Auditory Processing In Individuals Research Articles

Study of the peripheral and central auditory pathways in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis

ObjectiveTo investigate the peripheral and central auditory pathways in mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) individuals. MethodThe research sample comprised 15 individuals (one female and 14 males), aged 8 to 46 years. The following procedures were used: medical history survey, otoscopy, speech and pure-tone threshold audiometry, acoustic immittance measures, and central auditory pathway assessment with brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and long-latency auditory evoked potentials (LLAEP). ResultsThe pure-tone audiometry identified hearing loss in 13 individuals, and more than 90 % of the hearing loss was sensorineural. The degree of hearing loss was between mild to moderately severe with descendent configuration. Type A tympanogram predominated, and acoustic reflexes were present according to the types and degrees of hearing loss. Among the individuals with abnormal BAEP, longer wave III and V absolute latencies were the main findings. In addition, the unilateral absence of wave I was observed in two cases. In the LLAEP, longer latencies were observed in 14 individuals, and the most impaired components were the P1 and P3 in children and adolescents and the P2, N2 and P3 in adult individuals. ConclusionThe peripheral auditory pathway assessment revealed a predominantly sensorineural hearing loss, affecting mainly high frequencies, and in the central pathway was observed abnormal brainstem and cortical auditory processing in individuals with MPS.

Evaluation of Central Auditory Processing in Individuals with Occupational Noise exposure

Abstract Background Prolonged exposure to high levels of occupational noise can cause damage to hair cells in the cochlea and result in permanent noise-induced cochlear hearing loss. Consequences of cochlear hearing loss on speech perception and psychophysical central auditory abilities have been well documented. Objectives the aim of this research was to explore central auditory processing in individuals with history of occupational noise exposure. Subjects and method sixty subjects aged between 20 and 50 years divided into 2 groups; control group (thirty normal healthy subjects), study group (thirty subject with history of occupational noise exposure). They were subjected to Basic audiological evaluation :Pure tone audiometry for frequencies 250-8000 Hz for air conduction and 500-4000 Hz for bone conduction, Speech reception threshold (SRT) using Arabic spondee words list (Soliman et al., 1985) and speech discrimination scores using Arabic phonetically balanced words (Soliman, 1976). And Tympanometry, central auditory processing questionnaire and Psychophysical central auditory tests that will be discussed later. Results Statistically significant difference was found between the study group and control group regarding left Dichotic digits test versionII (p = 0.020), The mean of SPIN either at Right or Left ear for study group was depressed in comparison to normal individuals, those differences were statistically highly significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was a Highly statically significant difference in TCST (30%,60%), GIN test and DPT between study and control groups (p < 0.001) either at Right or Left ear. Conclusions Patients with occupational noise exposure had poor performance in all central auditory tests when compared with control. This means that occupational noise exposure can lead to impaired central auditory processing with subsequent in adults

Rapid auditory processing of puretones is associated with basic components of language in individuals with autism spectrum disorders

The goal of this study was to identify the specific domains of language that may be affected by deficits in rapid auditory processing in individuals with ASD. Auditory evoked fields were collected from 63 children diagnosed with ASD in order to evaluate processing of puretone sounds presented in rapid succession. Measures of language and its components were assessed via standardized clinical tools to quantify expressive and receptive language, vocabulary, articulation, and phonological processing abilities. Rapid processing was significantly and bilaterally associated with phonological awareness, vocabulary, and articulation. Phonological processing was found to mediate the relationship between rapid processing and language. M100 response latency was not significantly associated with any language measures. Results suggest that rapid processing deficits may impact the basic components of language such as phonological processing, and the downstream effect of this impact may in turn impact overall language development.

