The Effects of Tinnitus and Hearing Loss on Results of GIN (Gaps-In-Noise) and the Tinnitus–related Subjective Handicap

Abstract

GIN (Gaps-In-Noise) test is a clinically useful material which evaluates abilities of auditory temporal processing. Although GIN test has been evaluated from various groups and the normative data of GIN has been obtained from children to older adults, little research has focused on comparison of GIN performances in listeners with tinnitus, hearing loss, and both. The present study aimed to (1) examine the effect of tinnitus and hearing loss on GIN test for four listener groups differing in tinnitus and hearing sensitivity, (2) observe any relationship between the results of GIN test and the subjective responses of K-THI and K-TDI questionnaires. The results showed that both tinnitus and hearing loss significantly affected GIN threshold (ms) and GIN score (%). The results of K-THI and K-TDI questionnaires demonstrate that listeners with tinnitus who performed poorer in GIN test reported greater problems in their life activities. This supports the previous findings that temporal resolution abilities can be influenced by hearing sensitivity as well as tinnitus. Thus, the GIN test can be useful to identify deficits of auditory temporal resolution in patients with tinnitus and hearing loss.