Sound Sensation Research Articles

A Comparative Analysis of the Efficacy of Ginkgo Biloba and Caroverine in the Management of Idiopathic Tinnitus.

The sound sensation that is experienced in the ears or brain and is unrelated to any external sources of stimulus is known as tinnitus. Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is used to establish the presence of the condition and determine symptom severity, its impact on the patient's quality of life, thus in this study, we aim to compare the efficacy of caroverine and Ginkgo Biloba in the management of idiopathic tinnitus using TFI. This clinical study was conducted in at a tertiary care hospital in North India, for a duration of one year, among patients with chronic tinnitus. The sample size for this study consisted of 60 patients in each of three groups (caroverine, gingko biloba, and multivitamin). Assessments of TFI and pure-tone audiometry were performed to evaluate the efficacy of the two medications. The information pertaining to the subjects was kept anonymous and confidential. During data analysis, an association was significant for p value < 0.05. The patients in three groups were matched for the age, gender and duration of tinnitus. At 6 months of medication with Ginkgo Biloba, patients experienced a significant (p < 0.0001) decrease of 50.0% in tinnitus of moderate severity, and a complete resolution of severe tinnitus symptoms with a percentage change of -100.0%. In our study, Ginkgo Biloba Group has significantly improved the severity of idiopathic tinnitus. Tinnitus has diverse underlying mechanisms, can be a symptom of various underlying diseases, and is challenging to measure. Further research is warranted to validate and explore these treatment options further.

Experimental Attempts of Using Modulated and Unmodulated Waves in Low-Frequency Acoustic Wave Flame Extinguishing Technology: A Review of Selected Cases

In practice, some undesired signals perceived as noise (because of the sound sensation) can effectively extinguish flames. This article provides information on the applicability of acoustic waves (a case of using sine waves and sine waves amplitude modulated by a square waveform) in low-frequency acoustic wave flame extinguishing technology based on experimental results obtained from a laboratory stand, which is a scientific novelty. The benefits of using deep neural networks for flame detection based on dedicated solutions developed through international cooperation are also recognized. In addition, the potential advantages of combining both technologies (use in fully automatic systems), limitations, open problems, and plans for further research are identified. The paper concludes that it is possible to extinguish flames as soon as they appear (firebreaks) and prevent large fires from breaking out. This feature may effectively reduce material losses and increase widespread safety.

Cross-Modal Tinnitus Remediation: A Tentative Theoretical Framework.

Tinnitus is a prevalent hearing-loss deficit manifested as a phantom (internally generated by the brain) sound that is heard as a high-frequency tone in the majority of afflicted persons. Chronic tinnitus is debilitating, leading to distress, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. It has been theorized that, in the majority of afflicted persons, tinnitus can be attributed to the loss of high-frequency input from the cochlea to the auditory cortex, known as deafferentation. Deafferentation due to hearing loss develops with aging, which progressively causes tonotopic regions coding for the lost high-frequency coding to synchronize, leading to a phantom high-frequency sound sensation. Approaches to tinnitus remediation that demonstrated promise include inhibitory drugs, the use of tinnitus-specific frequency notching to increase lateral inhibition to the deafferented neurons, and multisensory approaches (auditory-motor and audiovisual) that work by coupling multisensory stimulation to the deafferented neural populations. The goal of this review is to put forward a theoretical framework of a multisensory approach to remedy tinnitus. Our theoretical framework posits that due to vision's modulatory (inhibitory, excitatory) influence on the auditory pathway, a prolonged engagement in audiovisual activity, especially during daily discourse, as opposed to auditory-only activity/discourse, can progressively reorganize deafferented neural populations, resulting in the reduced synchrony of the deafferented neurons and a reduction in tinnitus severity over time.

Making sense of music: Insights from neurophysiology and connectivity analyses in naturalistic listening conditions

According to the latest frameworks, auditory perception and memory involve the constant prediction of future sound events by the brain, based on the continuous extraction of feature regularities from the environment. The neural hierarchical mechanisms for predictive processes in perception and memory for sounds are typically studied in relation to simple acoustic features in isolated sounds or sound patterns inserted in highly certain contexts. Such studies have identified reliable prediction formation and error signals, e.g., the N100 or the mismatch negativity (MMN) evoked responses. In real life, though, individuals often face situations in which uncertainty prevails and where making sense of sounds becomes a hard challenge. In music, not only deviations from predictions are masterly set up by composers to induce emotions but sometimes the sheer uncertainty of sound scenes is exploited for aesthetic purposes, especially in compositional styles such as Western atonal classical music. In very recent magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) studies, experimental and technical advances in stimulation paradigms and analysis approaches have permitted the identification of prediction-error responses from highly uncertain, atonal contexts and the extraction of prediction-related responses from real, continuous music. Moreover, functional connectivity analyses revealed the emergence of cortico-hippocampal interactions during the formation of auditory memories for more predictable vs. less predictable patterns. These findings contribute to understanding the general brain mechanisms that enable us to predict even highly uncertain sound environments and to possibly make sense of and appreciate even atonal music.