Assessment of temporal auditory processing in individuals with misophonia

Objective Misophonia is characterised by abnormal reactions to certain sounds such as sounds of eating, breathing, nose sniffing. Misophonia can be seen in individuals with normal hearing or hearing loss. The aim of this study to evaluate central auditory processing in misophonia patients with temporal processing tests, such as the Frequency Pattern Test (FPT), Duration Pattern Test (DPT), and Gaps-in-Noise Test (GIN). Methods Thirty patients with misophonia and 30 healthy control subjects were included in this study. The pure tone audiometry test, tympanometry test, and acoustic reflex test were administered to all participants. The DPT, FPT, and GIN tests were conducted with all participants. Results There was no significant difference in the DPT scores between the two groups for both ears (p > .05). There was no significant difference in the FPT scores between the two groups for both ears (p > .05), and there was no significant difference in the GIN scores and GIN threshold (p > .05). Conclusions There was no difference between the healthy individuals and the misophonia patients when the temporal process of central auditory processing was evaluated.

Simplified assessment of central auditory processing in individuals presented with trisomy 21

ABSTRACT Purpose: to analyze the performance of individuals with trisomy 21 (T21) in the simplified assessment of central auditory processing, identify the impaired skills, and compare it with the results of the hearing self-perception questionnaire administered to the parents. Methods: a descriptive, observational, quantitative study conducted at the Speech-Language-Hearing Teaching Clinic of a public university. The sample comprised 16 individuals with T21, aged 8 to 33 years. Simplified assessment tests of central auditory processing were conducted, namely, sounds localization and sequential memory for verbal and nonverbal sounds, diotically. Then, the Scale of Auditory Behaviors (SAB) was administered to the subjects’ parents/guardians. The descriptive statistical analysis with the chi-square test considered p<0.05. Results: in the simplified assessment, 81.3% had abnormal results in the memory tests for verbal sounds; 75%, in the memory tests for nonverbal sounds; and 37.5%, in the sound localization test. In the Scale of Auditory Behaviors, 62.5% of the answers indicated changes in the central auditory processing, demonstrating that the scale can be useful to identify such changes. However, there was no significant association between the questionnaire and the behavioral test results. Conclusion: the results point to impaired sequential memory skills for verbal and nonverbal sounds in most individuals assessed. The simplified assessment results indicate the need for assessments of central auditory processing. Hence, the simplified assessment is highly important to detect possible changes in the central auditory processing that might interfere with the communication and overall learning of individuals presented with trisomy 21.

Sensory and Cognitive Components of Auditory Processing in Individuals With Tinnitus.

Purpose The main purpose of the study is to explore the auditory selective attention abilities (using event-related potentials) and the neuronal oscillatory activity in the default mode network sites (using electroencephalogram [EEG]) in individuals with tinnitus. Method Auditory selective attention was measured using P300, and the resting state EEG was assessed using the default mode function analysis. Ten individuals with continuous and bothersome tinnitus along with 10 age- and gender-matched control participants underwent event-related potential testing and 5 min of EEG recording (at wakeful rest). Results Individuals with tinnitus were observed to have larger N1 and P3 amplitudes along with prolonged P3 latency. The default mode function analysis revealed no significant oscillatory differences between the groups. Conclusion The current study shows changes in both the early sensory and late cognitive components of auditory processing. The change in the P3 component is suggestive of selective auditory attention deficit, and the sensory component (N1) suggests an altered bottom-up processing in individuals with tinnitus.

Voice Quality and Auditory Processing in Subjects with and Without Musical Experience

The relationship between voice and auditory processing is complex and has aroused increasing scientific interest in the last decades. Little is known about the relationship between voice quality and auditory processing in individuals with and without musical experience. To assess voice quality and auditory processing in subjects with and without musical experience. Total 120 individuals were split into three groups: GS = singers (N = 47), GI = instrumentalists (N = 43), and NM = nonmusicians (N = 30); group GS was subdivided into GS = 20 singers only and GSI = 27 singers and instrumentalists at the same time. Subjects were undertaken vocal assessment by means of Perceptual Assessment of voice recording followed by self-assessment of a potential voice problem using the Brazilian validated version of the Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS) (Escala de Sintomas Vocais - ESV). The central auditory processing was carried out following such temporal processing tests: Frequency Pattern Test (FPT), Random Gap Detection Test (RGDT), and auditory-perceptual analysis of distorted speech as indicated: Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test, with Ipsilateral Competing Message. GSI reported a higher number of voice symptoms compared to the other groups for the VoiSS. Throughout the groups, most individuals did not present voice disorders and, when presented, were mild. Subgroup GSI showed the best auditory abilities of temporal ordering for the FPT-Humming and FPT-Verbal, whereas NM had the worst performance. Negligible correlation strength alone was found between the different central auditory processing tests, the overall degree of vocal deviation in the auditory-perceptual analysis of voice quality, and the total score of the Voice Symptom Scale protocol. The voice quality of musicians and nonmusicians was correlated with their auditory processing; although with negligible strength. It was verified that singers-instrumentalist reported more voice symptoms compared to the other groups. Despite the large variation throughout the groups concerning auditory processing, musicians, especially singers-instrumentalists, have shown better auditory abilities of temporal ordering, suggesting that musical training and experience may account for such performance.

