Perception of the acoustic environment and neuroimaging findings: a report of six cases with a history of closed head injury

Conclusion: The main finding was the relation between difficulty in determining the direction of movement of a sound source and frontal lesions and poor working memory. Poor correspondence in some cases between functional findings and imaging findings can be due to the possibility of axonal degeneration as well as plastic reorganization. Objective: The purpose of the present investigation of six cases was to identify auditory, cognitive and neuroimaging long-term sequelae of closed head injury (CHI) with particular focus on environmental sound recognition and moving sound sources. Subjects and methods: Six subjects who had experienced CHI were investigated with auditory tests. Four subjects also completed cognitive testing. CT and MRI were performed. Results: There was a large individual variability of the test results with respect to morphological findings. In five cases with central auditory processing disorders morphological brain damage was demonstrated. Two cases with shortcomings on cognitive testing and with frontal brain lesions demonstrated problems in determining the direction of movement of a sound source. The results may indicate that basal frontal lobe structures play a role in following and determining the direction of movement of a sound source. Two cases had problems with environmental sound recognition; in one left temporal brain lesions were demonstrated.

from Acta Oto-Laryngologica

Perception of the acoustic environment and neuroimaging findings: a report of six cases with a history of closed head injury

Conclusion: The main finding was the relation between difficulty in determining the direction of movement of a sound source and frontal lesions and poor working memory. Poor correspondence in some cases between functional findings and imaging findings can be due to the possibility of axonal degeneration as well as plastic reorganization. Objective: The purpose of the present investigation of six cases was to identify auditory, cognitive and neuroimaging long-term sequelae of closed head injury (CHI) with particular focus on environmental sound recognition and moving sound sources. Subjects and methods: Six subjects who had experienced CHI were investigated with auditory tests. Four subjects also completed cognitive testing. CT and MRI were performed. Results: There was a large individual variability of the test results with respect to morphological findings. In five cases with central auditory processing disorders morphological brain damage was demonstrated. Two cases with shortcomings on cognitive testing and with frontal brain lesions demonstrated problems in determining the direction of movement of a sound source. The results may indicate that basal frontal lobe structures play a role in following and determining the direction of movement of a sound source. Two cases had problems with environmental sound recognition; in one left temporal brain lesions were demonstrated.

from Acta Oto-Laryngologica

Surgical and medical complications in different cochlear implant devices

Conclusion: There were no surgery-related complications among the patients in the current study. Positioner and removable magnets have been associated with postoperative problems, and the silicone devices were the only ones found by us to cause foreign body and allergic reactions. Objectives: To evaluate the complication rate in patients who were implanted with cochlear devices manufactured by different companies. Patients and methods: This retrospective study included all the patients who underwent cochlear implantation (138 Nucleus, 105 Med-El and 14 Clarion devices) via the suprameatal approach in our department during 2001-2007 and followed up for at least 18 months. Complications such as magnet displacement, foreign body reaction and protrusion of the positioner were considered as being implant-related. Allergy to implant, cholesteatoma, perforated tympanic membrane, intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, wound breakdown, haematoma or seroma, and vestibular disturbances were considered to be patient-related. Results: Vestibular and wound problems emerged as the most common complications, but there were no significant differences in their rate of occurrence among the various devices. Explantation of the device was required in one case of foreign body reaction, one case of allergy to implant and one case of extrusion of the positioner followed by device failure.

from Acta Oto-Laryngologica

HearAtLast Combats Hearing Loss Epidemic With Future Sonics Atrio Ear Buds

HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HRAL) is pleased to announce that it has formed a strategic alliance with VitaSound to distribute Future Sonics MP3 Ear Buds. Future Sonics is the award-winning innovator of the original professional custom and universal fit earphones for personal monitoring for major tours, venues, artists, engineers, broadcasting and houses of worship worldwide.

