Objectives: There are an increasing number of research studies examining the effects of ABO blood group on susceptibility to disease. However, little is known regarding the potential relationship between blood group and hearing. Higher risk of noise-induced hearing loss was linked to blood group O in several occupational health studies. Based on this finding, a recent study of cochlear status was conducted with normal-hearing female participants representing equal numbers of the four blood groups in the ABO blood group system. ABO blood group was associated with cochlear characteristics, including the prevalence of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) and the amplitudes of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). Females with blood group O showed significantly lower amplitudes of DPOAEs at some frequencies and lower prevalence of SOAEs compared with participants with blood group B. There was a general trend of reduced TEOAE and DPOAE amplitudes in blood group O individuals compared with participants with non-O blood groups. Following from this finding, and based on known sex differences in otoacoustic emission characteristics, the present study examined the possible effects of blood group on otoacoustic emission status in males. Design: Sixty clinically normal-hearing males aged between 18 and 26 years, with equal numbers of participants in each of the ABO blood groups, were recruited by purposive sampling. SOAE, DPOAE, and linear and nonlinear TEOAE recordings were collected from all participants, as well as tympanometric data related to external and middle ear characteristics. Results: The male blood group O participants exhibited significantly lower SOAE prevalence and reduced amplitudes of DPOAEs on average, and in the midfrequency range, than participants with blood group B, and lower nonlinear and linear TEOAE amplitudes at a number of frequencies when compared with participants with blood groups A and B. A consistent trend of lower TEOAE and DPOAE response amplitudes was observed in participants with blood group O. No significant difference was noted among blood groups for outer or middle ear characteristics. Conclusions: These results were consistent with previous findings of reduced otoacoustic emission responses in female blood group O individuals. Results support the hypothesis that blood group O individuals may be at increased risk of cochlear damage from noise exposure. Further investigation on the potential link between ABO blood group and auditory status, including potentially differential effects of noise exposure on cochlear function, is needed. The possible effects of ABO blood group on other aspects of audition, such as hearing sensitivity, speech understanding, and auditory processing, should be evaluated. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Τρίτη 7 Νοεμβρίου 2017
Speech in Noise Perception as a Marker of Cognitive Impairment in HIV Infection.
Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus positive (HIV+) individuals report hearing difficulties, but standard audiological tests show no, or small, changes in peripheral hearing ability. The hearing complaints may reflect central nervous system (CNS) auditory processing deficits, rather than middle or inner ear problems, and may result from CNS damage due to HIV infection or treatment. If central auditory task performance and cognitive deficits in HIV+ individuals are shown to be related, then central auditory tests might serve as a "window" into CNS function in these patients. Design: We measured cognitive performance (Mandarin Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA]) and speech in noise perception (Mandarin hearing-in-noise test [HINT]) in 166 normal-hearing HIV+ individuals (158 men, 8 women, average age 36 years) at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center in Shanghai, China. Data collection included audiometry, tympanometry, and the Amsterdam Inventory of Auditory Handicap (AIAH), which assesses the subjective ability to understand speech and localize sound. Results: Subjects had no middle ear disease and met criteria for normal-hearing sensitivity (all thresholds 20 dB HL or less). A significant negative relationship between speech reception thresholds (SRT) and MoCA scores (r2 = 0.15, F = 28.2, p
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ABO Blood Group and Cochlear Status: Otoacoustic Emission Markers.
Objectives: There are an increasing number of research studies examining the effects of ABO blood group on susceptibility to disease. However, little is known regarding the potential relationship between blood group and hearing. Higher risk of noise-induced hearing loss was linked to blood group O in several occupational health studies. Based on this finding, a recent study of cochlear status was conducted with normal-hearing female participants representing equal numbers of the four blood groups in the ABO blood group system. ABO blood group was associated with cochlear characteristics, including the prevalence of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) and the amplitudes of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). Females with blood group O showed significantly lower amplitudes of DPOAEs at some frequencies and lower prevalence of SOAEs compared with participants with blood group B. There was a general trend of reduced TEOAE and DPOAE amplitudes in blood group O individuals compared with participants with non-O blood groups. Following from this finding, and based on known sex differences in otoacoustic emission characteristics, the present study examined the possible effects of blood group on otoacoustic emission status in males. Design: Sixty clinically normal-hearing males aged between 18 and 26 years, with equal numbers of participants in each of the ABO blood groups, were recruited by purposive sampling. SOAE, DPOAE, and linear and nonlinear TEOAE recordings were collected from all participants, as well as tympanometric data related to external and middle ear characteristics. Results: The male blood group O participants exhibited significantly lower SOAE prevalence and reduced amplitudes of DPOAEs on average, and in the midfrequency range, than participants with blood group B, and lower nonlinear and linear TEOAE amplitudes at a number of frequencies when compared with participants with blood groups A and B. A consistent trend of lower TEOAE and DPOAE response amplitudes was observed in participants with blood group O. No significant difference was noted among blood groups for outer or middle ear characteristics. Conclusions: These results were consistent with previous findings of reduced otoacoustic emission responses in female blood group O individuals. Results support the hypothesis that blood group O individuals may be at increased risk of cochlear damage from noise exposure. Further investigation on the potential link between ABO blood group and auditory status, including potentially differential effects of noise exposure on cochlear function, is needed. The possible effects of ABO blood group on other aspects of audition, such as hearing sensitivity, speech understanding, and auditory processing, should be evaluated. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Speech in Noise Perception as a Marker of Cognitive Impairment in HIV Infection.
Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus positive (HIV+) individuals report hearing difficulties, but standard audiological tests show no, or small, changes in peripheral hearing ability. The hearing complaints may reflect central nervous system (CNS) auditory processing deficits, rather than middle or inner ear problems, and may result from CNS damage due to HIV infection or treatment. If central auditory task performance and cognitive deficits in HIV+ individuals are shown to be related, then central auditory tests might serve as a "window" into CNS function in these patients. Design: We measured cognitive performance (Mandarin Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA]) and speech in noise perception (Mandarin hearing-in-noise test [HINT]) in 166 normal-hearing HIV+ individuals (158 men, 8 women, average age 36 years) at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center in Shanghai, China. Data collection included audiometry, tympanometry, and the Amsterdam Inventory of Auditory Handicap (AIAH), which assesses the subjective ability to understand speech and localize sound. Results: Subjects had no middle ear disease and met criteria for normal-hearing sensitivity (all thresholds 20 dB HL or less). A significant negative relationship between speech reception thresholds (SRT) and MoCA scores (r2 = 0.15, F = 28.2, p
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ABO Blood Group and Cochlear Status: Otoacoustic Emission Markers.
Objectives: There are an increasing number of research studies examining the effects of ABO blood group on susceptibility to disease. However, little is known regarding the potential relationship between blood group and hearing. Higher risk of noise-induced hearing loss was linked to blood group O in several occupational health studies. Based on this finding, a recent study of cochlear status was conducted with normal-hearing female participants representing equal numbers of the four blood groups in the ABO blood group system. ABO blood group was associated with cochlear characteristics, including the prevalence of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) and the amplitudes of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). Females with blood group O showed significantly lower amplitudes of DPOAEs at some frequencies and lower prevalence of SOAEs compared with participants with blood group B. There was a general trend of reduced TEOAE and DPOAE amplitudes in blood group O individuals compared with participants with non-O blood groups. Following from this finding, and based on known sex differences in otoacoustic emission characteristics, the present study examined the possible effects of blood group on otoacoustic emission status in males. Design: Sixty clinically normal-hearing males aged between 18 and 26 years, with equal numbers of participants in each of the ABO blood groups, were recruited by purposive sampling. SOAE, DPOAE, and linear and nonlinear TEOAE recordings were collected from all participants, as well as tympanometric data related to external and middle ear characteristics. Results: The male blood group O participants exhibited significantly lower SOAE prevalence and reduced amplitudes of DPOAEs on average, and in the midfrequency range, than participants with blood group B, and lower nonlinear and linear TEOAE amplitudes at a number of frequencies when compared with participants with blood groups A and B. A consistent trend of lower TEOAE and DPOAE response amplitudes was observed in participants with blood group O. No significant difference was noted among blood groups for outer or middle ear characteristics. Conclusions: These results were consistent with previous findings of reduced otoacoustic emission responses in female blood group O individuals. Results support the hypothesis that blood group O individuals may be at increased risk of cochlear damage from noise exposure. Further investigation on the potential link between ABO blood group and auditory status, including potentially differential effects of noise exposure on cochlear function, is needed. The possible effects of ABO blood group on other aspects of audition, such as hearing sensitivity, speech understanding, and auditory processing, should be evaluated. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Speech in Noise Perception as a Marker of Cognitive Impairment in HIV Infection.
Objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus positive (HIV+) individuals report hearing difficulties, but standard audiological tests show no, or small, changes in peripheral hearing ability. The hearing complaints may reflect central nervous system (CNS) auditory processing deficits, rather than middle or inner ear problems, and may result from CNS damage due to HIV infection or treatment. If central auditory task performance and cognitive deficits in HIV+ individuals are shown to be related, then central auditory tests might serve as a "window" into CNS function in these patients. Design: We measured cognitive performance (Mandarin Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA]) and speech in noise perception (Mandarin hearing-in-noise test [HINT]) in 166 normal-hearing HIV+ individuals (158 men, 8 women, average age 36 years) at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center in Shanghai, China. Data collection included audiometry, tympanometry, and the Amsterdam Inventory of Auditory Handicap (AIAH), which assesses the subjective ability to understand speech and localize sound. Results: Subjects had no middle ear disease and met criteria for normal-hearing sensitivity (all thresholds 20 dB HL or less). A significant negative relationship between speech reception thresholds (SRT) and MoCA scores (r2 = 0.15, F = 28.2, p
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Congratulations to SLHS Students Leilani Melendrez, Alyssa Pitts, and Olivia Carillo, Newly Inducted Mortar Board Members!
Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for distinguished ability and achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service.
The following SLHS students earned this distinction for 2017-2018 and are recognized below with their named “Most Influential Faculty Member”:
- Leilani Melendrez, with Dr. Sonja Pruitt-Lord (1st picture)
- Alyssa Pitts, with Dr. Jessica Barlow (2nd picture)
- Olivia Carillo, with Dr. Peter Torre (unpictured)
Congratulations to all!
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Congratulations to SLHS Students Leilani Melendrez, Alyssa Pitts, and Olivia Carillo, Newly Inducted Mortar Board Members!
Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for distinguished ability and achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service.
The following SLHS students earned this distinction for 2017-2018 and are recognized below with their named “Most Influential Faculty Member”:
- Leilani Melendrez, with Dr. Sonja Pruitt-Lord (1st picture)
- Alyssa Pitts, with Dr. Jessica Barlow (2nd picture)
- Olivia Carillo, with Dr. Peter Torre (unpictured)
Congratulations to all!
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Congratulations to SLHS Students Leilani Melendrez, Alyssa Pitts, and Olivia Carillo, Newly Inducted Mortar Board Members!
Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for distinguished ability and achievement in scholarship, leadership, and service.
The following SLHS students earned this distinction for 2017-2018 and are recognized below with their named “Most Influential Faculty Member”:
- Leilani Melendrez, with Dr. Sonja Pruitt-Lord (1st picture)
- Alyssa Pitts, with Dr. Jessica Barlow (2nd picture)
- Olivia Carillo, with Dr. Peter Torre (unpictured)
Congratulations to all!
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Developmental Associations Between Working Memory and Language in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Longitudinal Study
Purpose
This longitudinal study examined differences in the development of working memory (WM) between children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Further, it explored to what extent language at ages 7–8 years could be predicted by measures of language and/or WM at ages 4–5 years.
Method
Thirty children with SLI and 33 TD children who were previously examined on measures of WM and language at ages 4–5 years (T1) were reexamined at ages 7–8 years (T2).
Results
The developmental course of WM was mostly similar for the two groups; only the development of the verbal storage component differed. At T1, children with SLI performed significantly below their TD peers on all components of WM (verbal storage, verbal central executive [CE], visuospatial storage, and visuospatial CE), whereas at T2, the differences for the visuospatial components were no longer significant when age and intelligence were taken into account. Hierarchical regression showed language and verbal CE at T1 to be significant predictors of language at T2, with no differences in the developmental associations between language and WM for the two groups.