Impaired auditory processing and neural representation of speech in noise among symptomatic post-concussion adults

ABSTRACTBackground: The purpose of the study was to examine auditory event-related potential (AERP) evidence of changes in earlier and later stages of auditory processing in individuals with long-term post-concussion problems compared to healthy controls, with a secondary aim of comparing AERPs by functional auditory behavioral outcomes.Methods: P1-N1-P2 complex and P300 components recorded to speech in quiet and background noise conditions were completed in individuals with ongoing post-concussion symptoms following mTBI and healthy controls. AERPs were also examined between sub-groups with normal or impaired auditory processing by behavioral tests.Results: Group differences were present for later stages of auditory processing (P300). Earlier components did not significantly differ by group overall but were more affected by noise in the mTBI group. P2 amplitude in noise differed between mTBI sub-groups with normal or impaired auditory processing.Conclusion: AERPs revealed differences between healthy controls and those with chronic post-concussion symptoms following mTBI at a later stage of auditory processing (P300). Neural processing at the earlier stage (P1-N1-P2) was more affected by noise in the mTBI group. Preliminary evidence suggested that it may be only the proportion of individuals with functional evidence of central auditory dysfunction with changes in AERPs at earlier stages of processing.

Effects of executive attention on garden path processing in Broca’s aphasia

Effects of executive attention on garden path processing in Broca’s aphasia

Behavioral and physiological measures of auditory processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Sensory processing abnormalities are a hallmark of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the auditory domain, hyper- and hypo-sensitivity to sound, reduced orientation to speech, and difficulty listening in noise are commonly reported. However, the etiology of these auditory processing abnormalities is poorly understood. In this preliminary study, multi-talker speech perception thresholds, otoacoustic emissions, electrophysiological responses, as well as standardized measures of cognition, language, and adaptive function were measured in each individual subject with ASD and their age-matched controls. Speech perception was assessed by estimating target-to-masker ratios at 50% correct for speech targets (0° azimuth) presented with two spatially separated (±45° azimuth) simultaneous speech maskers. The electrophysiological battery used to characterize the transmission and representation of sound included: (1) a click-evoked supra-threshold auditory brainstem response, (2) an envelope following response recorded to a 400-ms-long 4 kHz pure tone carrier amplitude modulated at 100 Hz at two modulations depths (0 and -6 dB) and (3) a binaural potential evoked by an interaural phase difference embedded in an amplitude-modulated carrier tone. Together, these measures provide a behavioral and physiological assay of auditory function and show the potential to further our understanding of the mechanisms underlying auditory abnormalities in individuals with ASD.

