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Boothalingam S, Peterson A, Powell L, Easwar V. Auditory brainstem mechanisms likely compensate for self-imposed peripheral inhibition. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12693. [PMID: 37542191 PMCID: PMC10403563 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39850-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Feedback networks in the brain regulate downstream auditory function as peripheral as the cochlea. However, the upstream neural consequences of this peripheral regulation are less understood. For instance, the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) in the brainstem causes putative attenuation of responses generated in the cochlea and cortex, but those generated in the brainstem are perplexingly unaffected. Based on known neural circuitry, we hypothesized that the inhibition of peripheral input is compensated for by positive feedback in the brainstem over time. We predicted that the inhibition could be captured at the brainstem with shorter (1.5 s) than previously employed long duration (240 s) stimuli where this inhibition is likely compensated for. Results from 16 normal-hearing human listeners support our hypothesis in that when the MOCR is activated, there is a robust reduction of responses generated at the periphery, brainstem, and cortex for short-duration stimuli. Such inhibition at the brainstem, however, diminishes for long-duration stimuli suggesting some compensatory mechanisms at play. Our findings provide a novel non-invasive window into potential gain compensation mechanisms in the brainstem that may have implications for auditory disorders such as tinnitus. Our methodology will be useful in the evaluation of efferent function in individuals with hearing loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sriram Boothalingam
- Waisman Center and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
- Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Abigayle Peterson
- Waisman Center and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Lindsey Powell
- Waisman Center and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Vijayalakshmi Easwar
- Waisman Center and Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
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2
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Boothalingam S, Goodman SS, MacCrae H, Dhar S. A Time-Course-Based Estimation of the Human Medial Olivocochlear Reflex Function Using Clicks. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:746821. [PMID: 34776849 PMCID: PMC8581223 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.746821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The auditory efferent system, especially the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR), is implicated in both typical auditory processing and in auditory disorders in animal models. Despite the significant strides in both basic and translational research on the MOCR, its clinical applicability remains under-utilized in humans due to the lack of a recommended clinical method. Conventional tests employ broadband noise in one ear while monitoring change in otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) in the other ear to index efferent activity. These methods, (1) can only assay the contralateral MOCR pathway and (2) are unable to extract the kinetics of the reflexes. We have developed a method that re-purposes the same OAE-evoking click-train to also concurrently elicit bilateral MOCR activity. Data from click-train presentations at 80 dB peSPL at 62.5 Hz in 13 young normal-hearing adults demonstrate the feasibility of our method. Mean MOCR magnitude (1.7 dB) and activation time-constant (0.2 s) are consistent with prior MOCR reports. The data also suggest several advantages of this method including, (1) the ability to monitor MEMR, (2) obtain both magnitude and kinetics (time constants) of the MOCR, (3) visual and statistical confirmation of MOCR activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sriram Boothalingam
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.,Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Shawn S Goodman
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Hilary MacCrae
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Sumitrajit Dhar
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States.,Knowles Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
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Boothalingam S, Goodman SS. Click evoked middle ear muscle reflex: Spectral and temporal aspects. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 149:2628. [PMID: 33940882 DOI: 10.1121/10.0004217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study describes a time series-based method of middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR) detection using bilateral clicks. Although many methods can detect changes in the otoacoustic emissions evoking stimulus to monitor the MEMR, they do not discriminate between true MEMR-mediated vs artifactual changes in the stimulus. We measured MEMR in 20 young clinically normal hearing individuals using 1-s-long click trains presented at six levels (65 to 95 dB peak-to-peak sound pressure level in 6 dB steps). Changes in the stimulus levels over the 1 s period were well-approximated by two-term exponential functions. The magnitude of ear canal pressure changes due to MEMR increased monotonically as a function of click level but non-monotonically with frequency when separated into 1/3 octave wide bands between 1 and 3.2 kHz. MEMR thresholds estimated using this method were lower than that obtained from a clinical tympanometer in ∼94% of the participants. A time series-based method, along with statistical tests, may provide additional confidence in detecting the MEMR. MEMR effects were smallest at 2 kHz, between 1 and 3.2 kHz, which may provide avenues for minimizing the MEMR influence while measuring other responses (e.g., the medial olivocochlear reflex).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sriram Boothalingam
