Abstract
To assess the hearing abilities of temporal ordering, temporal resolution and sound localization before and after the fitting of a hearing aid (HA) in individuals with unilateral hearing loss (UHL). There were evaluated 22 subjects, aged 18 to 60 years, diagnosed with sensorineural or mixed UHL, from mild to severe degrees. The study was divided into two stages: the pre and post-adaptation of HA. In both phases, subjects performed an interview, application of Questionnaire for Disabilities Associated with Impaired Auditory Localization, auditory processing screening protocol (APSP) and Random Gap Detection Test (RGDT). This study found no statistically significant difference in sound localization and memory evaluations for verbal sounds in sequence, in RGDT and Questionnaire for Disabilities Associated with Impaired Auditory Localization. With the effective use of hearing aids, individuals with UHL showed improvement in the auditory abilities of sound localization, ordering and temporal resolution.
Highlights
Changes in the abilities of the central auditory function in individuals with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) have been documented because they present damages in the efficiency and effectiveness by which the central nervous system uses the auditory information
Data obtained in the interview conducted in the pre-adaptation phase of the hearing aid (HA) regarding sound localization (SL) showed that 59.1% (n = 13) of the participants reported it being a difficult and confusing act; 13.6% (n = 3) reported being difficult; 13.6% (n = 3) reported being confused and 13.6% (n = 3) reported no difficulty
Regarding speech perception (SP), 20 (91%) individuals reported that it was a difficult and constant task, 2 (9%) individuals reported understand nothing in noisy environments in the pre-adaptation phase of hearing loss
Summary
Changes in the abilities of the central auditory function in individuals with unilateral hearing loss (UHL) have been documented because they present damages in the efficiency and effectiveness by which the central nervous system uses the auditory information. The location of the sound source, the understanding of speech in noise, the processing of one or more signals over a period, and the perception of intervals between these signals are among the auditory abilities commonly encountered in these individuals. The sound localization is affected by the loss of the binaural hearing benefit. For this ability to occur without impairment, the effective functioning of the auditory pathways of the central nervous system and the cortex are necessary, as well as adequate hearing sensitivity in both ears[2,3]
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