The latest medical research on Audiology
The research magnet gathers the latest research from around the web, based on your specialty area. Below you will find a sample of some of the most recent articles from reputable medical journals about audiology gathered by our medical AI research bot.
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Request AccessIncorporating Virtual Reality Agents During a Dichotic Speech Reception Task: Insights From the Heart.
Ear and HearingListening effort is moderated by not only task difficulty, but also success importance. In real communication scenarios, success importance varies based upon the social context. However, in the laboratory, it can be challenging to manipulate social context without compromising experimental control. Outside of hearing sciences, studies have applied virtual reality (VR) to incorporate social context in a controlled and repeatable manner. Several of these studies have demonstrated that social manipulations in VR can reliably elicit changes in cardiovascular measures. Here, we investigated the effect of adding VR agents to a speech reception task, while measuring from the cardiovascular system.
Twenty-eight, normally hearing participants undertook a dichotic speech reception task. Sentences in stationary noise were presented dichotically, that is, different sentences presented simultaneously to each ear. Participants were tasked to either repeat one of the sentences (single-sentence condition) or both of the sentences (dual-sentence condition). The task was conducted under two VR conditions: (1) in the presence of agents, who provided sporadic performance feedback and (2) in the presence of nonagent controls, without any feedback given. Alongside task performance, we quantified changes in cardiovascular measures, relative to pretask baselines: heart rate variability, pre-ejection period, heart rate, and blood pressure. After each condition, participants rated their subjective effort, difficulty, performance, and engagement.
Performance and the subjective perception of performance were lower, while subjective effort and difficulty were higher, in the dual-sentence condition, compared with the single-sentence condition. Heart rate was the only cardiovascular measure that was sensitive to the experimental manipulations. Contrary to our expectations, heart rate increased in the nonagent control conditions, compared with the agent conditions. An exploratory analysis revealed heart rate fluctuations within a trial: heart rate was higher during the first 6 sec of the trial (reflecting the presentence masking noise and the sentence presentation) in the dual-sentence condition, compared with the single-sentence condition.
This study was the first to incorporate VR agents who provided performance feedback during a dichotic speech reception task. Our results suggest that the VR agents did not increase success importance, which could be attributed to a lack of realism of the agents. We also demonstrated that the cardiovascular response to experimental manipulations may differ depending on the data window selected for analysis.
Acoustic- Versus Intelligibility-Based Assessment of Subjective Listening Difficulty Measured With the Repeat-Recall Test.
Ear and HearingTo contrast interpretations of listening effort ratings when judged against acoustic- versus intelligibility-based normative references.
Existing data collected from 66 normal-hearing adult listeners, comprising 2730 trials of the Repeat-Recall Test, were used to establish norms of subjective listening effort ratings for six ranges of intelligibility. Data from 21 aided hearing-impaired listeners were then used to contrast intelligibility-based norms against acoustic-based norms when interpreting listening effort ratings measured in omnidirectional and directional microphone conditions.
Whereas acoustic-based norms effectively demonstrated reduced effort for directional versus omnidirectional microphone modes, intelligibility-based references controlled for listeners' performance biases and improved the consistency with which subjective ratings were ranked across the two microphone conditions.
The choice of normative reference should be carefully considered when judging listening effort ratings from hearing-impaired individuals against those of their normal-hearing peers. Whereas acoustic-based references may be more useful for evaluating the benefits of hearing aid technology, intelligibility-based references may be better suited to identifying listeners with poor subjective experiences for speech-in-noise related to factors beyond intelligibility.
Simplified frequency selectivity measure as a potential candidate for hearing screening: changes with masker level and test-retest reliability of self-administered testing.
International Journal of EpidemiologyThis two-part pilot study investigated the feasibility of using a frequency selectivity measure (TFS) to develop a novel hearing screening test for cooperative adults. Study 1 determined the optimal masker level, while Study 2 assessed the reliability of a self-administered TFS test prototype performed at the selected masker level.