Conclusions
The results of this study suggest that particularly verbal CE is of importance for the acquisition of linguistic skills.from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0042/2662910/Developmental-Associations-Between-Working-Memory
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Developmental Associations Between Working Memory and Language in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Longitudinal Study
Purpose
This longitudinal study examined differences in the development of working memory (WM) between children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Further, it explored to what extent language at ages 7–8 years could be predicted by measures of language and/or WM at ages 4–5 years.
Method
Thirty children with SLI and 33 TD children who were previously examined on measures of WM and language at ages 4–5 years (T1) were reexamined at ages 7–8 years (T2).
Results
The developmental course of WM was mostly similar for the two groups; only the development of the verbal storage component differed. At T1, children with SLI performed significantly below their TD peers on all components of WM (verbal storage, verbal central executive [CE], visuospatial storage, and visuospatial CE), whereas at T2, the differences for the visuospatial components were no longer significant when age and intelligence were taken into account. Hierarchical regression showed language and verbal CE at T1 to be significant predictors of language at T2, with no differences in the developmental associations between language and WM for the two groups.
Conclusions
The results of this study suggest that particularly verbal CE is of importance for the acquisition of linguistic skills.from #Audiology via ola Kala on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0042/2662910/Developmental-Associations-Between-Working-Memory
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Developmental Associations Between Working Memory and Language in Children With Specific Language Impairment: A Longitudinal Study
Purpose
This longitudinal study examined differences in the development of working memory (WM) between children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typically developing (TD) children. Further, it explored to what extent language at ages 7–8 years could be predicted by measures of language and/or WM at ages 4–5 years.
Method
Thirty children with SLI and 33 TD children who were previously examined on measures of WM and language at ages 4–5 years (T1) were reexamined at ages 7–8 years (T2).
Results
The developmental course of WM was mostly similar for the two groups; only the development of the verbal storage component differed. At T1, children with SLI performed significantly below their TD peers on all components of WM (verbal storage, verbal central executive [CE], visuospatial storage, and visuospatial CE), whereas at T2, the differences for the visuospatial components were no longer significant when age and intelligence were taken into account. Hierarchical regression showed language and verbal CE at T1 to be significant predictors of language at T2, with no differences in the developmental associations between language and WM for the two groups.
Conclusions
The results of this study suggest that particularly verbal CE is of importance for the acquisition of linguistic skills.from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://article/doi/10.1044/2017_JSLHR-L-17-0042/2662910/Developmental-Associations-Between-Working-Memory
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The Effects of Amplification on Vocal Dose in Teachers with Dysphonia
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Joana Perpetuo Assad, Ana Cristina Côrtes Gama, Juliana Nunes Santos, Max de Castro Magalhães
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to determine if voice amplification influenced vocal dose in female teachers with dysphonia.Material and MethodsThis was an experimental study with comparative intrasubjects in which 15 individuals were compared in two different moments: condition 1 (C1) without voice amplification and condition 2 (C2) with voice amplification. All of them were female, kindergarten and elementary school teachers who presented organic or functional dysphonia. The search was carried out at the school where the teachers work. The professional voice use was considered the teachers' activity for a continuous period of two classes (average recording time of 96 minutes, with no difference in time between C1 and C2). To measure the dose we used the vocal dosimeter composed of a microphone, an accelerometer fixed to the neck, and a portable unit that stores the vocal data. The phonation data (intensity, fundamental frequency, phonation percentage, cycle dose, and distance dose) were analyzed by the equipment software (VoxLog).ResultsThe use of vocal amplification in teachers promotes a reduction of the fundamental frequency (295.6–267.7 Hz), the voice intensity (96.2–93.3 dB sound pressure level), the cycle doses (489.4–345.2 thousand cycles per second), and distance doses (3,800–2,300 m).ConclusionThe vocal amplification allows the teacher to maintain the same phonation time (phonation percentage) but decreases the number of vocal fold oscillations (cycle dose) and the total distance traveled by the vocal fold tissue during phonation (distance dose), reducing the exposure of the vocal folds to voice trauma.
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The Effect of Hydration on Voice Quality in Adults: A Systematic Review
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Maxine Alves, Esedra Krüger, Bhavani Pillay, Kristiane van Lierde, Jeannie van der Linde
ObjectivesWe aimed to critically appraise scientific, peer-reviewed articles, published in the past 10 years on the effects of hydration on voice quality in adults.Study designThis is a systematic review.MethodsFive databases were searched using the key words “vocal fold hydration”, “voice quality”, “vocal fold dehydration”, and “hygienic voice therapy”. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The included studies were scored based on American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's levels of evidence and quality indicators, as well as the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool.ResultsSystemic dehydration as a result of fasting and not ingesting fluids significantly negatively affected the parameters of noise-to-harmonics ratio (NHR), shimmer, jitter, frequency, and the s/z ratio. Water ingestion led to significant improvements in shimmer, jitter, frequency, and maximum phonation time values. Caffeine intake does not appear to negatively affect voice production. Laryngeal desiccation challenges by oral breathing led to surface dehydration which negatively affected jitter, shimmer, NHR, phonation threshold pressure, and perceived phonatory effort. Steam inhalation significantly improved NHR, shimmer, and jitter. Only nebulization of isotonic solution decreased phonation threshold pressure and showed some indication of a potential positive effect of nebulization substances. Treatments in high humidity environments prove to be effective and adaptations of low humidity environments should be encouraged.ConclusionsRecent literature regarding vocal hydration is high quality evidence. Systemic hydration is the easiest and most cost-effective solution to improve voice quality. Recent evidence therefore supports the inclusion of hydration in a vocal hygiene program.
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Differences between Subjective and Objective Assessment of Speech Deficiency in Parkinson Disease
Source:Journal of Voice
Author(s): Wioletta Pawlukowska, Aleksandra Szylińska, Dariusz Kotlęga, Iwona Rotter, Przemysław Nowacki
ObjectivesThis study aims to establish the frequency at which patients with Parkinson disease subjectively assess the intensity of their speech disorders, factors that the patients believe determine the severity of their vocal impairment, and how their subjective self-assessment of vocal impairment by means of the Voice Handicap Index compares with the objective evaluation of the performance of the articulatory organs by means of Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment.Materials and MethodsThe methods used Voice Handicap Index, Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment, and the Hoehn and Yahr scale.ResultsPositive correlation was found between the subjective assessment of the performance of the speech organs and the impaired differentiation of lip movements and tongue sideways movements, impaired saliva control, dysfunction of the soft palate, and the pitch. Negative correlation was found between the subjective assessment of the severity of speech disorder, breathing at rest, and sentence comprehension.ConclusionsAlthough we observed correlation between the subjective perception of certain speech disorders of patients with Parkinson disease and the objective assessment carried out by means of the Frenchay Dysarthria Assessment scale, the subjects did not believe the disorders had a significant impact on the quality of speech. Negative results of an examination do not necessarily reflect the subjective perception of the decline in the functioning of the articulatory organs. It should be assumed that lack of correlation between the subjective perception measured using Voice Handicap Index and the objective Frenchay Dysarthria-based assessment of the performance of the articulatory organs may result from a good adaptation to the progressive changes.
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Reliability of Clinically Feasible Dual-Task Tests: Expanded Timed Get Up and Go test as a Motor Task on Young Healthy Individuals
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Kaori Tamura, Morgan Kocher, Liana Finer, Nathan Murata, Christopher Stickley
Dual-Task testing has been reported to have a higher sensitivity to deficits associated with concussion; however, the feasibility as a clinical or field test is questionable due to the requirements of laboratory-based equipment. With an overarching goal of exploration of clinically feasible Dual-Task testing options, the specific aims of this study were 1) to evaluate the reliability of Dual-Task testing methods using the Expanded Timed Get-Up-and-Go (ETGUG) paired with Backward Digit Recall (BDR), Serial Seven (SS), and Auditory Pure Switch Task (APST), and 2) to determine the effects of Dual-Task testing on motor and cognitive performance in healthy college-aged individuals. Fifty-four healthy young adults completed two separate testing sessions, which consisted of Single-Task tests in a randomized order followed by 3 pairs of Dual-Task tests in a randomized order. Test-retest reliability for ETGUG time to completion was excellent for all Single- and Dual-Task conditions (ICC 0.89–0.92); however, ETGUGBDR and ETGUGSS were associated with learning effects (p=0.002 and 0.007, respectively). Test-retest reliability for Response Rate of the cognitive tasks was lower than those of motor task and all outcomes were associated with learning effects. The completion time of the ETGUGAPST pair indicated excellent reliability with no learning effect. Performance level declined in all tasks under Dual-Task conditions compared to Single-Task; however, motor tasks showed larger deficits indicating the prioritization of the cognitive task compared to the motor task.
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THE ACTIVATION OF TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS MUSCLE DURING RAPID LIMB MOVEMENTS DEPENDS ON THE ANTICIPATION OF POSTURAL DEMAND RATHER THAN ON RESPIRATORY REFLEXES
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Hugo Massé-Alarie, Louis-David Beaulieu, Richard Preuss, Cyril Schneider
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Reliability of Clinically Feasible Dual-Task Tests: Expanded Timed Get Up and Go test as a Motor Task on Young Healthy Individuals
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Kaori Tamura, Morgan Kocher, Liana Finer, Nathan Murata, Christopher Stickley
Dual-Task testing has been reported to have a higher sensitivity to deficits associated with concussion; however, the feasibility as a clinical or field test is questionable due to the requirements of laboratory-based equipment. With an overarching goal of exploration of clinically feasible Dual-Task testing options, the specific aims of this study were 1) to evaluate the reliability of Dual-Task testing methods using the Expanded Timed Get-Up-and-Go (ETGUG) paired with Backward Digit Recall (BDR), Serial Seven (SS), and Auditory Pure Switch Task (APST), and 2) to determine the effects of Dual-Task testing on motor and cognitive performance in healthy college-aged individuals. Fifty-four healthy young adults completed two separate testing sessions, which consisted of Single-Task tests in a randomized order followed by 3 pairs of Dual-Task tests in a randomized order. Test-retest reliability for ETGUG time to completion was excellent for all Single- and Dual-Task conditions (ICC 0.89–0.92); however, ETGUGBDR and ETGUGSS were associated with learning effects (p=0.002 and 0.007, respectively). Test-retest reliability for Response Rate of the cognitive tasks was lower than those of motor task and all outcomes were associated with learning effects. The completion time of the ETGUGAPST pair indicated excellent reliability with no learning effect. Performance level declined in all tasks under Dual-Task conditions compared to Single-Task; however, motor tasks showed larger deficits indicating the prioritization of the cognitive task compared to the motor task.
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THE ACTIVATION OF TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS MUSCLE DURING RAPID LIMB MOVEMENTS DEPENDS ON THE ANTICIPATION OF POSTURAL DEMAND RATHER THAN ON RESPIRATORY REFLEXES
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Hugo Massé-Alarie, Louis-David Beaulieu, Richard Preuss, Cyril Schneider
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Reliability of Clinically Feasible Dual-Task Tests: Expanded Timed Get Up and Go test as a Motor Task on Young Healthy Individuals
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Kaori Tamura, Morgan Kocher, Liana Finer, Nathan Murata, Christopher Stickley
Dual-Task testing has been reported to have a higher sensitivity to deficits associated with concussion; however, the feasibility as a clinical or field test is questionable due to the requirements of laboratory-based equipment. With an overarching goal of exploration of clinically feasible Dual-Task testing options, the specific aims of this study were 1) to evaluate the reliability of Dual-Task testing methods using the Expanded Timed Get-Up-and-Go (ETGUG) paired with Backward Digit Recall (BDR), Serial Seven (SS), and Auditory Pure Switch Task (APST), and 2) to determine the effects of Dual-Task testing on motor and cognitive performance in healthy college-aged individuals. Fifty-four healthy young adults completed two separate testing sessions, which consisted of Single-Task tests in a randomized order followed by 3 pairs of Dual-Task tests in a randomized order. Test-retest reliability for ETGUG time to completion was excellent for all Single- and Dual-Task conditions (ICC 0.89–0.92); however, ETGUGBDR and ETGUGSS were associated with learning effects (p=0.002 and 0.007, respectively). Test-retest reliability for Response Rate of the cognitive tasks was lower than those of motor task and all outcomes were associated with learning effects. The completion time of the ETGUGAPST pair indicated excellent reliability with no learning effect. Performance level declined in all tasks under Dual-Task conditions compared to Single-Task; however, motor tasks showed larger deficits indicating the prioritization of the cognitive task compared to the motor task.
