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PSYCHOACOUSTICS-WEB is an online tool written in JavaScript and PHP that enables the estimation of auditory sensory thresholds via adaptive threshold tracking. The toolbox implements the transformed up-down methods proposed by Levitt (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 49, 467-477, (1971) for a set of classic psychoacoustical tasks: frequency, intensity, and duration discrimination of pure tones; duration discrimination and gap detection of noise; and amplitude modulation detection with noise carriers. The toolbox can be used through a common web browser; it works with both fixed and mobile devices, and requires no programming skills. PSYCHOACOUSTICS-WEB is suitable for laboratory, classroom, and online testing and is designed for two main types of users: an occasional user and, above all, an experimenter using the toolbox for their own research. This latter user can create a personal account, customise existing experiments, and share them in the form of direct links to further users (e.g., the participants of a hypothetical experiment). Finally, because data storage is centralised, the toolbox offers the potential for creating a database of auditory skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing thresholds provide essential information and references about the human auditory system. This study aimed to identify changing trends in distributions of hearing threshold levels across ages by comparing the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7029 and newly available data after publishing ISO 7029. To compare ISO 7029 and newly available hearing threshold data after publishing ISO 7029, four country-specific datasets that presented average hearing threshold levels under conditions similar to ISO 7029 were utilized. For frequencies between 125 Hz and 8,000 Hz, the deviations of hearing threshold values by ages from the hearing threshold of the youngest age group for each data point were utilized. For frequencies from 9,000 Hz to 12,500 Hz, the median threshold information was utilized. Hearing threshold data reported after publishing ISO 7029 from the four countries were mostly similar to the ISO 7029 data but tended to deviate in some age groups and sexes. As national hearing threshold trends change, the following ISO 7029 revision suggests the need to integrate hearing threshold data from different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Far-advanced otosclerosis (FAO) refers to severe otosclerosis with scarce auditory functions. The identification of the best method to correctly listen to sound and speech has a large impact on patients' quality of life. We retrospectively analyzed the auditory function of 15 patients affected by FAO who were treated with stapedectomy plus hearing aids independent of the severity of their auditory deficit before surgery. The combination of surgery and hearing aids allowed excellent recovery of the perception of pure tone sounds and speech. Four patients, because of poor auditory thresholds, needed a cochlear implant after stapedectomy. Despite being based on a small sample of patients, our results suggest that stapedotomy plus hearing aids could improve the auditory capacities of patients with FAO independent of their auditory thresholds at T0. The careful selection of patients is fundamental to obtain the best outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report extends the development of normative standards for estimating occupational hearing loss using data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. A proposed revision of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 1999:2013 standard ("Acoustics-Estimation on noise-induced hearing loss") uses a linear interpolation of hearing threshold data to estimate the 25th and 75th percentiles for men and women at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 6000, and 8000 Hz. This paper revisits the NHANES data to provide these estimates, avoiding other types of interpolations that could misrepresent the population data.

Background: As the global population ages, hearing loss becomes increasingly prevalent, and is associated with neurocognitive and psychiatric comorbidities, impacting quality of life. Early screening and timely intervention might prevent or delay cognitive decline, a gap in care that can potentially be addressed by self-administered smartphone hearing tests., Objective: This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of Mimi™ (Berlin, Germany), a commercially available self-administered smartphone hearing test compared to pure tone audiogram (PTA) in terms of both hearing levels and hearing thresholds in our local geriatric population > 65 years-old., Method: Fifty-two participants above 65 years of age requiring conventional audiograms were recruited from a National Referral University Hospital Otolaryngology clinic from March to June 2022. All participants were administered the conventional PTA tests in a sound-proof booth conducted by audiology technicians followed by Mimi™ Hearing Test in a quiet clinic room. Comparisons between the hearing levels of both tests were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman plots and Gwet's Kappa which looked at concordance. Hearing thresholds were then analysed using the Wilcoxon signed rank (SR) test., Results: Mimi™ showed strong to very strong correlation with good agreement compared to readings obtained from formal PTA. Concordance in determining hearing loss also showed substantial to almost perfect agreement at each individual frequency, with values of kappa falling between 0.735-0.857. In terms of thresholds, there were no significant differences in thresholds given by both tests except for 2.0 kHz, HFPTA and 4FPTA (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Mimi™ serves as a good screening tool for detection of moderate hearing loss for early pickup and treatment except at higher frequencies. The smartphone hearing test is also less accurate in determining the extent of hearing loss and formal PTA after hearing loss is detected on screening should still be standard of care., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: RRL receives research support from the Clinician Scientist Development Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. Ethical approval: This research has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the National University of Singapore. Application Number: 2021/00747., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Auditory-nerve fibers (ANFs) from a given cochlear region can vary in threshold sensitivity by up to 60 dB, corresponding to a 1000-fold difference in stimulus level, although each fiber innervates a single inner hair cell (IHC) via a single synapse. ANFs with high-thresholds also have low spontaneous rates (SRs) and synapse on the side of the IHC closer to the modiolus, whereas the low-threshold, high-SR fibers synapse on the side closer to the pillar cells. Prior biophysical work has identified modiolar-pillar differences in both pre- and post-synaptic properties, but a comprehensive explanation for the wide range of sensitivities remains elusive. Here, in guinea pigs, we used immunostaining for several neuronal markers, including Caspr, a key protein in nodes of Ranvier, to reveal a novel modiolar-pillar gradient in the location of the first ANF heminodes, presumed to be the site of the spike generator, just outside the sensory epithelium. Along the cochlea, from apex to base, the unmyelinated terminal dendrites of modiolar ANFs were 2-4 times longer than those of pillar ANFs. This modiolar-pillar gradient in dendritic length, coupled with the 2-4 fold smaller caliber of modiolar dendrites seen in prior single-fiber labeling studies, suggests there could be a large difference in the number of length constants between the synapse and the spike initiation zone for low- vs high-SR fibers. The resultant differences in attenuation of post-synaptic potentials propagating along these unmyelinated dendrites could be a key contributor to the observed range of threshold sensitivities among ANFs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest or relevant financial relationships to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy has been studied for over 25 years with no known diagnosis for this disorder in humans. This type of "hidden hearing loss" induces a loss of synapses in the inner ear but no change in audiometric thresholds. Recent studies have shown that by two months post synaptopathy-inducing noise exposure, synapses in some animal species can regenerate. Animal studies to date have focused primarily on peripheral hearing measures to diagnose ribbon synapse loss, while suggesting binaural listening deficits such as speech-reception-in-noise result from this disorder, but haven't accounted for the possible regeneration of synapses. To address this, we measured binaural physiological and behavioral function, the latter utilizing the pre-pulse inhibition of acoustic startle method, in both male and female adult guinea pigs following exposure to noise that has been shown to induce cochlear synaptopathy. Physiological measurements extended to 2 months post noise exposure to characterize any deficit and subsequent recovery. While common audiological assessments showed temporary threshold shift, reduced evoked potential amplitudes indicative of synaptopathy and measurable binaural electrophysiological hearing deficits post exposure, all measures recovered by 2 months. Suspected regeneration of synaptic ribbons occurred by 2 months post exposure and cochlear histology revealed no synaptic loss 4 months post exposure. Our results show that the same noise exposure protocol demonstrated to cause synaptic loss in prior studies causes physiological binaural processing deficits in the brainstem and that the recovery of neural binaural processing coincides with the regeneration of synapses shown in previous studies and normal binaural hearing behavior., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to explore how the consistency of hearing aid (HA) use impacts vocabulary performance in children with moderately severe to profound hearing loss and determine the amount of HA use time associated with better vocabulary outcomes., Design: Personal wear time percentage (WTP) was an indicator of HA use consistency, and the information on HA wear time was collected from both parent reports and datalogs. Pearson's correlations were performed to investigate the associations between hearing loss severity, WTP and vocabulary performance. Standard vocabulary scores among children below and above three WTP cutoff values (80%, 85%, and 90%) were examined to determine the WTP amount that yielded significantly better vocabulary outcomes., Study Sample: Forty-seven children aged 36-79 months and their caregivers., Results: Both parent reports and datalogs WTP significantly correlated with vocabulary outcomes. Parent-reported WTP were found to be predictive of datalogs WTP. Apart from hearing thresholds, HA fitting age and maternal education level, datalogs WTP was a significant independent predictor of vocabulary performance. Children with ≥ 90% WTP were more likely to perform better on vocabulary tests than those with < 90% WTP., Conclusion: The findings support the potential benefits of consistent HA use for vocabulary development.