Study 1 (normal hearing, n = 20) examined masker-level effects on TFS using a manual threshold determination method from an earlier study. Study 2 (normal hearing, n = 21; hearing loss, n = 5) evaluated the reliability of a self-administered TFS test using a new automated threshold determination procedure.
Moderate masker levels (30-40 dB SPL) were suitable for the TFS measurements, with 40 dB SPL being optimal. Lower level (20 dB SPL) led to floor effects, while higher level (50 dB SPL) broadened cochlear tuning and reduced TFS values. The self-administered test demonstrated ±9 dB limit of agreement, with intra-subject absolute mean differences of 1.8-2.7 dB across test frequencies, indicating greater variability compared to the manual method.
The self-administered TFS test is a candidate for hearing screening, particularly for mild sensorineural hearing loss. However, further research is needed to reduce measurement variability and optimise testing for real-world use.
Assessing vocabulary acquisition using a fast-mapping task in an Android application: A pilot study.
International Journal of EpidemiologyThe aim of this study was to explore whether a fast mapping task embedded in an Android application (FastMApp) is a valid tool to assess referent selection abilities in Spanish-speaking children aged between 18 and 30 months. Traditional assessment tools for lexical development use static quantitative methods that assign children a final score to represent their overall vocabulary level. These methods fail to provide insights into the learning process, despite their potential relevance for clinical and educational purposes.
Sixty Spanish-speaking children participated in this study. They completed the FastMApp (a 22-trials' fast mapping noun task including 4- and 5-item trials, with one unknown object), and their caregivers rated their child's vocabulary on a parent-rated vocabulary inventory measure.
The data show a high percentage of responses to the task, indicating that the children were actively complied with the task. The scores for known labels are significantly higher compared to unknown labels, and the scores for 4-item trials are significantly higher compared to 5-item trials. We observed a strong and significant relationship between the scores in this task and the scores on the parent-rated vocabulary inventory measure.
The results suggest that FastMApp is suitable for assessing early vocabulary acquisition in Spanish-speaking children.
Barriers and Facilitators in Using Surface Electromyography in Swallowing Management: An Implementation Science Study.
Speech Language PathThis study aimed to identify clinician-perceived barriers and facilitators before the implementation of surface electromyography (sEMG) for swallowing management, implement sEMG biofeedback in swallowing rehabilitation sessions using implementation strategies, and investigate the perceived benefits and drawbacks after the implementation of the sEMG device from the perspectives of speech-language pathologists (SLPs).
An initial pre-implementation survey characterized the SLPs' practices in swallowing management regarding the use of biofeedback modalities as well as facilitators and barriers to the implementation of sEMG. In the implementation phase, six SLPs attended educational and training meetings, tested, and used sEMG with patients during their swallowing sessions. Finally, a postimplementation survey and focus group assessed the six SLPs' perceptions and experiences using sEMG and identified areas for improvement in the implementation process.
The majority of the 44 SLPs who answered the pre-implementation survey did not use sEMG in swallowing therapy. The most frequently reported barriers to implementation were reduced sEMG knowledge and lack of training (86.4%), lack of equipment access or availability (68.2%), and patient-related barriers (36.6%). The six SLPs who participated in the implementation phase used sEMG with 30 different patients, conducting a total of 105 sessions. They reported that it was easy to use sEMG during sessions and that sEMG helped them to teach swallowing maneuvers. Additionally, they stated that patients were motivated during sEMG sessions. Ongoing training and mentoring were some of the suggestions for implementation improvements.
This study exemplifies the collaborative work between researchers and clinicians to facilitate the translation of technologies into clinical practice. Identifying determinants of sEMG implementation and strategies to address barriers was critical to its acceptability and adoption into clinical practice.
Effects of Noise Exposure on Video Ocular Counter Roll Measurements.
Am J AudiologyThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of noise exposure on otolith function measures of video ocular counter roll (vOCR), ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP), cervical VEMP (cVEMP), and subjective visual vertical (SVV). Additionally, this study compared the vOCR results with other otolith function measures: cVEMP, oVEMP, and SVV.