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, USA
| | - Shawn S Goodman
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52252, USA
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Lauer AM, Jimenez SV, Delano PH. Olivocochlear efferent effects on perception and behavior. Hear Res 2021; 419:108207. [PMID: 33674070 DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2021.108207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The role of the mammalian auditory olivocochlear efferent system in hearing has long been the subject of debate. Its ability to protect against damaging noise exposure is clear, but whether or not this is the primary function of a system that evolved in the absence of industrial noise remains controversial. Here we review the behavioral consequences of olivocochlear activation and diminished olivocochlear function. Attempts to demonstrate a role for hearing in noise have yielded conflicting results in both animal and human studies. A role in selective attention to sounds in the presence of distractors, or attention to visual stimuli in the presence of competing auditory stimuli, has been established in animal models, but again behavioral studies in humans remain equivocal. Auditory processing deficits occur in models of congenital olivocochlear dysfunction, but these deficits likely reflect abnormal central auditory development rather than direct effects of olivocochlear feedback. Additional proposed roles in age-related hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, and binaural or spatial hearing, are intriguing, but require additional study. These behavioral studies almost exclusively focus on medial olivocochlear effects, and many relied on lesioning techniques that can have unspecific effects. The consequences of lateral olivocochlear and of corticofugal pathway activation for perception remain unknown. As new tools for targeted manipulation of olivocochlear neurons emerge, there is potential for a transformation of our understanding of the role of the olivocochlear system in behavior across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Lauer
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Hearing Research and Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 515 Traylor Building, 720 Rutland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States; Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, United States.
| | - Sergio Vicencio Jimenez
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Hearing Research and Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 515 Traylor Building, 720 Rutland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States; Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, BNI, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paul H Delano
- Departments of Otolaryngology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; Biomedical Neuroscience Institute, BNI, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Advanced Center for Electrical and Electronic Engineer, AC3E, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile
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Lewis JD. Efferent-induced shifts in synchronized-spontaneous-otoacoustic-emission magnitude and frequency. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 148:3258. [PMID: 33261385 DOI: 10.1121/10.0002643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Synchronized-spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SSOAEs) present as slow-decaying emission energy that persists after the transient-evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE). SSOAEs possess high amplitudes and signal-to-noise ratios, making them potentially ideal candidates to assay the medial-olivocochlear reflex (MOCR). The current work quantified MOCR-induced changes to SSOAEs over a 36-dB stimulus level range and compared MOCR effects between TEOAE- and SSOAE-based assays. Otoacoustic emissions were evoked using band limited clicks from 52 to 88 dB peak sound pressure level (pSPL) with and without contralateral-acoustic stimulation (CAS) in 25 normal-hearing, female adults. The CAS was 50-dB sound pressure level (SPL) broadband noise and served to activate the MOCR. The number of SSOAEs increased with the stimulus level through approximately 70 dB pSPL. The presentation of CAS resulted in fewer SSOAEs. SSOAEs exhibited compressive growth and approached saturation for stimulus levels of 70 dB pSPL. The primary effects of CAS were a reduction in the SSOAE magnitude and an upward shift in the SSOAE frequency. These changes were not strongly affected by the stimulus level. Time-domain analysis of the SSOAE revealed an increase in the CAS-induced magnitude shift during the decay portion of the SSOAE. Compared to CAS-induced TEOAE magnitude shifts, SSOAE magnitude shifts were typically 2-3 dB larger. Findings support SSOAEs as a means to assay the MOCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D Lewis
- Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 578 South Stadium Hall, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996, USA
