Ear and Hearing最新文献

{"title":"The WHAM Study: Socio-Emotional Well-being Effects of Hearing Aid Use and Mediation Through Improved Hearing Ability.","authors":"Lotte Alessandra Jansen, Marieke F van Wier, Birgit I Lissenberg-Witte, Cas Smits, Sophia E Kramer","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001700","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001700","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Hearing impairment can negatively impact socio-emotional well-being. While hearing aids (HA) may improve hearing ability, communication, social participation, and emotional well-being, longitudinal studies are scarce and evidence quality is low. This longitudinal study examines the associations between (research question [RQ] 1) HA uptake and socio-emotional well-being, mediation by self-perceived hearing disability, and differences between subgroups, (RQ2) frequency of HA use (daily number of hours) and socio-emotional well-being, and (RQ3) duration of HA use (years of use) and socio-emotional well-being.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Data from October 2006 to January 2024 from the Netherlands Longitudinal Study on Hearing were used for this study. Every 5 yrs, participants were invited to complete an online digits-in-noise hearing test and survey, which included variables on HA use, psychosocial health, tinnitus, hyperacusis, and self-perceived hearing disability. For RQs 1 and 2, cumulative data from three 5-yr intervals (baseline [T0] to 5-yr follow-up [T1], T1-T2, and T2-T3) was compiled, based on eligibility for a HA at the beginning of the studied time interval but not using it at that time and either reporting HA use (HA uptake) or no HA use (no HA uptake) at follow-up and frequency of use at follow-up. Differences between those who adopted a HA versus those who did not were examined while controlling for pre-(non)uptake socio-emotional outcomes. After applying exclusion criteria, the final samples included n = 281 unique participants for RQ1 and n = 280 for RQ2. For RQ3, participants with 5, 10, or 15 yrs of HA use were identified and analyzed to assess the impact of long-term use, with n = 180 unique participants in the final dataset. Outcomes assessed for each RQ were depression, anxiety, distress, somatization, social loneliness, emotional loneliness, and total loneliness. Gamma regression models with generalized estimating equations were performed to analyze all RQs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Approximately 87% of participants were ≤65 yrs of age at T0. Among individuals without tinnitus, HA uptake was significantly associated with lower depression scores (p < 0.05). Among those aged >65 yrs, HA uptake was significantly associated with lower total loneliness scores. No significant associations were found between HA uptake and anxiety, somatization, distress, and emotional loneliness. Self-perceived hearing disability did not mediate the relationship between HA uptake and socio-emotional well-being outcomes. No significant associations between the duration of HA use and socio-emotional well-being outcomes were found. Frequency of HA use was not significantly associated with any outcome except somatization, where using a HA for 1 to 4 hrs per day was significantly associated with lower somatization scores.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This longitudinal study contributes valuable evidence to ","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144709983","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":"The Effects of Chronic Substance Misuse on the Auditory and Vestibular Systems: Preliminary Findings.","authors":"Amanda Chiao, Michelle L Hughes, Sarah Rogoz, Priya Karimuddanahalli Premkumar, Delaney Thomas","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001704","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001704","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Accumulating reports suggest that substance use disorders (SUDs) potentially lead to hearing and/or vestibular loss, particularly when overdose is involved. However, the existing literature is weak, consisting of case reports or small sample studies and that did not comprehensively evaluate both the auditory and vestibular systems. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of chronic substance misuse on behavioral and physiological auditory and vestibular outcomes in adults with substance misuse histories (SUD group) as compared with an age- and sex-matched control group without substance misuse histories. We hypothesized that chronic substance misuse would negatively affect the auditory system, similar to known ototoxic medications, resulting in high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss, and the vestibular system, similar to acute effects of central-mediating medications, resulting in central abnormalities and imbalance.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Data were analyzed for 60 adults with a substance misuse history (mean age, 42.2; range, 20 to 58 years) and 20 adults without (mean age, 37.2; range, 21 to 56 years). Outcome measures included responses on a health and substance-use questionnaire, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment screening, tympanometry, standard and extended high-frequency (EHF) pure-tone air-conduction thresholds, standard and EHF distortion product otoacoustic emissions, click-evoked auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), speech recognition in noise, oculomotor function, horizontal canal video head impulse test, cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, and clinical dynamic visual acuity and standing balance tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most participants in the SUD group reported histories of polysubstance misuse. The SUD group had significantly poorer Montreal Cognitive Assessment screening scores than the control group. There was no significant difference between groups for the presence of middle-ear status. Although