Objective: To evaluate whether a 500 pulses per second per channel (pps/ch) rate would provide non-inferior hearing performance compared to the 900 pps/ch rate in the Advanced Combination Encoder (ACE™) sound coding strategy., Design: A repeated measures single-subject design was employed, wherein each subject served as their own control. All except one subject used 900 pps/ch at enrolment. After three weeks of using the alternative rate program, both programs were loaded into the sound processor for two more weeks of take-home use. Subjective performance, preference, words in quiet, sentences in babble, music quality, and fundamental frequency (F0) discrimination were assessed using a balanced design., Study Sample: Data from 18 subjects were analysed, with complete datasets available for 17 subjects., Results: Non-inferior performance on all clinical measures was shown for the lower rate program. Subjects' preference ratings were comparable for the programs, with 53% reporting no difference overall. When a preference was expressed, the 900 pps/ch condition was preferred more often., Conclusion: Reducing the stimulation rate from 900 pps/ch to 500 pps/ch did not compromise the hearing outcomes evaluated in this study. A lower pulse rate in future cochlear implants could reduce power consumption, allowing for smaller batteries and processors.

Hearing loss, particularly age-related hearing loss, significantly impacts health and quality of life worldwide. While much of the research has focused on older adults, the early stages of hearing decline remain relatively unexplored. Longitudinal studies examining hearing changes across the adult lifespan, especially at extended high frequencies (EHFs), are scarce. This prospective longitudinal study aimed to explore the rate of hearing threshold shift in young adults with clinically normal audiograms and to assess whether EHF hearing loss could predict future hearing decline in the standard audiometric range. Hearing thresholds were measured at standard audiometric frequencies (0.25 to 8 kHz) and EHFs (10, 12.5, 14, and 16 kHz) in 71 participants (24 females) aged 19 to 38 years (mean age = 27.8 years). Two testing sessions were conducted nearly 24 months apart. Results revealed that the annual rate of threshold shift was significantly higher for EHFs compared to standard audiometric frequencies. A higher EHF threshold, measured in the initial test session, was associated with a greater rate of threshold shift at standard audiometric frequencies, suggesting that EHF hearing loss may serve as an early marker for subsequent hearing decline. Even with a normal audiogram, individuals with EHF hearing loss are at an increased risk of accelerated hearing deterioration. These findings show preclinical, age-related changes in young adults with normal audiograms and underscore the importance of early detection and monitoring of EHF hearing loss to mitigate the impact of future hearing loss on their overall health and well-being., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Knowledge regarding hearing acuity in the nonagenarian age group is sparse. In this study we aimed to advance our understanding of hearing loss in the 10 th decade of life., Design: A cross-sectional study in which standardised hearing measurements were performed during home visits, which included care home facilities and nursing homes to maximise participation., Study Sample: Two unselected groups of individuals aged 90 ( n  = 42) and 95 ( n  = 49), sampled from the population-based Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies., Results: 98% of the participants (95% CI [95, 100]) had some degree of hearing loss in their better ear, with 83% (95% CI [73, 89]) having a potentially disabling hearing loss of moderate degree or worse, according to WHO criteria. Furthermore, differences between the two age groups (five years apart) indicate an increasing hearing loss, primarily at frequencies ≥ 2 kHz., Conclusion: Hearing loss was present in almost all of the participants in the nonagenarian age group and among a majority of them potentially to a degree that would warrant rehabilitation. Carrying out standardised hearing measurements in a home setting was feasible in this age group and enhanced the representativeness of the study population.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the Chinese version of Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (C-SSQ12) in the Chinese Mandarin-speaking population and to determine its screening cut-off value by comparing measured pure-tone average (PTA), the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly-Screening Version (HHIE-S) scores and C-SSQ12 scores., Design: All participants completed the C-SSQ12 questionnaire and underwent the pure-tone audiometry. Older subjects aged ≧ 60 years completed the HHIE-S questionnaire. The optimal cut-off value for the C-SSQ12 as a hearing screening tool was calculated by comparing different cut-offs and hearing thresholds., Study Sample: A total of 300 subjects were recruited., Results: There was a negative correlation between C-SSQ12 scores and HHIE-S scores (r = -0.749). C-SSQ12 scores were negatively correlated with PTA (r = -0.507; r = -0.542). The best cut-off value for the C-SSQ12 was 6.0, with a sensitivity of 78.2%, specificity of 80.3%, positive predictive value of 63.7% and negative predictive value of 97.0% (PTA > 40dBHL for bilateral ears)., Conclusions: Compared to mild hearing loss, the C-SSQ12 is a reliable and validated hearing screening tool with increased sensitivity for detecting moderate-to-severe hearing loss.

