Establishing Reproducibility and Correlation of Cochlear Microphonic Amplitude to Implant Electrode Position Using Intraoperative Electrocochleography and Postoperative Cone Beam Computed Tomography
Conclusion: We have developed a novel method to demonstrate the reproducibility of the CM responses recorded from a CI electrode during insertion. By correlating the CM amplitude with the postoperative CBCT, we have also been able to create individualized maps of CM responses, categorizing the cochlea into acoustically responsive and unresponsive regions. If the electrode contacts within the acoustically sensitive regions are shown to be associated with improved loudness discrimination, it could have implications for optimal electrode mapping and placement. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Interhemispheric Auditory Cortical Synchronization in Asymmetric Hearing Loss
Conclusions: Interhemispheric temporal organization in AHL was anchored between states of asynchrony in NH and synchrony in single-sided deafness. For asymmetry magnitudes between 15 and 40 dB, the intermediate mixed state of asynchrony and synchrony was continuous and reversible. Amplification of the poorer ear in AHL improved hearing in noise performance and restored normal temporal organization of auditory cortices in the two hemispheres. The return to normal interhemispheric asynchrony from baseline synchrony and improvement in hearing following monoaural amplification of the poorer ear evolved progressively over a...
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Developmental Outcomes in Early-Identified Children Who Are Hard of Hearing at 2 to 3 Years of Age
Conclusions: Early-identified young children who are HH can demonstrate age-appropriate development in multiple domains, including language, psychosocial, and adaptive behavior. However, mild to severe hearing loss places young children with no additional disabilities or neurocognitive impairments at risk for language delays. Although the children who are HH demonstrated no more emotional or behavioral problems than their same-age peers with NH, results suggest that language delays increase their vulnerability for delays in various aspects of social competence. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

What Can a Child Do With One Normal-Hearing Ear? Speech Perception and Word Learning in Children With Unilateral and Bilateral Hearing Losses Relative to Peers With Normal Hearing
Conclusions: Failure to learn and retain new words given a full auditory representation in one ear suggests that children with unilateral and bilateral hearing losses may share a unifying feature of impairment at the level of the central auditory system. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Comparing Methods for Pairing Electrodes Across Ears With Cochlear Implants
Conclusion: The results suggest that optimal electrode pairings differ depending on the cue measured to determine optimal pairing, at least for the basal end of the array. This also suggests that the improvements seen when using optimally paired electrodes may be tied to the particular percept being measured both to determine electrode pairing and to assess performance, at least for the basal end of the array. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Activating a Noise-Gating Algorithm and Personalizing Electrode Threshold Levels Improve Recognition of Soft Speech for Adults With CIs
Conclusions: Taken together, these data support the clinical recommendation of personalizing T-levels and activating NG to improve the detection and recognition of soft speech. However, future work is needed to evaluate potential limitations of these techniques. Specifically, speech recognition testing should be performed in the presence of diverse noise backgrounds and home-trials should be conducted to determine processing effects on sound quality in realistic environments. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Audiologic Profiles of Children With Otitis Media With Effusion
Conclusions: Effusion volume observed at the time of tympanostomy tube surgery was found to play a significant role in outcomes and responses on a range of audiologic tests that compose the standard clinical pediatric audiologic assessment battery. Full middle ear effusions were associated with a moderate hearing loss, and few to no measurable otoacoustic emissions were detected. Ears with a recent diagnosis of otitis media with effusion but clear at the time of tympanostomy tube placement had less hearing loss and a greater number of present otoacoustic emissions than ears with full or partial effusions but were still...
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Improving the Differential Diagnosis of Otitis Media With Effusion Using Wideband Acoustic Immittance
Conclusions: Wideband acoustic immittance, and more specifically, absorbance, is a strong and sensitive indicator of the volume of a middle ear effusion in children with otitis media with effusion. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Sound-level Monitoring Earphones With Smartphone Feedback as an Intervention to Promote Healthy Listening Behaviors in Young Adults
Conclusions: This study’s preliminary data indicate that dbTrack (Westone) sound-level monitoring earphones with a calibrated in-ear microphone can reliably and accurately measure personal audio systems sound exposure. Preliminary results also suggest that feedback on sound exposure using the accurate sound-level monitoring earphones with the accompanying dbTrack application can potentially promote safe listening behavior in young adults and reduce the risk of acquiring an RNIHL. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Occupational Noise Exposure and Longitudinal Hearing Changes in Post-9/11 US Military Personnel During an Initial Period of Military Service
Conclusions: This study (1) demonstrates the unique use of DoD hearing conservation program data, (2) is the first analysis of hearing threshold changes over time using such data, and (3) adds to the limited literature on longitudinal changes in hearing. The difference in hearing threshold changes across military branches is likely indicative of their varying noise exposures, hearing protection device use and enforcement, and surveillance practices. Results suggest Marine Corps and Army personnel are at risk for hearing threshold changes and that, among Army personnel, this is most pronounced among those exposed to mod...
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Reliability of Serological Prestin Levels in Humans and its Relation to Otoacoustic Emissions, a Functional Measure of Outer Hair Cells
Conclusions: Findings characterize serum prestin in healthy young adults with normal hearing and provide initial normative data that may be critical to interpreting results from individuals with sensorineural hearing loss. Our results demonstrate reliability of serum prestin levels in a sample of normal-hearing young adults across five test sessions up to 6 months apart, paving the way for testing larger samples to more accurately estimate test-retest standards for clinical protocols, including those involving serial monitoring. The positive correlations between serum prestin and OAE levels, although weak to moderate, ...
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research

Prevalence of Decreased Sound Tolerance (Hyperacusis) in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis
Conclusions: In this meta-analysis, we found a high prevalence of current and lifetime hyperacusis in individuals with ASD, with a majority of individuals on the autism spectrum experiencing hyperacusis at some point in their lives. The high prevalence of hyperacusis in individuals with ASD across the lifespan highlights the need for further research on sound tolerance in this population and the development of services and/or interventions to reduce the burden of this common symptom. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Meta-Analysis Source Type: research

Blood Prestin Levels in Normal Hearing and in Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Scoping Review
Conclusions: Current findings support the value of studying blood prestin levels in normal hearing and HL and highlight a need for larger-scale longitudinal research. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Scoping Review Source Type: research

Vestibular Function in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review
Importance: Given the rising prevalence of patients with dementia and those at risk for it, early identification is prioritized. As vestibular dysfunction is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and may contribute to its onset, vestibular assessment may yield an opportunity in early dementia screening. Objective: This systematic review structures and compares the different raw outcome measures used to assess vestibular function while comparing older adults with preserved cognition to individuals with cognitive impairment, either suffering from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD. Design: Two inves...
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Systematic Review Source Type: research

The Significance of Audiometric Notching in Individuals With a History of Noise Exposure: A Systematic Review
Conclusions: The overwhelming outcome of this systematic review demonstrates that the relationship between noise exposure and a 3- to 6-kHz audiometric notch is not straight-forward. A handful of articles have displayed a clear association between an individual’s noise exposure and an audiometric notch. Unilateral notches, notches observed at 3 kHz and notches in the absence of continued high-intensity noise exposure must be scrutinized thoroughly. The ambiguous nature of NIHL directs its continued interest. (Source: Ear and Hearing)
Source: Ear and Hearing - August 31, 2021 Category: Audiology Tags: Systematic Review Source Type: research