most thresholds were within the normal range, mean audiometric thresholds were significantly poorer for both the standard and EHF ranges for the SUD group compared with the control group. These patterns held even after adjusting for smoking and noise exposure. Distortion product otoacoustic emission, ABR wave III, and ABR wave V amplitudes were significantly smaller for the SUD group than the control group, with no significant differences between groups for ABR waves III and V latencies, which suggests elevated thresholds from a cochlear origin. Mean speech recognition in noise was not significantly different between groups. There were statistically significant differences or associations between groups for oculomotor function and standing balance. Participants in the SUD group were significantly more likely to have abnormal oculomotor function and impaired tandem stance, even after adjusting for head trauma history. There was an effect of ","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144692522","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":"A Survey of Current Audiology Practice in Adult Cochlear Implant Programs and Its Impact on Access to Care.","authors":"Terry A Zwolan, Meredith Holcomb, Barbara Buck, Weston Adkins, Hillary Snapp, Sandra Prentiss","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001703","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001703","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Recent expansion of cochlear implant (CI) indications by Medicare to include patients with better preoperative speech recognition and by the United States Food and Drug Administration to include patients with single-sided deafness and asymmetric hearing loss has increased the number of patients who are candidates for a CI. This expansion has the potential to raise the demand for audiological services related to CI, including preoperative determination of CI candidacy and postoperative programming and evaluation of performance. In this study, we evaluated ways that audiological care facilitates or impedes access to care for adult CI candidates and recipients in CI programs across the United States. Such information will help determine if audiologists will be able to meet an increased demand for services resulting from these recent expansions in CI candidacy.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>An electronic survey containing a total of 48 questions presented in either multiple choice or rank order format was distributed electronically and promoted on social media to audiologists working with adult CI candidates or recipients. Responses were collected from November 29, 2023, to January 16, 2024. The survey included questions regarding pre- and postoperative CI care provided to adults. Of these 48 questions, 21 were related to CI access and included appointment availability and wait times, appointment schedules and duration, procedures used to triage the need for follow-up care, and provision of telehealth. This article focuses on responses for the 21 questions related to CI access.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Anonymous surveys were fully or partially completed by 209 audiologists who manage adult CI candidates and recipients in a variety of settings and revealed a variety of findings related to patient care. Results indicate that 54% of clinicians report the preoperative process occurs over 2 separate appointments, and most clinicians (53%) report they always or frequently use a CI manufacturer to assist with preoperative device education and selection. In regard to postoperative care, the median number of times clinicians see patients in the first year is 6, with a range of 3 to 10 appointments. In regard to appointment duration, device activation was the longest (median = 101 min). The 4 appointments reported to occur most often after activation included 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-mo appointments and these ranged in duration from 81 to 84 min. A comparison of the results of this study with previous reports indicates that several recent changes have taken place in CI care, including reduced pre- and postoperative appointment schedules, utilization of procedures to reduce time spent providing nonbillable services, and some utilization of telehealth.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Recent changes in CI service delivery have the potential to improve access to care for CI candidates and recipients. Such enhancements are nece","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144661036","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":"Spatial Position Modulates the Benefits of Auditory Inputs for Postural Control.","authors":"Daniel Paromov, Maxime Maheu, Benoit-Antoine Bacon, François Champoux","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001707","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001707","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The study aimed to examine the contribution of the position of a sound source to static postural control. The authors hypothesized that in line with the auditory anchorage theory, more benefits would be observed when sounds are positioned in easy-to-localize locations.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A force plate was used to measure sway area, sway velocity, and standard deviation in 23 participants. Auditory stimuli were presented at various azimuth angles (0°, 45°, 90°), and their effects were compared with a silent baseline condition without any added auditory input.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The present results revealed a significant improvement in sway parameters when auditory inputs were added. However, in contrast to the 0° and 45° locations, the 90° location did not affect sway area and SD when compared with the condition without auditory input. Improvement was observed across all the locations of the auditory inputs for sway velocity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings support the auditory anchorage theory, suggesting that auditory objects positioned in areas that are easy to localize contribute more effectively to postural stabilization.