Introduction: Hearing impairment concerns a relevant percentage of individuals with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). When looking at the current literature, the percentage of affected individuals with OI varies greatly from 32 to 58% of patients having mild OI and 21% to 27% of patients having moderate to severe OI. Little is known about the German population with OI., Method: The goal of this study was to detect how many patients with OI, who visited the annual meeting of the German Association for Osteogenesis Imperfecta in 2023, proved to have a hearing impairment. In this prospective, cross-sectional study, each included individual obtained ear microscopy, audiometry, stapedius reflexes, tympanometry, and OAEs. Furthermore, each patient was asked a set of questions concerning the medical history., Results: Of the included patients, 33% had hearing impairment. A significant difference was found for the mean air-bone gap (ABG) as well as the hearing threshold of the right ears. The difference was found between OI type III and IV (p = 0.0127) for the mean ABG and OI type I and IV (p = 0.0138) as well as III and IV (p = 0.0281) for the hearing threshold. Spearman's rank correlation showed a high correlation between age and hearing threshold. Of the patients between 40 and 50 years old, 56% had hearing loss., Conclusion: Hearing loss in individuals with OI is still a relevant problem, especially age-related in OI type I. Audiometry should be performed at least when individuals experience subjective hearing loss. The implementation of a screening starting at 40 years should be discussed and studied., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Institutional review board statement: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Ethics Committee of University Hospital, LMU Munich (protocol code 22–0357 and date of approval 17.05.2022). Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most commonly used tools in neuroscience. However, it implies exposure to high noise levels. Exposure to noise can lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss, especially when the exposure is long and/or repeated. Little is known about the hearing risks for people undergoing several MRI examinations, especially in the context of longitudinal studies. The goal of this study was to assess the potential impact of repeated exposure to MRI noise on hearing in research participants undergoing dozens of MRI scans. This investigation was made possible thanks to an unprecedented intensive MRI research data collection effort (the Courtois NeuroMod project) where participants have been scanned weekly (up to twice a week), with the use of hearing protection, since 2018. Their hearing was tested periodically, over a period of 1.5 years. First, baseline pure-tone thresholds and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) amplitudes were acquired before the beginning of this study. Hearing tests were then scheduled immediately before/immediately after a scan and with a delay of two to seven days after a scan. Pure-tone thresholds and DPOAE amplitudes showed no scanner noise impact right after the scan session when compared to the values acquired right before the scan session. Pure-tone thresholds and DPOAE amplitudes acquired in the delayed condition and compared to the baseline showed similar results. These results suggest an absence of impact from MRI noise exposure. Overall, our results show that an intensive longitudinal MRI study like the Courtois NeuroMod project likely does not cause hearing damage to participants when they properly utilize adequate hearing protection., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2025 Fortier et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

&lt;b&gt;Introduction:&lt;/b&gt; The exposure to unsafe sound levels is considered a risk factor for developing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Personal listening devices (PLDs) represent a common source of recreational noise among young adults. First changes of NIHL could be detected at extended high frequencies (EHFs).&lt;b&gt;Aim:&lt;/b&gt; This pilot study aimed to analyze hearing thresholds at conventional frequencies (CFs) and EHFs in young adults due to the PLD use.&lt;b&gt;Methods:&lt;/b&gt; Hearing thresholds of 114 otologically normal adults aged 18 to 30 years unexposed to occupational noise were assessed using conventional and extended high-frequency audiometry. Data on PLD use, leisure time noise exposure, health and lifestyle, were acquired using a questionnaire.&lt;b&gt;Results:&lt;/b&gt; Differences in hearing thresholds were found at CFs but not at EHFs according to the listening frequency (daily vs less frequent listening); duration of one PLD use of more than 30 minutes; and total listening time ≥7 hours/week. Only the highest frequency was affected by loud volume listening.&lt;b&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/b&gt; Changes in hearing thresholds were found at CFs, whereby long duration, high volume and daily use were associated with lower hearing thresholds in otologically healthy adults.

Objectives: Electrocochleography (ECochG) is increasingly recognized as a biomarker for assessing inner ear function in cochlear implant patients. This study aimed to objectively determine intraoperative cochlear microphonic (CM) amplitude patterns and correlate them with residual hearing in cochlear implant recipients, addressing the limitations in current ECochG analysis that often depends on subjective visual assessment and overlook the intracochlear measurement location., Design: In this prospective study, we investigated intraoperative pure-tone ECochG following complete electrode insertion in 31 patients. We used our previously published objective analysis method to determine the maximum CM amplitude and the associated electrode position for each electrode array. Using computed tomography, we identified electrode placement and determined the corresponding tonotopic frequency using Greenwood's function. Based on this, we calculated the tonotopic shift, that is, the difference between the stimulation frequency and the estimated frequency of the electrode with the maximum CM amplitude. We evaluated the association between CM amplitude, tonotopic shift, and preoperative hearing thresholds using linear regression analysis., Results: CM amplitudes showed high variance, with values ranging from -1.479 to 4.495 dBµV. We found a statistically significant negative correlation ( ) between maximum CM amplitudes and preoperative hearing thresholds. In addition, a significant association ( ) between the tonotopic shift and preoperative hearing thresholds was observed. Tonotopic shifts of the maximum CM amplitudes occurred predominantly toward the basal direction., Conclusions: The combination of objective signal analysis and the consideration of intracochlear measurement locations enhances the understanding of cochlear health and overcomes the obstacles of current ECochG analysis. We could show the link between intraoperative CM amplitudes, their spatial distributions, and preoperative hearing thresholds. Consequently, our findings enable automated analysis and bear the potential to enhance specificity of ECochG, reinforcing its role as an objective biomarker for cochlear health., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Ear & Hearing is published on behalf of the American Auditory Society, by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

In their Comment, Tougaard et al. [(2025). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 157, 538-541] question our conclusion that despite their different audiograms, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) have similar susceptibility to temporary hearing threshold shift caused by loud sounds, and claim that our selection of data for analysis was biased. In this Response, we clarify our methods and uphold our original conclusions., (© 2025 Acoustical Society of America.)

Objectives: The inter-phase gap (IPG) offset effect is defined as the dB offset between the linear parts of electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP) amplitude growth functions for two stimuli differing only in IPG. The method was recently suggested to represent neural health in cochlear implant (CI) users while being unaffected by CI electrode impedances. Hereby, a larger IPG offset effect should reflect better neural health. The aims of the present study were to (1) examine whether the IPG offset effect negatively correlates with the ECAP threshold and the preoperative pure-tone average (PTA) in CI recipients with residual acoustic hearing and (2) investigate the dependency of the IPG offset effect on hair cell survival and intracochlear electrode impedances., Design: Seventeen adult study participants with residual acoustic hearing at 500 Hz undergoing CI surgery at the University Hospital of Zurich were prospectively enrolled. ECAP thresholds, IPG offset effects, electrocochleography (ECochG) responses to 500 Hz tone bursts, and monopolar electrical impedances were obtained at an apical, middle, and basal electrode set during and between 4 and 12 weeks after CI surgery. Pure-tone audiometry was conducted within 3 weeks before surgery and approximately 6 weeks after surgery. Linear mixed regression analyses and t tests were performed to assess relationships between (changes in) ECAP threshold, IPG offset, impedance, PTA, and ECochG amplitude., Results: The IPG offset effect positively correlated with the ECAP threshold in intraoperative recordings ( p < 0.001) and did not significantly correlate with the preoperative PTA ( p = 0.999). The IPG offset showed a postoperative decrease for electrode sets that showed an ECochG amplitude drop. This IPG offset decrease was significantly larger than for electrode sets that showed no ECochG amplitude decrease, t (17) = 2.76, p = 0.014. Linear mixed regression analysis showed no systematic effect of electrode impedance changes on the IPG offset effect ( p = 0.263) but suggested a participant-dependent effect of electrode impedance on IPG offset., Conclusions: The present study results did not reveal the expected relationships between the IPG offset effect and ECAP threshold values or between the IPG offset effect and preoperative acoustic hearing. Changes in electrode impedance did not exhibit a direct impact on the IPG offset effect, although this impact might be individualized among CI recipients. Overall, our findings suggest that the interpretation and application of the IPG offset effect in clinical settings should be approached with caution considering its complex relationships with other cochlear and neural health metrics., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Ear & Hearing is published on behalf of the American Auditory Society, by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Gransier and Kastelein [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 155, 396-404 (2024)] present a review of selected studies on temporary threshold shift (TTS) in seals and porpoises. In contrast to the conclusion made in the paper, the results presented are fully consistent with the current understanding that sound exposure level is the best overall predictor of TTSs in marine mammals. If all available TTS studies on seals and porpoises exposed to narrowband noise are included, there is support neither for the conclusion that seals and porpoises are equally susceptible to TTSs nor for their claim that audiograms are poor predictors of the frequency dependence of TTS susceptibility., (© 2025 Acoustical Society of America.)

