Ear and Hearing最新文献

{"title":"Electrophysiological Responses to Spectral Ripple Envelope Phase Inversion in 3-Month-Olds and Adults.","authors":"Talat Jabeen, David Horn, Mark W Pettet, Emily A Hammond, Jay T Rubinstein, Bonnie K Lau","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001744","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001744","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>A critical problem in the clinical management of infants is the limited methods available to assess whether hearing aids or cochlear implants are providing sufficient input for speech sound discrimination. Spectral ripple discrimination is one nonlinguistic, behavioral measure that has been shown to correlate with speech perception in both adults and children. Electrophysiological responses to spectral ripple stimuli have been proposed as a potentially clinically feasible tool. In this study, a behavioral spectral ripple envelope inversion discrimination paradigm was adapted to investigate whether an electrophysiological response can be obtained using electroencephalography (EEG) in infants. Specifically, we investigate whether the detection of envelope inversion via the acoustic change complex (ACC) would match previously reported behavioral discrimination of the same stimuli.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Spectral ripple stimuli included two ripple densities selected based on prior behavioral results: 1 ripple-per-octave (RPO), which can be discriminated by both infants and adults, and 8 RPO, which was not discriminated by either age group. Stimuli were constructed from two concatenated 1-sec noise carriers, with the spectral envelope sinusoidally modulated at either 1 RPO or 8 RPO with 10 dB depth. To elicit an ACC, a spectral envelope inversion was imposed mid-stimulus at 1 sec for both RPOs. Adult and 3-month-old infant participants were presented with stimuli from both conditions while undergoing a 32-channel EEG recording.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At the group level, an ACC to the spectral envelope inversion was detected only in the 1 RPO stimulus condition but not the 8 RPO condition for both infant and adult groups. In contrast, an Onset response to the stimuli was detected in both conditions, demonstrating that the stimuli themselves were detected. In the 1 RPO condition, the ACC detection rate was 81% for individual infants and 73% for individual adults, while in the 8 RPO condition, an ACC was detected in one infant and no adult participants. Individual participant detection rates for the Onset response were 94% for infants and 100% for adults in both conditions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings show a relationship between EEG ACC detection and previously reported behavioral discrimination abilities, with the ACC detected in the 1 RPO but not the 8 RPO condition. These results demonstrate the ACC's potential for infant discrimination threshold estimation because it was elicited by a suprathreshold acoustic change (1 RPO) but not a subthreshold acoustic change (8 RPO). Critically, both 1 RPO and 8 RPO stimuli contained an envelope inversion at 1 sec, suggesting the ACC could serve as an objective measure of stimulus discriminability in infants as young as 3 months. Future studies with more stimulus conditions to fully establish a threshold, online monitoring of responses to incr","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145281791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Atypical Lateralization to Amplitude Modulation in Chinese Adults With Reading Difficulty History\".","authors":"Yao Jia, Yueye Zhao, Jianyi Liu, Yuxiao He, Jiuqing Tang, Jingjing Zhao","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001733","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001733","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Auditory processing underlies phonological representation and presents neural oscillation lateralization in the brain. Atypical lateralization in auditory processing has been widely accepted as associated with impaired reading skills in alphabetic languages. However, whether Chinese adults with a reading difficulty (RD) history present atypical lateralization in auditory processing similar to that in alphabetic languages remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Chinese adults with poor reading would show atypical lateralization of neural oscillations during auditory sampling.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Thirty-two adults with self-reported RD history and 44 adults without RD history were screened using the Chinese Adult Reading History Questionnaire. Reading accuracy, phonological accuracy, and rapid automatized naming (RAN) were assessed in all the participants. Auditory steady-state responses modulated at 10 to 80 Hz were recorded during a 5.4-sec white noise. Time-frequency power and phase synchrony indices were used to measure induced oscillatory power and synchrony of beta and gamma oscillations related to phonemic processing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Adults with a RD history performed worse than adults without RD history in reading accuracy and phonological accuracy. Adults with a RD history showed atypical rightward lateralization in the gamma band oscillation, whereas the adults without a RD history showed leftward lateralization. Adults with a RD history also demostrated reduced left-hemisphere oscillatory power and weaker bilateral synchrony. Event-related spectral perturbation in the left hemisphere correlated with reading accuracy in adults with RD history, while left-hemisphere lateralization of event-related spectral perturbation correlated with phonological accuracy in adults without RD history. In adults with RD history, the inter-trial phase synchrony in the left hemisphere correlated with RAN, and inter-trial phase synchrony in the right hemisphere correlated with reading accuracy and RAN, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Adults with RD history demonstrated atypical rightward gamma band lateralization compared with adults without RD history, alongside reduced left-hemisphere oscillatory power and weaker bilateral synchrony. These neural patterns correlated with reading accuracy and phonological skills, supporting the hypothesis that auditory lateralization deficits underlie phonological processing challenges in Chinese, mirroring mechanisms observed in alphabetic languages.