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144651288","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":"Speech-in-Noise Ability and Signal to Noise Ratio Predict the Timing of Hearing-Impaired Listeners' Intertalker Saccades When Observing Conversational Turn-Taking: An Explorative Investigation.","authors":"Martha M Shiell, Sergi Rotger-Griful, Martin A Skoglund, Gitte Keidser, Johannes Zaar","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001701","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We explored the hypothesis that, when listeners visually follow the turn-taking of talkers engaged in a conversation, the timing of their eye movements is related to their ability to follow the conversation.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>We made use of a re-purposed dataset where adults with hearing impairment (N = 17), assisted by hearing aids, observed audiovisual recordings of dyadic conversations presented via a television screen and loudspeakers. The recordings were presented with multitalker babble noise at four signal to noise ratios (SNRs), in 4-dB steps ranging from -4 to 8 dB, to modulate the participants' ability to follow the conversation. We extracted time windows around conversation floor transfers (FTs) in the stimulus where participants reacted by moving their gaze from one talker to the next, termed FT-intertalker saccades (ITS). We recorded the timing of this eye movement relative to the onset of the new talker's speech. In addition, participants completed a separate word-recognition test to measure their speech perception in noise (SPIN) ability at the same SNRs as used for the conversation stimuli. We predicted that the timing of FT-ITS would be delayed with difficult SNR levels and for listeners with low SPIN ability. The effect of SPIN ability was tested first as a continuous variable, and subsequently with participants divided into high and low SPIN-ability groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Multilevel linear modeling showed that the timing of FT-ITS was predicted by SNR condition and SPIN group, but no effect was found for SPIN ability as a continuous variable. Post hoc comparisons (uncorrected for multiple comparisons) indicated that delayed FT-ITS were associated with low SPIN ability, and both the hardest and easiest SNR conditions. The full model accounted for 34.5% of the variance in the data, but the fixed effects of SPIN and SNR together accounted for only 2.3%.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Although the results should be interpreted with caution due to limitations in the experiment design, they provide preliminary support that FT-ITS timing can be used as a measure of hearing-impaired listeners' ability to follow a conversation. This first exploration of this question can serve future studies on this topic, providing guidance on the range of perceptual difficulty where this measure may be sensitive, and recommending a modeling approach that takes into account differences between stimuli.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144638681","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":"Health Disparities and Impact of Social Vulnerability on Diagnosis and Outcomes in Vestibular Disorders.","authors":"Sami I Nassar, Benjamin D Young, Sunny Shah, Jeffrey P Staab, Chada Pitiranggon, Ladd M Platt, Shaun A Nguyen, Habib G Rizk","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001665","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001665","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Examining the effect of demographics and social vulnerability on diagnosis and management of patients with vestibular and balance disorders.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Retrospective review of a database of patients presenting with vestibular symptoms to a multidisciplinary tertiary vestibular clinic between January and October 2021. Main outcomes included odds ratios of final diagnosis, treatment response, time to presentation by demographic variable, insurance status, residence, and social vulnerability factors according to the 2018 Centers for Disease Control Social Vulnerability Index.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five hundred thirty-six patients with definitive vestibular diagnoses and treatment outcome data were included. Mean age at presentation was 60.4 ± 16.5 years. Women (n = 389, 72.6%) outnumbered men (n = 147, 27.4%). Most patients self-identified as White (n = 440, 82.1%) and non-Hispanic (n = 521, 97.2%). Overall, 17.4% of participants belonged to a minority group. Socioeconomic status, household composition, geographic location, and insurance status were associated with patient diagnoses received. Patients from the lowest socioeconomic class were more likely to be diagnosed with Meniere's disease. In addition, patients with private insurance were more likely to be diagnosed with Meniere disease or vestibular migraine than those with Medicare insurance. Geographic distance greater than 60 miles from the clinic was associated with a higher likelihood to present >90 days since initial symptom onset. Housing and transportation vulnerabilities were associated with decreased treatment response.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Diagnostic classification, time to presentation, and treatment outcomes differed according to demographic and social vulnerability factors. There was no single unifying theme among vulnerabilities, but the results of this study offer preliminary data to design future investigations on regional and national levels to understand and mitigate the effects of social vulnerability factors on access to specialty vestibular care and outcomes of treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144638769","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":"The Direct and Indirect Effects of Hearing Loss on Loneliness in Older Adults.","authors":"Antonia Wagner, Aline Schönenberg, Tino Prell","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001699","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001699","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The objective of this study was to determine if and how hearing loss leads to loneliness in older adults.