Objective: To determine ETSPLs for the Oscilla H210A circumaural audiometric headphones., Design: ETSPL measurements were performed for 11 audiometric frequencies with the ISO 8253-1 (2010) bracketing procedure., Study Sample: The study was based on 25 otologically normal test subjects., Results: ETSPLs are provided for an ear simulator according to IEC 60318-1 (2009) along with a detailed measurement uncertainty budget., Conclusions: ETSPLs for the Oscilla H210A headphones may be used to update ISO 389-8 (2004), the reference ETSPL standard for circumaural audiometric headphones.

Objectives: Standard diagnostic measures focus on threshold elevation but hearing concerns may occur independently of threshold elevation - referred to as "hidden hearing loss" (HHL). A deeper understanding of HHL requires measurements that locate dysfunction along the auditory pathway. This study aimed to describe the relationship and interdependence between certain behavioural and physiological measures of auditory function that are thought to be indicative of HHL., Design: Data were collected on a battery of behavioural and physiological measures of hearing. Threshold-dependent variance was removed from each measure prior to generating a multiple regression model of the behavioural measures using the physiological measures., Study Sample: 224 adults in the United States with audiometric thresholds ≤65 dB HL., Results: Thresholds accounted for between 21 and 60% of the variance in our behavioural measures and 5-51% in our physiological measures of hearing. There was no evidence that the behavioural measures of hearing could be predicted by the selected physiological measures., Conclusions: Several proposed behavioural measures for HHL: thresholds-in-noise, frequency-modulation detection, and speech recognition in difficult listening conditions, are influenced by hearing sensitivity and are not predicted by outer hair cell or auditory nerve physiology. Therefore, these measures may not be able to assess threshold-independent hearing disorders.

Objectives: Asymmetric or unilateral hearing loss (AHL) may cause irreversible changes in the processing of acoustic signals in the auditory system. We aim to provide a comprehensive view of the auditory processing abilities for subjects with acquired AHL, and to examine the influence of AHL on speech perception under difficult conditions, and on auditory temporal and intensity processing., Design: We examined peripheral and central auditory functions for 25 subjects with AHL resulting from vestibular schwannoma, and compared them to those from 24 normal-hearing controls that were matched with the AHL subjects in mean age and hearing thresholds in the healthy ear. Besides the basic hearing threshold assessment, the tests comprised the detection of tones and gaps in a continuous noise, comprehension of speech in babble noise, binaural interactions, difference limen of intensity, and detection of frequency modulation. For the AHL subjects, the selected tests were performed separately for the healthy and diseased ear., Results: We observed that binaural speech comprehension, gap detection, and frequency modulation detection abilities were dominated by the healthy ear and were comparable for both groups. The AHL subjects were less sensitive to interaural delays, however, they exhibited a higher sensitivity to sound level, as indicated by lower difference limen of intensity and a higher sensitivity to interaural intensity difference. Correlations between the individual test scores indicated that speech comprehension by the AHL subjects was associated with different auditory processing mechanisms than for the control subjects., Conclusions: The data suggest that AHL influences both peripheral and central auditory processing abilities and that speech comprehension under difficult conditions relies on different mechanisms for the AHL subjects than for normal-hearing controls., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine whether cortical sensory gating predicts how older adults with and without hearing loss perform the Tracking of Noise Tolerance (TNT) test., Design: Single-blind mixed design. TNT performance was defined by average tolerated noise relative to speech levels (TNT Ave ) and by an average range of noise levels over a two-minute trial (excursion). Sensory gating of P1-N1-P2 components was measured using pairs of 1 kHz tone pips., Study Sample: Twenty-three normal-hearing (NH) and 16 hearing-impaired (HI) older adults with a moderate-to-severe degree of sensorineural hearing loss., Results: NH listeners tolerated significantly more noise than HI listeners, but the two groups did not differ in their excursion. Both NH and HI listeners exhibited significant gating of P1 amplitudes and N1P2 peak-to-peak amplitudes with no difference in gating magnitudes between listener groups. Sensory gating magnitudes of P1 and N1P2 did not predict TNT Ave scores, but N1P2 gating negatively predicted excursion after accounting for listener age and hearing thresholds., Conclusions: Listeners' reactivity to a roving noise (excursion), but not their average noise tolerance (TNT Ave ), was predicted by sensory gating at N1P2 generators. These results suggest that temporal aspects of speech-in-noise processing may be affected by declines in the central inhibition of older adults.

The auditory system is constantly tasked with detecting acoustic cues in complex auditory environments. Difficulty hearing speech in noise, largely a result of energetic masking, is a major communication complaint of the elderly, which impacts a third of the global population over 65. The neural mechanisms responsible for processing sound in background noise and subsequently achieving release from energetic masking remain obscure. Furthermore, the senescence of signal-in-noise detection is poorly understood, a phenomenon which could have a myriad of clinical implications. We tested over 300 CBA/CaJ mice aged 1-27 months on tone-in-noise detection ability utilizing prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response with a machine learning startle classifier. We found that mice developed profound tone-in-noise detection deficits throughout their lifespan as evidenced by Rd', a detection metric derived from signal detection theory. The most severe decline in Rd' corresponded to a 2.54-fold decrease in tone-in-noise detection across the lifespan. Our findings suggest that CBA/CaJ mice are an appropriate model to study the role of age-related hearing loss in the context of signal-in-noise masking., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors state that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: to evaluate the levels of successful hearing preservation and preservation of functional hearing following cochlear implantation (HPCI) in children using the Cochlear Nucleus® Slim Straight Electrode (SSE)., Design: retrospective case note review of paediatric HPCI cases in our CI centre from 2013 to 2023. Inclusion criteria were attempted hearing preservation surgery, SSE used for implantation, pre-operative hearing thresholds ≤80dBHL at 250 Hz, CI before 18 years of age. Patients were excluded if no postoperative unaided PTA was obtained (poor attendance). Primairy outcome was hearing preservation using the HEARRING group formula; secondary outcome was residual functional hearing (≤80dBHL at 250 Hz/<90dB LFPTA)., Study Sample: 56 patients with 94 CI's were included for review., Results: Hearing preservation was achieved in 94.7% (89/94) of ears and complete preservation in 72% (68/94)). Average functional hearing was preserved in 89% using both criteria for preservation. Long-term follow up data was available for 36 ears (average 35.2 months), demonstrating 88.9% (32/36) complete preservation., Conclusion: We have reliably achieved and maintained a high success rate of HPCI using the SSE in our paediatric population. The field of HPCI would benefit from unification of outcome reporting in order to optimise the evidence available to professionals, patients and their carers.