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THE ACTIVATION OF TRANSVERSUS ABDOMINIS MUSCLE DURING RAPID LIMB MOVEMENTS DEPENDS ON THE ANTICIPATION OF POSTURAL DEMAND RATHER THAN ON RESPIRATORY REFLEXES
Source:Gait & Posture
Author(s): Hugo Massé-Alarie, Louis-David Beaulieu, Richard Preuss, Cyril Schneider
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Differences between auditory frequency-following responses and onset responses: Intracranial evidence from rat inferior colliculus
Publication date: Available online 7 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Qian Wang, Liang Li
A periodic sound, such as a pure tone, evokes both transient onset field-potential responses and sustained frequency-following responses (FFRs) in the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC). It is not clear whether the two types of responses are based on the same or different neural substrates. Although it has been assumed that FFRs are based on phase locking to the periodic sound, the evidence showing the direct relationship between the FFR amplitude and the phase-locking strength is still lacking. Using intracranial recordings from the rat central nucleus of inferior colliculus (ICC), this study was to examine whether FFRs and onset responses are different in sensitivity to pure-tone frequency and/or response-stimulus correlation, when a tone stimulus is presented either monaurally or binaurally. Particularly, this study was to examine whether the FFR amplitude is correlated with the strength of phase locking. The results showed that with the increase of tone-stimulus frequency from 1 to 2 kHz, the FFR amplitude decreased but the onset-response amplitude increased. Moreover, the FFR amplitude, but not the onset-response amplitude, was significantly correlated with the phase coherence between tone-evoked potentials and the tone stimulus. Finally, the FFR amplitude was negatively correlated with the onset-response amplitude. These results indicate that periodic-sound-evoked FFRs are based on phase-locking activities of sustained-response neurons, but onset responses are based on transient activities of onset-response neurons, suggesting that FFRs and onset responses are associated with different functions.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Qian Wang, Liang Li
A periodic sound, such as a pure tone, evokes both transient onset field-potential responses and sustained frequency-following responses (FFRs) in the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC). It is not clear whether the two types of responses are based on the same or different neural substrates. Although it has been assumed that FFRs are based on phase locking to the periodic sound, the evidence showing the direct relationship between the FFR amplitude and the phase-locking strength is still lacking. Using intracranial recordings from the rat central nucleus of inferior colliculus (ICC), this study was to examine whether FFRs and onset responses are different in sensitivity to pure-tone frequency and/or response-stimulus correlation, when a tone stimulus is presented either monaurally or binaurally. Particularly, this study was to examine whether the FFR amplitude is correlated with the strength of phase locking. The results showed that with the increase of tone-stimulus frequency from 1 to 2 kHz, the FFR amplitude decreased but the onset-response amplitude increased. Moreover, the FFR amplitude, but not the onset-response amplitude, was significantly correlated with the phase coherence between tone-evoked potentials and the tone stimulus. Finally, the FFR amplitude was negatively correlated with the onset-response amplitude. These results indicate that periodic-sound-evoked FFRs are based on phase-locking activities of sustained-response neurons, but onset responses are based on transient activities of onset-response neurons, suggesting that FFRs and onset responses are associated with different functions.
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An elemental approach to modelling the mechanics of the cochlea
Publication date: Available online 1 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Stephen J. Elliott, Guangjian Ni
The motion along the basilar membrane in the cochlea is due to the interaction between the micromechanical behaviour of the organ of Corti and the fluid movement in the scala. By dividing the length of the cochlea into a finite number of elements and assuming a given radial distribution of the basilar membrane motion for each element, a set of equations can be separately derived for the micromechanics and for the fluid coupling. These equations can then be combined, using matrix methods, to give the fully coupled response. This elemental approach reduces to the classical transmission line model if the micromechanics are assumed to be locally-reacting and the fluid coupling is assumed to be entirely one-dimensional, but is also valid without these assumptions. The elemental model is most easily formulated in the frequency domain, assuming quasi-linear behaviour, but a time domain formulation, using state space method, can readily incorporate local nonlinearities in the micromechanics. Examples of programs are included for the elemental model of a human cochlea that can be readily modified for other species.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Stephen J. Elliott, Guangjian Ni
The motion along the basilar membrane in the cochlea is due to the interaction between the micromechanical behaviour of the organ of Corti and the fluid movement in the scala. By dividing the length of the cochlea into a finite number of elements and assuming a given radial distribution of the basilar membrane motion for each element, a set of equations can be separately derived for the micromechanics and for the fluid coupling. These equations can then be combined, using matrix methods, to give the fully coupled response. This elemental approach reduces to the classical transmission line model if the micromechanics are assumed to be locally-reacting and the fluid coupling is assumed to be entirely one-dimensional, but is also valid without these assumptions. The elemental model is most easily formulated in the frequency domain, assuming quasi-linear behaviour, but a time domain formulation, using state space method, can readily incorporate local nonlinearities in the micromechanics. Examples of programs are included for the elemental model of a human cochlea that can be readily modified for other species.
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Development of the head, pinnae, and acoustical cues to sound location in a precocial species, the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus)
Publication date: Available online 1 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Kelsey L. Anbuhl, Victor Benichoux, Nathaniel T. Greene, Andrew D. Brown, Daniel J. Tollin
The morphology of the head and pinna shape the spatial and frequency dependence of sound propagation that give rise to the acoustic cues to sound source location. During early development, the physical dimensions of the head and pinna increase rapidly. Thus, the binaural (interaural time and level differences, ITD and ILD) and monaural (spectral shape) cues are also hypothesized to change rapidly. Complex interactions between the size and shape of the head and pinna limit the accuracy of simple acoustical models (e.g. spherical) and necessitate empirical measurements. Here, we measured the cues to location in the developing guinea pig, a precocial species commonly used for studies of the auditory system. We measured directional transfer functions (DTFs) and the dimensions of the head and pinna in guinea pigs from birth (P0) through adulthood. Dimensions of the head and pinna increased by 87% and 48%, respectively, reaching adult values by ∼8 weeks (P56). The monaural acoustic gain produced by the head and pinna increased with frequency and age, with maximum gains at higher frequencies (>8 kHz) reaching values of 10–21 dB for all ages. The center frequency of monaural spectral notches also decreased with age, from higher frequencies (∼17 kHz) at P0 to lower frequencies (∼12 kHz) in adults. In all animals, ILDs and ITDs were dependent on both frequency and spatial location. Over development, the maximum ILD magnitude increased from ∼15 dB at P0 to ∼30 dB in adults (at frequencies >8 kHz), while the maximum low frequency ITDs increased from ∼185 μs at P0 to ∼300 μs in adults. These results demonstrate that the changes in the acoustical cues are directly related to changes in head and pinna morphology.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Kelsey L. Anbuhl, Victor Benichoux, Nathaniel T. Greene, Andrew D. Brown, Daniel J. Tollin
The morphology of the head and pinna shape the spatial and frequency dependence of sound propagation that give rise to the acoustic cues to sound source location. During early development, the physical dimensions of the head and pinna increase rapidly. Thus, the binaural (interaural time and level differences, ITD and ILD) and monaural (spectral shape) cues are also hypothesized to change rapidly. Complex interactions between the size and shape of the head and pinna limit the accuracy of simple acoustical models (e.g. spherical) and necessitate empirical measurements. Here, we measured the cues to location in the developing guinea pig, a precocial species commonly used for studies of the auditory system. We measured directional transfer functions (DTFs) and the dimensions of the head and pinna in guinea pigs from birth (P0) through adulthood. Dimensions of the head and pinna increased by 87% and 48%, respectively, reaching adult values by ∼8 weeks (P56). The monaural acoustic gain produced by the head and pinna increased with frequency and age, with maximum gains at higher frequencies (>8 kHz) reaching values of 10–21 dB for all ages. The center frequency of monaural spectral notches also decreased with age, from higher frequencies (∼17 kHz) at P0 to lower frequencies (∼12 kHz) in adults. In all animals, ILDs and ITDs were dependent on both frequency and spatial location. Over development, the maximum ILD magnitude increased from ∼15 dB at P0 to ∼30 dB in adults (at frequencies >8 kHz), while the maximum low frequency ITDs increased from ∼185 μs at P0 to ∼300 μs in adults. These results demonstrate that the changes in the acoustical cues are directly related to changes in head and pinna morphology.
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Effects of the cannabinoid CB1 agonist ACEA on salicylate ototoxicity, hyperacusis and tinnitus in guinea pigs
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Joel I. Berger, Ben Coomber, Samantha Hill, Steve P.H. Alexander, William Owen, Alan R. Palmer, Mark N. Wallace
Cannabinoids have been suggested as a therapeutic target for a variety of brain disorders. Despite the presence of their receptors throughout the auditory system, little is known about how cannabinoids affect auditory function. We sought to determine whether administration of arachidonyl-2′-chloroethylamide (ACEA), a highly-selective CB1 agonist, could attenuate a variety of auditory effects caused by prior administration of salicylate, and potentially treat tinnitus. We recorded cortical resting-state activity, auditory-evoked cortical activity and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), from chronically-implanted awake guinea pigs, before and after salicylate + ACEA. Salicylate-induced reductions in click-evoked ABR amplitudes were smaller in the presence of ACEA, suggesting that the ototoxic effects of salicylate were less severe. ACEA also abolished salicylate-induced changes in cortical alpha band (6–10 Hz) oscillatory activity. However, salicylate-induced increases in cortical evoked activity (suggestive of the presence of hyperacusis) were still present with salicylate + ACEA. ACEA administered alone did not induce significant changes in either ABR amplitudes or oscillatory activity, but did increase cortical evoked potentials. Furthermore, in two separate groups of non-implanted animals, we found no evidence that ACEA could reverse behavioural identification of salicylate- or noise-induced tinnitus. Together, these data suggest that while ACEA may be potentially otoprotective, selective CB1 agonists are not effective in diminishing the presence of tinnitus or hyperacusis.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Joel I. Berger, Ben Coomber, Samantha Hill, Steve P.H. Alexander, William Owen, Alan R. Palmer, Mark N. Wallace
Cannabinoids have been suggested as a therapeutic target for a variety of brain disorders. Despite the presence of their receptors throughout the auditory system, little is known about how cannabinoids affect auditory function. We sought to determine whether administration of arachidonyl-2′-chloroethylamide (ACEA), a highly-selective CB1 agonist, could attenuate a variety of auditory effects caused by prior administration of salicylate, and potentially treat tinnitus. We recorded cortical resting-state activity, auditory-evoked cortical activity and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), from chronically-implanted awake guinea pigs, before and after salicylate + ACEA. Salicylate-induced reductions in click-evoked ABR amplitudes were smaller in the presence of ACEA, suggesting that the ototoxic effects of salicylate were less severe. ACEA also abolished salicylate-induced changes in cortical alpha band (6–10 Hz) oscillatory activity. However, salicylate-induced increases in cortical evoked activity (suggestive of the presence of hyperacusis) were still present with salicylate + ACEA. ACEA administered alone did not induce significant changes in either ABR amplitudes or oscillatory activity, but did increase cortical evoked potentials. Furthermore, in two separate groups of non-implanted animals, we found no evidence that ACEA could reverse behavioural identification of salicylate- or noise-induced tinnitus. Together, these data suggest that while ACEA may be potentially otoprotective, selective CB1 agonists are not effective in diminishing the presence of tinnitus or hyperacusis.