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>We examined data from wave 5 (2013, n = 66.188) and wave 6 (2015, n = 68.186) from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement which is a cross-national panel database of older adults from 27 European countries and Israel. Hearing abilities were self-rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from \"excellent\" to \"poor.\" Analyses included longitudinal models, as well as mediation analysis to examine indirect effects.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Poor hearing was reported by 3.8% of participants. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) revealed that participants with poor hearing in wave 5 reported significantly higher loneliness scores in wave 6 compared with those with better hearing (β = 0.509, p < 0.001). Loneliness increased across all hearing ability groups from wave 5 to 6, with a steeper increase for those with poorer hearing. Older age (β = 0.004, p < 0.001) and female gender (β = 0.239, p < 0.001) were also associated with greater loneliness. There was no significant moderating effect of hearing aid use on the relationship between hearing ability and loneliness. Mediation analysis demonstrated a significant direct effect of poor hearing on loneliness (B = 0.109, p < 0.001), as well as significant indirect effects through depressive symptoms (B = -0.043, p < 0.001), functional limitations (B = -0.013, p < 0.001), verbal fluency (B = -0.007, p < 0.001), and self-rated health (B = -0.005, p = 0.006). The total effect of hearing on loneliness, combining direct and indirect effects, was significant (B = 0.042, p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings highlight the direct and indirect pathways through which hearing loss contributes to loneliness in older adults. Poor hearing exacerbates functional limitations, depression, and cognitive decline, all of which can further increase the risk of loneliness.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144602302","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":"Melodic Contour Identification by Cochlear-Implant Listeners With Asymmetric Phantom Pulses Presented to Apical Electrodes.","authors":"Olivier Macherey, Robert P Carlyon","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001691","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001691","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;(a) To compare performance by cochlear-implant listeners on a melodic contour identification task when the fundamental frequency (F0) is encoded explicitly by single-pulse-per-period (SPP) pulse trains presented to an apical channel, by amplitude modulation of high-rate pulse trains presented to several electrodes, and by these two methods combined, (b) to measure melodic contour identification as a function of the range of F0s tested, (c) to determine whether so-called asymmetric phantom stimulation improves melodic contour identification relative to monopolar stimulation, as has been shown previously using pitch-ranking tasks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design: &lt;/strong&gt;Three experiments measured melodic contour identification by cochlear-implant listeners with two different methods of encoding fundamental frequency (F0), both singly and in combination. One method presented SPP pulse trains at the F0 rate to an apical channel in either partial-bipolar or monopolar mode. The second method applied amplitude modulation at F0 to high-rate (~2000 pulses per second) pulse trains on six adjacent electrodes. For this \"MOD\" stimulation, the channel envelopes were misaligned so as to simulate the effects of the bandpass filters in the commercial signal-processing strategy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;In experiment 1, the SPP stimulation used the asymmetric phantom method: pseudomonophasic pulses were applied in partial-bipolar mode to electrodes 1 and 3, with 25% of current returned via an extra-cochlear electrode, and with the short high-amplitude phase anodic with respect to electrode 1. The MOD stimuli were presented to a set of basal electrodes. Performance for SPP stimulation was better, both when presented alone and when combined with MOD stimulation, relative to MOD stimulation alone. Performance was also better when the range of F0s present in the stimuli spanned a low range (97 to 194 Hz) than when they spanned a medium (161 to 322 Hz) or a high range (242 to 484 Hz). Experiment 2 was similar to experiment 1 except that the MOD stimuli were presented to a set of six apical electrodes. Performance with SPP stimulation alone was again significantly better than with MOD stimulation, but the difference between combined and MOD stimulation was not significant. Experiment 3 compared performance of SPP stimulation applied in asymmetric phantom mode to monopolar stimulation of the most-apical electrode using symmetric biphasic pulses. No differences were found between these two types of stimulation, either presented in isolation or with MOD stimulation of nearby apical electrodes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;The results show that F0 encoding by SPP stimulation was better than with MOD stimulation, that it was robust to possible interference from MOD-stimulated electrodes, but that performance with combined stimulation was not better than with SPP alone. Contrary to previous data from pitch-ranking studies, we found no evid","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144555891","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":"Prevalence and Risk Factors of Frailty in Patients With Vestibular Hypofunction.","authors":"Tomohiko Kamo, Hirofumi Ogihara, Ryozo Tanaka, Takumi Kato, Masato Azami, Masao Noda, Reiko Tsunoda, Hiroaki Fushiki","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001697","DOIUrl":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001697","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of frailty and the factors associated with frailty in patients with vestibular hypofunction.