Objectives: (1) to determine whether the standard Dutch word lists for speech audiometry are equally intelligible in normal-hearing listeners (Experiment 1), (2) to investigate whether synthetic speech can be used to create word lists (Experiment 1) and (3) to determine whether the list effect found in Experiment 1 can be reduced by combining two lists into pairs (Experiment 2)., Design: Participants performed speech tests in quiet with the original (natural) and synthetic word lists (Experiment 1.). In Experiment 2, new participants performed speech tests with list pairs from the original lists constructed from the results of Experiment 1., Study Samples: Twenty-four and twenty-eight normal-hearing adults., Results: There was a significant list effect in the natural speech lists; not in the synthetic speech lists. Variability in intelligibility was significantly higher in the former, with list differences up to 20% at fixed presentation levels. The 95% confidence interval of a list with a score of approximately 70% is around 10%-points wider than of a list pair., Conclusions: The original Dutch word lists show large variations in intelligibility. List effects can be reduced by combining two lists per condition. Synthetic speech is a promising alternative to natural speech in speech audiometry in quiet.

Wide dynamic range compression (WDRC) and noise reduction both play important roles in hearing aids. WDRC provides level-dependent amplification so that the level of sound produced by the hearing aid falls between the hearing threshold and the highest comfortable level of the listener, while noise reduction reduces ambient noise with the goal of improving intelligibility and listening comfort and reducing effort. In most current hearing aids, noise reduction and WDRC are implemented sequentially, but this may lead to distortion of the amplitude modulation patterns of both the speech and the noise. This paper describes a deep learning method, called Neural-WDRC, for implementing both noise reduction and WDRC, employing a two-stage low-complexity network. The network initially estimates the noise alone and the speech alone. Fast-acting compression is applied to the estimated speech and slow-acting compression to the estimated noise, but with a controllable residual noise level to help the user to perceive natural environmental sounds. Neural-WDRC is frame-based, and the output of the current frame is determined only by the current and preceding frames. Neural-WDRC was compared with conventional slow- and fast-acting compression and with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-aware compression using objective measures and listening tests based on normal-hearing participants listening to signals processed to simulate the effects of hearing loss and hearing-impaired participants. The objective measures demonstrated that Neural-WDRC effectively reduced negative interactions of speech and noise in highly non-stationary noise scenarios. The listening tests showed that Neural-WDRC was preferred over the other compression methods for speech in non-stationary noises., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Hearing loss (HL) is a common sensory disorder in humans. Studies on the relationship between arsenic, which is a highly toxic and widely distributed heavy metal with a health risk to humans, and hearing status in humans are contradictory and mostly focused on people living in arsenic-contaminated areas. This study investigated the association between urinary arsenic levels and hearing threshold shifts in the general population in the United States., Methods: Overall, 1,017 adults (aged 20-69 years) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015-2016) were included in this study. HL was defined as pure-tone average (PTA) ≥ 20 dB at frequencies 500, 1,000, 2000, and 4,000 Hz in the better-hearing ear. Total urinary arsenic (uAs) and dimethylarsinic acid (uDMA) levels were analyzed. Multivariate linear regression analyses and smooth curve fitting were performed to evaluate the correlations between uDMA, uAs, and low-, speech-, and high-frequency hearing levels., Results: The mean age of the participants was 42.13 ± 13.66 years, including weighted 48.67% men and 12.88% participants with sensorineural HL. After adjusting for potential confounders in the multivariate linear regression model, higher uDMA levels were significantly associated with poor low-, and speech-frequency PTAs, with no differences among participants by age or sex. Smooth curve fitting indicated a nonlinear relationship between uAs and high-frequency PTA hearing threshold shifts. The uAs levels were positively associated with high-frequency PTA until the turning point of 1.54 (adjusted β 4.53, 95% CI 1.16, 7.90; p  = 0.0085), beyond which this association was not observed (adjusted β -0.43, 95% CI -1.57, 0.71; p  = 0.4600)., Conclusion: We found positive associations between urinary arsenic metabolites uDMA, uAs levels and poor hearing threshold shifts in US adults. This study provides new evidence for the association between arsenic exposure and auditory function., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Long, Jia and Liu.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the audiological test results from a sample of 60 adults with self-reported misophonia., Method: Audiological testing was completed prior to participant randomization in a controlled trial for misophonia treatment. Participants completed the Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms Survey (IHS), the Tinnitus and Hearing Survey (THS), the Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ), and behavioral and objective audiometric measures., Results: Hearing thresholds were less than 25 dBHL for 97% of the participants. Loudness discomfort levels for tonal stimuli suggested hyperacusis in 25% of the sample. Total scores on the IHS indicated that 12% met the clinical cutoff for hyperacusis, and, on the THS, 27% experienced problems with tinnitus, 77% experienced problems with hearing, and 53% experienced problems with sound tolerance. On the MQ, 37% indicated mild levels of misophonia and 58% indicated moderate levels. For speech-in-noise testing, a mild signal-to-noise ratio loss was present for 15% of participants. Most of the participants had present distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs)., Conclusions: Audiological data on individuals with misophonia are lacking. In this article, we present results from audiological testing on 60 adults with self-reported misophonia. Most had normal peripheral hearing sensitivity based on pure-tone audiometry and DPOAE measures; some had difficulties with sound sensitivities and understanding speech-in-noise, self-report indicated problems with hyperacusis, tinnitus, and hearing difficulty.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a dual-task Mandarin Reading Span Test (RST) to assess verbal working memory related to speech perception in noise., Design: The test material was developed taking into account psycholinguistic factors (i.e. sentence structure, number of syllables, word familiarity, and sentences plausibility), to achieve good test reliability and face validity. The relationship between the 28-sentence Mandarin RST and speech perception in noise was confirmed using three speech perception in noise measures containing varying levels of contextual and linguistic information., Study Sample: The study comprised 42 young adults with normal hearing and 56 older adult who were hearing aid users with moderate to severe hearing loss., Results: In older hearing aid users, the 28-sentence RST showed significant correlation with speech reception thresholds as measured by three Mandarin sentence in noise tests ( r s or r  = -.681 to -.419) but not with the 2-digit sequence Digit-in-Noise Test., Conclusion: The newly developed dual-task Mandarin RST, constructed with careful psycholinguistic consideration, demonstrates a significant relationship with sentence perception in noise. This suggests that the Mandarin RST could serve as a measure of verbal working memory.

Objective: To determine if a stricter criterion for paediatric hearing aid fitting for proximity of fit-to-target of <3 dB root-mean-square (RMS) error produces better audibility and outcomes compared to the current <5 dB criterion, and to examine the relationship between aided audibility and RMS error by degree of hearing loss., Design: We evaluated the influence of unaided hearing level on the relationship between RMS error and aided audibility. We assessed the effect of RMS error category (<3, 3-5, >5 dB) on aided audibility, speech recognition, expressive vocabulary, and morphosyntax., Study Sample: The study included 2314 hearing aid verification measurements from 307 children with hearing aids., Results: Children who met a <3 dB criterion had higher aided audibility than children who met no criterion (>5 dB error). Results showed no differences in speech recognition or vocabulary by error category, but children with <3 dB error demonstrated better morphosyntax than children with 3-5 and >5 dB RMS error., Conclusions: Fittings that are close to prescriptive targets provide a more positive outcome for children with hearing aids. Using probe microphone measures to adjust hearing aids to within 3 dB may benefit language abilities in children.

