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Gafoor SA, Uppunda AK. Speech Perception in Noise and Medial Olivocochlear Reflex: Effects of Age, Speech Stimulus, and Response-Related Variables. J Assoc Res Otolaryngol 2023; 24:619-631. [PMID: 38079021 PMCID: PMC10752852 DOI: 10.1007/s10162-023-00919-w] [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] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The role of the medial olivocochlear system in speech perception in noise has been debated over the years, with studies showing mixed results. One possible reason for this could be the dependence of this relationship on the parameters used in assessing the speech perception ability (age, stimulus, and response-related variables). METHODS The current study assessed the influence of the type of speech stimuli (monosyllables, words, and sentences), the signal-to-noise ratio (+5, 0, -5, and -10 dB), the metric used to quantify the speech perception ability (percent-correct, SNR-50, and slope of the psychometric function) and age (young vs old) on the relationship between medial olivocochlear reflex (quantified by contralateral inhibition of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions) and speech perception in noise. RESULTS A linear mixed-effects model revealed no significant contributions of the medial olivocochlear reflex to speech perception in noise. CONCLUSION The results suggest that there was no evidence of any modulatory influence of the indirectly measured medial olivocochlear reflex strength on speech perception in noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shezeen Abdul Gafoor
- Facility for Advanced Auditory Research, Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysuru, India
| | - Ajith Kumar Uppunda
- Department of Audiology, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Manasagangothri, Mysuru, India, 570006.
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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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Salloom WB, Bharadwaj H, Strickland EA. The effects of broadband elicitor duration on a psychoacoustic measure of cochlear gain reduction. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 153:2482. [PMID: 37092950 PMCID: PMC10257528 DOI: 10.1121/10.0017925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Physiological and psychoacoustic studies of the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) in humans have often relied on long duration elicitors (>100 ms). This is largely due to previous research using otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) that found multiple MOCR time constants, including time constants in the 100s of milliseconds, when elicited by broadband noise. However, the effect of the duration of a broadband noise elicitor on similar psychoacoustic tasks is currently unknown. The current study measured the effects of ipsilateral broadband noise elicitor duration on psychoacoustic gain reduction estimated from a forward-masking paradigm. Analysis showed that both masker type and elicitor duration were significant main effects, but no interaction was found. Gain reduction time constants were ∼46 ms for the masker present condition and ∼78 ms for the masker absent condition (ranging from ∼29 to 172 ms), both similar to the fast time constants reported in the OAE literature (70-100 ms). Maximum gain reduction was seen for elicitor durations of ∼200 ms. This is longer than the 50-ms duration which was found to produce maximum gain reduction with a tonal on-frequency elicitor. Future studies of gain reduction may use 150-200 ms broadband elicitors to maximally or near-maximally stimulate the MOCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- William B Salloom
- Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Hari Bharadwaj
- Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Strickland
- Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
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Holtmann LC, Strahlenbach A, Hans S, Jung L, Lang S, Eichler T, Arweiler-Harbeck D. Assessing Medial Olivocochlear Reflex Strengths via Auditory Brainstem Response: Measurement and Variability in Normal-Hearing Individuals. Am J Audiol 2023; 32:220-231. [PMID: 36729649 DOI: 10.1044/2022_aja-22-00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Optimal measurement settings to measure the medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) in humans have not yet been defined. The purpose of this study was to advance the representation of the MOCR in auditory brainstem response (ABR) as an addition to the current diagnostic portfolio. PARTICIPANTS AND METHOD Twelve female and 14 male normal-hearing adults participated in the study. Potential effects of a contralateral acoustic stimulus (CAS) on amplitude changes were investigated by recording ABR waveform profiles on the left side at click intensities of 50/60/70 dB nHL with and without CAS (60 dB SPL). Secondly, to detect potential chronological order influences, measurement settings were rearranged on the right side and measurements were repeated. Additionally, ABR thresholds were recorded with and without a CAS in 10 patients. RESULTS When the effect of contralateral suppression was analyzed on the basis of amplitude changes, there was a change under administration of the CAS signal that was statistically significant. Interestingly, the order of recordings affected the degree of amplitude change. In three out of 10 patients, reproducible suppression effects on ABR thresholds were detectable upon CAS presentation. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the largest study dealing with the recording of the MOCR elicited by a contralateral noise via ABR in normal-hearing individuals. Effects of MOCR are measurable via amplitude changes upon CAS administration. Chronological orders influence the impact of this effect on amplitude changes. Optimal measurement settings have not yet been defined. However, experiments such as this study may help to further improve measurements, and thus advance the representation of the MOC reflex in ABR as an addition to the current diagnostic portfolio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Christine Holtmann
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medicine Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Amadea Strahlenbach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medicine Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Stefan Hans
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medicine Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Lea Jung
