Effect of early onset otitis media on brainstem and cortical auditory processing

Abstract

Background: Otitis media (OM) leads to significant reduction in the hearing sensitivity. The reduced auditory input, if in the early years of life when the auditory neural system is still maturing, may adversely influence the structural as well as functional development of the system. Past research has reported abnormalities in both the structure and function of brainstem nuclei following auditory deprivation, but, it has not necessarily focused on children who had OM in their first year of life. It can also be said that if auditory processing is affected at the brainstem level because of early onset OM (reduced auditory input in the crucial periods of neural development), then, it may be said that auditory processing is also affected at the cortical level because it receives distorted input from the brainstem. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to document the effects of early onset OM on auditory processing, if any, at the brainstem as well as at cortical levels. A related purpose of the study was to investigate the persistence of the effects of early onset OM, if any, on auditory processing.

Auditory temporal abilities in children with history of recurrent otitis media in the first years of life and persistent in preschool and school ages

“…The results of SG relative to lower performance in temporal tests shown here are supported by electrophysiological studies of the auditory pathway, both in early (7) and in late potentials (13) . The delay of absolute latency of wave V, as well as greater I-V interpeak value in the brainstem auditory evoked potential at the age of 8 was positively associated with a higher frequency of OME episodes in the first years of life (7) .…”

“…The delay of absolute latency of wave V, as well as greater I-V interpeak value in the brainstem auditory evoked potential at the age of 8 was positively associated with a higher frequency of OME episodes in the first years of life (7) . The prolongation of I-V and I-III interpeak latencies were also related to ROME in early life in children aged 3, but not those aged 4 and 5 years (13) . In fact, the changes found in the brainstem auditory evoked potential may be justified, as experimental studies identified structural changes in the cochlear nuclei, medial olivary complex, and inferior colliculus, that is, from the low trunk to the high trunk (18) .…”

“…The effects of recurrent OME (ROME) on hearing acuity in the short and long terms are well documented (6,7) . However, results on the auditory central nervous system (ANCS), despite the vast amount of information available, are controversial (2,(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16) . Studies focus on the premise of interdependence between episodes of OME and the change in tone thresholds, called fluctuating conductive hearing loss, because 80% children diagnosed with OME exhibit this kind of loss that acts as a sensory deprivation (8,15) .…”

“…Another assumption concerns the critical period of maturation of the ANCS, because it is well documented that a greater likelihood of recurrence of OME is related to how early its first episode occurs, such as in the first years of life (17) . Special attention to periods referred as key on the maturation process of the ANCS is required, because experimental studies show structural and functional changes in synaptic relays that are important for sound processing, resulting from sensory deprivation due to middle ear disorders, such as in the cochlear nucleus, superior olive, and inferior colliculus (13,18) . However, these studies show evidence of the ability of the ANCS to establish new neural networks after periods of deprivation.…”

Auditory processing disorders associated with a case of Kartagner's syndrome

“…Moreover, significant hearing loss is also associated with recurrent otitis media (26). Thus, the present study aimed at investigating the audiological characteristics of a known case of Kartagner's syndrome with special emphasis on auditory processing disorders.…”