To explore the correlation between pure tone audiometry at all frequencies and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) of hidden hearing loss (HHL). The workers exposed to noise from a factory in Zhangjiakou (noise exposure group, n  = 73) and normal young and middle-aged people recruited by society (control group, n  = 77) from August 2021 to April 2022 were study subjects, and all of them underwent audiometry in clinic. Compared with the control group, the noise exposure group had significantly higher threshold by extended high-frequency audiometry at all frequencies and higher signal-to-noise ratio threshold (SNR50) (all P  < 0.001), and higher amplitude ratio of SP to AP of the waveform induced by short sound at 96, 90, 80 and 70 dB nHL and lower SNR at 6 kHz and above (all P < 0.05).         The pure tone audiometry was correlated with DPOAE test results at the frequencies of 6, 8, 9 and 10 kHz ( P  < 0.001). The results of speech audiometry in noise were related to the average SNR of DPOAE test at each frequency ( P  = 0.026, r  = -0.265). The ratio of SP to AP in electrocochleogram recorded at the intensity of 96 dB nHL was correlated with the average SNR at 6 kHz and above in DPOAE test ( P  = 0.018, r  = -0.461), and with the average auditory threshold at each frequency in extended high-frequency audiometry ( P  = 0.032, r  = 0.421). DPOAE has certain value in detecting HHL.

Objective: To explore if experience with hearing aid (HA) amplification affects speech-evoked cortical potentials reflecting comprehension abilities., Design: N400 and late positive complex (LPC) responses as well as behavioural response times to congruent and incongruent digit triplets were measured. The digits were presented against stationary speech-shaped noise 10 dB above individually measured speech recognition thresholds. Stimulus presentation was either acoustic (digits 1-3) or first visual (digits 1-2) and then acoustic (digit 3)., Study Sample: Three groups of older participants ( N  = 3 × 15) with (1) pure-tone average hearing thresholds <25 dB HL from 500-4000 Hz, (2) mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) but no prior HA experience, and (3) mild-to-moderate SNHL and >2 years of HA experience. Groups 2-3 were fitted with test devices in accordance with clinical gain targets., Results: No group differences were found in the electrophysiological data. N400 amplitudes were larger and LPC latencies shorter with acoustic presentation. For group 1, behavioural response times were shorter with visual-then-acoustic presentation., Conclusion: When speech audibility is ensured, comprehension-related electrophysiological responses appear intact in individuals with mild-to-moderate SNHL, regardless of prior experience with amplified sound. Further research into the effects of audibility versus acclimatisation-related neurophysiological changes is warranted.

Traditional psychoacoustic measures often lack accuracy in diagnosing hyperacusis and other sound tolerance disorders, possibly due to their reliance on artificial stimuli and unidimensional scales. The aim of this study was to assess loudness across sensory and affective dimensions using natural sounds, drawing on pain research wherein intensity and unpleasantness are assessed separately. We hypothesized that similar distinctions apply to loudness perception. A total of 102 young adults with normal to mild hearing loss rated 32 sound stimuli (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, and artificial) at 10 intensities (40 to 100 dBA) on sensory and affective scales. They also completed the Hyperacusis Questionnaire, the Noise Sensitivity Scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Mixed linear models indicated both correlations and dissociations between scales that varied according to intensity and valence. Louder stimuli were rated as more unpleasant, but only at high intensities. On the sensory scale, sounds were perceived as louder with increasing intensity; however, at low to moderate intensities, pleasant and neutral sounds were rated as louder, whereas at higher intensities, artificial and unpleasant stimuli were rated as louder. On the affective scale, the perception of unpleasantness also increased with intensity, but less steeply. At high intensities, artificial stimuli were rated similarly to unpleasant stimuli. Noise sensitivity scores predicted louder and more unpleasant ratings, whereas depression scores were associated with softer and less pleasant perceptions. This study highlights the need for multidimensional approaches in audiology and suggests that the integration of sensory and affective scales with natural stimuli may improve the diagnosis and treatment of sound tolerance disorders., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Oxidative stress damages cochlear hair cells in vitro. However, the effect of systemic inflammation on hearing loss remains unclear. Growing evidence suggests that malnutrition influences the development of hearing loss. In this study, we aimed to investigate the influence of the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), which is calculated based on systemic inflammatory responses and malnutrition, on auditory threshold increases in patients with cancer., Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included patients with cancer who underwent standard pure-tone audiometry (PTA) between November 2014 and May 2023. Patients with complete data in their electronic medical records within 90 days before undergoing standard PTA were included. Multivariate analysis was performed using auditory threshold as the response variable. Covariates, including GPS, were obtained from blood data and physical data before standard PTA. The GPS was classified into three levels based on serum albumin and C-reactive protein levels., Results: Standard PTA was performed 14,868 times in 5,462 patients. Of these, 742 had cancer and 384 met the inclusion criteria. Multivariate analysis revealed that older age, creatinine clearance <60 mL/min, and high GPS significantly increased the auditory threshold at frequencies of 500-8,000 Hz. A history of platinum drug use and male sex increased the auditory threshold at frequencies >4,000 and >2,000 Hz, respectively., Conclusion: The GPS was independently associated with elevated standard PTA thresholds in patients with cancer. These results suggest an association between malnutrition/chronic inflammation and hearing loss and provide new information for planning clinical research on hearing loss prevention., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Hearing-impaired listeners struggle to understand speech in noise, even when using cochlear implants (CIs) or hearing aids. Successful listening in noisy environments depends on the brain's ability to organize a mixture of sound sources into distinct perceptual streams (i.e., source segregation). In normal-hearing listeners, temporal coherence of sound fluctuations across frequency channels supports this process by promoting grouping of elements belonging to a single acoustic source. We hypothesized that reduced spectral resolution-a hallmark of both electric/CI (from current spread) and acoustic (from broadened tuning) hearing with sensorineural hearing loss-degrades segregation based on temporal coherence. This is because reduced frequency resolution decreases the likelihood that a single sound source dominates the activity driving any specific channel; concomitantly, it increases the correlation in activity across channels. Consistent with our hypothesis, our physiologically inspired computational model of temporal-coherence-based segregation predicts that CI current spread reduces comodulation masking release (CMR; a correlate of temporal-coherence processing) and speech intelligibility in noise. These predictions are consistent with our online behavioral data with simulated CI listening. Our model also predicts smaller CMR with increasing levels of outer-hair-cell damage. These results suggest that reduced spectral resolution relative to normal hearing impairs temporal-coherence-based segregation and speech-in-noise outcomes., (© 2024 Acoustical Society of America.)

