Abstract

OBJECTIVES:We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a binaural auditory training program with vocal duets by comparing skills through outcomes from behavioral and electrophysiological assessment instruments at three moments: before the intervention, moment one (M1); immediately after training, moment two (M2); and 3 months after, moment three (M3).METHODS:This interventional, longitudinal, prospective, and uncontrolled study was approved by our Research Ethics Committee. Binaural auditory training with vocal duets (ATVD) was applied in 10 adults with normal audiometric thresholds and auditory processing disorders. ATVD used four different vocals of a public domain song sung in a cappella as stimuli. Participants were asked to register any perceived difference in frequency for each syllable of the song during 30-minute sessions twice a week. The number of sessions required ranged from 12 (6 hours) to 20 (10 hours).RESULTS:Regarding behavioral tests, the dichotic consonant-vowel test showed significant evidence of an improved advantage in the left ear (LE) in the non-forced condition and a significant reduction in the number of errors at M2 and M3 in the forced left condition. The speech-in-noise test and frequency pattern test showed a significant reduction in impaired results at M2 and M3. Electrophysiological results showed a significant increase in the LE amplitude in the P3 long-latency auditory evoked potentials test, as well as a decrease in the auditory brainstem response test (III-V and I-V inter-peak latencies in the right ear and wave I and I-III inter-peak latencies in LE).CONCLUSION:The effectiveness of ATVD was evidenced, and the results were maintained after 3 months.

Highlights

  • Binaural processing and temporal processing are elementary mechanisms of a complex set of cognitive and neurophysiological processes called central auditory processing (CAP) [1]

  • They referred to diverse communication difficulties and presented hearing thresholds of up to 25 dBHL at frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz, with a type A or normal tympanogram test; absence of evidence or self-report of neurological and/or cognitive impairments; and no previous musical experience, according to information collected from their medical history

  • The test values, considering the mean and standard error has been presented in Tables 1 (DCVT) and 2 (SNT, frequency pattern test (FPT), and random gap detection test (RGDT)) for the three intervention moments: moment 1 (M1), M2, and M3

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Summary

Introduction

Binaural processing and temporal processing are elementary mechanisms of a complex set of cognitive and neurophysiological processes called central auditory processing (CAP) [1]. Binaural processing allows people to understand speech in everyday and noisy listening environments and perform sound localization [2,3]. Temporal processing is the basis of auditory processing since several characteristics of auditory information are influenced by time [4]. In this sense, the musical experience is an effective resource for the stimulation of binaural processing and improvement of temporal processing skills, as it stimulates. Received for publication on May 30, 2020. Accepted for publication on January 20, 2021

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