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Trumpp KM, Mayer J, Roman CE, Kent M. Hearing Assessment of Free-Ranging Owls and Implications for Wildlife Rehabilitation: 31 Cases (2014-2023). J Avian Med Surg 2024; 38:75-82. [PMID: 38980816 DOI: 10.1647/avianms-d-23-00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Owls, members of the avian order Strigiformes, are nocturnal birds of prey that are found worldwide except for Antarctica. Traumatized, free-ranging owls are commonly presented to veterinary hospitals and wildlife rehabilitation facilities with the goal of providing medical care and rehabilitation to enable release back into their natural habitat. Minimal guidelines exist for the release of wildlife, and whereas a need for functional vision is described in raptors, assessing and evaluating hearing is usually not mentioned. This can be problematic for nocturnal predators because hearing is the primary sense utilized by owls when hunting and navigating in their dark environment. The brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) test is a minimally invasive, objective assessment of hearing commonly used in companion animals. To the authors' knowledge, routine or standardized BAER evaluation has not been reported in traumatized, free-ranging owls. In the following retrospective study, 31 free-ranging owls presented to the University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital for known or suspected trauma or being found in a debilitated state underwent BAER testing to assess for the presence of complete sensorineural hearing loss. Similar to assessment of hearing in companion animals, the BAER test was elicited using a broad click stimulus delivered at 85 dB nHL. In all owls, qualitative assessment and peak latency measurements of the BAER test reflected hearing ability. This study highlights the importance of hearing in nocturnal raptors, how BAER testing can aid in decision making regarding rehabilitation, and provides a foundation for further investigation of hearing loss in traumatized owls. We suggest that veterinarians working with free-ranging owls in a rehabilitation setting should consider BAER testing as part of routine diagnostic testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey M Trumpp
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, GA 30602, USA,
| | - Joerg Mayer
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, GA 30602, USA
| | | | - Marc Kent
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, GA 30602, USA
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Andrade KCLD, Frizzo ACF, Oliveira KMD, Pinheiro NDS, Marques MCDS, Carnaúba ATL, Costa KVT, Menezes PDL. The Effect of Different Stimulation Rates on Brainstem Auditory-Evoked-Potential Responses. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2023; 27:e248-e255. [PMID: 37125354 PMCID: PMC10147464 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1768210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Auditory-evoked potentials are influenced by several factors, including polarity, filter, stimulus intensity and stimulation rate. The presentation of higher rates of stimuli per second enables the collection of a greater number of responses in a given period of time, promoting a shorter testing time; however, the collected recordings are subject to changes related to wave morphology. Objectives To compare the brainstem auditory-evoked-potential responses with click stimulus with the most commonly used stimulation rates in the clinical practice. Methods The present cross-sectional analytical study was performed with fifteen participants of both genders and normal hearing thresholds. The brainstem auditory-evoked potential was performed at four different stimulation rates (21.1, 26.7, and 27.7 stimuli/s, and a rate determined based on a mathematical calculation using the a measurement of the transmission frequency of the power grid at the time of the examination). Results We observed that the rate of 21.1 stimuli/s showed the highest amplitudes for waves I, III, and V when compared with the other rates. The rate of 26.7 stimuli/s, when compared with 27.7 stimuli/s, showed a higher amplitude for wave V. The latency if wave V was significantly lower with the rate of 21.1 stimuli/s than with 27.7 stimuli/s. Conclusions The stimulation rate interferes with wave latencies and amplitudes; its decrease from 27.7 to 21.1 stimuli/s decreases the latency of wave V and increases the amplitues and improves the morphology of waves I, III and V. In addition, we found evidence that suggests an improvement in the visualization of wave III by adjusting the stimulation rate based on a measurement of the local transmission frequency of the power grid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Cristina Lira de Andrade
- Department of Audiology, Universidade Estadual de Ciências da Saúde de Alagoas (UNCISAL), Maceió, AL, Brazil
- Address for correspondence Kelly Cristina Lira de Andrade, PhD Departmento de Audiologia, Universidade Estadual de Ciências da Saúde de Alagoas (UNCISAL)Rua Dr. Jorge de Lima 113, Trapiche da Barra, Maceió, Alagoas, 57010-300Brazil
| | - Ana Cláudia Figueiredo Frizzo
- Department of Audiology, Graduate program in speech therapy, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP), Marília, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Aline Tenório Lins Carnaúba
- Department of Audiology, Universidade Estadual de Ciências da Saúde de Alagoas (UNCISAL), Maceió, AL, Brazil
| | | | - Pedro de Lemos Menezes
- Department of Audiology, Universidade Estadual de Ciências da Saúde de Alagoas (UNCISAL), Maceió, AL, Brazil