Given the substantial time and complexity involved in the perceptual evaluation of head-related transfer function (HRTF) processing, there is considerable value in adopting numerical assessment. Although many numerical methods have been introduced in recent years, monaural spectral distance metrics such as log-spectral distortion (LSD) remain widely used despite their significant limitations. In this study, listening tests were conducted to investigate the correlation between LSD and the auditory perception of HRTFs. By distorting the magnitude spectra of HRTFs across 32 spatial directions at six levels of LSD, the perceived spatial and timbral attributes of these distorted HRTFs were measured. The results revealed the limitations of LSD in adequately assessing HRTFs' perception performance. Based on the experimental results, a perceptually enhanced spectral distance metric for predicting HRTF quality has been developed, which processes HRTF data through spectral analysis, threshold discrimination, feature combination, binaural weighting, and perceptual outcome estimation. Compared to the currently available methods for assessing spectral differences of HRTFs, the proposed method exhibited superior performance in prediction error and correlation with actual perceptual results. The method holds potential for assessing the effectiveness of HRTF-related research, such as modeling and individualization., (© 2024 Acoustical Society of America.)

We tested whether sensitivity to acoustic spectrotemporal modulations can be observed from reaction times for normal-hearing and impaired-hearing conditions. In a manual reaction-time task, normal-hearing listeners had to detect the onset of a ripple (with density between 0–8 cycles/octave and a fixed modulation depth of 50%), that moved up or down the log-frequency axis at constant velocity (between 0–64 Hz), in an otherwise-unmodulated broadband white-noise. Spectral and temporal modulations elicited band-pass filtered sensitivity characteristics, with fastest detection rates around 1 cycle/oct and 32 Hz for normal-hearing conditions. These results closely resemble data from other studies that typically used the modulation-depth threshold as a sensitivity criterion. To simulate hearing-impairment, stimuli were processed with a 6-channel cochlear-implant vocoder, and a hearing-aid simulation that introduced separate spectral smearing and low-pass filtering. Reaction times were always much slower compared to normal hearing, especially for the highest spectral densities. Binaural performance was predicted well by the benchmark race model of binaural independence, which models statistical facilitation of independent monaural channels. For the impaired-hearing simulations this implied a "best-of-both-worlds" principle in which the listeners relied on the hearing-aid ear to detect spectral modulations, and on the cochlear-implant ear for temporal-modulation detection. Although singular-value decomposition indicated that the joint spectrotemporal sensitivity matrix could be largely reconstructed from independent temporal and spectral sensitivity functions, in line with time-spectrum separability, a substantial inseparable spectral-temporal interaction was present in all hearing conditions. These results suggest that the reaction-time task yields a valid and effective objective measure of acoustic spectrotemporal-modulation sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cochlear implants (CIs) are viable treatment options in patients with severe to profound hearing loss. Speech recognition difficulties were reported in some CI recipients even with a good-aided hearing threshold. The aim of this study was to report a mapping strategy based on different target-aided hearing thresholds to achieve optimal speech recognition and maximize functional outcomes. The safety and efficacy of the mapping strategy were also inspected in the article. Methods: This prospective repeated measures study enrolled 20 adult CI recipients with post lingual deafness using the MED-EL CI system. Word and sentence discrimination assessment and administration of a questionnaire pertaining to comfort level were conducted at the end of each session. The electrophysiological features of the CI mapping were recorded. Results: The correlation between audiometry results and word and sentence recognition was not high. CIs performed best at an audiometry threshold between 25 and 35 dB. Conclusion: CI performance with the best perception relies on a balance between minimizing the hearing threshold and maximizing the dynamic range while maintaining an appropriate comfort level, which was achieved when the target hearing threshold was set at 25–35 dB in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium signaling is crucial for many physiological processes and can mobilize intracellular calcium stores in response to environmental sensory stimuli. The endolysosomal two-pore channel (TPC), regulated by the second messenger nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP), is one of the key components in calcium signaling. However, its role in neuronal physiology remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated to what extent the acoustic thresholds differed between the WT mice and the TPC KO mice. We determined the thresholds based on the auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) at five frequencies (between 4 and 32 kHz) and found no threshold difference between the WT and KO in virgin female mice. Surprisingly, in lactating mothers (at P9–P10), the thresholds were higher from 8 to 32 kHz in the TPC KO mice compared to the WT mice. This result indicates that in the TPC KO mice, physiological events occurring during parturition altered the detection of sounds already at the brainstem level, or even earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a deeper understanding of the inner ear dynamics, a Finite-Element model of the human cochlea is developed. To describe the unsteady, viscous creeping flow of the liquid, a pressure-displacement-based Finite-Element formulation is used. This allows one to efficiently compute the basilar membrane vibrations resulting from the fluid-structure interaction leading to hearing nerve stimulation. The results show the formation of a travelingwave on the basilar membrane propagating with decreasing velocity towards the peaking at a frequency dependent position. This tonotopic behavior allows the brain to distinguish between sounds of different frequencies. Additionally, not only the middle ear, but also the transfer behavior of the cochlea contributes to the frequency dependence of the auditory threshold. Furthermore, the fluid velocity and pressure fields show the effect of viscous damping forces and allow us to deeper understand the formation of the pressure difference, responsible to excite the basilar membrane.

Introduction: The association of hearing loss and diabetes has been under research for many years. The hearing loss in diabetes in our population has not been studied extensively. The objective of this study was to compare the hearing threshold between type 2 diabetic patients and age- and sexmatched controls. Materials and Methods: A comparative study was done in the Department of ENT, Kathmandu Medical College from October 2019 to February 2020. The hearing threshold, of 40 type 2 diabetics patients, and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy controls in the age group of 35 to 55 years, were assessed by pure tone audiometry. The hearing threshold was compared between the two groups by using the student’s unpaired t-test. Results: Among 40 diabetes patients, 29 (72.5 %) had bilateral, mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss. The hearing threshold in diabetes patients was signifi cantly higher than the healthy controls in all the frequencies except at 250 Hz. When comparing the threshold according to the duration of diabetes, it was found to be signifi cantly higher only at higher frequencies (4000 and 8000 Hz) in diabetes with more than 5 years duration. Conclusions: The hearing loss was common in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Most diabetic patients had mostly bilateral mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss affecting hearing thresholds in higher frequencies than the healthy controls as assessed by pure tone audiometry.

Objectives - to evaluate the diagnostic significance of subjective techniques for the study of the acoustic organ in patients with primary arterial hypertension (HT) Material and methods. 40 patients (n = 40) were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 included patients with HT, group 2 - conditionally healthy patients, examined at the Republican Center for Research and Practice in Otorhinolaryngology, in 2018-2019. The mathematical statistics, Student t-test were used. Results. The patients in the group 1 presented the following complaints: the decrease in speech intelligibility 80% (n=16), difficulty in recognizing the speech in polyphony 70% (n=14), tinnitus 60% (n=12), hearing loss 15% (n=3). Otoscopy in both groups was within normal. Whisper test result was 6 m in the conditionally healthy patients. In patients with HT, the whisper test with familiar multi-syllable words resulted as 6±0.5 m. However, the mono-syllable word hearing in all patients was reduced to 4±0.5 m. Type A tympanogram was registered in patients of both groups (n=40) with bilateral acoustic reflex. High-frequency audiometry showed changes in 1/3 of the patients in HT group (n=6). Monoaural speech intelligibility (multi-syllable words) at the comfortable hearing threshold was not significantly different in both study groups. The binaural speech intelligibility tested by alternating binaural speech at the comfortable auditory threshold reached 80±5% (t>0,95), along with extremely low pass percentage (35%) in digital dichotic tests in patients with HT, that can suggest the feasible central mechanism of the auditory analyzer lesion. Conclusion. HT is a systemic disease that causes an impairment of the acoustic organ at the central and peripheral levels. In addition to the standard batch of hearing tests, it is recommended to use the superthreshold speech intelligibility tests in patients with arterial hypertension.

