Temporal resolution in individuals with neurological disorders

Camila Maia Rabelo,Jeffrey A Weihing,Eliane Schochat

doi:10.6061/clinics/2015(09)02

Camila Maia Rabelo, Jeffrey A Weihing + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.6061/clinics/2015(09)02

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Journal: Clinics	Publication Date: Sep 1, 2015
Citations: 5	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: University of Louisville, Universidade de São Paulo

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:Temporal processing refers to the ability of the central auditory nervous system to encode and detect subtle changes in acoustic signals. This study aims to investigate the temporal resolution ability of individuals with mesial temporal sclerosis and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the gaps-in-noise test in identifying this type of lesion.METHOD:This prospective study investigated differences in temporal resolution between 30 individuals with normal hearing and without neurological lesions (G1) and 16 individuals with both normal hearing and mesial temporal sclerosis (G2). Test performances were compared, and the sensitivity and specificity were calculated.RESULTS:There was no difference in gap detection thresholds between the two groups, although G1 revealed better average thresholds than G2 did. The sensitivity and specificity of the gaps-in-noise test for neurological lesions were 68% and 98%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS:Temporal resolution ability is compromised in individuals with neurological lesions caused by mesial temporal sclerosis. The gaps-in-noise test was shown to be a sensitive and specific measure of central auditory dysfunction in these patients.

Highlights

Temporal processing refers to the ability of the central auditory nervous system (CANS) to encode and detect subtle changes in acoustic signals, and normal temporal processing is necessary for perception of these acoustic changes [1,2,3]
The major results of the present study can be described as follows: patients with mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) had significantly increased GDTh values and lower percentages of correct gap detection than neurologically normal controls did, indicating significant impairments in temporal processing in this clinical population; a GDTh criterion of X8 ms yielded the best balance of sensitivity and specificity for MTS lesions (68% and 98%, respectively); a percentage of correct identification of 70% yielded the best balance between sensitivity and specificity; and no significant difference was found in the GDTh or the percentage of correct responses between ears in either group
Recent studies on normal individuals from 21 to 45 years of age showed that there is no correlation between adult subjects’ age and GIN test thresholds; the GDTh was consistently 4.7 ms, suggesting that age does not affect the GDTh in adults [10,21]

Summary

OBJECTIVE

Temporal processing refers to the ability of the central auditory nervous system to encode and detect subtle changes in acoustic signals. This study aims to investigate the temporal resolution ability of individuals with mesial temporal sclerosis and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the gaps-in-noise test in identifying this type of lesion. METHOD: This prospective study investigated differences in temporal resolution between 30 individuals with normal hearing and without neurological lesions (G1) and 16 individuals with both normal hearing and mesial temporal sclerosis (G2). RESULTS: There was no difference in gap detection thresholds between the two groups, G1 revealed better average thresholds than G2 did. CONCLUSIONS: Temporal resolution ability is compromised in individuals with neurological lesions caused by mesial temporal sclerosis. The gaps-in-noise test was shown to be a sensitive and specific measure of central auditory dysfunction in these patients

’ INTRODUCTION

’ MATERIALS AND METHODS

’ RESULTS

’ DISCUSSION

’ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

’ REFERENCES