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Plasticity in the auditory system
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Dexter R.F. Irvine
Over the last 30 years a wide range of manipulations of auditory input and experience have been shown to result in plasticity in auditory cortical and subcortical structures. The time course of plasticity ranges from very rapid stimulus-specific adaptation to longer-term changes associated with, for example, partial hearing loss or perceptual learning. Evidence for plasticity as a consequence of these and a range of other manipulations of auditory input and/or its significance is reviewed, with an emphasis on plasticity in adults and in the auditory cortex. The nature of the changes in auditory cortex associated with attention, memory and perceptual learning depend critically on task structure, reward contingencies, and learning strategy. Most forms of auditory system plasticity are adaptive, in that they serve to optimize auditory performance, prompting attempts to harness this plasticity for therapeutic purposes. However, plasticity associated with cochlear trauma and partial hearing loss appears to be maladaptive, and has been linked to tinnitus. Three important forms of human learning-related auditory system plasticity are those associated with language development, musical training, and improvement in performance with a cochlear implant. Almost all forms of plasticity involve changes in synaptic excitatory – inhibitory balance within existing patterns of connectivity. An attractive model applicable to a number of forms of learning-related plasticity is dynamic multiplexing by individual neurons, such that learning involving a particular stimulus attribute reflects a particular subset of the diverse inputs to a given neuron being gated by top-down influences. The plasticity evidence indicates that auditory cortex is a component of complex distributed networks that integrate the representation of auditory stimuli with attention, decision and reward processes.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Dexter R.F. Irvine
Over the last 30 years a wide range of manipulations of auditory input and experience have been shown to result in plasticity in auditory cortical and subcortical structures. The time course of plasticity ranges from very rapid stimulus-specific adaptation to longer-term changes associated with, for example, partial hearing loss or perceptual learning. Evidence for plasticity as a consequence of these and a range of other manipulations of auditory input and/or its significance is reviewed, with an emphasis on plasticity in adults and in the auditory cortex. The nature of the changes in auditory cortex associated with attention, memory and perceptual learning depend critically on task structure, reward contingencies, and learning strategy. Most forms of auditory system plasticity are adaptive, in that they serve to optimize auditory performance, prompting attempts to harness this plasticity for therapeutic purposes. However, plasticity associated with cochlear trauma and partial hearing loss appears to be maladaptive, and has been linked to tinnitus. Three important forms of human learning-related auditory system plasticity are those associated with language development, musical training, and improvement in performance with a cochlear implant. Almost all forms of plasticity involve changes in synaptic excitatory – inhibitory balance within existing patterns of connectivity. An attractive model applicable to a number of forms of learning-related plasticity is dynamic multiplexing by individual neurons, such that learning involving a particular stimulus attribute reflects a particular subset of the diverse inputs to a given neuron being gated by top-down influences. The plasticity evidence indicates that auditory cortex is a component of complex distributed networks that integrate the representation of auditory stimuli with attention, decision and reward processes.
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The absence of resting-state high-gamma cross-frequency coupling in patients with tinnitus
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Min-Hee Ahn, Sung Kwang Hong, Byoung-Kyong Min
Tinnitus is a psychoacoustic phantom perception of currently unknown neuropathology. Despite a growing number of post-stimulus tinnitus studies, uncertainty still exists regarding the neural signature of tinnitus in the resting-state brain. In the present study, we used high-gamma cross-frequency coupling and a Granger causality analysis to evaluate resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) data in healthy participants and patients with tinnitus. Patients with tinnitus lacked robust frontal delta-phase/central high-gamma-amplitude coupling that was otherwise clearly observed in healthy participants. Since low-frequency phase and high-frequency amplitude coupling reflects inter-regional communication during cognitive processing, and given the absence of frontal modulation in patients with tinnitus, we hypothesized that tinnitus might be related to impaired prefrontal top-down inhibitory control. A Granger causality analysis consistently showed abnormally pronounced functional connectivity of low-frequency activity in patients with tinnitus, possibly reflecting a deficiency in large-scale communication during the resting state. Moreover, different causal neurodynamics were characterized across two subgroups of patients with tinnitus; the T1 group (with higher P300 amplitudes) showed abnormal frontal-to-auditory cortical information flow, whereas the T2 group (with lower P300 amplitudes) exhibited abnormal auditory-to-frontal cortical information control. This dissociation in resting-state low-frequency causal connectivity is consistent with recent post-stimulus observations. Taken together, our findings suggest that maladaptive neuroplasticity or abnormal reorganization occurs in the auditory default mode network of patients with tinnitus. Additionally, our data highlight the utility of resting-state EEG for the quantitative diagnosis of tinnitus symptoms and the further characterization of tinnitus subtypes.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Min-Hee Ahn, Sung Kwang Hong, Byoung-Kyong Min
Tinnitus is a psychoacoustic phantom perception of currently unknown neuropathology. Despite a growing number of post-stimulus tinnitus studies, uncertainty still exists regarding the neural signature of tinnitus in the resting-state brain. In the present study, we used high-gamma cross-frequency coupling and a Granger causality analysis to evaluate resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) data in healthy participants and patients with tinnitus. Patients with tinnitus lacked robust frontal delta-phase/central high-gamma-amplitude coupling that was otherwise clearly observed in healthy participants. Since low-frequency phase and high-frequency amplitude coupling reflects inter-regional communication during cognitive processing, and given the absence of frontal modulation in patients with tinnitus, we hypothesized that tinnitus might be related to impaired prefrontal top-down inhibitory control. A Granger causality analysis consistently showed abnormally pronounced functional connectivity of low-frequency activity in patients with tinnitus, possibly reflecting a deficiency in large-scale communication during the resting state. Moreover, different causal neurodynamics were characterized across two subgroups of patients with tinnitus; the T1 group (with higher P300 amplitudes) showed abnormal frontal-to-auditory cortical information flow, whereas the T2 group (with lower P300 amplitudes) exhibited abnormal auditory-to-frontal cortical information control. This dissociation in resting-state low-frequency causal connectivity is consistent with recent post-stimulus observations. Taken together, our findings suggest that maladaptive neuroplasticity or abnormal reorganization occurs in the auditory default mode network of patients with tinnitus. Additionally, our data highlight the utility of resting-state EEG for the quantitative diagnosis of tinnitus symptoms and the further characterization of tinnitus subtypes.
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The optimum inter-implant interval in pediatric sequential bilateral implantation
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Angelika Illg, Carolin Sandner, Andreas Büchner, Thomas Lenarz, Andrej Kral, Anke Lesinski-Schiedat
An increasing number of children receive bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) sequentially. Outcomes of bilateral implantation show high variability. This retrospective analysis investigates the optimal inter-implant interval. For this purpose, speech comprehension results of 250 children who underwent sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were evaluated. All individuals underwent periodic speech perception testing in quiet and noise. The most recent unilateral data for each side were statistically analyzed. Speech test outcomes were evaluated with reference to age at first implantation and interval between implantations.A statistically significant difference for speech test performance was obtained between the first-implanted ear and the second-implanted ear for all children (expressed as a mean). These outcomes were dependent on the inter-implant interval. There was a significant correlation (r = - 0.497; p = 0.000) between speech test results and the inter-implant interval. Nevertheless, one subgroup of 27 children had the same or better results for the second side as compared with the first.In conclusion, the evaluation of the inter-implant interval and age groups at first implantation showed a preferred interval of up to four years in children under the age of 4 at first implantation. The older the children were at first implantation, the shorter the inter-implant interval had to be. It is as a direct consequence of this interval that children for whom it was longer were also older.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Angelika Illg, Carolin Sandner, Andreas Büchner, Thomas Lenarz, Andrej Kral, Anke Lesinski-Schiedat
An increasing number of children receive bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) sequentially. Outcomes of bilateral implantation show high variability. This retrospective analysis investigates the optimal inter-implant interval. For this purpose, speech comprehension results of 250 children who underwent sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were evaluated. All individuals underwent periodic speech perception testing in quiet and noise. The most recent unilateral data for each side were statistically analyzed. Speech test outcomes were evaluated with reference to age at first implantation and interval between implantations.A statistically significant difference for speech test performance was obtained between the first-implanted ear and the second-implanted ear for all children (expressed as a mean). These outcomes were dependent on the inter-implant interval. There was a significant correlation (r = - 0.497; p = 0.000) between speech test results and the inter-implant interval. Nevertheless, one subgroup of 27 children had the same or better results for the second side as compared with the first.In conclusion, the evaluation of the inter-implant interval and age groups at first implantation showed a preferred interval of up to four years in children under the age of 4 at first implantation. The older the children were at first implantation, the shorter the inter-implant interval had to be. It is as a direct consequence of this interval that children for whom it was longer were also older.
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Differences between auditory frequency-following responses and onset responses: Intracranial evidence from rat inferior colliculus
Publication date: Available online 7 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Qian Wang, Liang Li
A periodic sound, such as a pure tone, evokes both transient onset field-potential responses and sustained frequency-following responses (FFRs) in the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC). It is not clear whether the two types of responses are based on the same or different neural substrates. Although it has been assumed that FFRs are based on phase locking to the periodic sound, the evidence showing the direct relationship between the FFR amplitude and the phase-locking strength is still lacking. Using intracranial recordings from the rat central nucleus of inferior colliculus (ICC), this study was to examine whether FFRs and onset responses are different in sensitivity to pure-tone frequency and/or response-stimulus correlation, when a tone stimulus is presented either monaurally or binaurally. Particularly, this study was to examine whether the FFR amplitude is correlated with the strength of phase locking. The results showed that with the increase of tone-stimulus frequency from 1 to 2 kHz, the FFR amplitude decreased but the onset-response amplitude increased. Moreover, the FFR amplitude, but not the onset-response amplitude, was significantly correlated with the phase coherence between tone-evoked potentials and the tone stimulus. Finally, the FFR amplitude was negatively correlated with the onset-response amplitude. These results indicate that periodic-sound-evoked FFRs are based on phase-locking activities of sustained-response neurons, but onset responses are based on transient activities of onset-response neurons, suggesting that FFRs and onset responses are associated with different functions.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Qian Wang, Liang Li
A periodic sound, such as a pure tone, evokes both transient onset field-potential responses and sustained frequency-following responses (FFRs) in the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC). It is not clear whether the two types of responses are based on the same or different neural substrates. Although it has been assumed that FFRs are based on phase locking to the periodic sound, the evidence showing the direct relationship between the FFR amplitude and the phase-locking strength is still lacking. Using intracranial recordings from the rat central nucleus of inferior colliculus (ICC), this study was to examine whether FFRs and onset responses are different in sensitivity to pure-tone frequency and/or response-stimulus correlation, when a tone stimulus is presented either monaurally or binaurally. Particularly, this study was to examine whether the FFR amplitude is correlated with the strength of phase locking. The results showed that with the increase of tone-stimulus frequency from 1 to 2 kHz, the FFR amplitude decreased but the onset-response amplitude increased. Moreover, the FFR amplitude, but not the onset-response amplitude, was significantly correlated with the phase coherence between tone-evoked potentials and the tone stimulus. Finally, the FFR amplitude was negatively correlated with the onset-response amplitude. These results indicate that periodic-sound-evoked FFRs are based on phase-locking activities of sustained-response neurons, but onset responses are based on transient activities of onset-response neurons, suggesting that FFRs and onset responses are associated with different functions.
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An elemental approach to modelling the mechanics of the cochlea
Publication date: Available online 1 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Stephen J. Elliott, Guangjian Ni
The motion along the basilar membrane in the cochlea is due to the interaction between the micromechanical behaviour of the organ of Corti and the fluid movement in the scala. By dividing the length of the cochlea into a finite number of elements and assuming a given radial distribution of the basilar membrane motion for each element, a set of equations can be separately derived for the micromechanics and for the fluid coupling. These equations can then be combined, using matrix methods, to give the fully coupled response. This elemental approach reduces to the classical transmission line model if the micromechanics are assumed to be locally-reacting and the fluid coupling is assumed to be entirely one-dimensional, but is also valid without these assumptions. The elemental model is most easily formulated in the frequency domain, assuming quasi-linear behaviour, but a time domain formulation, using state space method, can readily incorporate local nonlinearities in the micromechanics. Examples of programs are included for the elemental model of a human cochlea that can be readily modified for other species.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Stephen J. Elliott, Guangjian Ni
The motion along the basilar membrane in the cochlea is due to the interaction between the micromechanical behaviour of the organ of Corti and the fluid movement in the scala. By dividing the length of the cochlea into a finite number of elements and assuming a given radial distribution of the basilar membrane motion for each element, a set of equations can be separately derived for the micromechanics and for the fluid coupling. These equations can then be combined, using matrix methods, to give the fully coupled response. This elemental approach reduces to the classical transmission line model if the micromechanics are assumed to be locally-reacting and the fluid coupling is assumed to be entirely one-dimensional, but is also valid without these assumptions. The elemental model is most easily formulated in the frequency domain, assuming quasi-linear behaviour, but a time domain formulation, using state space method, can readily incorporate local nonlinearities in the micromechanics. Examples of programs are included for the elemental model of a human cochlea that can be readily modified for other species.
