Effects of auditory processing training on speech perception and brainstem plastisity in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Objective Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorderA major problem of ASD is speech perception impairment in the presence of background noise. Additionally, researchers have reported temporal auditory processing impairment in these patients. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of a temporal-based rehabilitation program on improvement of speech perception in the presence of noise using the speech auditory brainstem response (sABR). Materials & Methods Twenty-eight adolescents with high functional ASD with the mean age of 14.35±1.86 were randomly selected and divided into the ASD group (11 males and three females), and the control group (13 males and one female). All subjects had a normal hearing and intelligence threshold and had no history of neurological disorder. The speech perception test was performed in signal-to-noise ratios of zero and +10. The intervention group received a temporal processing-based auditory rehabilitation program and the control group received a conventional rehabilitation program (P<0.05 was considered significant). Results speech perception in noise after rehabilitation was significantly higher in intervention group (P <0.001) and the latency of all sABR waves in the rehabilitation group was lower than that of the control group. Conclusion Improvement of speech perception in noisy environments and the reduced latency of sABR waves after a temporal processing-based rehabilitation program and one month later, points to the role of auditory temporal processing training program highlight the role of brainstem neural plasticity in speech processin

Comparing Intensity Elicited Maximum Reflex Amplitude Between Noise Induced Hearing Loss & Acoustic Trauma at 1 kHz, Contra laterally, and Investigate Relationship Between Amplitude and Hearing Impairment

Method and Materials; this cross sectional descriptive and analytic survey was done at Golestan navy hospital in Tehran, between June 1998 and March 1999 on total of 69 male subject (104 ears, ) 50 acoustic trauma & 54 noise induced H.L) between 20 to 40 ears old. Results: The mean acoustic reflex threshold at 1 kHz showed there is no significant difference between two groups. 2- The intensity elicited maximum reflex amplitude at 1 kHz didn;t produce at a significant linear correlation with subjects age and ear canal volume in both groups. 3- The intensity elicited maximum reflex amplitude in NIHL group wasn't shown a significant correlation with ear compliance and gradient. 4- The mean Intensity (SPL) elicited maximum reflex amplitude in NIHL group was more than mean intensity (SPL) in acoustic trauma group. 5- The mean intensity (SL) elicited maximum reflex amplitude in NIHL group was More than mean intensity (SL) in acoustic trauma group. Conclusion: Acoustic reflex amplitude is reduced for subjects with NIHL compared with acoustic trauma subjects

Age and Gender Effects On Auditory Brain Stem Response (ABR)

Objectives: Auditory Brain Stem Response (ABR) is a result of eight nerve and brain stem nuclei stimulation. Several factors may affect the latencies, interpeak latencies and amplitudes in ABR especially sex and age. In this study, age and sex influence on ABR were studied. Methods: This study was performed on 120 cases (60 males and 60 females) at Akhavan rehabilitation center of university of welfare and rehabilitation sciences, Tehran, Iran. Cases were divided in three age groups: 18-30, 31-50 and 51-70 years old. Each age group consists of 20 males and 20 females. Age and sex influences on absolute latency of wave I and V, and IPL of I-V were examined. Results: Independent t test showed that females have significantly shorter latency of wave I, V, and IPL I-V latency (P<0.001) than males. Two way ANOVA showed that latency of wave I, V and IPL I-V in 51-70 years old group was significantly higher than 18-30 and 31-50 years old groups (P<0.001) Discussion: According to the results of present study and similar studies, in clinical practice, different norms for older adults and both genders should be established

Gender Difference in TEOAEs and Contralateral Suppression of TEOAEs in Normal Hearing Adults