This was a cross-sectional, between-group prospective study that compared otolith function tests between noise exposure groups. Thirty-three adults between the ages of 40-60 years with no middle ear pathology, history of balance disorder, neurologic pathology, systemic diseases, or receiving ototoxic medications were included in the study. Group 1 included 17 adults (34 ears) with low-risk noise exposure, and Group 2 included 16 adults (32 ears) with high-risk noise exposure. Independent samples t tests were used to assess group mean differences for dependent variables. The independent variable was group with two levels (low risk and high risk). The dependent variables were Noise Exposure Structured Interview (NESI) score, vOCR torsion, cVEMP amplitude, oVEMP amplitude, and SVV angle. Additional analyses were completed using Pearson correlation to evaluate the relationship of vOCR to the other otolith function tests and NESI score to the otolith function tests.
The results indicated significantly decreased vOCR torsion, cVEMP amplitude, and oVEMP amplitude in individuals with high-risk noise exposure compared with those in the low-risk group. Significant correlations were found for NESI scores as well as vOCR and oVEMP measures.
This study describes the concomitant degeneration of the auditory and vestibular systems from noise exposure affecting otolith function, as measured by audiologic testing and otolith testing. vOCR appears to be sensitive to this degeneration, indicating that vOCR could be used as a vestibular screening measure for patients with noise exposure and/or suspected utricle dysfunction.
How speech and language therapists and parents work together in the therapeutic process for children with speech sound disorder: A scoping review.
Int J LangSpeech sound disorders (SSDs) are broadly defined as difficulty producing speech sounds in childhood. Reported prevalence of SSD varies from 2.3% to 24.6%, depending on how SSD is defined and the included age range. SSDs that do not resolve before age 8 can have a lasting impact on a child's academic achievements. The intensity of intervention for SSD is important to ensure effectiveness. However, there is a gap between the evidence base for intensity and speech and language therapists' (SLTs) clinical practice. One way that SLTs try to bridge this gap is by working with parents. SLTs believe that working with parents/caregivers is vital for a child with SSD to make progress.
To conduct a scoping review of the literature to provide a comprehensive picture of the perceptions, experiences and strategies underpinning collaborative working between SLTs and parents/caregivers of children (aged ≤ 5 years 11 months) with SSD to increase intervention intensity at home.
This scoping review was completed in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A systematic search of PubMed, PsycInfo, CINHAL, Web of Science, EBSCOhost and EThOS was conducted using synonyms of three key terms: SSD, Therapy, Parents. Key journals and papers were hand searched for unique papers. A total of 29 papers were included for review. Data were analysed using thematic synthesis to develop themes. These themes are discussed using the PAGER framework to identify advances, gaps, evidence for practice and areas for future research.
Seven key themes were identified: individualization, setting expectations, daily life, parental knowledge, parental involvement, therapeutic relationships and supporting parents to deliver home practice. There has been an acceleration of research around working with parents of children with SSD, with increased consideration of effective adult coaching techniques. Parents value the parental and child relationship with the SLT and feel this supports the success of home practice. There is a need for further research, and guidance for SLTs working with parents of children with SSD to enable them to support parents to deliver home practice effectively.
What is already known on the subject There is a gap between what is recommended in the evidence base for intervention intensity for children with SSD and current clinical practice worldwide. SLTs try to bridge this gap through home practice and believe that working with parents/caregivers is vital for children with SSD to make progress. However, little is known about the best ways for SLTs to work with parents for this population. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge Training parents to be implementers of intervention in a personalized and flexible way is important and valued by parents and SLTs. Parents value understanding the clinical rationale behind the intervention approach and benefit from explicit instructions for home practice, including discussion, written information, observation and feedback. Therapeutic relationships take time to develop and impact parental engagement in home practice. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The findings of this study highlight existing knowledge which will support SLTs to work optimally with parents to implement home practice for their child with SSD. It highlights the importance of taking time to foster working relationships with parents to support effective home practice. The review identifies gaps in the current skills and knowledge of SLTs, highlighting the need for further research, support and guidance for SLTs in their work with parents, as well as implications for the development of the SLT pre-registration curriculum.