- Cochlear Implant Centrum Ruhr, Bagus Service and ReHabilitation, Essen, Germany
| | - Stephan Lang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medicine Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Theda Eichler
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medicine Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Diana Arweiler-Harbeck
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Medicine Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
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Jedrzejczak WW, Milner R, Pilka E, Ganc M, Skarzynski H. Visual attention does not affect the reliability of otoacoustic emission or medial olivocochlear reflex. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 152:2398. [PMID: 36319231 DOI: 10.1121/10.0014900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated whether visual attention affects the reliability (i.e., repeatability) of transiently evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) magnitudes or of medial olivocochlear reflex (MOCR) estimates. TEOAEs were measured during three visual attentional conditions: control (subject were seated with eyes closed); passive (subjects looked at a pattern of squares on a computer screen); and active (subjects silently counted an occasionally inverted pattern). To estimate reliability, the whole recording session was repeated the next day. The results showed that visual attention does not significantly affect TEOAE or MOCR magnitudes-or their reliability. It is therefore possible to employ visual stimuli (e.g., watching a silent movie) during TEOAE experiments, a procedure sometimes used during testing to prevent subjects from falling asleep or to keep children still and quiet.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Wiktor Jedrzejczak
- World Hearing Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, ulica Mokra 17, Kajetany 05-830 Nadarzyn, Poland
| | - Rafal Milner
- World Hearing Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, ulica Mokra 17, Kajetany 05-830 Nadarzyn, Poland
| | - Edyta Pilka
- World Hearing Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, ulica Mokra 17, Kajetany 05-830 Nadarzyn, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Ganc
- World Hearing Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, ulica Mokra 17, Kajetany 05-830 Nadarzyn, Poland
| | - Henryk Skarzynski
- World Hearing Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, ulica Mokra 17, Kajetany 05-830 Nadarzyn, Poland
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Valderrama JT, de la Torre A, McAlpine D. The hunt for hidden hearing loss in humans: From preclinical studies to effective interventions. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:1000304. [PMID: 36188462 PMCID: PMC9519997 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1000304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many individuals experience hearing problems that are hidden under a normal audiogram. This not only impacts on individual sufferers, but also on clinicians who can offer little in the way of support. Animal studies using invasive methodologies have developed solid evidence for a range of pathologies underlying this hidden hearing loss (HHL), including cochlear synaptopathy, auditory nerve demyelination, elevated central gain, and neural mal-adaptation. Despite progress in pre-clinical models, evidence supporting the existence of HHL in humans remains inconclusive, and clinicians lack any non-invasive biomarkers sensitive to HHL, as well as a standardized protocol to manage hearing problems in the absence of elevated hearing thresholds. Here, we review animal models of HHL as well as the ongoing research for tools with which to diagnose and manage hearing difficulties associated with HHL. We also discuss new research opportunities facilitated by recent methodological tools that may overcome a series of barriers that have hampered meaningful progress in diagnosing and treating of HHL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquin T. Valderrama
- National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University Hearing, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- *Correspondence: Joaquin T. Valderrama, ;
| | - Angel de la Torre
- Department of Signal Theory, Telematics and Communications, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
- Research Centre for Information and Communications Technologies (CITIC-UGR), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - David McAlpine
- Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University Hearing, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Marrufo-Pérez MI, Lopez-Poveda EA. Adaptation to noise in normal and impaired hearing. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 151:1741. [PMID: 35364964 DOI: 10.1121/10.0009802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Many aspects of hearing function are negatively affected by background noise. Listeners, however, have some ability to adapt to background noise. For instance, the detection of pure tones and the recognition of isolated words embedded in noise can improve gradually as tones and words are delayed a few hundred milliseconds in the noise. While some evidence suggests that adaptation to noise could be mediated by the medial olivocochlear reflex, adaptation can occur for people who do not have a functional reflex. Since adaptation can facilitate hearing in noise, and hearing in noise is often harder for hearing-impaired than for normal-hearing listeners, it is conceivable that adaptation is impaired with hearing loss. It remains unclear, however, if and to what extent this is the case, or whether impaired adaptation contributes to the greater difficulties experienced by hearing-impaired listeners understanding speech in noise. Here, we review adaptation to noise, the mechanisms potentially contributing to this adaptation, and factors that might reduce the ability to adapt to background noise, including cochlear hearing loss, cochlear synaptopathy, aging, and noise exposure. The review highlights few knowns and many unknowns about adaptation to noise, and thus paves the way for further research on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam I Marrufo-Pérez
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León, Universidad de Salamanca, Calle Pintor Fernando Gallego 1, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Enrique A Lopez-Poveda
- Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y León, Universidad de Salamanca, Calle Pintor Fernando Gallego 1, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
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