reflecting the engagement of working memory to help reconstruct the meaning of degraded sentences. The homologous region in the right hemisphere may play an equivalent role to the LIFG in some left-handed individuals. In conclusion, fNIRS holds promise as a flexible tool to examine the neural signature of effortful listening.
from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2qfDSaS
via IFTTT
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Pramudi Wijayasiri, Douglas E.H. Hartley, Ian M. Wiggins
The purpose of this study was to establish whether functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging brain-imaging technique based on optical principles, is suitable for studying the brain activity that underlies effortful listening. In an event-related fNIRS experiment, normally-hearing adults listened to sentences that were either clear or degraded (noise vocoded). These sentences were presented simultaneously with a non-speech distractor, and on each trial participants were instructed to attend either to the speech or to the distractor. The primary region of interest for the fNIRS measurements was the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), a cortical region involved in higher-order language processing. The fNIRS results confirmed findings previously reported in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature. Firstly, the LIFG exhibited an elevated response to degraded versus clear speech, but only when attention was directed towards the speech. This attention-dependent increase in frontal brain activation may be a neural marker for effortful listening. Secondly, during attentive listening to degraded speech, the haemodynamic response peaked significantly later in the LIFG than in superior temporal cortex, possibly reflecting the engagement of working memory to help reconstruct the meaning of degraded sentences. The homologous region in the right hemisphere may play an equivalent role to the LIFG in some left-handed individuals. In conclusion, fNIRS holds promise as a flexible tool to examine the neural signature of effortful listening.
from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2qfDSaS
via IFTTT
Noise and pitch interact during the cortical segregation of concurrent speech
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Gavin M. Bidelman, Anusha Yellamsetty
Behavioral studies reveal listeners exploit intrinsic differences in voice fundamental frequency (F0) to segregate concurrent speech sounds—the so-called “F0-benefit.” More favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the environment, an extrinsic acoustic factor, similarly benefits the parsing of simultaneous speech. Here, we examined the neurobiological substrates of these two cues in the perceptual segregation of concurrent speech mixtures. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while listeners performed a speeded double-vowel identification task. Listeners heard two concurrent vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones presented in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5 dB SNR) conditions. Behaviorally, listeners were more accurate in correctly identifying both vowels for larger F0 separations but F0-benefit was more pronounced at more favorable SNRs (i.e., pitch × SNR interaction). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that only the P2 wave (∼200 ms) showed a similar F0 x SNR interaction as behavior and was correlated with listeners' perceptual F0-benefit. Neural classifiers applied to the ERPs further suggested that speech sounds are segregated neurally within 200 ms based on SNR whereas segregation based on pitch occurs later in time (400–700 ms). The earlier timing of extrinsic SNR compared to intrinsic F0-based segregation implies that the cortical extraction of speech from noise is more efficient than differentiating speech based on pitch cues alone, which may recruit additional cortical processes. Findings indicate that noise and pitch differences interact relatively early in cerebral cortex and that the brain arrives at the identities of concurrent speech mixtures as early as ∼200 ms.
from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2qZtX6z
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Brain activity underlying the recovery of meaning from degraded speech: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Pramudi Wijayasiri, Douglas E.H. Hartley, Ian M. Wiggins
The purpose of this study was to establish whether functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging brain-imaging technique based on optical principles, is suitable for studying the brain activity that underlies effortful listening. In an event-related fNIRS experiment, normally-hearing adults listened to sentences that were either clear or degraded (noise vocoded). These sentences were presented simultaneously with a non-speech distractor, and on each trial participants were instructed to attend either to the speech or to the distractor. The primary region of interest for the fNIRS measurements was the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), a cortical region involved in higher-order language processing. The fNIRS results confirmed findings previously reported in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature. Firstly, the LIFG exhibited an elevated response to degraded versus clear speech, but only when attention was directed towards the speech. This attention-dependent increase in frontal brain activation may be a neural marker for effortful listening. Secondly, during attentive listening to degraded speech, the haemodynamic response peaked significantly later in the LIFG than in superior temporal cortex, possibly reflecting the engagement of working memory to help reconstruct the meaning of degraded sentences. The homologous region in the right hemisphere may play an equivalent role to the LIFG in some left-handed individuals. In conclusion, fNIRS holds promise as a flexible tool to examine the neural signature of effortful listening.