Influence of Matching the Processing Delays of Cochlear Implant and Hearing Aid Devices for Bimodal Listeners on Speech Recognition in Noise.
Am J AudiologyCochlear implant (CI) recipients who listen with a hearing aid (HA) in the contralateral ear, known as bimodal listeners, demonstrate individual variability in speech recognition in noise. This variability may be due in part to differences in the processing delays of the CI and HA devices. This study investigated the influence of matching the processing delays of CI and HA devices on masked speech recognition for bimodal listeners.
Twelve postlingually deafened adult CI recipients completed a task of masked speech recognition in two listening conditions: (a) independent default CI and HA processing delays (mismatched) and (b) with their HA-specific delay applied to the CI processing delay (matched). Speech recognition was evaluated with AzBio sentences presented in a 10-talker masker at a 0 dB SNR. The target was presented from the front loudspeaker at 0° azimuth, and the masker was co-located with the target, presented 90° toward the CI ear, or presented 90° toward the HA ear.
There was a significant main effect for target-to-masker configuration, with better performance when the masker was spatially separated from the target. Better masked speech recognition was observed in the matched condition as compared to the mismatched condition.
Bimodal listeners may experience better masked speech recognition when the processing delay of the CI is individualized to match the processing delay of the contralateral HA.
https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27616845.
The Impact of Clear and Loud Speech Cues on Acoustic and Perceptual Features of Speech Production in Adolescents With Down Syndrome.
Speech Language PathThere are few evidence-based speech interventions designed to alter speech production in a way that ultimately results in increased speech intelligibility in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). The primary purpose of this study was to examine the impact of clear and loud speech cues on acoustic and perceptual features of speech production in adolescents with DS.
Eight adolescents diagnosed with DS repeated sentences of varying lengths in three conditions: habitual, big mouth (i.e., clear speech), and strong voice (i.e., loud speech). Four hundred eighty adult listeners (20 listeners per adolescent per condition) provided orthographic transcriptions of adolescent's speech, which were used to calculate intelligibility scores. Acoustic measures of speech rate, articulation rate, proportion of time spent pausing, vocal intensity, and fundamental frequency were calculated for each sentence.
The big mouth condition resulted in significantly increased intelligibility, slowed speech and articulation rates, increased pauses, increased vocal intensity, and increased fundamental frequency. The strong voice condition resulted in significantly increased vocal intensity and fundamental frequency, but no other changes. Speech rate was the only variable that explained any of the variance in intelligibility.
Adolescents with DS respond differently to clear and loud speech cues. In particular, clear speech cues resulted in significant increases in intelligibility, but loud speech cues did not. Clear speech cues hold promise as an intervention strategy for adolescents with DS.
Microstructure competences and grammatical errors of Danish-speaking children with developmental language disorder when telling and retelling narratives and engaging in spontaneous language.
Int J LangResearch on the grammatical characteristics of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) across languages has challenged accounts about the nature of DLD. Studies of the characteristics of DLD in different languages can reveal which components of DLD emerge irrespective of language and which components are language specific.
To examine the grammatical characteristics of children with DLD acquiring Danish (microstructure and error types) in order to contribute to research on language-general and language-specific characteristics of DLD.
Language samples from two telling narratives, one retelling narrative and one session of semi-spontaneous talk were collected from 39 Danish-speaking children aged 5;0-8;6, comprising one group of children with DLD (n = 15) and two control groups (age- and language-matched: n = 15 and = 9, respectively). The data were analysed with reference to microstructure and grammatical errors. The DLD children's performance was compared with that of their peers with typical language development (AM) and to that of a younger group matched on language comprehension (LM). Task effects were also analysed.
A significant group difference in microstructure was present in the results for mean length of utterance (MLU), where the AM group had significant higher MLU compared with the DLD group. Two variables clearly distinguished DLD children from both AM and LM children in terms of errors, namely word order errors and omission errors. The analysis of grammatical errors also revealed that the most salient challenges for Danish-speaking children with DLD were not clearly morphological in nature. Although the children with DLD, as expected, made more morphological errors compared with the AM group, they did not produce more errors compared with the LM group. Task effects were present for some but not all results.