Objectives: Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are sounds that originate in cochlea and are measured in external auditory canal and provide a simple, efficient and non-invasive objective indicator of healthy cochlear function. Olivo cochlear bundle (OCB) or auditory efferent system is a neural feedback pathway which originated from brain stem and terminated in the inner ear and can be evaluated non-invasively by applying a contralateral acoustic stimulus and simultaneously measuring reduction of OAEs amplitude. In this study gender differences in TEOAE amplitude and suppression of TEOAE were investigated. Methods: This study was performed at Akhavan rehabilitation centre belonging to the University of Social welfare and rehabilitation sciences, Tehran, Iran in 2011. 60 young adults (30 female and 30 male) between 21 and 27 years old (mean=24 years old, SD=1.661) with normal hearing criteria were selected. Right ear of all cases were tested to neutralize side effect if there is any. Results: According to Independent t-test, TEOAE amplitude was significantly greater in females with mean value of 24.98 dB (P<0.001) and TEOAE suppression was significantly greater in males with mean value of 2.07 dB (P<0.001). Discussion: This study shows that there is a significant gender difference in adult&rsquo;s TEOAE (cochlear mechanisms) and TEOAE suppression (auditory efferent system). The exact reason for these results is not clear. According to this study different norms for males and females might be necessary

Auditory Brainstem Response Improvements in Hyperbillirubinemic Infants

Background and Objectives: Hyperbillirubinemia in infants have been associated with neuronal damage including in the auditory system. Some researchers have suggested that the bilirubin-induced auditory neuronal damages may be temporary and reversible. This study was aimed at investigating the auditory neuropathy and reversibility of auditory abnormalities in hyperbillirubinemic infants. Subjects and Methods: The study participants included 41 full term hyperbilirubinemic infants (mean age 39.24 days) with normal birth weight (3,2003,700 grams) that admitted in hospital for hyperbillirubinemia and 39 normal infants (mean age 35.54 days) without any hyperbillirubinemia or other hearing loss risk factors for ruling out maturational changes. All infants in hyperbilirubinemic group had serum bilirubin level more than 20 milligram per deciliter and undergone one blood exchange transfusion. Hearing evaluation for each infant was conducted twice: the first one after hyperbilirubinemia treatment and before leaving hospital and the second one three months after the first hearing evaluation. Hearing evaluations included transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) screening and auditory brainstem response (ABR) threshold tracing. Results: The TEOAE and ABR results of control group and TEOAE results of the hyperbilirubinemic group did not change significantly from the first to the second evaluation. However, the ABR results of the hyperbilirubinemic group improved significantly from the first to the second assessment (p=0.025). Conclusions: The results suggest that the bilirubin induced auditory neuronal damage can be reversible over time so we suggest that infants with hyperbilirubinemia who fail the first hearing tests should be reevaluated after 3 months of treatment

Reliability of Interaural Time Difference-Based Localization Training in Elderly Individuals with Speech-in-Noise Perception Disorder

Background: Previous studies have shown that interaural-time-difference (ITD) training can improve localization ability. Surprisingly little is, however, known about localization training vis-à-vis speech perception in noise based on interaural time difference in the envelope (ITD ENV). We sought to investigate the reliability of an ITD ENV-based training program in speech-in-noise perception among elderly individuals with normal hearing and speech-in-noise disorder. Methods: The present interventional study was performed during 2016. Sixteen elderly men between 55 and 65 years of age with the clinical diagnosis of normal hearing up to 2000 Hz and speech-in-noise perception disorder participated in this study. The training localization program was based on changes in ITD ENV. In order to evaluate the reliability of the training program, we performed speech-in-noise tests before the training program, immediately afterward, and then at 2 months’ follow-up. The reliability of the training program was analyzed using the Friedman test and the SPSS software. Results: Significant statistical differences were shown in the mean scores of speech-in-noise perception between the 3 time points (P=0.001). The results also indicated no difference in the mean scores of speech-in-noise perception between the 2 time points of immediately after the training program and 2 months’ follow-up (P=0.212). Conclusion: The present study showed the reliability of an ITD ENV-based localization training in elderly individuals with speech-in-noise perception disorder

The effect serum vitamin D normalization in preventing recurrences of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo .a case-control study

