The Effect of High Frequency Sensorineural Hearing Loss on Auditory Temporal Resolution: Gaps-In-Noise Test Performance in Older and Young Adults with Normal Hearing.
10.3342/kjorl-hns.2015.58.12.841
- Author:
Yong Kyung KANG
1
;
Eun Sub LEE
;
Sang Won YOON
;
Hyun Joon SHIM
;
Yong Hwi AN
Author Information
1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. an0072@hanmail.net
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Age;
Gaps-In-Noise test;
High-frequency hearing loss;
Temporal resolution
- MeSH:
Acoustics;
Adult;
Hearing Loss, High-Frequency;
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural*;
Hearing Tests;
Hearing*;
Humans;
Young Adult*
- From:Korean Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
2015;58(12):841-847
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Auditory temporal resolution, which refers to the time-related aspects of acoustic processing, can be evaluated by the Gaps-In-Noise (GIN) test. We investigated whether the presence of high frequency sensorineural hearing loss (HF-SNHL) affects the temporal resolution of GIN performance in older adults with normal hearing. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Hearing tests including the GIN test were performed in 87 subjects with normal pure tone average. The GIN threshold and percentage of correct answers were compared among 4 groups of participants; older adults with normal hearing (n=18), older adults with HF-SNHL (n=24), young adults with normal hearing (n=24) and young adults with HF-SNHL (n=21). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the mean GIN thresholds between the HF-SNHL group (5.8+/-0.8 msec) and the normal hearing group (6.0+/-0.8 msec) in older adults, whereas the mean GIN thresholds of HF-SNHL group was higher than that of the normal group in young adults (4.6+/-0.3 msec vs. 4.2+/-0.5 msec, p<0.05). The mean percentage of correct answers of HF-SNHL group (62.5+/-5.5%) was not significantly different from that of the normal hearing group (60.6+/-3.9%) in the old, unlike in the young (71.3+/-4.0% with HF-SNHL vs. 76.9+/-4.3% with normal hearing, p<0.05). Age only showed a significant correlation with the GIN performance. Neither the GIN threshold nor the GIN perception level had any relation with the presence of HF-SNHL in older adults. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence that supported the influence of HF-SNHL on auditory temporal resolution in older adults. These results imply that HF-SNHL may be of little importance in gap detection after age-related changes in central auditory system.