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145281800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Frequency Importance Functions in Simulated Electric Acoustic Stimulation.","authors":"Yang-Soo Yoon, Naomi White, Maddie Arsenault","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001742","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001742","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;In electric acoustic stimulation (EAS)-the combined use of a cochlear implant (CI) and a hearing aid (HA) within the same ear-effective speech perception depends on the integration of low-frequency acoustic input and high-frequency electric input. This spectral integration can be influenced by spatial overlap between the most apical CI electrode contact and functional acoustic hearing regions. Despite its prevalence, the impact of spatial overlap on spectral integration and speech perception remains unclear. This study derived frequency importance functions (FIFs) for simulated EAS hearing across three spatial-based frequency maps (spatial overlap, spatial meet, and spatial gap) in quiet and noise and compared them to FIFs from simulated bimodal hearing (a CI in one ear, HA in the opposite ear). These FIFs provide insight into how different frequency regions influence speech perception in EAS and inform strategies for optimizing frequency mapping. Comparisons with bimodal hearing also highlight distinct spectral processing patterns between the two hearing technologies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design: &lt;/strong&gt;Acoustic hearing was simulated using low-pass filtering with a 500 Hz cutoff frequency. Electric hearing was simulated using a six-channel sinewave vocoder, with three sets of matched input and output frequency ranges, representing three different insertion depths-spatial overlap, spatial meet, and spatial gap-relative to the 500 Hz acoustic cutoff frequency. Spectral holes in speech spectra were introduced only in the electric portion by setting the amplitude of specific frequency channels to zero; the acoustic portion remained unaffected.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;The spatial gap map yielded the highest sentence perception scores, followed by the spatial meet and overlap maps. For spatial overlap and meet maps, the highest FIF weights were found in the upper frequency channels in both quiet and noise, with more weight in noise than in quiet. In contrast, the spatial gap map was distributed more evenly across the frequency channels in both quiet and noisy conditions. FIF shapes between EAS and bimodal hearing were similar in quiet but diverged significantly in noise. For the spatial overlap and spatial meet maps, EAS relied more on the higher-frequency channels than bimodal hearing for spatial overlap and meet maps, while the spatial gap map showed the opposite pattern.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Simulated EAS hearing with a spatial gap map demonstrated a more balanced use of frequency information, suggesting a more effective combination and utilization of acoustic and electric cues. In contrast, spatial overlap and meet maps relied more heavily on high-frequency information, indicating less effective utilization of combined lower- and higher-frequency information. Comparisons with simulated bimodal hearing suggest that differences in spectral processing between EAS and bimodal hearing are more pronounce","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145240374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Translation and Tilt Perceptual Thresholds Are Elevated in Meniere's Disease Compared With Vestibular Migraine.","authors":"Cameron Fattahi, Kimberly Ramirez, Susan King, Amsal Madhani, Faisal Karmali, Daniel M Merfeld, Richard F Lewis, Divya A Chari","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001736","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001736","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The clinical differentiation of two common vestibular disorders, Meniere's disease (MD) and vestibular migraine (VM), remains challenging and is based on criteria provided by expert panels rather than the results of diagnostic tests. We therefore investigated the hypothesis that perceptual thresholds for passive motions that activate the inner ear vestibular sensors (canals, otolith organs) can be used to improve the clinical differentiation of MD and VM.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Self-motion perceptual thresholds were measured in MD and VM patients using a multiaxis motion platform during movements that included linear translations (along the naso-occipital, interaural, and superior-inferior axes); angular rotations (in the yaw plane); and head tilts (about an earth-horizontal roll axis). Conventional vestibular testing (caloric, video head impulse testing, and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential) was also performed in MD and VM patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>MD patients demonstrated elevated superior-inferior thresholds compared with VM patients and healthy controls; and elevated roll tilt thresholds compared with VM patients, consistent with previously described changes in saccular function in MD and in central vestibular integration in VM. Standard clinical vestibular tests, in contrast, did not differ significantly between MD and VM patients, nor did they correlate with perceptual thresholds.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results support the hypothesis that perceptual threshold testing could be helpful to differentiate MD from VM in clinical practice. More generally, our findings suggest that perceptual threshold testing may provide information that is not available in the standard clinical vestibular test battery, implying that perceptual threshold tests could increase the diagnostic utility of the clinical vestibular test battery.