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Development of the head, pinnae, and acoustical cues to sound location in a precocial species, the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus)
Publication date: Available online 1 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Kelsey L. Anbuhl, Victor Benichoux, Nathaniel T. Greene, Andrew D. Brown, Daniel J. Tollin
The morphology of the head and pinna shape the spatial and frequency dependence of sound propagation that give rise to the acoustic cues to sound source location. During early development, the physical dimensions of the head and pinna increase rapidly. Thus, the binaural (interaural time and level differences, ITD and ILD) and monaural (spectral shape) cues are also hypothesized to change rapidly. Complex interactions between the size and shape of the head and pinna limit the accuracy of simple acoustical models (e.g. spherical) and necessitate empirical measurements. Here, we measured the cues to location in the developing guinea pig, a precocial species commonly used for studies of the auditory system. We measured directional transfer functions (DTFs) and the dimensions of the head and pinna in guinea pigs from birth (P0) through adulthood. Dimensions of the head and pinna increased by 87% and 48%, respectively, reaching adult values by ∼8 weeks (P56). The monaural acoustic gain produced by the head and pinna increased with frequency and age, with maximum gains at higher frequencies (>8 kHz) reaching values of 10–21 dB for all ages. The center frequency of monaural spectral notches also decreased with age, from higher frequencies (∼17 kHz) at P0 to lower frequencies (∼12 kHz) in adults. In all animals, ILDs and ITDs were dependent on both frequency and spatial location. Over development, the maximum ILD magnitude increased from ∼15 dB at P0 to ∼30 dB in adults (at frequencies >8 kHz), while the maximum low frequency ITDs increased from ∼185 μs at P0 to ∼300 μs in adults. These results demonstrate that the changes in the acoustical cues are directly related to changes in head and pinna morphology.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Kelsey L. Anbuhl, Victor Benichoux, Nathaniel T. Greene, Andrew D. Brown, Daniel J. Tollin
The morphology of the head and pinna shape the spatial and frequency dependence of sound propagation that give rise to the acoustic cues to sound source location. During early development, the physical dimensions of the head and pinna increase rapidly. Thus, the binaural (interaural time and level differences, ITD and ILD) and monaural (spectral shape) cues are also hypothesized to change rapidly. Complex interactions between the size and shape of the head and pinna limit the accuracy of simple acoustical models (e.g. spherical) and necessitate empirical measurements. Here, we measured the cues to location in the developing guinea pig, a precocial species commonly used for studies of the auditory system. We measured directional transfer functions (DTFs) and the dimensions of the head and pinna in guinea pigs from birth (P0) through adulthood. Dimensions of the head and pinna increased by 87% and 48%, respectively, reaching adult values by ∼8 weeks (P56). The monaural acoustic gain produced by the head and pinna increased with frequency and age, with maximum gains at higher frequencies (>8 kHz) reaching values of 10–21 dB for all ages. The center frequency of monaural spectral notches also decreased with age, from higher frequencies (∼17 kHz) at P0 to lower frequencies (∼12 kHz) in adults. In all animals, ILDs and ITDs were dependent on both frequency and spatial location. Over development, the maximum ILD magnitude increased from ∼15 dB at P0 to ∼30 dB in adults (at frequencies >8 kHz), while the maximum low frequency ITDs increased from ∼185 μs at P0 to ∼300 μs in adults. These results demonstrate that the changes in the acoustical cues are directly related to changes in head and pinna morphology.
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Effects of the cannabinoid CB1 agonist ACEA on salicylate ototoxicity, hyperacusis and tinnitus in guinea pigs
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Joel I. Berger, Ben Coomber, Samantha Hill, Steve P.H. Alexander, William Owen, Alan R. Palmer, Mark N. Wallace
Cannabinoids have been suggested as a therapeutic target for a variety of brain disorders. Despite the presence of their receptors throughout the auditory system, little is known about how cannabinoids affect auditory function. We sought to determine whether administration of arachidonyl-2′-chloroethylamide (ACEA), a highly-selective CB1 agonist, could attenuate a variety of auditory effects caused by prior administration of salicylate, and potentially treat tinnitus. We recorded cortical resting-state activity, auditory-evoked cortical activity and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), from chronically-implanted awake guinea pigs, before and after salicylate + ACEA. Salicylate-induced reductions in click-evoked ABR amplitudes were smaller in the presence of ACEA, suggesting that the ototoxic effects of salicylate were less severe. ACEA also abolished salicylate-induced changes in cortical alpha band (6–10 Hz) oscillatory activity. However, salicylate-induced increases in cortical evoked activity (suggestive of the presence of hyperacusis) were still present with salicylate + ACEA. ACEA administered alone did not induce significant changes in either ABR amplitudes or oscillatory activity, but did increase cortical evoked potentials. Furthermore, in two separate groups of non-implanted animals, we found no evidence that ACEA could reverse behavioural identification of salicylate- or noise-induced tinnitus. Together, these data suggest that while ACEA may be potentially otoprotective, selective CB1 agonists are not effective in diminishing the presence of tinnitus or hyperacusis.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Joel I. Berger, Ben Coomber, Samantha Hill, Steve P.H. Alexander, William Owen, Alan R. Palmer, Mark N. Wallace
Cannabinoids have been suggested as a therapeutic target for a variety of brain disorders. Despite the presence of their receptors throughout the auditory system, little is known about how cannabinoids affect auditory function. We sought to determine whether administration of arachidonyl-2′-chloroethylamide (ACEA), a highly-selective CB1 agonist, could attenuate a variety of auditory effects caused by prior administration of salicylate, and potentially treat tinnitus. We recorded cortical resting-state activity, auditory-evoked cortical activity and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), from chronically-implanted awake guinea pigs, before and after salicylate + ACEA. Salicylate-induced reductions in click-evoked ABR amplitudes were smaller in the presence of ACEA, suggesting that the ototoxic effects of salicylate were less severe. ACEA also abolished salicylate-induced changes in cortical alpha band (6–10 Hz) oscillatory activity. However, salicylate-induced increases in cortical evoked activity (suggestive of the presence of hyperacusis) were still present with salicylate + ACEA. ACEA administered alone did not induce significant changes in either ABR amplitudes or oscillatory activity, but did increase cortical evoked potentials. Furthermore, in two separate groups of non-implanted animals, we found no evidence that ACEA could reverse behavioural identification of salicylate- or noise-induced tinnitus. Together, these data suggest that while ACEA may be potentially otoprotective, selective CB1 agonists are not effective in diminishing the presence of tinnitus or hyperacusis.
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Plasticity in the auditory system
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Dexter R.F. Irvine
Over the last 30 years a wide range of manipulations of auditory input and experience have been shown to result in plasticity in auditory cortical and subcortical structures. The time course of plasticity ranges from very rapid stimulus-specific adaptation to longer-term changes associated with, for example, partial hearing loss or perceptual learning. Evidence for plasticity as a consequence of these and a range of other manipulations of auditory input and/or its significance is reviewed, with an emphasis on plasticity in adults and in the auditory cortex. The nature of the changes in auditory cortex associated with attention, memory and perceptual learning depend critically on task structure, reward contingencies, and learning strategy. Most forms of auditory system plasticity are adaptive, in that they serve to optimize auditory performance, prompting attempts to harness this plasticity for therapeutic purposes. However, plasticity associated with cochlear trauma and partial hearing loss appears to be maladaptive, and has been linked to tinnitus. Three important forms of human learning-related auditory system plasticity are those associated with language development, musical training, and improvement in performance with a cochlear implant. Almost all forms of plasticity involve changes in synaptic excitatory – inhibitory balance within existing patterns of connectivity. An attractive model applicable to a number of forms of learning-related plasticity is dynamic multiplexing by individual neurons, such that learning involving a particular stimulus attribute reflects a particular subset of the diverse inputs to a given neuron being gated by top-down influences. The plasticity evidence indicates that auditory cortex is a component of complex distributed networks that integrate the representation of auditory stimuli with attention, decision and reward processes.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Dexter R.F. Irvine
Over the last 30 years a wide range of manipulations of auditory input and experience have been shown to result in plasticity in auditory cortical and subcortical structures. The time course of plasticity ranges from very rapid stimulus-specific adaptation to longer-term changes associated with, for example, partial hearing loss or perceptual learning. Evidence for plasticity as a consequence of these and a range of other manipulations of auditory input and/or its significance is reviewed, with an emphasis on plasticity in adults and in the auditory cortex. The nature of the changes in auditory cortex associated with attention, memory and perceptual learning depend critically on task structure, reward contingencies, and learning strategy. Most forms of auditory system plasticity are adaptive, in that they serve to optimize auditory performance, prompting attempts to harness this plasticity for therapeutic purposes. However, plasticity associated with cochlear trauma and partial hearing loss appears to be maladaptive, and has been linked to tinnitus. Three important forms of human learning-related auditory system plasticity are those associated with language development, musical training, and improvement in performance with a cochlear implant. Almost all forms of plasticity involve changes in synaptic excitatory – inhibitory balance within existing patterns of connectivity. An attractive model applicable to a number of forms of learning-related plasticity is dynamic multiplexing by individual neurons, such that learning involving a particular stimulus attribute reflects a particular subset of the diverse inputs to a given neuron being gated by top-down influences. The plasticity evidence indicates that auditory cortex is a component of complex distributed networks that integrate the representation of auditory stimuli with attention, decision and reward processes.
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The absence of resting-state high-gamma cross-frequency coupling in patients with tinnitus
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Min-Hee Ahn, Sung Kwang Hong, Byoung-Kyong Min
Tinnitus is a psychoacoustic phantom perception of currently unknown neuropathology. Despite a growing number of post-stimulus tinnitus studies, uncertainty still exists regarding the neural signature of tinnitus in the resting-state brain. In the present study, we used high-gamma cross-frequency coupling and a Granger causality analysis to evaluate resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) data in healthy participants and patients with tinnitus. Patients with tinnitus lacked robust frontal delta-phase/central high-gamma-amplitude coupling that was otherwise clearly observed in healthy participants. Since low-frequency phase and high-frequency amplitude coupling reflects inter-regional communication during cognitive processing, and given the absence of frontal modulation in patients with tinnitus, we hypothesized that tinnitus might be related to impaired prefrontal top-down inhibitory control. A Granger causality analysis consistently showed abnormally pronounced functional connectivity of low-frequency activity in patients with tinnitus, possibly reflecting a deficiency in large-scale communication during the resting state. Moreover, different causal neurodynamics were characterized across two subgroups of patients with tinnitus; the T1 group (with higher P300 amplitudes) showed abnormal frontal-to-auditory cortical information flow, whereas the T2 group (with lower P300 amplitudes) exhibited abnormal auditory-to-frontal cortical information control. This dissociation in resting-state low-frequency causal connectivity is consistent with recent post-stimulus observations. Taken together, our findings suggest that maladaptive neuroplasticity or abnormal reorganization occurs in the auditory default mode network of patients with tinnitus. Additionally, our data highlight the utility of resting-state EEG for the quantitative diagnosis of tinnitus symptoms and the further characterization of tinnitus subtypes.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Min-Hee Ahn, Sung Kwang Hong, Byoung-Kyong Min
Tinnitus is a psychoacoustic phantom perception of currently unknown neuropathology. Despite a growing number of post-stimulus tinnitus studies, uncertainty still exists regarding the neural signature of tinnitus in the resting-state brain. In the present study, we used high-gamma cross-frequency coupling and a Granger causality analysis to evaluate resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) data in healthy participants and patients with tinnitus. Patients with tinnitus lacked robust frontal delta-phase/central high-gamma-amplitude coupling that was otherwise clearly observed in healthy participants. Since low-frequency phase and high-frequency amplitude coupling reflects inter-regional communication during cognitive processing, and given the absence of frontal modulation in patients with tinnitus, we hypothesized that tinnitus might be related to impaired prefrontal top-down inhibitory control. A Granger causality analysis consistently showed abnormally pronounced functional connectivity of low-frequency activity in patients with tinnitus, possibly reflecting a deficiency in large-scale communication during the resting state. Moreover, different causal neurodynamics were characterized across two subgroups of patients with tinnitus; the T1 group (with higher P300 amplitudes) showed abnormal frontal-to-auditory cortical information flow, whereas the T2 group (with lower P300 amplitudes) exhibited abnormal auditory-to-frontal cortical information control. This dissociation in resting-state low-frequency causal connectivity is consistent with recent post-stimulus observations. Taken together, our findings suggest that maladaptive neuroplasticity or abnormal reorganization occurs in the auditory default mode network of patients with tinnitus. Additionally, our data highlight the utility of resting-state EEG for the quantitative diagnosis of tinnitus symptoms and the further characterization of tinnitus subtypes.