Differential item functioning of the tinnitus handicap inventory across gender groups and subjects with or without hearing loss

Objectives Tinnitus is a phantom sound sensation without an external sound source. Due to its subjective and multifaceted nature it is measured using multi-item self-reported instruments. Many well-validated tinnitus-related questionnaires are available for clinical practice and scientific research, but so far no attention has been paid to their measurement invariance. The study aimed to examine measurement invariance of the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory with regard to gender and hearing impairment, and to identify the items that show differential item functioning (DIF) across the groups. Design This is a retrospective study using medical data from patients with tinnitus. They completed the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and underwent pure-tone audiometry. Study sample 1106 adult patients with tinnitus (554 women and 552 men; 320 with normal hearing and 786 with hearing loss), aged 19–84 years. Results In the analysis, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, hybrid ordinal logistic regression, Kernel smoothing in Item Response Theory, and lasso regression were applied. Measurement invariance was demonstrated across gender, but across hearing status the measurement was non-invariant. Five items were found to have DIF. Conclusions Researchers and clinicians should be aware of the potential risk of response bias when tinnitus severity is evaluated.

Tinnitus Education for Audiologists Is a Ship at Sea: Is It Coming or Going?

Subjective tinnitus is a highly prevalent sound sensation produced in most cases by persistent neural activity in the auditory pathway of the patient. Audiologists should be confident that they can employ elements of sound therapy and related counseling to support patients in coping. However, patients with bothersome tinnitus may be challenged by mental health complications, and they struggle to find adequate care when tinnitus and psychological distress co-occur. Audiologists in many cases lack the confidence to provide in-depth counseling while mental health providers lack basic understanding of tinnitus, its mechanisms, and the elements of audiologic management that could support patients in coping. At the very least, audiologists should be able to explain the mechanisms involved in and contributing to negative tinnitus effects, conduct valid measures of these effects, and offer reasonable options for managing the consequences linked by the patient to bothersome tinnitus and sound-related sensations. This brief communication summarizes the current state of tinnitus-related opportunities offered in US audiology training programs, and the substantial need to improve both the education of practitioners and the delivery of services to patients in need.

Electrical promontory stimulation test using a portable peripheral nerve stimulator with an ear canal electrode

ObjectiveAn intact cochlear nerve is necessary for successful cochlear implantation (CI). Although the promontory stimulation test (PST) using a promontory stimulator (PS) and a transtympanic needle electrode is invasive, it is still commonly used to verify cochlear nerve function. PSs are currently unavailable because they are no longer manufactured; however, considering that PST continues to be beneficial in certain situations, alternative equipment is needed. The PNS-7000® (PNS) was developed as a neurologic instrument for stimulating the peripheral nerves. This study investigated the usefulness of the ear canal stimulation test (ECST) using PNS with a silver ball ear canal electrode, which is a new noninvasive alternative technique to the PST. MethodsECST was performed from November 2013 to December 2018 using PS and PNS for patients with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The electrical threshold, most comfortable loudness level, uncomfortable loudness level, dynamic range, and gap detection were measured in the ECST. The results of these measured PNS items were compared with PS. ResultsECST was performed in 61 ears of 35 patients (age, 59.9 ± 20.1 years) using PS and PNS. The sound sensation was elicited in 51 (83.6%) and 52 (85.2%) ears with PS and PNS, respectively. All items excluding GAP were measured in 46 (75%) and 43 (70%) ears at 50 and 100 Hz, respectively. GAP was measured in 33 ears by the ascending and descending methods using PS and PNS. Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient revealed a significant positive linear correlation between the PS and PNS results in all measurements. No significant difference was found between the PS and PNS thresholds in all measured items. ConclusionsPNS is a useful instrument for performing ECST as a new alternative to PS. ECST using a silver ball electrode is a less invasive and easier test than PST.