from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2qfDSaS
via IFTTT
Noise and pitch interact during the cortical segregation of concurrent speech
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Gavin M. Bidelman, Anusha Yellamsetty
Behavioral studies reveal listeners exploit intrinsic differences in voice fundamental frequency (F0) to segregate concurrent speech sounds—the so-called “F0-benefit.” More favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the environment, an extrinsic acoustic factor, similarly benefits the parsing of simultaneous speech. Here, we examined the neurobiological substrates of these two cues in the perceptual segregation of concurrent speech mixtures. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while listeners performed a speeded double-vowel identification task. Listeners heard two concurrent vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones presented in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5 dB SNR) conditions. Behaviorally, listeners were more accurate in correctly identifying both vowels for larger F0 separations but F0-benefit was more pronounced at more favorable SNRs (i.e., pitch × SNR interaction). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that only the P2 wave (∼200 ms) showed a similar F0 x SNR interaction as behavior and was correlated with listeners' perceptual F0-benefit. Neural classifiers applied to the ERPs further suggested that speech sounds are segregated neurally within 200 ms based on SNR whereas segregation based on pitch occurs later in time (400–700 ms). The earlier timing of extrinsic SNR compared to intrinsic F0-based segregation implies that the cortical extraction of speech from noise is more efficient than differentiating speech based on pitch cues alone, which may recruit additional cortical processes. Findings indicate that noise and pitch differences interact relatively early in cerebral cortex and that the brain arrives at the identities of concurrent speech mixtures as early as ∼200 ms.
from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2qZtX6z
via IFTTT
Brain activity underlying the recovery of meaning from degraded speech: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Pramudi Wijayasiri, Douglas E.H. Hartley, Ian M. Wiggins
The purpose of this study was to establish whether functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging brain-imaging technique based on optical principles, is suitable for studying the brain activity that underlies effortful listening. In an event-related fNIRS experiment, normally-hearing adults listened to sentences that were either clear or degraded (noise vocoded). These sentences were presented simultaneously with a non-speech distractor, and on each trial participants were instructed to attend either to the speech or to the distractor. The primary region of interest for the fNIRS measurements was the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), a cortical region involved in higher-order language processing. The fNIRS results confirmed findings previously reported in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature. Firstly, the LIFG exhibited an elevated response to degraded versus clear speech, but only when attention was directed towards the speech. This attention-dependent increase in frontal brain activation may be a neural marker for effortful listening. Secondly, during attentive listening to degraded speech, the haemodynamic response peaked significantly later in the LIFG than in superior temporal cortex, possibly reflecting the engagement of working memory to help reconstruct the meaning of degraded sentences. The homologous region in the right hemisphere may play an equivalent role to the LIFG in some left-handed individuals. In conclusion, fNIRS holds promise as a flexible tool to examine the neural signature of effortful listening.
from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2qfDSaS
via IFTTT
Noise and pitch interact during the cortical segregation of concurrent speech
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Gavin M. Bidelman, Anusha Yellamsetty
Behavioral studies reveal listeners exploit intrinsic differences in voice fundamental frequency (F0) to segregate concurrent speech sounds—the so-called “F0-benefit.” More favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the environment, an extrinsic acoustic factor, similarly benefits the parsing of simultaneous speech. Here, we examined the neurobiological substrates of these two cues in the perceptual segregation of concurrent speech mixtures. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while listeners performed a speeded double-vowel identification task. Listeners heard two concurrent vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones presented in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5 dB SNR) conditions. Behaviorally, listeners were more accurate in correctly identifying both vowels for larger F0 separations but F0-benefit was more pronounced at more favorable SNRs (i.e., pitch × SNR interaction). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that only the P2 wave (∼200 ms) showed a similar F0 x SNR interaction as behavior and was correlated with listeners' perceptual F0-benefit. Neural classifiers applied to the ERPs further suggested that speech sounds are segregated neurally within 200 ms based on SNR whereas segregation based on pitch occurs later in time (400–700 ms). The earlier timing of extrinsic SNR compared to intrinsic F0-based segregation implies that the cortical extraction of speech from noise is more efficient than differentiating speech based on pitch cues alone, which may recruit additional cortical processes. Findings indicate that noise and pitch differences interact relatively early in cerebral cortex and that the brain arrives at the identities of concurrent speech mixtures as early as ∼200 ms.
from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2qZtX6z
via IFTTT
Brain activity underlying the recovery of meaning from degraded speech: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) study
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Pramudi Wijayasiri, Douglas E.H. Hartley, Ian M. Wiggins
The purpose of this study was to establish whether functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an emerging brain-imaging technique based on optical principles, is suitable for studying the brain activity that underlies effortful listening. In an event-related fNIRS experiment, normally-hearing adults listened to sentences that were either clear or degraded (noise vocoded). These sentences were presented simultaneously with a non-speech distractor, and on each trial participants were instructed to attend either to the speech or to the distractor. The primary region of interest for the fNIRS measurements was the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), a cortical region involved in higher-order language processing. The fNIRS results confirmed findings previously reported in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) literature. Firstly, the LIFG exhibited an elevated response to degraded versus clear speech, but only when attention was directed towards the speech. This attention-dependent increase in frontal brain activation may be a neural marker for effortful listening. Secondly, during attentive listening to degraded speech, the haemodynamic response peaked significantly later in the LIFG than in superior temporal cortex, possibly reflecting the engagement of working memory to help reconstruct the meaning of degraded sentences. The homologous region in the right hemisphere may play an equivalent role to the LIFG in some left-handed individuals. In conclusion, fNIRS holds promise as a flexible tool to examine the neural signature of effortful listening.
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