Their dedication to the finest audio quality, reliability and personal service continue to serve the industry’s professionals with their Ear Monitors® brand, Atrio® brand, SofterWear™ professional products, HearAtLast’s model within Wal-Mart is the gateway to the first time buyer and experienced user of Ear Buds. All HearAtLast facilities will aid in the proper fitting of this audio devices to ensure an acoustic seal is achieved. HearAtLast will become the consciousness of the Hearing Health Care Industry by focusing on prevention and protection as well as the dispensing of Name Brand Digital Hearing /Aids.

from Medical News Today.com

Can loud noise cause acoustic neuroma? Analysis of the INTERPHONE study in France

Methods: A case-control study was conducted in France within the international INTERPHONE study. The cases were the 108 subjects diagnosed with acoustic neuroma between 1 June 2000 and 31 August 2003. Two controls per case were selected from the electoral rolls and individually matched for gender, age (5 years) and area (local authority district) of residence at the time of the case diagnosis. Multivariate analyses were conducted using conditional logistic regression. Adjustment was made for socioeconomic status.

Results: Acoustic neuroma was found to be associated with loud noise exposure (odds ratio (OR) = 2.55; 95% CI 1.35 to 4.82), both in leisure settings, particularly when listening to loud music (OR = 3.88; 95% CI 1.48 to 10.17) and at work (OR = 2.26; 95% CI 1.08 to 4.72). This risk increased with exposure duration (>6 years’ leisure exposure: OR = 3.15; 95% CI 1.07 to 9.24). Risk varied according to the type of noise (continuous or explosive vs intermittent).

Conclusion: The present results agree with other recent reports implicating loud noise in the risk of acoustic neuroma.

from Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Got ear plugs? You may want to sport them on the subway and other mass transit, researchers say

“Even though compared to subways, lower levels were obtained for commuter rail, buses, ferries and the tramway, chronic exposure to noise from these other forms of transit could also present a risk of noise induced hearing loss given sufficient exposure duration,” notes Mr. Neitzel. “The risk rises quickly with even small increases in noise levels. For example, 95 dBA is 10 times more intense than 85 dBA and 100 times more intense than 75 dBA.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization recommend daily exposures of no more than 70 dBA for a 24 hour average. Noises that register below 70 dBA generally have no impact on hearing health and don’t cause people to exceed the daily recommendations.

But as Dr. Gershon points out, “For many people, unless the noise is also considered to be a nuisance, such as noisy neighbors late at night, exposure to most loud noise levels is often not perceived as potentially hazardous, and precautions are rarely taken.” Further, she states , “People do not necessarily pay attention, for example, to excessive noise from attending concerts, riding motorcycles or even listening to MP3 players at high volume for extended periods,” Additionally, as Mr. Neitzel notes, “Transit-related noise levels are high enough to potentially present a risk of noise-induced hearing loss to some frequent transit riders, and this risk could increase substantially when we account for riders’ other noise exposures from work and recreational activities.” Another important and often overlooked fact, according to Dr. Gershon, is that in addition to impacting your hearing health, excessive noise exposure is linked to hypertension, heart disease, disruptions in stress hormones, sleep disorders and it has been shown to adversely affect learning in children.

For these reasons, the scientists said that noise control efforts, including increased transit infrastructure maintenance and the use of quieter equipment should be a priority. What’s more, the use of personal protection will also be helpful. Music headphones and earbuds generally do little to reduce noise exposures, and in fact often increase exposures, as users turn the volume of MP3 players up even higher than normal to drown out surrounding noise.

But a variety of earplugs and earmuffs are commercially available, most of which would be sufficient to reduce transit noise exposures to below the recommended limits. “A loss of just 10 decibels in your hearing acuity can damage your ability to hear other people talking,” Neitzel said. “Therefore protection – and, even better, avoidance of high noise exposure when possible – is the best way to preserve your hearing.”

The research team is currently following up this study with a large, community –based study of noise exposures from multiple sources to develop accurate predictions of noise-induced hearing loss in urban populations.

from EurekAlert.org

Neural noise created during binocular rivalry

It has been known for years that the neural representation of a visual stimulus temporarily erased from awareness during binocular rivalry is weaker in strength as a result. Ling and Blake set out to discover if there were other consequences associated with this weakening process.

To do so, the researchers tested people on a simple task that required them to judge the orientation of a pattern, called a grating, composed of parallel contours that tilted either clockwise or counterclockwise. Ordinarily, people are able to distinguish tilts as small as a few degrees. However, when the pattern was presented to an eye that was in this suppressed state, people were significantly worse at the task, sometimes confusing orientations that differed by 10 degrees.

“The problem wasn’t that people couldn’t see the gratings, because we made them sufficiently high contrast so they could overcome suppression and break into consciousness,” Blake said. “Nonetheless, because it was going to a suppressed eye, the grating underwent some sort of general degradation in the fidelity with which it was being registered. Neural noise could explain this.”