Background: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a condition with recurrent attacks in a significant proportion of patients. The present case- control study was conducted to assess the influence of serum vitamin D normalization on recurrent attacks of vitamin D deficient patients. Methods: Diagnosis of BPPV was made based on history and clinical examination and exclusion of other conditions. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) was measured using ELISA method and a levels of < 20 ng/ml was considered a deficiency of vitamin D. Inclusion criteria were as follows: history of recurrent attacks and serum 25-OHD<20.ng/ml. While the patients with history of trauma, surgery and chronic systemic diseases were excluded. The patients were classified into two groups: treatment and control, intermittently. Both groups received Epley rehabilitation therapy one session per week for 4 weeks but the treatment group received an additional supplement of 50.000 IU of vitamin D (cholecalciferol) weekly for two months to achieve serum 25-OHD &ge; 30 ng/ml and the study patients were followed-up for 6 months. Results: Twenty-seven patients were allocated to each group. At baseline, serum 25-OHD was similar (10.7&plusmn;2.3 vs 11.41&plusmn;1.9, P=0.23). At month 2, serum 25-OHD in the treatment group increased significantly to &ge; 30 ng/ ml, whereas serum 25-OHD in the control group remained unchanged (34.2&plusmn;3.3 vs 10.6 10.6&plusmn;2.2 ng/ml, P=0.001). During the follow-up period, attacks of BPPV in the treatment group decreased significantly compared with the control group (14.8% vs 96.3% OR= 0.18, P=0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the normalization of serum vitamin D significantly reduces BPPV recurrences

Data on galvanic-evoked head movements in healthy and unilaterally labyrinthectomized rats

In this dataset, we analyzed galvanic-evoked head movements (GEHMs) in the spatial planes of yaw, and roll in normal and unilaterally labyrinthectomized (UL) Wistar rats. The rats were assigned in 4 groups of 10: control, sham, right-UL and left-UL. Bilateral galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) was presented by our “ring-shaped electrode” design (see “Short-term galvanic vestibular stimulation promotes functional recovery and neurogenesis in unilaterally labyrinthectomized rats” (M. Shaabani et al., 2016) [1]). Required data were collected through video recording of GEHMs followed by image processing and statistical analysis

Effect of auditory temporal training program on speech fluency of children with developmental stuttering

&nbsp; Objectives to investigate the effect of auditory temporal processing training on the alleviation of stuttering severity in children who stutter (CWS) diagnosed with auditory temporal processing (ATP) disorders. Materials &amp; Methods Thirty-one (31) CWS diagnosed with ATP disorders participated in this study (intervention group: 17 participants between 7 to 12 years old; control group: 14 participants between 8 to 12 years old). The ATP test and SSI-3 were examined before, after 12 sessions (about 540 minutes) training, and three months following the conclusion of the intervention. Result According to the results, ATP improved significantly in the intervention group after auditory temporal training and the differences between the intervention and control group were significant (p&lt;0.05). The improvement of ATP skills remained stable in the post-training evaluation after three months (p&gt;0.05). Although the SSI-3 score was further improved in the intervention group, but there was no significant difference between two groups (p=0.984). Conclusions The findings revealed that ATP training acted as a complementary therapy alleviating stuttering severity of CWS with ATP disorders to some extent

Relation between Working Memory Capacity and Auditory Stream Segregation in Children with Auditory Processing Disorder

Background: This study assessed the relationship between working memory capacity and auditory stream segregation by using the concurrent minimum audible angle in children with a diagnosed auditory processing disorder (APD). Methods: The participants in this cross-sectional, comparative study were 20 typically developing children and 15 children with a diagnosed APD (age, 9–11 years) according to the subtests of multiple-processing auditory assessment. Auditory stream segregation was investigated using the concurrent minimum audible angle. Working memory capacity was evaluated using the non-word repetition and forward and backward digit span tasks. Nonparametric statistics were utilized to compare the between-group differences. The Pearson correlation was employed to measure the degree of association between working memory capacity and the localization tests between the 2 groups. Results: The group with APD had significantly lower scores than did the typically developing subjects in auditory stream segregation and working memory capacity. There were significant negative correlations between working memory capacity and the concurrent minimum audible angle in the most frontal reference location (0° azimuth) and lower negative correlations in the most lateral reference location (60° azimuth) in the children with APD. Conclusion: The study revealed a relationship between working memory capacity and auditory stream segregation in children with APD. The research suggests that lower working memory capacity in children with APD may be the possible cause of the inability to segregate and group incoming information