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The optimum inter-implant interval in pediatric sequential bilateral implantation
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Angelika Illg, Carolin Sandner, Andreas Büchner, Thomas Lenarz, Andrej Kral, Anke Lesinski-Schiedat
An increasing number of children receive bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) sequentially. Outcomes of bilateral implantation show high variability. This retrospective analysis investigates the optimal inter-implant interval. For this purpose, speech comprehension results of 250 children who underwent sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were evaluated. All individuals underwent periodic speech perception testing in quiet and noise. The most recent unilateral data for each side were statistically analyzed. Speech test outcomes were evaluated with reference to age at first implantation and interval between implantations.A statistically significant difference for speech test performance was obtained between the first-implanted ear and the second-implanted ear for all children (expressed as a mean). These outcomes were dependent on the inter-implant interval. There was a significant correlation (r = - 0.497; p = 0.000) between speech test results and the inter-implant interval. Nevertheless, one subgroup of 27 children had the same or better results for the second side as compared with the first.In conclusion, the evaluation of the inter-implant interval and age groups at first implantation showed a preferred interval of up to four years in children under the age of 4 at first implantation. The older the children were at first implantation, the shorter the inter-implant interval had to be. It is as a direct consequence of this interval that children for whom it was longer were also older.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Angelika Illg, Carolin Sandner, Andreas Büchner, Thomas Lenarz, Andrej Kral, Anke Lesinski-Schiedat
An increasing number of children receive bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) sequentially. Outcomes of bilateral implantation show high variability. This retrospective analysis investigates the optimal inter-implant interval. For this purpose, speech comprehension results of 250 children who underwent sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were evaluated. All individuals underwent periodic speech perception testing in quiet and noise. The most recent unilateral data for each side were statistically analyzed. Speech test outcomes were evaluated with reference to age at first implantation and interval between implantations.A statistically significant difference for speech test performance was obtained between the first-implanted ear and the second-implanted ear for all children (expressed as a mean). These outcomes were dependent on the inter-implant interval. There was a significant correlation (r = - 0.497; p = 0.000) between speech test results and the inter-implant interval. Nevertheless, one subgroup of 27 children had the same or better results for the second side as compared with the first.In conclusion, the evaluation of the inter-implant interval and age groups at first implantation showed a preferred interval of up to four years in children under the age of 4 at first implantation. The older the children were at first implantation, the shorter the inter-implant interval had to be. It is as a direct consequence of this interval that children for whom it was longer were also older.
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Regional differences of Turkey in risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
Regional differences of Turkey in risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2017 Nov;102:49-55
Authors: Konukseven O, Kaya S, Genc A, Muluk NB, Basar FS, Kirkim G, Tuncer U, Karatas E, Topcu C, Bolat H, Dincol I
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to discover Turkish regional differences in the risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
METHOD: A multi-centered retrospective design was used. A total of 443 children, registered to the national newborn hearing screening programme, with bilateral hearing loss, from five different regions of Turkey, were evaluated in terms of the types of hearing loss, the degree of hearing loss, the types of risk factors, parental consanguinity, age at diagnosis and age of auditory intervention, respectively.
RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of hearing loss between regions (χ(2) = 3.210, P = 0.523). Symmetric Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) was the most common type of HL in all regions (91.8%). Profound HL was the most common degree of HL in all regions (46.2%). There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of types of HL (χ(2) = 14.151, P = 0.000). As a total, 323 (72.9%) of subjects did not have any risk factors. There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of the types of risk factors (pre, peri and post-natal) for SSNHL (χ(2) = 16.095, P = 0.000). For all regions, the age of diagnosis was convenient with the JCIH criteria. However the age of hearing aid application was prolonged in some regions. There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of the age of diagnosis (χ(2) = 93.570, P = 0.000) and the age of auditory intervention (χ(2) = 47.323, P = 0.000). The confounding effects of gender, age of diagnosis, age of hearing aids applications, HL in the family, types of risk factors for HL on SSNHL were detected.
CONCLUSION: To reach the goal of a high quality newborn hearing screening, there is a need to develop an evidence-based standard for follow up guideline. In addition, risk factors should be re-evaluated according to regional differences and all regions should take their own precautions according to their evidence based data.
PMID: 29106875 [PubMed - in process]
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Regional differences of Turkey in risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
Regional differences of Turkey in risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2017 Nov;102:49-55
Authors: Konukseven O, Kaya S, Genc A, Muluk NB, Basar FS, Kirkim G, Tuncer U, Karatas E, Topcu C, Bolat H, Dincol I
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to discover Turkish regional differences in the risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
METHOD: A multi-centered retrospective design was used. A total of 443 children, registered to the national newborn hearing screening programme, with bilateral hearing loss, from five different regions of Turkey, were evaluated in terms of the types of hearing loss, the degree of hearing loss, the types of risk factors, parental consanguinity, age at diagnosis and age of auditory intervention, respectively.
RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of hearing loss between regions (χ(2) = 3.210, P = 0.523). Symmetric Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) was the most common type of HL in all regions (91.8%). Profound HL was the most common degree of HL in all regions (46.2%). There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of types of HL (χ(2) = 14.151, P = 0.000). As a total, 323 (72.9%) of subjects did not have any risk factors. There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of the types of risk factors (pre, peri and post-natal) for SSNHL (χ(2) = 16.095, P = 0.000). For all regions, the age of diagnosis was convenient with the JCIH criteria. However the age of hearing aid application was prolonged in some regions. There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of the age of diagnosis (χ(2) = 93.570, P = 0.000) and the age of auditory intervention (χ(2) = 47.323, P = 0.000). The confounding effects of gender, age of diagnosis, age of hearing aids applications, HL in the family, types of risk factors for HL on SSNHL were detected.
CONCLUSION: To reach the goal of a high quality newborn hearing screening, there is a need to develop an evidence-based standard for follow up guideline. In addition, risk factors should be re-evaluated according to regional differences and all regions should take their own precautions according to their evidence based data.
PMID: 29106875 [PubMed - in process]
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Impact of socioeconomic factors on paediatric cochlear implant outcomes.
Impact of socioeconomic factors on paediatric cochlear implant outcomes.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2017 Nov;102:90-97
Authors: Sharma S, Bhatia K, Singh S, Lahiri AK, Aggarwal A
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The study was aimed at evaluating the impact of certain socioeconomic factors such as family income, level of parents' education, distance between the child's home and auditory verbal therapy clinic, and age of the child at implantation on postoperative cochlear implant outcomes.
METHODS: Children suffering from congenital bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss and a chronologic age of 4 years or younger at the time of implantation were included in the study. Children who were able to complete a prescribed period of a 1-year follow-up were included in the study. These children underwent cochlear implantation surgery, and their postoperative outcomes were measured and documented using categories of auditory perception (CAP), meaningful auditory integration (MAIS), and speech intelligibility rating (SIR) scores. Children were divided into three groups based on the level of parental education, family income, and distance of their home from the rehabilitation-- auditory verbal therapy clinic.
RESULTS: A total of 180 children were studied. The age at implantation had a significant impact on the postoperative outcomes, with an inverse correlation. The younger the child's age at the time of implantation, the better were the postoperative outcomes. However, there were no significant differences among the CAP, MAIS, and SIR scores and each of the three subgroups. Children from families with an annual income of less than $7,500, between $7,500 and $15,000, and more than $15,000 performed equally well, except for significantly higher SIR scores in children with family incomes more than $15,000. Children with of parents who had attended high school or possessed a bachelor's or Master's master's degree had similar scores, with no significant difference. Also, distance from the auditory verbal therapy clinic failed to have any significantimpact on a child's performance.
DISCUSSION: These results have been variable, similar to those of previously published studies. A few of the earlier studies concurred with our results, but most of the studies had suggested that children in families of higher socioeconomic status had have better speech and language acquisition.
CONCLUSIONS: Cochlear implantation significantly improves auditory perception and speech intelligibility of children suffering from profound sensorineural hearing loss. Younger The younger the age at implantation, the better are the results. Hence, early implantation should be promoted and encouraged. Our study suggests that children who followed the designated program of postoperative mapping and auditory verbal therapy for a minimum period of 1 year seemed to do equally well in terms of hearing perception and speech intelligibility, irrespective of the socioeconomic status of the family. Further studies are essential to assess the impact of these factors on long-term speech acquisition andlanguage development.
PMID: 29106884 [PubMed - in process]
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The relationship between the GJB3 c.538C>T variant and hearing phenotype in the Chinese population.
The relationship between the GJB3 c.538C>T variant and hearing phenotype in the Chinese population.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2017 Nov;102:67-70
Authors: Huang S, Huang B, Wang G, Kang DY, Zhang X, Meng X, Dai P
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mutations in GJB3 were originally shown to underlie an autosomal dominant form of non-syndromic deafness in Chinese patients and the c.538C>T (p.R180*) variants caused high-frequency hearing loss. But after that, few reports have reported this mutation. This study investigated the relationship between the GJB3 c.538C>T variant and hearing phenotype in Chinese to assist with risk assessment and genetic counseling for hearing loss patients and their families.
METHOD: The study enrolled 5700 patients with hearing loss and 4600 normal subjects. Deafness gene mutations were distinguished using a gene chip. The GJB3 c.538C>T variant rate was calculated from the results.
RESULT: Of the 5700 patients, 23 (0.40%) carried a GJB3 c.538C>T heterozygous variant; of these, 11 patients had other gene (GJB2/SLC26A4) mutations simultaneously. Most patients had moderate to profound hearing loss. All 23 patients were sporadic cases and had no family history of deafness. Of the 4600 normal individuals, 11 (0.24%) had GJB3 c.538C>T heterozygous variant. There was no statistical difference in incidence between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the GJB3 c.538C>T variant has a very low incidence in the Chinese population, and there was no clear evidence to support a role of the GJB3 c.538C>T variant in the autosomal dominant form of non-syndromic deafness. Our findings suggested that GJB3 c.538C>T does not contribute to hearing loss, and this conclusion will assist with genetic counseling and risk prediction for deafness related to the GJB3 c.538C>T variant.
PMID: 29106878 [PubMed - in process]
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Regional differences of Turkey in risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
Regional differences of Turkey in risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2017 Nov;102:49-55
Authors: Konukseven O, Kaya S, Genc A, Muluk NB, Basar FS, Kirkim G, Tuncer U, Karatas E, Topcu C, Bolat H, Dincol I
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to discover Turkish regional differences in the risk factors of newborn hearing loss.
METHOD: A multi-centered retrospective design was used. A total of 443 children, registered to the national newborn hearing screening programme, with bilateral hearing loss, from five different regions of Turkey, were evaluated in terms of the types of hearing loss, the degree of hearing loss, the types of risk factors, parental consanguinity, age at diagnosis and age of auditory intervention, respectively.
RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of hearing loss between regions (χ(2) = 3.210, P = 0.523). Symmetric Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) was the most common type of HL in all regions (91.8%). Profound HL was the most common degree of HL in all regions (46.2%). There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of types of HL (χ(2) = 14.151, P = 0.000). As a total, 323 (72.9%) of subjects did not have any risk factors. There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of the types of risk factors (pre, peri and post-natal) for SSNHL (χ(2) = 16.095, P = 0.000). For all regions, the age of diagnosis was convenient with the JCIH criteria. However the age of hearing aid application was prolonged in some regions. There were statistically significant differences between regions in terms of the age of diagnosis (χ(2) = 93.570, P = 0.000) and the age of auditory intervention (χ(2) = 47.323, P = 0.000). The confounding effects of gender, age of diagnosis, age of hearing aids applications, HL in the family, types of risk factors for HL on SSNHL were detected.
CONCLUSION: To reach the goal of a high quality newborn hearing screening, there is a need to develop an evidence-based standard for follow up guideline. In addition, risk factors should be re-evaluated according to regional differences and all regions should take their own precautions according to their evidence based data.
PMID: 29106875 [PubMed - in process]
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Clinical and Molecular Phenotypes of Low-Penetrance Variants of NLRP3: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges.
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Related Articles |
Clinical and Molecular Phenotypes of Low-Penetrance Variants of NLRP3: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges.
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017 Nov;69(11):2233-2240
Authors: Kuemmerle-Deschner JB, Verma D, Endres T, Broderick L, de Jesus AA, Hofer F, Blank N, Krause K, Rietschel C, Horneff G, Aksentijevich I, Lohse P, Goldbach-Mansky R, Hoffman HM, Benseler SM
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) result from gain-of-function mutations in the NLRP3 gene, which causes excessive release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and systemic inflammation. While pathogenetic NLRP3 variant phenotypes are well-characterized, low-penetrance NLRP3 variants represent a significant clinical challenge. The aims of this study were to determine the clinical phenotype, the in vitro biologic phenotype, and the effect of anti-IL-1 treatment in patients with low-penetrance NLRP3 variants.