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Boothalingam S, Allan C, Allen P, Purcell DW. The Medial Olivocochlear Reflex Is Unlikely to Play a Role in Listening Difficulties in Children. Trends Hear 2020; 23:2331216519870942. [PMID: 31558110 PMCID: PMC6767729 DOI: 10.1177/2331216519870942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) has been implicated in several auditory processes. The putative role of the MOCR in improving speech perception in noise is particularly relevant for children who complain of listening difficulties (LiD). The hypothesis that the MOCR may be impaired in individuals with LiD or auditory processing disorder has led to several investigations but without consensus. In two related studies, we compared the MOCR functioning of children with LiD and typically developing (TD) children in the same age range (7-17 years). In Study 1, we investigated ipsilateral, contralateral, and bilateral MOCR using forward-masked click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs; n = 17 TD, 17 LiD). In Study 2, we employed three OAE types: CEOAEs (n = 16 TD, 21 LiD), stimulus frequency OAEs (n = 21 TD, 30 LiD), and distortion product OAEs (n = 17 TD, 22 LiD) in a contralateral noise paradigm. Results from both studies suggest that the MOCR functioning is not significantly different between the two groups. Some likely reasons for differences in findings among published studies could stem from the lack of strict data quality measures (e.g., high signal-to-noise ratio, control for the middle ear muscle reflex) that were enforced in the present study. The inherent variability of the MOCR, the subpar reliability of current MOCR methods, and the heterogeneity in auditory processing deficits that underlie auditory processing disorder make detecting clinically relevant differences in MOCR function impractical using current methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sriram Boothalingam
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Chris Allan
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,National Centre for Audiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Prudence Allen
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,National Centre for Audiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - David W Purcell
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western University, London, ON, Canada.,National Centre for Audiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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The Effect of Otoacoustic Emission Stimulus Level on the Strength and Detectability of the Medial Olivocochlear Reflex. Ear Hear 2019; 40:1391-1403. [DOI: 10.1097/aud.0000000000000719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Mertes IB. Establishing critical differences in ear-canal stimulus amplitude for detecting middle ear muscle reflex activation during olivocochlear efferent measurements. Int J Audiol 2019; 59:140-147. [DOI: 10.1080/14992027.2019.1673491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ian B. Mertes
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
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Olarte M, Bermúdez Rey MC, Beltran AP, Guerrero D, Suárez-Obando F, López G, García M, Ospina JC, Fonseca C, Bertolotto AM, Aldana N, Gelvez N, Tamayo ML. Detection of hearing loss in newborns: Definition of a screening strategy in Bogotá, Colombia. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol 2019; 122:76-81. [PMID: 30978473 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2019.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the results from the hearing screening protocol adopted in a Hospital in Colombia emphasizing the importance of performing screening on an outpatient basis, when the newborn is more than 24 h old. METHODS A prospective study at Hospital Universitario San Ignacio in Bogota, Colombia was carried out, from May 1st, 2016 to Nov 30th, 2017, the study sample included 2.088 newborns examined using transient otoacoustic emissions. RESULTS We obtained written consent from the parents of 1.523 newborns and 24 individuals (1.6%) failed the first stage of the screening, nine cases unilateral and 15 bilateral. A total of nine neonates (0,6%) failed the second screening test, six cases unilateral and three bilateral. Four (0,3%) did not return to the second test. Our false altered screening rate was 0.7%. CONCLUSIONS In a developing country with limited human and economic resources, in which newborn early discharge is the norm, a newborn hearing screening program linked to infants' check-ups, that uses otoacoustic emissions after 48 h of life, seems a feasible option compare to the standard US protocol aiming to conduct hearing screening prior to discharge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Olarte
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - María Carolina Bermúdez Rey
- Unidad de Otorrinolaringología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Angela P Beltran
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Diana Guerrero
- Unidad de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Fernando Suárez-Obando
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia; Servicio de Genética, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Greizy López
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Mary García
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Juan C Ospina
- Unidad de Otorrinolaringología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia; Unidad de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Carol Fonseca
- Unidad de Otorrinolaringología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Ana M Bertolotto
- Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia; Departamento de Pediatría, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Nubia Aldana
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
| | - Nancy Gelvez
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia.
| | - Martha L Tamayo
- Instituto de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Carrera 7 # 40-62, Colombia
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