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Fostick L, Babkoff H. The role of tone duration in dichotic temporal order judgment II: Extending the boundaries of duration and age. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264831. [PMID: 35353821 PMCID: PMC8967006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporal order judgment (TOJ) measures the ability to correctly perceive the order of consecutive stimuli presented rapidly. Our previous research suggested that the major predictor of auditory dichotic TOJ threshold, a paradigm that requires the identification of the order of two tones, each of which is presented to a different ear, is the time separating the onset of the first tone from the onset of the second tone (stimulus-onset-asynchrony, SOA). Data supporting this finding, however, was based on a young adult population and a tone duration range of 10–40 msec. The current study aimed to evaluate the generalizability of the earlier finding by manipulating the experimental model in two different ways: a) extending the tone duration range to include shorter stimulus durations (3–8 msec; Experiment 1) and b) repeating the identical testing procedure on a different population with temporal processing deficits, i.e., older adults (Experiment 2). We hypothesized that the SOA would predict the TOJ threshold regardless of tone duration and participant age. Experiment 1 included 226 young adults divided into eight groups (each group receiving a different tone duration) with duration ranging from 3–40 msec. Experiment 2 included 98 participants aged 60–75 years, divided into five groups by tone duration (10–40 msec). The results of both experiments confirmed the hypothesis, that the SOA required for performing dichotic TOJ was constant regardless of stimulus duration, for both age groups: about 66.5 msec for the young adults and 33 msec longer (100 msec) for the older adults. This finding suggests that dichotic TOJ threshold is controlled by a general mechanism that changes quantitatively with age. Clinically, this has significance because quantitative changes can be more easily remedied than qualitative changes. Theoretically, our findings show that, with dichotic TOJ, tone duration affects threshold by providing more time between the onsets of the consecutive stimuli to the two ears. The findings also imply that a temporal processing deficit, at least among older adults, does not elicit the use of a different mechanism in order to judge temporal order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Fostick
- Department of Communication Disorders, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - Harvey Babkoff
- Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
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LaRocco EP, Proudfoot GA, Gall MD. Effects of Frequency on the Directional Auditory Sensitivity of Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus). BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 97:129-139. [PMID: 34847554 DOI: 10.1159/000519893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Many animals use sound as a medium for detecting or locating potential prey items or predation threats. Northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus) are particularly interesting in this regard, as they primarily rely on sound for hunting in darkness, but are also subject to predation pressure from larger raptors. We hypothesized that these opposing tasks should favor sensitivity to low-frequency sounds arriving from many locations (potential predators) and high-frequency sounds below the animal (ground-dwelling prey items). Furthermore, based on the morphology of the saw-whet owl skull and the head-related transfer functions of related species, we expected that the magnitude of changes in sensitivity across spatial locations would be greater for higher frequencies than low frequencies (i.e., more "directional" at high frequencies). We used auditory-evoked potentials to investigate the frequency-specific directional sensitivity of Northern saw-whet owls to acoustic signals. We found some support for our hypothesis, with smaller-magnitude changes in sensitivity across spatial locations at lower frequencies and larger-magnitude changes at higher frequencies. In general, owls were most sensitive to sounds originating in front of and above their heads, but at 8 kHz there was also an area of high sensitivity below the animals. Our results suggest that the directional hearing of saw-whet owls should allow for both predator and prey detection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Megan D Gall
- Biology Department, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
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de Koning M, Beatini JR, Proudfoot GA, Gall MD. Hearing in 3D: Directional Auditory Sensitivity of Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus). Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:1058-1067. [PMID: 32359136 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Northern saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus) are nocturnal predators that are able to acoustically localize prey with great accuracy; an ability that is attributed to their unique asymmetrical ear structure. While a great deal of research has focused on open loop sound localization prior to flight in owls (primarily barn owls), directional sensitivity of the ears may also be important in locating moving prey on the wing. Furthermore, directionally sensitive ears may also reduce the effects of masking noise, either from the owls' wings during flight or environmental noise (e.g., wind and leaf rustling), by enhancing spatial segregation of target sounds and noise sources. Here, we investigated auditory processing of Northern saw-whet owls in three-dimensional space using auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). We simultaneously evoked auditory responses in two channels (right and left ear) with broadband clicks from a sound source that could be manipulated in space. Responses were evoked from 66 spatial locations, separated by 30° increments in both azimuth and elevation. We found that Northern saw-whet owls had increased sensitivity to sound sources directly in front of and above their beaks and decreased sensitivity to sound sources below and behind their heads. The spatial region of highest sensitivity extends from the lower beak to the crown of the head and 30° left or right of the median plane, dropping off beyond those margins. Directional sensitivity is undoubtedly useful during foraging and predator evasion, and may also reduce the effect of masking noise from the wings during flight due to the spatial segregation of the noise and targets of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan de Koning
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Julia R Beatini
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Glenn A Proudfoot
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
| | - Megan D Gall
- Department of Biology, Vassar College, 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA
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