Auditory Gating in Hearing Loss

Abstract

Sensory gating is a measure used to evaluate inhibitory deficits underlying neurological disorders. However, the effects of hearing loss (HL), thought to decrease inhibition, remain unknown on gating function. The goal of this study was to investigate gating performance in HL. This was a prospective, cross-sectional study with independent group comparison and correlational design. Eleven adults (mean age/standard deviation = 47.546 ± 7.967 years) with normal hearing (NH) and 11 adults (mean age/standard deviation = 56.273 ± 13.871 years) with mild-moderate high-frequency HL. Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) were recorded in response to tonal pairs via high-density electroencephalography. The CAEP response to the second tone in the pair (S2) was compared with the response to the first tone in the pair (S1) within groups. Amplitude gating indices were compared between groups and correlated with auditory behavioral measures. Current density reconstructions were performed to estimate cortical gating generators. Amplitude gating indices were decreased and correlated with elevated auditory thresholds. Gating generators in temporal, frontal, and prefrontal regions were localized in the NH group, while HL gating was localized in mainly temporal and parietal areas. Reduced inhibition may be associated with compensatory cortical gating networks in HL and should be considered when utilizing gating in clinical populations.