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145193909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Triphasic Stimulation in Cochlear Implants: A Comparative Evaluation of Programming Levels, Speech Intelligibility, and Spectral-Temporal Resolution in Users With and Without Inner Ear Malformations.","authors":"Rişvan Deniz, Eyyup Kara, Burcu Deniz, Talha Çögen","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001730","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Nonauditory or facial-nerve sensations limit the electrical dynamic range of some cochlear implant (CI) users with inner ear malformations (IEMs). Triphasic pulses, which redistribute charge over three phases, can raise comfortable current levels without provoking side effects, but their effect on everyday listening remains unclear. We asked whether triphasic stimulation improves speech perception and spectral-temporal processing in CI users with IEM and whether the same change benefits-or degrades-performance in users with normal inner ear anatomy (NIE). We hypothesized that triphasic pulses would enhance speech outcomes in the IEM group but leave the NIE group unchanged or mildly worse.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Forty CI users (20 IEM, 20 NIE; mean ages ± SD = 18.1 ± 8.3 and 15.8 ± 3.4 years) completed a within subject, counterbalanced comparison of two clinical programs: standard biphasic versus triphasic stimulation. Outcome measures included average aided thresholds, CI mapping parameters (threshold, most comfortable level, stimulation rate, phase duration, dynamic range), Turkish Matrix Sentence Test (TURMatrix) in quiet and in noise, speech recognition threshold, speech discrimination score, spectral temporally modulated ripple test (SMRT), and random gap detection thresholds (RGDT). Linear mixed-effects models with Holm adjustment (α = 0.05, two-tailed) evaluated pulse shape, group, and interaction effects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Triphasic stimulation elevated most comfortable levels and widened the overall dynamic range in both cohorts, while no significant change was observed in threshold levels. Among listeners with IEM, triphasic pulses increased TURMatrix in quiet accuracy by 19%, lowered the speech reception threshold by 9.5 dB, improved the adaptive signal to noise ratio on the TURMatrix in noise by 5.8 dB, and raised the speech discrimination score by 10.8% (all Holm‑adjusted p ≤ 0.01). RGDT results improved (-6.6 msec, p = 0.02), while performance on the SMRT results remained unchanged. For NIE listeners, triphasic stimulation reduced TURMatrix in quiet accuracy by 9.6%, lowered the speech discrimination score by 6.3%, and elevated speech reception threshold by 4 dB (all p ≤ 0.03). TURMatrix in noise adaptive signal to noise ratio, RGDT, and SMRT results were unaffected.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Triphasic stimulation substantially enhances speech intelligibility in CI users with IEMs while offering no perceptual advantage-and a slight disadvantage-for users with NIE. Programming CIs with triphasic pulses may therefore be a valuable strategy for malformation cases, enabling greater loudness comfort and improved communication without resorting to electrode deactivation or reduced current levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145187635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prospective Evaluation of the Associations Between Pre-Cochlear Implant Abilities and Cochlear Implant Quality of Life-35 Profile Domain Scores.","authors":"Theodore R McRackan, Brittany N Hand, Christian M Shannon, Priyanka Reddy, Judy R Dubno","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001740","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Although most cochlear implant (CI) research has focused on speech recognition ability as the primary outcome measure, research on self-reported, real-world functional outcomes as measured using patient-reported outcome measures is more limited but emerging. The present study explores the association between several pre-CI psychophysical and self-reported functional measures and corresponding CI quality of life (CIQOL) domain scores after implantation.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A longitudinal study design was used involving 45 participants who underwent cochlear implantation for their first CI for traditional bilateral hearing loss indications. Participants completed the CIQOL-35 Profile and a battery of domain-specific functional assessments pre-CI and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-CI-activation. Statistical analyses included multivariable repeated measures models to determine associations between pre-CI functional assessment scores and CIQOL domain scores.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Relative to their pre-CI abilities, participants demonstrated significant improvements in all CIQOL domains at 12-months post-CI, with varying effect sizes (d range = 0.80 to 1.25). Moreover, pre-CI positive affect was significantly and positively associated with CIQOL-Emotional domain scores (β = 0.7 [0.02 to 1.2]), and pre-CI social function/participation was significantly and positively associated with CIQOL-Social domain scores (β = 1.0 [0.3 to 1.8]). No significant associations were identified between pre-CI speech recognition abilities and CIQOL Communication domain scores, or other pre-CI function measures and their corresponding CIQOL domain scores.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results demonstrated associations between pre-CI positive affect and social function/participation on post-CI Emotional and Social CIQOL scores, respectively. However, other pre-CI functional assessments, particularly pre-CI speech recognition abilities, were not associated with CIQOL domain outcome scores.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145180373","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of Balance Deficits in at Risk Pediatric Populations.","authors":"Melissa Hazen, Sharon L Cushing, Karen A Gordon","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001728","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;This study aimed to assess balance deficits in children at risk due to hearing loss or dizziness. The specific objectives were to: (1) measure the prevalence of poor balance in children presenting with these risks; (2) determine whether vestibular test results can predict balance deficits in these children.