METHODS: A multicenter study of consecutive symptomatic patients with low-penetrance NLRP3 variants recruited from 7 centers between May 2012 and May 2013 was performed. The observed findings were transferred into a study database, from which they were extracted for analysis. Controls were patients with a known pathogenetic NLRP3 variant. Clinical presentation and CAPS markers of inflammation were captured. Functional assays of inflammasome activation, including caspase 1 activity, NF-κB release, cell death, and IL-1β release, were performed. Treatment effects of IL-1 were determined. Comparisons between low-penetrance and pathogenetic NLRP3 variants were performed.
RESULTS: The study included 45 patients, 21 of which were female (47%); 26 of the patients (58%) were children. NLRP3 low-penetrance variants identified in the patients were Q703K (n = 19), R488K (n = 6), and V198M (n = 20). In the controls, 28 had pathogenetic NLRP3 variants. Patients with low-penetrance NLRP3 variants had significantly more fever (76%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (73%); eye disease, hearing loss, and renal involvement were less common. Functional inflammasome testing identified an intermediate phenotype in low-penetrance NLRP3 variants as compared to wild-type and pathogenetic NLRP3 variants. All treated patients responded to IL-1 inhibition, with complete response documented in 50% of patients.
CONCLUSION: Patients with low-penetrance NLRP3 variants display a distinct clinical phenotype and an intermediate biologic phenotype, including IL-1β and non-IL-1β-mediated inflammatory pathway activation.
PMID: 28692792 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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A novel homozygous MYO7A mutation involved in a Venezuelan population with high frequency of USHER1B.
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Related Articles |
A novel homozygous MYO7A mutation involved in a Venezuelan population with high frequency of USHER1B.
Ophthalmic Genet. 2016 Sep;37(3):328-30
Authors: Guzmán HO, Palacios AM, De Almada MI, Utrera RA
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Macanao's population in Venezuela has perhaps the greatest incidence of USH1B known in Latin America (79 cases per 100,000 population); however, until now no mutation in the MYO7A gene had been reported for this population.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study aimed to evaluate the entire coding region of the MYO7A gene by direct sequencing of PCR products obtained from patients clinically diagnosed with USH1B.
RESULTS: A novel mutation named c.6079_6081del was detected on exon 45 of the MYO7A gene, causing the loss of a single histidine amino acid at codon 2027 (p.H2027del) located within the second FERM domain of the human protein myosin VIIA. Three patients with clinical diagnosis of USH1B were detected positive in homozygosis for the c.6079_6081del mutation; whereas six people from the same affected family were heterozygotes and three other family members were negative.
CONCLUSION: We suggest that this new mutation named c.6079_6081del (p.H2027del) is the main cause of deaf-blindness found in this family clinically diagnosed as USH1B. Additional studies should be performed on this population to determine whether the c.6079_6081del mutation is the main cause of USH1B for the rest of the population.
PMID: 26864046 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Differences between auditory frequency-following responses and onset responses: Intracranial evidence from rat inferior colliculus
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Qian Wang, Liang Li
A periodic sound, such as a pure tone, evokes both transient onset field-potential responses and sustained frequency-following responses (FFRs) in the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC). It is not clear whether the two types of responses are based on the same or different neural substrates. Although it has been assumed that FFRs are based on phase locking to the periodic sound, the evidence showing the direct relationship between the FFR amplitude and the phase-locking strength is still lacking. Using intracranial recordings from the rat central nucleus of inferior colliculus (ICC), this study was to examine whether FFRs and onset responses are different in sensitivity to pure-tone frequency and/or response-stimulus correlation, when a tone stimulus is presented either monaurally or binaurally. Particularly, this study was to examine whether the FFR amplitude is correlated with the strength of phase locking. The results showed that with the increase of tone-stimulus frequency from 1 to 2 kHz, the FFR amplitude decreased but the onset-response amplitude increased. Moreover, the FFR amplitude, but not the onset-response amplitude, was significantly correlated with the phase coherence between tone-evoked potentials and the tone stimulus. Finally, the FFR amplitude was negatively correlated with the onset-response amplitude. These results indicate that periodic-sound-evoked FFRs are based on phase-locking activities of sustained-response neurons, but onset responses are based on transient activities of onset-response neurons, suggesting that FFRs and onset responses are associated with different functions.
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An elemental approach to modelling the mechanics of the cochlea
Publication date: Available online 1 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Stephen J. Elliott, Guangjian Ni
The motion along the basilar membrane in the cochlea is due to the interaction between the micromechanical behaviour of the organ of Corti and the fluid movement in the scala. By dividing the length of the cochlea into a finite number of elements and assuming a given radial distribution of the basilar membrane motion for each element, a set of equations can be separately derived for the micromechanics and for the fluid coupling. These equations can then be combined, using matrix methods, to give the fully coupled response. This elemental approach reduces to the classical transmission line model if the micromechanics are assumed to be locally-reacting and the fluid coupling is assumed to be entirely one-dimensional, but is also valid without these assumptions. The elemental model is most easily formulated in the frequency domain, assuming quasi-linear behaviour, but a time domain formulation, using state space method, can readily incorporate local nonlinearities in the micromechanics. Examples of programs are included for the elemental model of a human cochlea that can be readily modified for other species.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Stephen J. Elliott, Guangjian Ni
The motion along the basilar membrane in the cochlea is due to the interaction between the micromechanical behaviour of the organ of Corti and the fluid movement in the scala. By dividing the length of the cochlea into a finite number of elements and assuming a given radial distribution of the basilar membrane motion for each element, a set of equations can be separately derived for the micromechanics and for the fluid coupling. These equations can then be combined, using matrix methods, to give the fully coupled response. This elemental approach reduces to the classical transmission line model if the micromechanics are assumed to be locally-reacting and the fluid coupling is assumed to be entirely one-dimensional, but is also valid without these assumptions. The elemental model is most easily formulated in the frequency domain, assuming quasi-linear behaviour, but a time domain formulation, using state space method, can readily incorporate local nonlinearities in the micromechanics. Examples of programs are included for the elemental model of a human cochlea that can be readily modified for other species.
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Development of the head, pinnae, and acoustical cues to sound location in a precocial species, the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus)
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Kelsey L. Anbuhl, Victor Benichoux, Nathaniel T. Greene, Andrew D. Brown, Daniel J. Tollin
The morphology of the head and pinna shape the spatial and frequency dependence of sound propagation that give rise to the acoustic cues to sound source location. During early development, the physical dimensions of the head and pinna increase rapidly. Thus, the binaural (interaural time and level differences, ITD and ILD) and monaural (spectral shape) cues are also hypothesized to change rapidly. Complex interactions between the size and shape of the head and pinna limit the accuracy of simple acoustical models (e.g. spherical) and necessitate empirical measurements. Here, we measured the cues to location in the developing guinea pig, a precocial species commonly used for studies of the auditory system. We measured directional transfer functions (DTFs) and the dimensions of the head and pinna in guinea pigs from birth (P0) through adulthood. Dimensions of the head and pinna increased by 87% and 48%, respectively, reaching adult values by ∼8 weeks (P56). The monaural acoustic gain produced by the head and pinna increased with frequency and age, with maximum gains at higher frequencies (>8 kHz) reaching values of 10–21 dB for all ages. The center frequency of monaural spectral notches also decreased with age, from higher frequencies (∼17 kHz) at P0 to lower frequencies (∼12 kHz) in adults. In all animals, ILDs and ITDs were dependent on both frequency and spatial location. Over development, the maximum ILD magnitude increased from ∼15 dB at P0 to ∼30 dB in adults (at frequencies >8 kHz), while the maximum low frequency ITDs increased from ∼185 μs at P0 to ∼300 μs in adults. These results demonstrate that the changes in the acoustical cues are directly related to changes in head and pinna morphology.
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Effects of the cannabinoid CB1 agonist ACEA on salicylate ototoxicity, hyperacusis and tinnitus in guinea pigs
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Joel I. Berger, Ben Coomber, Samantha Hill, Steve P.H. Alexander, William Owen, Alan R. Palmer, Mark N. Wallace
Cannabinoids have been suggested as a therapeutic target for a variety of brain disorders. Despite the presence of their receptors throughout the auditory system, little is known about how cannabinoids affect auditory function. We sought to determine whether administration of arachidonyl-2′-chloroethylamide (ACEA), a highly-selective CB1 agonist, could attenuate a variety of auditory effects caused by prior administration of salicylate, and potentially treat tinnitus. We recorded cortical resting-state activity, auditory-evoked cortical activity and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), from chronically-implanted awake guinea pigs, before and after salicylate + ACEA. Salicylate-induced reductions in click-evoked ABR amplitudes were smaller in the presence of ACEA, suggesting that the ototoxic effects of salicylate were less severe. ACEA also abolished salicylate-induced changes in cortical alpha band (6–10 Hz) oscillatory activity. However, salicylate-induced increases in cortical evoked activity (suggestive of the presence of hyperacusis) were still present with salicylate + ACEA. ACEA administered alone did not induce significant changes in either ABR amplitudes or oscillatory activity, but did increase cortical evoked potentials. Furthermore, in two separate groups of non-implanted animals, we found no evidence that ACEA could reverse behavioural identification of salicylate- or noise-induced tinnitus. Together, these data suggest that while ACEA may be potentially otoprotective, selective CB1 agonists are not effective in diminishing the presence of tinnitus or hyperacusis.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Joel I. Berger, Ben Coomber, Samantha Hill, Steve P.H. Alexander, William Owen, Alan R. Palmer, Mark N. Wallace
Cannabinoids have been suggested as a therapeutic target for a variety of brain disorders. Despite the presence of their receptors throughout the auditory system, little is known about how cannabinoids affect auditory function. We sought to determine whether administration of arachidonyl-2′-chloroethylamide (ACEA), a highly-selective CB1 agonist, could attenuate a variety of auditory effects caused by prior administration of salicylate, and potentially treat tinnitus. We recorded cortical resting-state activity, auditory-evoked cortical activity and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), from chronically-implanted awake guinea pigs, before and after salicylate + ACEA. Salicylate-induced reductions in click-evoked ABR amplitudes were smaller in the presence of ACEA, suggesting that the ototoxic effects of salicylate were less severe. ACEA also abolished salicylate-induced changes in cortical alpha band (6–10 Hz) oscillatory activity. However, salicylate-induced increases in cortical evoked activity (suggestive of the presence of hyperacusis) were still present with salicylate + ACEA. ACEA administered alone did not induce significant changes in either ABR amplitudes or oscillatory activity, but did increase cortical evoked potentials. Furthermore, in two separate groups of non-implanted animals, we found no evidence that ACEA could reverse behavioural identification of salicylate- or noise-induced tinnitus. Together, these data suggest that while ACEA may be potentially otoprotective, selective CB1 agonists are not effective in diminishing the presence of tinnitus or hyperacusis.
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Plasticity in the auditory system
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Dexter R.F. Irvine
Over the last 30 years a wide range of manipulations of auditory input and experience have been shown to result in plasticity in auditory cortical and subcortical structures. The time course of plasticity ranges from very rapid stimulus-specific adaptation to longer-term changes associated with, for example, partial hearing loss or perceptual learning. Evidence for plasticity as a consequence of these and a range of other manipulations of auditory input and/or its significance is reviewed, with an emphasis on plasticity in adults and in the auditory cortex. The nature of the changes in auditory cortex associated with attention, memory and perceptual learning depend critically on task structure, reward contingencies, and learning strategy. Most forms of auditory system plasticity are adaptive, in that they serve to optimize auditory performance, prompting attempts to harness this plasticity for therapeutic purposes. However, plasticity associated with cochlear trauma and partial hearing loss appears to be maladaptive, and has been linked to tinnitus. Three important forms of human learning-related auditory system plasticity are those associated with language development, musical training, and improvement in performance with a cochlear implant. Almost all forms of plasticity involve changes in synaptic excitatory – inhibitory balance within existing patterns of connectivity. An attractive model applicable to a number of forms of learning-related plasticity is dynamic multiplexing by individual neurons, such that learning involving a particular stimulus attribute reflects a particular subset of the diverse inputs to a given neuron being gated by top-down influences. The plasticity evidence indicates that auditory cortex is a component of complex distributed networks that integrate the representation of auditory stimuli with attention, decision and reward processes.