In epidemiological studies, the measurements of disease outcomes are carried out by different evaluators. In this paper, we propose a two-stage procedure for detecting outlier evaluators. In the first stage, a regression model is fitted to obtain the evaluators' effects. Outlier evaluators have different effects than normal evaluators. In the second stage, stepwise hypothesis tests are performed to detect outlier evaluators. The true positive rate and true negative rate of the proposed procedure are assessed in a simulation study. We apply the proposed method to detect potential outlier audiologists among the audiologists who measured hearing threshold levels of the participants in the Audiology Assessment Arm of the Conservation of Hearing Study, which is an epidemiological study for examining risk factors of hearing loss., (© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

The middle-ear muscle reflex (MEMR) and medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) modify peripheral auditory function, which may reduce masking and improve speech-in-noise (SIN) recognition. Previous work and our pilot data suggest that the two reflexes respond differently to static versus dynamic noise elicitors. However, little is known about how the two reflexes work in tandem to contribute to SIN recognition. We hypothesized that SIN recognition would be significantly correlated with the strength of the MEMR and with the strength of the MOCR. Additionally, we hypothesized that SIN recognition would be best when both reflexes were activated. A total of 43 healthy, normal-hearing adults met the inclusion/exclusion criteria (35 females, age range: 19-29 years). MEMR strength was assessed using wideband absorbance. MOCR strength was assessed using transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions. SIN recognition was assessed using a modified version of the QuickSIN. All measurements were made with and without two types of contralateral noise elicitors (steady and pulsed) at two levels (50 and 65 dB SPL). Steady noise was used to primarily elicit the MOCR and pulsed noise was used to elicit both reflexes. Two baseline conditions without a contralateral elicitor were also obtained. Results revealed differences in how the MEMR and MOCR responded to elicitor type and level. Contrary to hypotheses, SIN recognition was not significantly improved in the presence of any contralateral elicitors relative to the baseline conditions. Additionally, there were no significant correlations between MEMR strength and SIN recognition, or between MOCR strength and SIN recognition. MEMR and MOCR strength were significantly correlated for pulsed noise elicitors but not steady noise elicitors. Results suggest no association between SIN recognition and the MEMR or MOCR, at least as measured and analyzed in this study. SIN recognition may have been influenced by factors not accounted for in this study, such as contextual cues, warranting further study., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Frequency importance functions quantify the contribution of spectral frequencies to perception. Frequency importance has been well-characterized for speech recognition in quiet and steady-state noise. However, it is currently unknown whether frequency importance estimates generalize to more complex conditions such as listening in a multi-talker masker or when targets and maskers are spatially separated. Here, frequency importance was estimated by quantifying associations between local target-to-masker ratios at the output of an auditory filterbank and keyword recognition accuracy for sentences. Unlike traditional methods used to measure frequency importance, this technique estimates frequency importance without modifying the acoustic properties of the target or masker. Frequency importance was compared across sentences in noise and a two-talker masker, as well as sentences in a two-talker masker that was either co-located with or spatially separated from the target. Results indicate that frequency importance depends on masker type and spatial configuration. Frequencies above 5 kHz had lower importance and frequencies between 600 and 1900 Hz had higher importance in the presence of a two-talker masker relative to a noise masker. Spatial separation increased the importance of frequencies between 600 Hz and 5 kHz. Thus, frequency importance functions vary across listening conditions., (© 2024 Acoustical Society of America.)

Temporal coherence, where sounds with aligned timing patterns are perceived as a single source, is considered an essential cue in auditory scene analysis. However, its effects have been studied primarily with simple repeating tones, rather than speech. This study investigated the role of temporal coherence in speech by introducing across-frequency asynchronies. The effect of asynchrony on the intelligibility of target sentences was tested in the presence of background speech-shaped noise or a single-talker interferer. Our hypothesis was that disrupting temporal coherence should not only reduce intelligibility but also impair listeners' ability to segregate the target speech from an interfering talker, leading to greater degradation for speech-in-speech than speech-in-noise tasks. Stimuli were filtered into eight frequency bands, which were then desynchronized with delays of 0-120 ms. As expected, intelligibility declined as asynchrony increased. However, the decline was similar for both noise and single-talker maskers. Primarily target, rather than masker, asynchrony affected performance for both natural (forward) and reversed-speech maskers, and for target sentences with low and high semantic context. The results suggest that temporal coherence may not be as critical a cue for speech segregation as it is for the non-speech stimuli traditionally used in studies of auditory scene analysis., (© 2024 Acoustical Society of America.)

Binaural pitch fusion, the perceptual integration of dichotically presented stimuli that evoke different pitches, can be considered a type of simultaneous grouping. Hence, auditory streaming cues such as temporally flanking stimuli that promote sequential grouping might compete with simultaneous dichotic grouping to reduce binaural fusion. Here, we measured binaural pitch fusion using an auditory streaming task in normal-hearing listeners and hearing-impaired listeners with hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. Fusion ranges, the frequency or electrode ranges over which binaural pitch fusion occurs, were measured in a streaming paradigm using 10 alterations of a dichotic reference/comparison stimulus with a diotic capture stimulus, with fusion indicated by perception of a single stream. Stimuli were pure tones or electric pulse trains depending on the hearing device, with frequency or electrode varied across trials for comparison stimuli. Fusion ranges were also measured for the corresponding isolated stimulus conditions with the same stimulus durations. For all groups, fusion ranges decreased by up to three times in the streaming paradigm compared to the corresponding isolated stimulus paradigm. Hearing-impaired listeners showed greater reductions in fusion than normal-hearing listeners. The findings add further evidence that binaural pitch fusion is moderated by central processes involved in auditory grouping or segregation., (© 2024 Acoustical Society of America.)

Background: Because the inner ear requires high-energy metabolism and because of the iron content of some cochlear enzymes, iron deficiency-related hypoxia can affect hearing and the balance system., Objectives: To evaluate the hearing and balance functions in adults with iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA)., Material and Methods: 22 ID patients, 22 IDA patients and 22 healthy controls underwent pure tone audiometry (0.125-16 kHz), VNG, VEMP, and vHIT., Results: Significant differences were observed in the hearing thresholds of the IDA group at frequencies ranging from 0.125 kHz to 14 kHz, as well as in the ID group at frequencies of 2.0 kHz, 4.0 kHz, and 6.0 kHz. The pursuit test was pathological at the rate of 40.9% in the IDA group. The oVEMP test showed prolonged latency values in both ID and IDA groups. IDA group had lower p1-n1 amplitude than the control group in the oVEMP and cVEMP tests. A significant difference was determined between the groups concerning anterior SCC VOR gains., Conclusions and Significance: The hypoxia caused by anemia might negatively impact hearing and vestibular functions. The current study is the first study to comprehensively evaluate anemia patients with VNG, VEMP, and vHIT tests.