Neuroaudiology

The auditory brainstem response (ABR) and middle latency response (MLR) are two sets of evoked potentials that have made major contributions to the field of diagnostic audiology. Many of these contributions were guided by clinical research audiologists. Though many of these auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) are still being used diagnostically by audiologists, there has been a steep decline in their popularity both clinically and in the research laboratory. This is indeed most unfortunate because these AEPs could and should be advancing our field and benefitting many patients...

AIM: Central sensitization-related neuroaudiological symptoms are frequently seen in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). This study aimed to evaluate the audiological signs and symptoms in patients with FMS and explore their relationship with oxidative stress markers. METHODS: This prospective controlled cross-sectional study compared the serum myeloperoxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in 44 patients with FMS diagnosed according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria and 44 healthy volunteers...

INTRODUCTION: The chirp stimulus was developed seeking to counterbalance the delay of the sound wave on its journey through the cochlea, allowing the hair cells to depolarize at the same time. The result is a simultaneous stimulation providing better neural synchrony and, consequently, the recording of responses with greater amplitudes. OBJECTIVE: To compare the absolute latency of waves I, III and V, the interpeak intervals I-III, III-V and I-V, amplitude values of wave V and its association with the amplitude of wave I, and the interaural difference V-V in the auditory brainstem response (ABR) using Click and LS CE-Chirp® stimuli to determine whether the responses evoked by LS CE-Chirp® could be applied to neuroaudiological diagnosis...

INTRODUCTION: Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder, and may be associated with neuroaudiological factors linked to central auditory processing, including changes in auditory processing skills and temporal resolution. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the temporal processing and long-latency auditory evoked potential in stutterers and to compare them with non-stutterers. METHODS: The study included 41 right-handed subjects, aged 18-46 years, divided into two groups: stutterers (n=20) and non-stutters (n=21), compared according to age, education, and sex...

Many individuals with central auditory nervous system (CANS) pathology/disorder report a variety of auditory symptoms with difficulty hearing in noise being one of the most common complaints (Chermak and Musiek, 1992) Interestingly, there seems to be a paucity of information in the literature on lateralized hearing loss symptoms in patients with central auditory disorders. Reported here is a case where the patient reported auditory symptoms, specifically hearing loss that was lateralized distinctly to the right ear...

BACKGROUND: the behavioral auditory processing (AP) evaluation allows the investigation of neuroaudiological processes involved in speech fluency processing. AIM: the purpose of this study was to describe the results obtained in the AP evaluation in stutterers, comparing the type of AP disorder with the severity of stuttering. METHOD: 56 subjects, 49 male and 7 female, ranging in age from 4 to 34 years, were referred from the speech-language clinic of UNIFESP to the AP evaluation...

BACKGROUND: Hyperacusis and phonophobia are common, debilitating symptoms in Williams syndrome (WS), yet little is known about their underlying audiologic and neurologic processes. METHODS: The mothers of 49 subjects with WS were asked to complete the Hyperacusis Screening Questionnaire. Subjects with reported hyperacusis and sufficient developmental capacity underwent comprehensive audiological and brain auditory evoked response (BAER) testing. Findings were compared with those from pair-matched typically developing control subjects...

BACKGROUND: Psychoacoustics is a fascinating developing field concerned with the evaluation of the hearing sensation as an outcome of a sound or speech stimulus. Neuroaudiology with electrophysiologic testing, records the electrical activity of the auditory pathways, extending from the 8th cranial nerve up to the cortical auditory centers as a result of external auditory stimuli. Central Auditory Processing Disorders may co-exist with mental disorders and complicate diagnosis and outcome. DESIGN: A MEDLINE search was conducted to search for papers concerning the association between Central Auditory Processing Disorders and mental disorders...

OBJECTIVE: The audiological examination of this patient was to determine the degree and type of hearing loss that was incurred from apparent dimethylmercury poisoning. DESIGN: This was a single subject case study design. Audiologic tests were selected to help determine sensory from neural and/or central auditory system dysfunction. RESULTS: This patient demonstrated an inability to understand speech, both in formal and informal assessments, yet relatively good hearing sensitivity for pure tones bilaterally...

A case is presented of a 27-year-old male subject with a cerebellopontine angle tumour which was provisionally diagnosed on the basis of the ABR latency-intensity function findings and later confirmed by MRI. The patient initially presented with decreased hearing sensitivity, tinnitus and dizziness. The findings of neuroaudiological assessments and radiological examinations are described. The importance of the neuroaudiological test battery, in particular the ABR latency-intensity function, in this case is discussed; and the need for its inclusion for earlier detection and diagnosis of cerebellopontine angle tumours emphasized...

Seventeen surgically confirmed acoustic neuroma subjects and seventeen radiologically confirmed non-tumour subjects with retrocochlear pathology of unknown aetiology were selected to investigate retrospectively the diagnostic yield of basic audiological test procedures. Puretone audiometry, tympanometry, reflexometry and auditory brainstem response audiometry were used in the identification of acoustic neuromas versus non-tumour retrocochlear disorders. All subjects had been referred originally for neuroaudiological assessment because of suspected acoustic neuroma and had been found to have a range of abnormal ABR findings consistent with retrocochlear pathology...

A patient with a large right frontal lobe abscess was administered a battery of audiologic and neuroaudiologic tests. Results indicated a definite central auditory processing deficit with essentially normal peripheral hearing. The same test battery was given three months later, after the abscess had completely resolved. The neuroaudiological results on retest were essentially normal for the entire test battery. The specific central auditory processing deficit noted in this case is discussed, along with details of the neuroaudiologic assessment...

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Thirty-six patients (31 females and 5 males) with "chronic primary fibromyalgia" combined with dysesthesia were studied using neuroaudiological tests. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) was pathological in 11 patients (31%). In six instances the I-V interpeak latency (IPL) was prolonged, in two instances the interaural difference of wave V (IT5) was pathological, and in three instances there was a reduction of the amplitude of wave V. A comparison of the I-V IPLs between the female patient group and a matching control group showed that there was a significant prolongation of this parameter in the patient group...

We have been using a microprocessor/microcomputer-based system which affords flexibility in the recording of neuroaudiologic and neurophysiologic data. To date, we have used it to record auditory sensory and neural events. Data such as spontaneous oto-acoustic emissions, evoked oto-acoustic emissions, compound action potentials, and auditory brain-stem responses can be recorded, displayed and analysed. The system hardware is configured from commercially available and 'off-the-shelf' components. The software which directs stimulus generation, data recording, data display and analysis is all written in compiled BASIC or C...

Although the protean manifestations of neurofibromatosis have been studied for many years, much is yet to be learned about this disease in young children. Specifically, little is known about the prevalence and significance of early neurotologic abnormalities in this population. Our review of the recent literature, however, failed to identify any publication on the use of ABR and acoustic reflex testing in the pediatric neurofibromatosis population. This study reports on a standardized differential diagnostic battery conducted on 44 children diagnosed as having neurofibromatosis...

Six groups of subjects, altogether 107 in number, were studied with phase audiometry. Three control groups were studied (normal-hearing healthy controls, persons with cochlear hearing losses, and patients with neurological disease not affecting the auditory system), and three patient groups were studied (patients with cerebellopontine angle tumours, with brainstem lesions, and with temporal lobe lesions). Two phase audiometers were used. The sensitivity was 85% for patients with cerebellopontine angle tumours, 71% for patients with brainstem lesions, and 69% for patients with temporal lobe lesions...