Dichotic listening processing in patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Background and Aim: Dichotic listening dis­orders occur secondary to interhemispheric tran­sfer dysfunction. Central processing tests such as staggered spondaic words (SSW) and dich­otic digits test (DDT) are recommended for the evaluation of dichotic listening in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The present study aim­ed to evaluate dichotic listening in subjects with MS by SSW and DDT. Methods: This cross-sectional study was con­ducted on 45 patients with MS, including 20 males (mean ± SD age: 35.95 ± 5.73 y) and 25 females (mean ± SD age: 37.40 ± 6.1 y) and their data were collected by the Persian version of SSW (P-SSW) and DDT. The results com­pared to 45 normal subjects age- and gender-matched as the control group. Results: In patients with MS, P-SSW quanti­tative and qualitative errors (except for Sm2 and reversals), errors were significantly more than the control group (p ≤ 0.001). Right and left ear scores in DDT for the patients with MS were significantly lower, and right ear advantage was significantly higher than that in the control group (p ≤ 0.001). The results also showed a significant correlation between the test of P-SSW and DDT in the left ear. Conclusion: The present study showed that patients with MS hav * Corresponding author: Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Piche-Shemiran, Enghelab Ave., Tehran, 1148965141, Iran. Tel: 009821-77530636, E-mail: s_farahani@tums.ac.ir e lower performance in dichotic listening and binaural processing than normal peers. Identification of binaural proce­ssing deficit in patients with MS may lead to early rehabilitation and improving their function by facilitating auditory processing.