In an attempt to identify the source of the added noise, Ling and Blake performed a second experiment where observers were asked simply to detect a grating of a given orientation presented within a band of visual noise that the investigators themselves produced on the testing monitor. Ordinarily, observers are able to ignore noise that differs in orientation from a test grating, indicating that the brain cells detecting the grating are responsive to only a limited range of orientations. During suppression, however, the range of interfering orientations was widened considerably, thereby expanding the range of noise orientations that interfered with detection of the test grating.

“We believe this temporary broadening of the ‘tuning’ of orientation during suppression is a prime candidate as the cause of the reduced fidelity of the neural representation of orientation during suppression,” Ling said.

from EurekAlert.org

Equivalent threshold sound pressure levels (ETSPL) for Sennheiser HDA 280 supra-aural audiometric earphones in the frequency range 125 Hz to 8000 Hz

Abstract
Hearing threshold sound pressure levels were measured for the Sennheiser HDA 280 audiometric earphone. Hearing thresholds were measured for 25 normal-hearing test subjects at the 11 audiometric test frequencies from 125 Hz to 8000 Hz. Sennheiser HDA 280 is a supra-aural earphone that may be seen as a substitute for the classical Telephonics TDH 39. The results are given as the equivalent threshold sound pressure level (ETSPL) measured in an acoustic coupler specified in IEC 60318-3. The results are in good agreement with an independent investigation from PTB, Braunschweig, Germany. From acoustic laboratory measurements ETSPL values are calculated for the ear simulator specified in IEC 60318-1. Fitting of earphone and coupler is discussed. The data may be used for a future update of the RETSPL standard for supra-aural audiometric earphones, ISO 389-1.

from the International Journal of Audiology

Equivalent threshold sound pressure levels (ETSPL) for Sennheiser HDA 280 supra-aural audiometric earphones in the frequency range 125 Hz to 8000 Hz

Abstract
Hearing threshold sound pressure levels were measured for the Sennheiser HDA 280 audiometric earphone. Hearing thresholds were measured for 25 normal-hearing test subjects at the 11 audiometric test frequencies from 125 Hz to 8000 Hz. Sennheiser HDA 280 is a supra-aural earphone that may be seen as a substitute for the classical Telephonics TDH 39. The results are given as the equivalent threshold sound pressure level (ETSPL) measured in an acoustic coupler specified in IEC 60318-3. The results are in good agreement with an independent investigation from PTB, Braunschweig, Germany. From acoustic laboratory measurements ETSPL values are calculated for the ear simulator specified in IEC 60318-1. Fitting of earphone and coupler is discussed. The data may be used for a future update of the RETSPL standard for supra-aural audiometric earphones, ISO 389-1.

from the International Journal of Audiology

Relationships between speech perception abilities and spoken language skills in young children with hearing loss

Abstract
The goal of this study was to examine the relationships between scores obtained from measures of speech perception and language in a group of young children with hearing loss (HL). Eighteen children (mean age = 4.3 years) and their mothers participated in this study. Speech perception was measured using the online imitative test of speech pattern contrast perception (OLIMSPAC). Standardized language age equivalent scores were obtained using the Reynell developmental language scales-III. Number of word tokens, word types, and mean length of utterance (MLU) were extracted from the children’s spontaneous language samples. Significant positive relationships were observed between children’s OLIMSPAC scores and both standardized language scores (r ranging from 0.60 to 0.69; p <0.01) and all measures derived from children's spontaneous language samples (r ranging from 0.80 to 0.86; p<0.01). After controlling for child age, OLIMSPAC scores explained 34.1% of the variance in children's MLU. Using a new speech perception measure with reduced language demands, strong positive correlations were evident between speech perception and language skills for a young group of children with HL.

from the International Journal of Audiology

Relationships between speech perception abilities and spoken language skills in young children with hearing loss