Brainstem Evoked Potential Indices of Subcortical Auditory Processing After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

The primary aim of this study was to assess subcortical auditory processing in individuals with chronic symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) by measuring auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to standard click and complex speech stimuli. Consistent with reports in the literature of auditory problems after mTBI (despite normal-hearing thresholds), it was hypothesized that individuals with mTBI would have evidence of impaired neural encoding in the auditory brainstem compared to noninjured controls, as evidenced by delayed latencies and reduced amplitudes of ABR components. We further hypothesized that the speech-evoked ABR would be more sensitive than the click-evoked ABR to group differences because of its complex nature, particularly when recorded in a background noise condition. Click- and speech-ABRs were collected in 32 individuals diagnosed with mTBI in the past 3 to 18 months. All mTBI participants were experiencing ongoing injury symptoms for which they were seeking rehabilitation through a brain injury rehabilitation management program. The same data were collected in a group of 32 age- and gender-matched controls with no history of head injury. ABRs were recorded in both left and right ears for all participants in all conditions. Speech-ABRs were collected in both quiet and in a background of continuous 20-talker babble ipsilateral noise. Peak latencies and amplitudes were compared between groups and across subgroups of mTBI participants categorized by their behavioral auditory test performance. Click-ABR results were not significantly different between the mTBI and control groups. However, when comparing the control group to only those mTBI subjects with measurably decreased performance on auditory behavioral tests, small differences emerged, including delayed latencies for waves I, III, and V. Similarly, few significant group differences were observed for peak amplitudes and latencies of the speech-ABR when comparing at the whole group level but were again observed between controls and those mTBI subjects with abnormal behavioral auditory test performance. These differences were seen for the onset portions of the speech-ABR waveforms in quiet and were close to significant for the onset wave. Across groups, quiet versus noise comparisons were significant for most speech-ABR measures but the noise condition did not reveal more group differences than speech-ABR in quiet, likely because of variability and overall small amplitudes in this condition for both groups. The outcomes of this study indicate that subcortical neural encoding of auditory information is affected in a significant portion of individuals with long-term problems after mTBI. These subcortical differences appear to relate to performance on tests of auditory processing and perception, even in the absence of significant hearing loss on the audiogram. While confounds of age and slight differences in audiometric thresholds cannot be ruled out, these preliminary results are consistent with the idea that mTBI can result in neuronal changes within the subcortical auditory pathway that appear to relate to functional auditory outcomes. Although further research is needed, clinical audiological evaluation of individuals with ongoing post-mTBI symptoms is warranted for identification of individuals who may benefit from auditory rehabilitation as part of their overall treatment plan.

Pitch-Matching Accuracy and Temporal Auditory Processing.

Introduction Pitch-matching refers to the ability to vocally reproduce an acoustic model in a corresponding tone to the presented sound. This ability, which is dependent on pitch perception ability, can vary among individuals, and some are not able to sing in the correct tune or discriminate differences between tones. Objective To correlate pitch-matching accuracy and auditory processing in individuals without musical training. Methods A Pitch-Matching Test (vocal reproduction of synthesized and human voice sounds) and two commercially available tests of auditory temporal processing (the Pitch Pattern Sequence Test and the Random Gap Detection Test) were administered to all participants. A total of 62 college students of both genders, aged between 18 and 35 years old, were divided into 2 groups, according to their performances in the Pitch-Matching Test (the accurate match group and the inaccurate match group). Results In the Pitch-Matching Test, both groups achieved better results when reproducing vocalized sounds. The accurate match group achieved a significantly higher pitch pattern sequence test performance. In the Random Gap Detection Test analysis, there were no differences between the two groups. The Pearson's chi-squared test showed a direct correlation between the Pitch-Matching Test and the Pitch Pattern Sequence Test. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest the existence of a significant relationship between temporal auditory processing and pitch-matching, through which accurate pitch-matching individuals perform better in the Pitch Pattern Sequence Test. Inaccurate pitch-matching individuals may be skilled at discriminating pitch, despite their poor performance in the Pitch-Matching Test.

The Role of Musical Experience in Hemispheric Lateralization of Global and Local Auditory Processing.

