Monthly Archives: November 2009
Auditory N1 Component to Gaps in Continuous Narrowband Noises
Conclusions: The auditory N1 component can be recorded to gaps in continuous narrowband noises whose gap thresholds are grossly similar to those obtained psychophysically. The differences found between PGTs and EGTs with different narrowband noise center frequencies call for further investigation of narrowband noise stimuli for the study of temporal resolution.
from Ear and Hearing
Augmentation after microsurgical removal of vocal fold nodules
Summary: Fat augmentation is an effective autogenous implant which may be considered in the management of patients after microsurgical removal of nodules.
from Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
Bone anchored hearing aids in children
Summary: The bone anchored hearing aid in children is an effective means of aural rehabilitation that has been shown to improve the overall quality of life of the child. Although, it is a ‘well tolerated’ and relatively ‘simple’ procedure it is not without risk. A multidisciplinary team approach combined with careful patient selection and an understanding of the problems that present in children should result in a successful outcome for the child.
from Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
Strategies for Helping Those With Hearing Loss Enjoy Holiday Season Are Offered by HearUSA Audiologist
The holidays can be an especially difficult tiime for the millions of Americans living with hearing loss. Dr. Cindy Beyer offers suggestions for dealing with the “invisible handicap.” which can easily be intensified at holiday gatherings with families and friends, when many of those with hearing impairment may find conversations both difficult and isolating.
from PRWeb.com
Contribution of Spectrotemporal Features on Auditory Event-Related Potentials Elicited by Consonant-Vowel Syllables
Conclusions: The study shows that even small differences in spectrotemporal features of speech may evoke different ERPs, despite very similar or even identical wide-band envelopes. The results are consistent with a model that ERPs evoked by short CVs are an onset response to the consonant merged with an acoustic change complex evoked by the vowel part. However, all components appear as one P1-N1-P2 complex. The results may be explained by differences in the narrow-band envelopes of the stimuli. Therefore, this study underlines the limitations of the wide-band envelope in explaining speech-evoked ERPs. Additionally, the results of this study are of special interest for clinical application since some of the ERP parameter differences, as the N1 latency, are present not only in the ERPs of each single subject but also in the group mean value of all N1 latencies. Thus, presented ERP measurements in response to CVs might be used for identification of potential problems in phoneme differentiation caused by spectrotemporal analysis problems.
from Ear and Hearing
Current practice and feasibility in microlaryngeal surgery: microsurgical pressing excision technique
Summary: This technique has several advantages: utilizing one instrument at a time can maximize exposure of the narrow endoscopic view, adjusting the pressing force makes precise excision easy in a well controlled horizontal plane. The MPET is particularly useful for removing sessile vocal nodules (especially those with epithelial keratosis), epithelial hyperplasia and leukoplakia in patients with difficult endolaryngeal exposure. This could be a well tolerated and precise microsurgical technique.
from Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
Does the 40-Hz Auditory Steady-State Response Show the Binaural Masking Level Difference?
In contrast to the transient (N1-P2) and steady-state (<20 Hz) cortical responses, neither the transient (auditory brain stem response) nor the steady-state (80 Hz) brain stem responses show the binaural masking level difference (BMLD). This study determined behavioral and 40-Hz auditory steady-state response (ASSR) BMLDs for both signal and noise interaural inversions. Results showed clear behavioral BMLD but no 40-Hz ASSR BMLD. However, ASSR amplitudes were significantly smaller in dichotic compared with diotic conditions. Thus, although 40-Hz ASSR thresholds do not reflect the BMLD, the amplitude suppression under dichotic conditions may be a precursor to the subsequent <20-Hz ASSR and behavioral BMLDs.
from Ear and Hearing
Intensified voice therapy: a new model for the rehabilitation of patients suffering from functional dysphonias
In conclusion, the results suggest that ambulatory rehabilitative measures are most effective in patients with moderate functional dysphonias, and that severe dysphonias with organic backgrounds may require longer rehabilitation phases.
Laryngeal steroid injection
Summary: Steroid injection using a laryngeal telescope or a laryngeal flexible endoscope is an easy and useful treatment option of vocal nodules.
from Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
Musician Enhancement for Speech-In-Noise
Conclusions: Musical experience appears to enhance the ability to hear speech in challenging listening environments. Large group differences were found for QuickSIN, and the results also suggest that this enhancement is derived in part from musicians’ enhanced working memory and frequency discrimination. For HINT, in which performance was not linked to frequency discrimination ability and was only moderately linked to working memory, musicians still performed significantly better than the nonmusicians. The group differences for HINT were evident in the most difficult condition in which the speech and noise were presented from the same location and not spatially segregated. Understanding which cognitive and psychoacoustic factors as well as which lifelong experiences contribute to SIN may lead to more effective remediation programs for clinical populations for whom SIN poses a particular perceptual challenge. These results provide further evidence for musical training transferring to nonmusical domains and highlight the importance of taking musical training into consideration when evaluating a person’s SIN ability in a clinical setting.
from Ear and Hearing
Notched Audiograms and Noise Exposure History in Older Adults
Conclusions: These results suggest that there is a poor agreement across existing algorithms for audiometric notches. In addition, notches can occur in the absence of a positive noise history. In the absence of an objective consensus definition of a notched audiogram and in light of the degree of discordance in women between noise history and notches by each of these algorithms, researchers should be cautious about classifying noise-induced hearing loss by notched audiograms.
from Ear and Hearing
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain
An abstract is unavailable.
from the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Sound-Conduction Effects on Distortion-Product Otoacoustic Emission Screening Outcomes in Newborn Infants: Test Performance of Wideband Acoustic Transfer Functions and 1-kHz Tympanometry
Conclusions: Results showed that (1) WB tests had better performance in classifying UNHS DPOAE outcomes than 1-kHz tympanometry; (2) WB tests provide data to suggest that many UNHS referrals are a consequence of transient conditions affecting the sound conduction pathway; (3) WB data reveal changes in sound conduction during the first 2 days of life; and (4) because WB measurements used in the present study are objective and quick it may be feasible to consider implementing such measurements in conjunction with UNHS programs.
from Ear and Hearing
Temporal Auditory and Visual Motion Processing of Children Diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder and Dyslexia
Conclusions: The research did not support a modality-specific impairment of temporal auditory processing as being the underlying cause of APD. In both the APD and dyslexia groups, a similar proportion displayed poor auditory performance, and this does not seem entirely accounted for by attention or performance I.Q. However, the significance of these auditory difficulties is uncertain. Serious difficulties with auditory assessment were also identified. Currently, auditory perceptual deficits may be better seen as a part of a multifactorial description of learning problems rather than as part of a diagnostic category in their own right.
from Ear and Hearing
The etiology of vocal fold nodules in adults
Summary: Current research supports long-held beliefs that phonatory trauma is a central cause of vocal fold nodule formation. Innovative basic science research has unraveled mechanisms of traumatic damage and clinical research continues to identify crucial lifestyle behavior and contributing comorbid conditions that play a role in the pathogenesis of vocal fold nodules. The multifactorial etiology of vocal fold nodules requires a comprehensive history to identify contributing factors and a multidisciplinary approach to optimize treatment outcome.
from Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery