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The absence of resting-state high-gamma cross-frequency coupling in patients with tinnitus
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Min-Hee Ahn, Sung Kwang Hong, Byoung-Kyong Min
Tinnitus is a psychoacoustic phantom perception of currently unknown neuropathology. Despite a growing number of post-stimulus tinnitus studies, uncertainty still exists regarding the neural signature of tinnitus in the resting-state brain. In the present study, we used high-gamma cross-frequency coupling and a Granger causality analysis to evaluate resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) data in healthy participants and patients with tinnitus. Patients with tinnitus lacked robust frontal delta-phase/central high-gamma-amplitude coupling that was otherwise clearly observed in healthy participants. Since low-frequency phase and high-frequency amplitude coupling reflects inter-regional communication during cognitive processing, and given the absence of frontal modulation in patients with tinnitus, we hypothesized that tinnitus might be related to impaired prefrontal top-down inhibitory control. A Granger causality analysis consistently showed abnormally pronounced functional connectivity of low-frequency activity in patients with tinnitus, possibly reflecting a deficiency in large-scale communication during the resting state. Moreover, different causal neurodynamics were characterized across two subgroups of patients with tinnitus; the T1 group (with higher P300 amplitudes) showed abnormal frontal-to-auditory cortical information flow, whereas the T2 group (with lower P300 amplitudes) exhibited abnormal auditory-to-frontal cortical information control. This dissociation in resting-state low-frequency causal connectivity is consistent with recent post-stimulus observations. Taken together, our findings suggest that maladaptive neuroplasticity or abnormal reorganization occurs in the auditory default mode network of patients with tinnitus. Additionally, our data highlight the utility of resting-state EEG for the quantitative diagnosis of tinnitus symptoms and the further characterization of tinnitus subtypes.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Min-Hee Ahn, Sung Kwang Hong, Byoung-Kyong Min
Tinnitus is a psychoacoustic phantom perception of currently unknown neuropathology. Despite a growing number of post-stimulus tinnitus studies, uncertainty still exists regarding the neural signature of tinnitus in the resting-state brain. In the present study, we used high-gamma cross-frequency coupling and a Granger causality analysis to evaluate resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) data in healthy participants and patients with tinnitus. Patients with tinnitus lacked robust frontal delta-phase/central high-gamma-amplitude coupling that was otherwise clearly observed in healthy participants. Since low-frequency phase and high-frequency amplitude coupling reflects inter-regional communication during cognitive processing, and given the absence of frontal modulation in patients with tinnitus, we hypothesized that tinnitus might be related to impaired prefrontal top-down inhibitory control. A Granger causality analysis consistently showed abnormally pronounced functional connectivity of low-frequency activity in patients with tinnitus, possibly reflecting a deficiency in large-scale communication during the resting state. Moreover, different causal neurodynamics were characterized across two subgroups of patients with tinnitus; the T1 group (with higher P300 amplitudes) showed abnormal frontal-to-auditory cortical information flow, whereas the T2 group (with lower P300 amplitudes) exhibited abnormal auditory-to-frontal cortical information control. This dissociation in resting-state low-frequency causal connectivity is consistent with recent post-stimulus observations. Taken together, our findings suggest that maladaptive neuroplasticity or abnormal reorganization occurs in the auditory default mode network of patients with tinnitus. Additionally, our data highlight the utility of resting-state EEG for the quantitative diagnosis of tinnitus symptoms and the further characterization of tinnitus subtypes.
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The optimum inter-implant interval in pediatric sequential bilateral implantation
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Angelika Illg, Carolin Sandner, Andreas Büchner, Thomas Lenarz, Andrej Kral, Anke Lesinski-Schiedat
An increasing number of children receive bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) sequentially. Outcomes of bilateral implantation show high variability. This retrospective analysis investigates the optimal inter-implant interval. For this purpose, speech comprehension results of 250 children who underwent sequential bilateral cochlear implantation were evaluated. All individuals underwent periodic speech perception testing in quiet and noise. The most recent unilateral data for each side were statistically analyzed. Speech test outcomes were evaluated with reference to age at first implantation and interval between implantations.A statistically significant difference for speech test performance was obtained between the first-implanted ear and the second-implanted ear for all children (expressed as a mean). These outcomes were dependent on the inter-implant interval. There was a significant correlation (r = - 0.497; p = 0.000) between speech test results and the inter-implant interval. Nevertheless, one subgroup of 27 children had the same or better results for the second side as compared with the first.In conclusion, the evaluation of the inter-implant interval and age groups at first implantation showed a preferred interval of up to four years in children under the age of 4 at first implantation. The older the children were at first implantation, the shorter the inter-implant interval had to be. It is as a direct consequence of this interval that children for whom it was longer were also older.
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Differences between auditory frequency-following responses and onset responses: Intracranial evidence from rat inferior colliculus
Publication date: Available online 7 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Qian Wang, Liang Li
A periodic sound, such as a pure tone, evokes both transient onset field-potential responses and sustained frequency-following responses (FFRs) in the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC). It is not clear whether the two types of responses are based on the same or different neural substrates. Although it has been assumed that FFRs are based on phase locking to the periodic sound, the evidence showing the direct relationship between the FFR amplitude and the phase-locking strength is still lacking. Using intracranial recordings from the rat central nucleus of inferior colliculus (ICC), this study was to examine whether FFRs and onset responses are different in sensitivity to pure-tone frequency and/or response-stimulus correlation, when a tone stimulus is presented either monaurally or binaurally. Particularly, this study was to examine whether the FFR amplitude is correlated with the strength of phase locking. The results showed that with the increase of tone-stimulus frequency from 1 to 2 kHz, the FFR amplitude decreased but the onset-response amplitude increased. Moreover, the FFR amplitude, but not the onset-response amplitude, was significantly correlated with the phase coherence between tone-evoked potentials and the tone stimulus. Finally, the FFR amplitude was negatively correlated with the onset-response amplitude. These results indicate that periodic-sound-evoked FFRs are based on phase-locking activities of sustained-response neurons, but onset responses are based on transient activities of onset-response neurons, suggesting that FFRs and onset responses are associated with different functions.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Qian Wang, Liang Li
A periodic sound, such as a pure tone, evokes both transient onset field-potential responses and sustained frequency-following responses (FFRs) in the auditory midbrain, the inferior colliculus (IC). It is not clear whether the two types of responses are based on the same or different neural substrates. Although it has been assumed that FFRs are based on phase locking to the periodic sound, the evidence showing the direct relationship between the FFR amplitude and the phase-locking strength is still lacking. Using intracranial recordings from the rat central nucleus of inferior colliculus (ICC), this study was to examine whether FFRs and onset responses are different in sensitivity to pure-tone frequency and/or response-stimulus correlation, when a tone stimulus is presented either monaurally or binaurally. Particularly, this study was to examine whether the FFR amplitude is correlated with the strength of phase locking. The results showed that with the increase of tone-stimulus frequency from 1 to 2 kHz, the FFR amplitude decreased but the onset-response amplitude increased. Moreover, the FFR amplitude, but not the onset-response amplitude, was significantly correlated with the phase coherence between tone-evoked potentials and the tone stimulus. Finally, the FFR amplitude was negatively correlated with the onset-response amplitude. These results indicate that periodic-sound-evoked FFRs are based on phase-locking activities of sustained-response neurons, but onset responses are based on transient activities of onset-response neurons, suggesting that FFRs and onset responses are associated with different functions.
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An elemental approach to modelling the mechanics of the cochlea
Publication date: Available online 1 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Stephen J. Elliott, Guangjian Ni
The motion along the basilar membrane in the cochlea is due to the interaction between the micromechanical behaviour of the organ of Corti and the fluid movement in the scala. By dividing the length of the cochlea into a finite number of elements and assuming a given radial distribution of the basilar membrane motion for each element, a set of equations can be separately derived for the micromechanics and for the fluid coupling. These equations can then be combined, using matrix methods, to give the fully coupled response. This elemental approach reduces to the classical transmission line model if the micromechanics are assumed to be locally-reacting and the fluid coupling is assumed to be entirely one-dimensional, but is also valid without these assumptions. The elemental model is most easily formulated in the frequency domain, assuming quasi-linear behaviour, but a time domain formulation, using state space method, can readily incorporate local nonlinearities in the micromechanics. Examples of programs are included for the elemental model of a human cochlea that can be readily modified for other species.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Stephen J. Elliott, Guangjian Ni
The motion along the basilar membrane in the cochlea is due to the interaction between the micromechanical behaviour of the organ of Corti and the fluid movement in the scala. By dividing the length of the cochlea into a finite number of elements and assuming a given radial distribution of the basilar membrane motion for each element, a set of equations can be separately derived for the micromechanics and for the fluid coupling. These equations can then be combined, using matrix methods, to give the fully coupled response. This elemental approach reduces to the classical transmission line model if the micromechanics are assumed to be locally-reacting and the fluid coupling is assumed to be entirely one-dimensional, but is also valid without these assumptions. The elemental model is most easily formulated in the frequency domain, assuming quasi-linear behaviour, but a time domain formulation, using state space method, can readily incorporate local nonlinearities in the micromechanics. Examples of programs are included for the elemental model of a human cochlea that can be readily modified for other species.
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Development of the head, pinnae, and acoustical cues to sound location in a precocial species, the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus)
Publication date: Available online 1 November 2017
Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Kelsey L. Anbuhl, Victor Benichoux, Nathaniel T. Greene, Andrew D. Brown, Daniel J. Tollin
The morphology of the head and pinna shape the spatial and frequency dependence of sound propagation that give rise to the acoustic cues to sound source location. During early development, the physical dimensions of the head and pinna increase rapidly. Thus, the binaural (interaural time and level differences, ITD and ILD) and monaural (spectral shape) cues are also hypothesized to change rapidly. Complex interactions between the size and shape of the head and pinna limit the accuracy of simple acoustical models (e.g. spherical) and necessitate empirical measurements. Here, we measured the cues to location in the developing guinea pig, a precocial species commonly used for studies of the auditory system. We measured directional transfer functions (DTFs) and the dimensions of the head and pinna in guinea pigs from birth (P0) through adulthood. Dimensions of the head and pinna increased by 87% and 48%, respectively, reaching adult values by ∼8 weeks (P56). The monaural acoustic gain produced by the head and pinna increased with frequency and age, with maximum gains at higher frequencies (>8 kHz) reaching values of 10–21 dB for all ages. The center frequency of monaural spectral notches also decreased with age, from higher frequencies (∼17 kHz) at P0 to lower frequencies (∼12 kHz) in adults. In all animals, ILDs and ITDs were dependent on both frequency and spatial location. Over development, the maximum ILD magnitude increased from ∼15 dB at P0 to ∼30 dB in adults (at frequencies >8 kHz), while the maximum low frequency ITDs increased from ∼185 μs at P0 to ∼300 μs in adults. These results demonstrate that the changes in the acoustical cues are directly related to changes in head and pinna morphology.
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Source:Hearing Research
Author(s): Kelsey L. Anbuhl, Victor Benichoux, Nathaniel T. Greene, Andrew D. Brown, Daniel J. Tollin
The morphology of the head and pinna shape the spatial and frequency dependence of sound propagation that give rise to the acoustic cues to sound source location. During early development, the physical dimensions of the head and pinna increase rapidly. Thus, the binaural (interaural time and level differences, ITD and ILD) and monaural (spectral shape) cues are also hypothesized to change rapidly. Complex interactions between the size and shape of the head and pinna limit the accuracy of simple acoustical models (e.g. spherical) and necessitate empirical measurements. Here, we measured the cues to location in the developing guinea pig, a precocial species commonly used for studies of the auditory system. We measured directional transfer functions (DTFs) and the dimensions of the head and pinna in guinea pigs from birth (P0) through adulthood. Dimensions of the head and pinna increased by 87% and 48%, respectively, reaching adult values by ∼8 weeks (P56). The monaural acoustic gain produced by the head and pinna increased with frequency and age, with maximum gains at higher frequencies (>8 kHz) reaching values of 10–21 dB for all ages. The center frequency of monaural spectral notches also decreased with age, from higher frequencies (∼17 kHz) at P0 to lower frequencies (∼12 kHz) in adults. In all animals, ILDs and ITDs were dependent on both frequency and spatial location. Over development, the maximum ILD magnitude increased from ∼15 dB at P0 to ∼30 dB in adults (at frequencies >8 kHz), while the maximum low frequency ITDs increased from ∼185 μs at P0 to ∼300 μs in adults. These results demonstrate that the changes in the acoustical cues are directly related to changes in head and pinna morphology.
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