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>This observational study included 185 individuals with dizziness aged 40 and above who suffered from chronic vestibular hypofunction. We defined frailty using the diagnostic algorithm by the revised Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria. Frailty, prefrailty, and robust were defined as including 3 to 5, 1 to 2, and 0 points, respectively. For comparison, we also assessed the prevalence of frailty in community-dwelling adults over 40 years old (control group, n = 203).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The average ages for the groups with vestibular hypofunction and the control were 72.0 ± 10.1 and 69.8 ± 8.2 years, respectively. In the vestibular hypofunction group (185 patients), 32 were identified as frail (17.3%) and 103 as prefrail (55.7%). Of the patients with vestibular hypofunction aged 65 years or older (n = 151), 31 (20.5%) were frail and 80 (53.0%) were prefrail. In the control group, consisting of 203 community-dwelling adults, 15 were identified as frail (7.0%) and 108 as prefrail (54.0%). Among patients with vestibular hypofunction, 64 (34.6%) exhibited low gait speed, the most common of the frailty components. Age, female, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression subscale, and Dizziness Handicap Inventory were associated with frailty and prefrailty in patients with vestibular hypofunction, after adjustment for confounding factors.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The present study demonstrates that the prevalence of frailty in patients with vestibular hypofunction is higher than that in community-dwelling adults. Therefore, evaluating frailty in patients with vestibular hypofunction is crucial for identifying those at higher risk and implementing early interventions such as dietary guidance and exercises to strengthen the lower body along with vestibular rehabilitation.</p>","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144546259","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":"Using Pupillometry in Virtual Reality as a Tool for Speech-in-Noise Research.","authors":"Hidde Pielage, Bethany Plain, Sjors van de Ven, Gabrielle H Saunders, Niek J Versfeld, Sophia E Kramer, Adriana A Zekveld","doi":"10.1097/AUD.0000000000001692","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001692","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;Virtual reality (VR) could be used in speech perception research to reduce the gap between the laboratory and real life. However, the suitability of using VR head-mounted displays (HMDs) warrants investigation, especially when pupillometric measurements are required. The present study aimed to assess if pupil measurements taken within an HMD would be sensitive to changes in listening effort related to a speech perception task. Task load of a VR speech-in-noise task was manipulated while pupil size was recorded within an HMD. The present study also assessed if VR could be used to simulate the copresence of other persons during listening, which is often an important aspect of real-life listening. To this end, participants completed the speech-in-noise task both in the copresence of virtual persons (agents) and while the virtual persons were replaced with visual distractors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Design: &lt;/strong&gt;Thirty-three normal-hearing participants were provided with a VR-HMD and completed a speech-in-noise task in a virtual environment while their pupil size was measured. Participants were simultaneously presented with two sentences-one to each ear-which were masked by stationary noise that was 3 dB louder (-3 dB signal to noise ratio) than the sentences. Task load was manipulated by having participants attend to and repeat either one sentence or both sentences. Participants did the task both while accompanied by two virtual agents who provided positive (head nodding) and negative (head shaking) feedback on some trials, or in the presence of two visual distractors that did not provide feedback (control condition). We assessed the effect of task load and copresence on performance, measures of pupil size (baseline pupil size and peak pupil dilation), and several subjective ratings. Participants also completed two questionnaires related to their experience of the virtual environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Task load significantly affected baseline pupil size, peak pupil dilation, and subjective ratings of effort, task difficulty, and performance. However, the manipulation of virtual copresence did not affect any of the outcome measures. The effect of task load on performance could not be assessed, as single-sentence conditions often resulted in a ceiling score (100% correct). An exploratory analysis provided some indication that trials following positive feedback from the agents (as compared to no feedback) showed increased baseline pupil sizes. Scores on the questionnaires indicated that participants were not highly immersed in the virtual environment, possibly explaining why they were largely unaffected by the virtual copresence manipulation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;The finding that baseline pupil size and peak pupil dilation were sensitive to the manipulation of task load suggests that HMD pupillometry is sensitive to changes in arousal and effort. This supports the idea that VR-HMDs can be successf","PeriodicalId":55172,"journal":{"name":"Ear and Hearing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144546260","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}