What is already known on this subject DLD is characterized by challenges in producing and comprehending language. Ample research is available on English-speaking children with DLD, and which has reported on challenges acquiring morphology. Studies of children with DLD acquiring other languages than English show challenges related to specific grammatical features of the respective language. What this study adds to the existing knowledge This study is the first to investigate microstructure abilities and grammatical errors produced by Danish-speaking children with DLD and using different language samples (narrative telling, narrative retelling and spontaneous language). It enhances our knowledge about DLD in Scandinavian languages and cross-linguistically and reinforces cross-linguistic findings that grammatical and structural challenges in language acquisition for children with DLD might not be reducible exclusively to morphology. While some components of DLD children's language challenges may appear universal and be attributed to overarching factors other components seem more specific to the structure of the target language. Results from this study additionally draw attention to the importance of considering contextual constraints when investigating productive grammatical abilities in children with DLD. What are the practical and clinical implications of this work? More detailed analysis of grammatical error types seen in children with DLD acquiring languages other than English and of individual differences contribute to clinical advancement in the field. A better insight into grammatical difficulties of Danish-speaking children with DLD may contribute to improved assessment procedures and planning of therapy for children with DLD.
THE ROLE OF IMAGING MODALITIES IN DIAGNOSIS AND OUTCOME OF OTITIS MEDIA WITH EFFUSION IN COCHLEAR IMPLANT CANDIDATES.
Audiology and Neuro-OtologyWe investigated the accuracy of imaging modalities in diagnosis and outcome of otitis media with effusion by correlating the imaging findings with the preoperative otomicroscopic examinations, tympanometric results, and intra-operative findings in patients who undergone cochlear implant surgery.
The results of the preoperative physical examination, and intra-operative findings of patients younger than 18 years who underwent cochlear implant surgery at a single tertiary instution were recorded from their medical charts. Tympanometries, which were performed in maximum 1 week prior to imaging modalities, were analyzed. The high resolution computed tomography of temporal bone and magnetic resonance imaging of internal acoustic meati findings were reviewed. The mastoid cavity and middle ears were evaluated separately.
The data comprising of 280 ears were evaluated. The correlation between imaging findings and both physical examination and tympanometries were statistically significant (p=0.000). The intra-operative findings supported this correlation.
Our study showed that imaging modalities might detect the middle ear and mastoid cavity effusions. The severity of these changes may differ according to the severity of disease.
Differential Impacts of Anticipated Success on Employment Outcomes Among Adults Who Stutter.
Speech Language PathStuttering is associated with disparities in labor market outcomes among young adults, but little is known about how labor market outcomes associated with stuttering change over time. Therefore, this study characterized longitudinal associations between stuttering and early life expectations, job satisfaction, receipt of employer-provided insurance benefits, and income.
The analysis used data from three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, which contained 16,653 individuals aged 18-43 years interviewed over 18 years. First, regression models evaluated the likelihood of employment between people who stutter (PWS) and people who do not stutter (PWNS). Second, conditional on employment, two-stage likelihood models quantified differences in their job satisfaction, receipt of employer-provided insurance benefits, and earned income, controlling for age, sex, race, and household characteristics. Finally, the relationship between their reported education and income expectations and these employment outcomes was evaluated.
Although stuttering was not related to the likelihood of working or receiving employer-provided benefits, PWS were 20%-22% (SE = 0.06-0.07) less likely to be satisfied with their jobs than PWNS, and dissatisfaction increased with age. Additionally, the odds of earning a higher income were significantly lower for PWS than for PWNS. PWS who anticipated attending college and earning a middle-class income were more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and earn a higher income. However, PWS were less likely to expect that they would earn a middle-class income (PWNS: 46.4%, PWS: 36.3%) or graduate from college (PWNS: 70.9%, PWS: 58.4%) compared to PWNS.
Labor market inequities associated with stuttering persist and increase with age. PWS have significantly lower expectations for their likelihood of future success, and these expectations predict their future occupational outcomes.