Abstract
The goal of this study was to examine the relationships between scores obtained from measures of speech perception and language in a group of young children with hearing loss (HL). Eighteen children (mean age = 4.3 years) and their mothers participated in this study. Speech perception was measured using the online imitative test of speech pattern contrast perception (OLIMSPAC). Standardized language age equivalent scores were obtained using the Reynell developmental language scales-III. Number of word tokens, word types, and mean length of utterance (MLU) were extracted from the children’s spontaneous language samples. Significant positive relationships were observed between children’s OLIMSPAC scores and both standardized language scores (r ranging from 0.60 to 0.69; p <0.01) and all measures derived from children's spontaneous language samples (r ranging from 0.80 to 0.86; p<0.01). After controlling for child age, OLIMSPAC scores explained 34.1% of the variance in children's MLU. Using a new speech perception measure with reduced language demands, strong positive correlations were evident between speech perception and language skills for a young group of children with HL.

from the International Journal of Audiology

The role of anxiety sensitivity and behavioral avoidance in tinnitus disability

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of anxiety sensitivity and behavioral avoidance in tinnitus distress and functioning. A cross-sectional sample of 283 individuals experiencing tinnitus was obtained from an epidemiological national survey study on hearing loss, dizziness, and tinnitus. The subjects completed a series of questionnaires measuring anxiety sensitivity, anxiety, and depression. They also answered questions regarding tinnitus distress, functioning, and avoidance. Results revealed a positive significant correlation between anxiety sensitivity and tinnitus distress. This relationship was not better explained by anxiety and depression symptoms. In addition, the findings provided support for a model where behavioral avoidance fully mediated the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and tinnitus functioning, and partially mediated the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and tinnitus distress. Implications for the role of anxiety sensitivity and behavioral avoidance in tinnitus research are discussed.

from the International Journal of Audiology

Self-motion perception during conflicting visual-vestibular acceleration

Self-motion is known to be falsely perceived during exposure to the movement of visual surroundings. This illusory perception of visually-induced self-motion is known as “vection.” The present study was conducted to examine the relative strengths of vection versus whole-body angular acceleration as they determine perceived self-rotation under conditions in which they individually provide conflicting information. Each subject was rotated for 90 s about a vertical axis at a constant acceleration, and a large-field visual surround in front of the subject was simultaneously rotated at a constant acceleration in the same direction, but at a magnitude of acceleration twice that of the body. This stimulus condition creates a sensory conflict between information from the vestibular/somatosensory systems and information from the visual system with respect to the direction of self-rotation.

The subject eventually perceived self-acceleration in the direction of circular vection (CV), even though he or she was actually being accelerated in the direction opposite to CV. When the magnitude of contradictory chair acceleration exceeded the vestibular perceptual threshold, the onset latency of CV was significantly delayed.

Our results suggest that visual information contributes to the perception of self-acceleration, and that illusory self-motion could overwhelm the feeling of self-acceleration due to inertial motion. CV would thus be a significant factor in determining spatial orientation in certain operational environments and flight conditions.

from Vestibular Research

Emotion-focused coping in young children: Self and self-regulatory processes

This chapter explores paths toward emotion-focused coping among typically developing young children and their more or less average parents – portraying characteristic developmental patterns, demands, and stresses. Emotion-focused coping strategies are effortful and aim to decrease negative emotions in stress-inducing interpersonal contexts. The themes here highlight developmental changes of the early years and related parent and child hassles; likely cognitive, social, and linguistic antecedents and correlates of emotion-focused coping; and some self-regulatory processes that enable coping. The chapter concludes by noting that new directions in the study of young children’s coping involve returning to well-crafted, short-term longitudinal research.

from

Incidence of seropositivity to bordetella pertussis and mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in patients with chronic laryngotracheitis

Results:
Thirteen patients (24%) had elevated IgA and IgG to pertussis toxin. Nine patients (17%) had elevated IgM to pertussis toxin. Eight patients (15%) had elevated IgM to mycoplasma pneumoniae. There were no significant differences in symptom duration, RSI score, or Voice Handicap Index-10 score among patients with current infection, recent past infection, or no infection. Subglottic erythema scores were significantly higher for patients with current or recent past infection compared to the no infection group. Patients with current infection or recent past infection had significantly more tracheal erythema than supraglottic or vocal fold erythema.

Conclusions:
Bordetella pertussis and mycoplasma pneumoniae infection play a significant role in the etiology of CLTR. Pertussis can be a mild but chronic presentation and may not produce typical symptoms of severe cough. Symptom duration and severity cannot differentiate between CLTR of infectious or other etiology. Infection should be considered in patients with CLTR that have significant tracheal erythema. Laryngoscope, 2009

from The Laryngoscope