Hermeneutics as a Route to Translating Auditory Aspects of Emotion in Silvina Ocampo’s Fictional Worlds: An Analysis of “Okno, el esclavo”

Hermeneutical translation studies is increasingly interested in how interpretation works (Robinson 2020), and interpretation in the context of translation is inextricably linked to issues of understanding. As Hermans (2015) notes, the hermeneutic endeavour springs from a desire to understand, but the practice of gaining that understanding is an art. In fact, he remarks that translation occupies the most challenging end of the hermeneutic spectrum, in part due to the complexity inherent in voicing an understanding across languages. In addition to verbalisation, however, understanding in this context can also refer to hearing, and to having heard a text in its fullest sense. Indeed, Toolan (2016/2018: 250) suggests that written stories are “incompletely appreciated if the sounds and rhythms of their language are not registered, along with any implied meanings those sounds prompt readers to derive.” The auditory dimension of written texts thus seems an essential component of literary translation, whereby the translator must be able to hear, feel, and identify emotional aspects elicited from reading. As Bernofsky (2013: 229) highlights, a translator should hear a text’s heartbeat in the cadences of its phrases. Drawing on the affective literature in Translation Studies (e.g. Hubscher-Davidson 2017; Koskinen 2020; Robinson 1991), this chapter will explore the emotion-eliciting auditory aspects in Argentinian writer Silvina Ocampo’s haunting short story “Okno, el esclavo” (1988/2014). Combining close reading and computer-aided qualitative data analysis, salient characteristics will be discussed that provoke sound sensations (noise, music, silences) contributing to the story’s emotional impact and reader experience. In this way, it becomes possible to understand the translator’s daunting cognitive and affective task when (re)interpreting the soundscape of Ocampo’s atmospheric worlds.

The MISE method: A new communicative approach for evaluating and training singing through mental imagery—Executive implications

Describing the qualities of a singer’s voice is a challenging task, even for experts. Voice pedagogues usually evaluate vocal qualities through auditions, after which they make subjective judgments. As a means of communication, language has limitations in expressing concrete sound sensations, and sometimes such a description can be abstract for the singer. Our work aims to design and validate a new educational approach for vocal assessment and training, using the Mental Images for Singing Education (MISE Method). In addition, we analyze whether this pedagogical methodology favors the improvement of vocal technique and the learning of concepts according to the level of experience of the students and their executive performance. Our results show that the introduction of mental imagery produces beneficial effects in the teaching and learning of vocal techniques, regardless of the initial performance level. This makes the MISE Method an effective assessment and training tool, allowing the formalization of a communication language hitherto used intuitively in the singing classroom. However, our results were inconclusive at the cognitive level, so future research is needed to expand the study of executive processes according to the type of mental images used.

Anatomical and clinical aspects and outcomes of bilateral cochlear implantation in cochlear hypoplasia type IV - a case report

Cochlear hypoplasia is a congenital inner ear malformation (IEM) characterized by a reduced external cochlear dimension, usually accompanied by an abnormal internal architecture. Type IV cochlear hypoplasia is a cochlea with hypoplastic middle and apical turns. It may occur along with dislocation of the facial nerve, associated with semicircular abnormalities, less clearly marked promontory, or stapedial fixation. Such patients can present a broad spectrum of audiological test results, from sensorineural or mixed mild or profound hearing loss. The above anatomical changes may be responsible for intraoperative difficulties during cochlear implantation. In the studied case, a 6-month-old patient was diagnosed with an inner ear malformation - cochlear hypoplasia type IV on both sides. Computed tomography with multiplanar and 3D reconstruction was performed to analyze the middle and inner ear anatomy in detail. Both types of imaging reconstruction helped decide which cochlear implant electrode to choose. Perimodiolar-positioned cochlear implant electrode was found to be the most suitable choice. The patient underwent sequential bilateral cochlear implantation with expected incomplete electrode array insertion on both sides. First repeatable auditory responses were observed two months after the second implant activation. Good parental cooperation with therapists and adequately defined developmental goals in the presented patient allowed the multidisciplinary team to take advantage of the child's intellectual abilities and choose the suitable communication method; however, the patient's auditory responses were obtained slowly. The final auditory results cannot be predicted in inner ear malformations due to abnormal anatomical structure and, thus, heterogeneous innervation within the deformed cochlea. The programming of the sound processor must be individual in each case, based on the child's behavior observation and, if possible, objective test results. Patients with cochlear malformations usually require higher stimulation intensities to obtain sound sensations than patients with a typical cochlear structure.

Sense of Place and Sound: Revisiting from Multidisciplinary Outlook

This study revisits the sense of place and sound nexus in the literature. Along with that, it seeks to explore the approaches that influential urban theorists, landscape architects, and planners have recommended. How these concepts converge within the allied disciplines of urban planning, urban design, geography, and landscape architecture remains at the forefront of this investigation. This research proposes a conceptual framework by identifying sounds in three key categories—auditory experience, sound, and silence—to address the gap between sound and urban studies. The study reveals decisive patterns in urban studies’ interface between the sense of place and the sound context.