The global precedence effect is a phenomenon in which global aspects of visual and auditory stimuli are processed before local aspects. Individuals with musical experience perform better on all aspects of auditory tasks compared with individuals with less musical experience. The hemispheric lateralization of this auditory processing is less well-defined. The present study aimed to replicate the global precedence effect with auditory stimuli and to explore the lateralization of global and local auditory processing in individuals with differing levels of musical experience. A total of 38 college students completed an auditory-directed attention task while electroencephalography was recorded. Individuals with low musical experience responded significantly faster and more accurately in global trials than in local trials regardless of condition, and significantly faster and more accurately when pitches traveled in the same direction (compatible condition) than when pitches traveled in two different directions (incompatible condition) consistent with a global precedence effect. In contrast, individuals with high musical experience showed less of a global precedence effect with regards to accuracy, but not in terms of reaction time, suggesting an increased ability to overcome global bias. Further, a difference in P300 latency between hemispheres was observed. These findings provide a preliminary neurological framework for auditory processing of individuals with differing degrees of musical experience.

Magnetoencephalography shows atypical sensitivity to linguistic sound sequences in autism spectrum disorder.

Neuroscientific evidence points toward atypical auditory processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and yet, the consequences of this for receptive language remain unclear. Using magnetoencephalography and a passive listening task, we test for cascading effects on speech sound processing. Children with ASD and age-matched control participants (8-12 years old) listened to nonce linguistic stimuli that either did or did not conform to the phonological rules that govern consonant sequences in English (e.g. legal 'vimp' vs. illegal 'vimk'). Beamformer source analysis was used to isolate evoked responses (0.1-30 Hz) to these stimuli in the left and the right auditory cortex. Right auditory responses from participants with ASD, but not control participants, showed an attenuated response to illegal sequences relative to legal sequences that emerged around 330 ms after the onset of the critical phoneme. These results suggest that phonological processing is impacted in ASD, perhaps because of cascading effects from disrupted initial acoustic processing.

The influence of visual information on auditory processing in individuals with congenital amusia: An ERP study

While most normal hearing individuals can readily use prosodic information in spoken language to interpret the moods and feelings of conversational partners, people with congenital amusia report that they often rely more on facial expressions and gestures, a strategy that may compensate for deficits in auditory processing. In this investigation, we used EEG to examine the extent to which individuals with congenital amusia draw upon visual information when making auditory or audio-visual judgments. Event-related potentials (ERP) were elicited by a change in pitch (up or down) between two sequential tones paired with a change in spatial position (up or down) between two visually presented dots. The change in dot position was either congruent or incongruent with the change in pitch. Participants were asked to judge (1) the direction of pitch change while ignoring the visual information (AV implicit task), and (2) whether the auditory and visual changes were congruent (AV explicit task). In the AV implicit task, amusic participants performed significantly worse in the incongruent condition than control participants. ERPs showed an enhanced N2–P3 response to incongruent AV pairings for control participants, but not for amusic participants. However when participants were explicitly directed to detect AV congruency, both groups exhibited enhanced N2–P3 responses to incongruent AV pairings. These findings indicate that amusics are capable of extracting information from both modalities in an AV task, but are biased to rely on visual information when it is available, presumably because they have learned that auditory information is unreliable. We conclude that amusic individuals implicitly draw upon visual information when judging auditory information, even though they have the capacity to explicitly recognize conflicts between these two sensory channels.

The role of the cerebellum in auditory processing using the SSI test

AbstractThe Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test assesses central auditory pathways by measuring auditory and visual sensitivity and testing selective attention. Cerebellum activation in auditory attention and sensorial activity modulation have already been described. Assessing patients with cerebellar lesions alone using the SSI test can confirm the role of the cerebellum in auditory processing. AimTo evaluate the role of the cerebellum in auditory processing in individuals with normal hearing and in those with chronic cerebellum lesions, using the SSI test. Materials and MethodsCross-sectional cohort study. A study group comprising 18 patients with chronic cerebellar lesion and a control group of 20 healthy individuals were assessed. The SSI test was applied in an Ipsilateral Competitive Message (ICM) and Contralateral Competitive Message (CCM) modes. To compare the results between groups, we used the chi-square test for qualitative variables. ResultsA statistically significant difference was found between the study and control groups using the ICM mode of the SSI test (p=0.035), but not in the CCM mode (p=0.083). ConclusionThe results on the SSI confirmed cerebellar participation in auditory processing in individuals with chronic cerebellar lesions and in those with normal hearing assessed in this study.