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;While vestibular impairment is a known predictor of poor balance, poor balance may also occur for reasons unrelated to vestibular impairment. Poor balance in some children with hearing loss relates directly to the risks to the vestibular system due to its shared anatomical and physiological characteristics with the cochlea. Balance and/or vestibular problems may also be present in children with normal hearing who report dizziness or in children with hearing loss who have intact vestibular systems. Variability in the impact of risk factors for poor balance can lead to gaps and delays in identification as well as access to appropriate treatment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design: &lt;/strong&gt;A retrospective analysis of vestibular and balance function from two sources, the SickKids Vertigo Clinic and the SickKids Cochlear Implant Vestibular database, was conducted. The average age of children with hearing loss (n = 107) was 11.56 years (SD = 3.94), while the average age of children without hearing loss (n = 227) was 11.52 years (SD = 3.74). Both groups included children who had available vestibular and balance testing. Balance function was measured using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. Vestibular assessments included tests of vestibulo-collic reflex (VCR) (cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potentials [cVEMP]) and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) (caloric testing and the video head impulse test [vHIT]). Mixed model regression was used to compare balance results between groups and evaluate the effects of vestibular findings (vestibular impairment versus normal vestibular), degree of vestibular loss, and site of vestibular impairment (VCR versus VOR) on balance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Results revealed a higher prevalence of abnormal balance in children with hearing loss compared to children presenting with dizziness complaints and normal hearing [38% versus 17%, t(198.37) = -4.90, p &lt; 0.01]. Abnormal balance function was more frequent in children with hearing loss, where VOR tests were abnormal (27.38% versus 14.52%, χ² = 3.95, p &lt; 0.05). Children with hearing loss had significantly higher odds of having abnormal balance if they had &gt;75% abnormal VOR test results (odds ratio of 13.71 [95% confidence interval: 2.88, 65.36]). Abnormal vestibular findings were most common in children whose hearing loss was associated with congenital cytomegalovirus, infections, or genetic syndromes. There was no consistent pattern of vestibular test abnormalities linked to balance issues in the dizzy normal hearing group.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Balance problems are prevalent ","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145082150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors Influencing the Use of Hearing Services by Diverse Ethnic Communities in Australia.","authors":"Mansoureh Nickbakht, Cailyn Furze, Mehwish Nisar, Monique Waite, Nerina Scarinci, John Newall, Louise Hickson, Christopher J Armitage, Teresa Y C Ching, Piers Dawes","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001734","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001734","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Approximately one in six Australians lives with hearing loss, yet hearing services and hearing aids remain underused across the population, with fewer than half of those affected using hearing aids. If not addressed, hearing loss impacts all aspects of an individual's life. Hearing loss is more prevalent in diverse ethnic communities, but they are even less likely to engage with hearing services and use hearing aids. This study aims to explore the factors influencing the use of hearing services for people from diverse ethnic communities in Australia.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 23 people with self-reported hearing difficulties and 23 family members who had a relative (e.g., child, partner) with hearing difficulties (N = 46). Interview data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The participants represented 15 different language backgrounds and were from 5 states across Australia.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five themes were identified among factors influencing the use of hearing services reported by the participants, including (1) Cultural beliefs and stigma of hearing loss and hearing aids, (2) Effective communication with health professionals and engagement with interpreters in appointments, (3) Trust in, and perceptions of, healthcare and hearing care services in Australia, (4) Knowledge and awareness of hearing loss, hearing devices, and hearing services, and (5) Available supports (e.g., funding, family, and community support) and help-seeking behaviors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Increasing the use of hearing care services would require a multilevel approach addressing stigma of hearing loss and increasing knowledge about prevalence, impact and treatment of hearing loss among diverse ethnic communities and general practitioners, as well as ensuring hearing services are culturally responsive with access facilitated by professional interpreters. Future comparative studies across diverse ethnic communities are suggested to identify specific cultural dynamics within each community that influence hearing service use.