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with tinnitus

Background: Tinnitus is phantom sound sensation in absence of external source of sound. A close association has been demonstrated between tinnitus and comorbid psychological disorders. In patients suffering from tinnitus a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression has been reported. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients suffering from tinnitus. Materials and Methods: It was cross sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital of Punjab. The study recruited 50 patients with history of tinnitus of time period more than twelve months of duration after taking written informed consent. The inclusion criteria was Patients over the age of 18, Patients having tinnitus for past 1 year duration. Patients with prior history of psychiatric illness were excluded. Depression was assessed by using Hamilton rating scale for depression(HRSD) and anxiety by Hamilton anxiety rating scale [18] (HAM-A). Appropiate statistical analysis was done. Results and Conclusion: Most of the study sample [27 (54%)] were in the age group of 41-50. Females outnumbered males. Majority of patients were suffering from tinnitus from last 1-5 years (33). Out of 50 subjects, depression was present in 43 patients and anxiety in 14 patients. There was strong correlation between female gender and depression and anxiety.

Correlates of deviance detection in auditory brainstem responses of bats

Identifying unexpected acoustic inputs, which allows to react appropriately to new situations, is of major importance for animals. Neural deviance detection describes a change of neural response strength to a stimulus solely caused by the stimulus' probability of occurrence. In the present study, we searched for correlates of deviance detection in auditory brainstem responses obtained in anaesthetised bats (Carollia perspicillata). In an oddball paradigm, we used two pure tone stimuli that represented the main frequencies used by the animal during echolocation (60 kHz) and communication (20 kHz). For both stimuli, we could demonstrate significant differences of response strength between deviant and standard response in slow and fast components of the auditory brainstem response. The data suggest the presence of correlates of deviance detection in brain stations below the inferior colliculus (IC), at the level of the cochlea nucleus and lateral lemniscus. Additionally, our results suggest that deviance detection is mainly driven by repetition suppression in the echolocation frequency band, while in the communication band, a deviant-related enhancement of the response plays a more important role. This finding suggests a contextual dependence of the mechanisms underlying subcortical deviance detection. The present study demonstrates the value of auditory brainstem responses for studying deviance detection and suggests that auditory specialists, such as bats, use different frequency-specific strategies to ensure an appropriate sensation of unexpected sounds.

Effectiveness of the use of hearing aids in the rehabilitation of patients with tinnitus: a systematic review

Introduction: Tinnitus is a symptom reported by the individual as a sound sensation, perceived in the ears or head, continuously or intermittently without external source of stimulation. This alteration has variable causes and may be associated with patients with hearing loss or normal hearing. Among main methods cited as treatment possibilities, hearing aids has been presented as a widely used resource. Objective: To carry out an integrative literature review on the effectiveness of hearing aids in rehabilitation of patients with tinnitus. Method: A search for articles was carried out in electronic databases: PubMed, Scielo, Scopus, Lilacs, Web of Science, with publication date from 2000 to 2020. Results: The sample consisted of 16 works where all concluded that somehow, in most cases, hearing aids associated or not with other resources used in treatment, contributes to a satisfactory result in improvement or disappearance of the symptom. Seven of sixteen articles related hearing aids to some type of guidance. The combination of these two factors could be considered an excellent combination as it favors the reduction of tinnitus sensation relatively quickly and efficiently. None of the articles analyzed showed an opposite or unsatisfactory result regarding its use.

SENSATIONS IN URBAN SPACE: SENSATIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE YELDEĞİRMENİ AREA

Aim: This research aims to examine the forms and features of understanding and grasping urban space through the senses. In the study, unlike the eye-centred paradigm, it discusses the importance of understanding urban space, not only with the sense of sight, but also with other senses, and its importance in making sense of it. Method: Between January and September 2021, Kadıköy Yeldeğirmeni, Rıhtım Avenue, Karakolhane Street and İskele Street were experienced and sensory analysis of these experienced axes was made.The sensations felt were evaluated using graphical expression in the computer environment. During the sensory analysis, no instrument was used to measure the intensity of the sensations, and the experiencing body was taken as the basis. The scale showing the intensity of the sensations is subjective, and the interval regions in the diagrams are not a mathematical value, but the experienced area. Results: According to the sensory analysis, the sensations and dominant sensations on the three axes differ. The factors that create each sensation are also different. It was determined that sound, motion and visual sensations were dominant in İskele Street, sound sensation in Rıhtım Street, and sound and smell sensation in Karakolhane Street. In this study, in which the eye-centred paradigm was questioned, it was noted that urban space can be grasped with multi-sensational perception. Although visual sense is dominant today, urban experiences consist of the sum of sight, smell, sound, muscle-balance and touch senses. The fact that visuality comes to the fore in the representation of sensations also shows the need for new studies to be done.