Central auditory processing in individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia

Central auditory processing in individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s dementia

Atypical vertical sound localization and sound-onset sensitivity in people with autism spectrum disorders.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are associated with auditory hyper- or hyposensitivity; atypicalities in central auditory processes, such as speech-processing and selective auditory attention; and neural connectivity deficits. We sought to investigate whether the low-level integrative processes underlying sound localization and spatial discrimination are affected in ASDs. We performed 3 behavioural experiments to probe different connecting neural pathways: 1) horizontal and vertical localization of auditory stimuli in a noisy background, 2) vertical localization of repetitive frequency sweeps and 3) discrimination of horizontally separated sound stimuli with a short onset difference (precedence effect). Ten adult participants with ASDs and 10 healthy control listeners participated in experiments 1 and 3; sample sizes for experiment 2 were 18 adults with ASDs and 19 controls. Horizontal localization was unaffected, but vertical localization performance was significantly worse in participants with ASDs. The temporal window for the precedence effect was shorter in participants with ASDs than in controls. The study was performed with adult participants and hence does not provide insight into the developmental aspects of auditory processing in individuals with ASDs. Changes in low-level auditory processing could underlie degraded performance in vertical localization, which would be in agreement with recently reported changes in the neuroanatomy of the auditory brainstem in individuals with ASDs. The results are further discussed in the context of theories about abnormal brain connectivity in individuals with ASDs.

Binaural speech processing in individuals with auditory neuropathy

Auditory neuropathy disrupts the neural representation of sound and may therefore impair processes contingent upon inter-aural integration. The aims of this study were to investigate binaural auditory processing in individuals with axonal (Friedreich ataxia) and demyelinating (Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1A) auditory neuropathy and to evaluate the relationship between the degree of auditory deficit and overall clinical severity in patients with neuropathic disorders.Twenty-three subjects with genetically confirmed Friedreich ataxia and 12 subjects with Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease type 1A underwent psychophysical evaluation of basic auditory processing (intensity discrimination/temporal resolution) and binaural speech perception assessment using the Listening in Spatialized Noise test. Age, gender and hearing-level-matched controls were also tested.Speech perception in noise for individuals with auditory neuropathy was abnormal for each listening condition, but was particularly affected in circumstances where binaural processing might have improved perception through spatial segregation. Ability to use spatial cues was correlated with temporal resolution suggesting that the binaural-processing deficit was the result of disordered representation of timing cues in the left and right auditory nerves. Spatial processing was also related to overall disease severity (as measured by the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale and Charcot–Marie–Tooth Neuropathy Score) suggesting that the degree of neural dysfunction in the auditory system accurately reflects generalized neuropathic changes.Measures of binaural speech processing show promise for application in the neurology clinic. In individuals with auditory neuropathy due to both axonal and demyelinating mechanisms the assessment provides a measure of functional hearing ability, a biomarker capable of tracking the natural history of progressive disease and a potential means of evaluating the effectiveness of interventions.

Auditory processing deficits in individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma

Objective: The high energy demand of the auditory and visual pathways render these sensory systems prone to diseases that impair mitochondrial function. Primary open-angle glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease of the optic nerve, has recently been associated with a spectrum of mitochondrial abnormalities. This study sought to investigate auditory processing in individuals with open-angle glaucoma. Design/Study sample: Twenty-seven subjects with open-angle glaucoma underwent electrophysiologic (auditory brainstem response), auditory temporal processing (amplitude modulation detection), and speech perception (monosyllabic words in quiet and background noise) assessment in each ear. A cohort of age, gender and hearing level matched control subjects was also tested. Results: While the majority of glaucoma subjects in this study demonstrated normal auditory function, there were a significant number (6/27 subjects, 22%) who showed abnormal auditory brainstem responses and impaired auditory perception in one or both ears. Conclusions: The finding that a significant proportion of subjects with open-angle glaucoma presented with auditory dysfunction provides evidence of systemic neuronal susceptibility. Affected individuals may suffer significant communication difficulties in everyday listening situations.