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145076633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decreased Depression 12 Months After Cochlear Implantation Is Not Associated With Improved Cognitive Performance.","authors":"Maria Huber, Lennart Weitgasser, Lisa Reuter, Belinda Pletzer, Angelika Illg","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001719","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001719","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;Adults with bilateral late-onset hearing loss are at risk for depression and altered cognitive performance. We were interested in whether an improvement in hearing after cochlear implantation (CI) was associated with changes in depression and cognitive performance and whether these changes were related. We hypothesized that 12 mo after CI, hearing ability (speech recognition and subjective hearing) and cognitive performance would improve, and depression would decrease compared with pre-CI status. Furthermore, we hypothesized a negative association between changes in depression and changes in cognition, such that subjects with a higher reduction in depression would show a higher improvement in cognition. We also investigated whether changes in hearing, depression, and cognition differed between younger (&lt;60 yr old) and older CI users (≥60 yr old).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design: &lt;/strong&gt;This cohort study took place at two tertiary referral centers. We recruited participants aged 25 to 75 during outpatient and inpatient care. Our inclusion criteria comprised an onset of hearing loss in adulthood (over 18 yr), severe to profound symmetrical bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and an indication for CI (first CI). Exclusion criteria comprised retro-cochlear hearing loss, psychosis, below-average intelligence, visual impairment, and medical diagnoses with potential effects on cognition (such as neurodegenerative diseases). Twelve months after CI, the study population had decreased to 41 participants. The younger group (n = 20) was between 25 and 59 yr old, and the older group (n = 21) was between 60 and 75 yr old. We used audiological speech recognition tests and the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit to assess hearing ability, the Beck Depression Inventory (II) to assess depressive status, and a neurocognitive test battery to evaluate cognitive status. All examinations were performed immediately before and 12 mo after the CI.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Twelve months after CI, speech recognition and subjective hearing ability had improved significantly, and depression had decreased compared with the respective status before CI. Cognitive performance improved moderately. However, the improvements were not significant. The differences in speech recognition and subjective hearing (both before and 12 mo after CI) were not associated with the differences in depression and cognitive performance (both before and 12 mo after CI). Regarding possible differences between younger and older groups, the improvement in semantic fluency was significantly more pronounced in the older group. Beyond this, we found no further significant differences between the older and younger groups.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;One year after surgery in younger and older CI recipients, a reduction in depression was not associated with an improvement in cognitive performance. CI has a significant positive impact on hearing ability and reduct","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145066266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preference and Outcomes for Fast Versus Slow Compression in Hearing Aids for Older Adults: A Randomized Control Trial.","authors":"Richard Windle, Harvey Dillon, Antje Heinrich","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001716","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001716","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To determine whether normally aging older adults, fitted with hearing aids, report a benefit from, or a preference for, slow or fast-acting compression, and whether this relationship is influenced by cognitive ability, hearing loss, or previous experience with hearing aids.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A single-blinded, crossover randomized control trial. Fifty-six participants were recruited from the population attending a UK National Health Service (NHS) hearing assessment clinic, both new and experienced hearing aid users. Participants were aged 56 to 85 years, with symmetrical mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Participants trialed hearing aids for 2 months in each of two settings, slow or fast-acting compression. Speech recognition in quiet and in noise were measured, unaided and aided after fitting with each compression setting. A battery of cognitive tests, self-reported hearing aid outcomes and the participant's preference for the first or second fitting were also collected at the end of the trial.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seventy-seven percent of participants stated a preference for one of the compression speed settings. A roughly equal number of participants preferred fast or slow-acting compression. Hearing thresholds were the only predictive factor for compression speed preference: the larger the hearing loss, the more likely it was that patients preferred a slower compression speed. Neither cognitive scores nor the degree of experience with hearing aids predicted the preference for either compression speed. Objective benefit, measured by speech understanding in quiet and in noise, was not affected by compression speed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Participants with a greater degree of hearing loss tended to prefer slow-acting compression. The optimum boundary between the preference for \"fast\" versus \"slow\" compression speed was a four-frequency average hearing threshold of 35 dB HL in the better ear. When the default compression speed was set to \"fast\" for those with an average hearing threshold below 35 dB HL, and to \"slow\" for those with a greater degree of hearing loss, this setting correctly reflected a user's preference in about four in five cases. Neither compression speed offered a significant benefit for speech recognition in noise and quiet. Likewise, neither cognitive performance nor previous experience with hearing aids predicted the amount of reported benefit or preference. Limitations to the study included a positive association between hearing threshold and experience with hearing aids. The study also demonstrated a strong association between the preference and the order of compression speed provided, with users tending to prefer the second fitting.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145042485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}