Mechanosensation: Alpha-7 nAChR transduces sound signals in earless C. elegans

How do organisms without specialized auditory systems perceive and transduce sound? In this issue of Neuron, Iliff etal. (2021) investigate the functional mechanism of airborne sound sensation in Caenorhabditis elegans and highlight the crucial role of alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits in mechanotransduction.

Headphones, Auditory Violence and the Sonic Flooding of Corporeal Space

In this article, I develop and redirect Julian Henriques’s model of sonic dominance through examination of accounts of acoustic violence and torture involving headphones. Specifically, I show how auditory experience has been weaponized as an intracorporeal phenomenon, with headphones effecting a sense of sounds invading the interior phenomenological space of the head. By analysing reported cases of sonic violence and torture involving headphones through a composite theoretical lens drawn from the fields of music, sound and body studies, I argue that in saturating the head’s perceived interior with sound, perpetrators of violence perform sonic dominance across two interrelated levels: the subjugation of interiorized auditory space via the notion of flooding, in which attention is directed towards the experience of the body as a vessel for sound; and the resulting manipulation of phenomenological head–mind linkages, with emphasis on the head as a ‘space’ for both sound and thought.

Axonemal Dynein DNAH5 is Required for Sound Sensation in Drosophila Larvae.

Chordotonal neurons are responsible for sound sensation in Drosophila. However, little is known about how they respond to sound with high sensitivity. Using genetic labeling, we found one of the Drosophila axonemal dynein heavy chains, CG9492 (DNAH5), was specifically expressed in larval chordotonal neurons and showed a distribution restricted to proximal cilia. While DNAH5 mutation did not affect the cilium morphology or the trafficking of Inactive, a candidate auditory transduction channel, larvae with DNAH5 mutation had reduced startle responses to sound at low and medium intensities. Calcium imaging confirmed that DNAH5 functioned autonomously in chordotonal neurons for larval sound sensation. Furthermore, disrupting DNAH5 resulted in a decrease of spike firing responses to low-level sound in chordotonal neurons. Intriguingly, DNAH5 mutant larvae displayed an altered frequency tuning curve of the auditory organs. All together, our findings support a critical role of DNAH5 in tuning the frequency selectivity and the sound sensitivity of larval auditory neurons.

Relationship between lamellar sensory corpuscles distributed along the upper arm's deep arteries and pulsating sensation of blood vessels.

Vibration is detected by mechanoreceptors, including Pacinian corpuscles (PCs), which are widely distributed in the human body including the adventitia of large blood vessels. Although the distribution of PCs around large limb vessels has been previously reported, there remains no consensus on their distribution in the adventitia of the human deep blood vessels in the upper arm. In addition, the physiological functions of PCs located around the deep limb blood vessels remain largely unknown. This study aimed to elucidate detailed anatomical features and physiological function of lamellar sensory corpuscles structurally identified as PCs using the immunohistochemical methods around the deep vessels in the upper arm. We identified PCs in the connective tissue adjacent to the deep vessels in the upper arm using histological analysis and confirmed that PCs are located in the vascular sheath of the artery and its accompanying vein as well as in the connective tissue surrounding the vascular sheath and nerves. PCs were densely distributed on the distal side of deep vessels near the elbow. We also examined the relationship between vascular sound and pulsating sensation to evaluate the PCs functions around deep arteries and veins and found that the vascular sound made by pressing the brachial arteries in the upper arm was associated with the pulsating sensation of the examinee. Our results suggest that PCs, around deep vessels, function as bathyesthesia sensors by detecting vibration from blood vessels.

On the removal of the open earcanal high-pass filter effect due to its occlusion: A bone-conduction occlusion effect theory

The occlusion effect is commonly experienced by in-ear device wearers as an increased loudness sensation of bone-conducted low frequency sounds. A widespread theory proposed by Tonndorf and based on a simplified electro-acoustic model describes the phenomenon as the removal of the open earcanal high-pass filter effect due to a perfect or partial occlusion. However, this filter has not been clearly defined and several ambiguities remain. Revisiting the model, a second order high-pass filter effect for the volume velocity transferred between the earcanal wall and the eardrum is highlighted. This filter remains for partial occlusion but vanishes for perfect occlusion. In the latter case, the volume velocity transferred from the earcanal cavity to the middle ear through the eardrum drastically increases, which explains the predominance of the occluded outer ear pathway on the hearing by bone-conduction at low frequencies.