Low-frequency hearing loss: perception of filtered speech, psychophysical tuning curves, and masking

Thornton, Aaron R.; Abbas, Paul J.

doi:10.1121/1.2015745

Cited by 20 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…Harmonic distortion in modern equipment is usually rather low, and the ear itself does not appear to generate significant harmonic distortion (Yates, 1995). Later researchers recognized that spread of excitation was probably responsible for the detection of low-frequency tones falling in a dead region (Thornton and Abbas, 1980;Florentine and Houtsma, 1983;Turner et al, -1983;Humes et al, 1984;Halpin et al, 1994). Characteristic frequency (kHz) Figure 1.…”

Section: The Effect Of Dead Regions On the Audiogrammentioning

confidence: 99%

Dead Regions in the Cochlea: Diagnosis, Perceptual Consequences, and Implications for the Fitting of Hearing Aids

Moore

2001

Trends in Amplification

202

176

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Hearing impairment is often associated with damage to the hair cells in the cochlea. Sometimes there may be complete loss of function of inner hair cells (IHCs) over a certain region of the cochlea; this is called a "dead region". The region can be defined in terms of the range of characteristic frequencies (CFs) of the IHCs and/or neurons immediately adjacent to the dead region. This paper reviews the following topics: the effect of dead regions on the audiogram; methods for the detection and delineation of dead regions based on psychophysical tuning curves (PTCs) and on the measurement of thresholds for pure tones in "threshold equalizing noise" (TEN); effects of dead regions on speech perception; effects of dead regions on the perception of tones; implications of dead regions for fitting hearing aids. The main conclusions are: (1) Dead regions may be relatively common in people with moderate-tosevere sensorineural hearing loss; (2) Dead regions cannot be reliably diagnosed from the audiogram; (3) PTCs provide a useful way of detecting dead regions and defining their boundaries. However, the determination of PTCs is probably too time-consuming to be used for routine diagnosis of dead regions in clinical practice; (4) The measurement of detection thresholds for pure tones in TEN provides a simple method for clinical diagnosis of dead regions; (5) Pure tones with frequencies falling in a dead region do not evoke clear pitch sensations (pitch matching is highly variable) and the perceived pitch is sometimes, but not always, different from "normal". However, ratings of pitch clarity cannot be used as a reliable indicator of a dead region; (6) Amplification of frequencies well inside a high-frequency dead region usually does not improve speech intelligibility, and may sometimes impair it. However, there may be some benefit in amplifying frequencies up to 50 to 100% above the estimated low-frequency edge of a high-frequency dead region; (7) The optimal form of amplification for people with low-frequency dead regions remains somewhat unclear. There may be some benefit from avoiding the amplification of frequencies well inside a dead region; (8) Patients with extensive dead regions are likely to get less benefit from hearing aids than patients without dead regions; (9) For patients with diagnosed dead regions at high frequencies, consideration should be given to use of a hearing aid incorporating frequency transposition and/or compression.

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Section: The Effect Of Dead Regions On the Audiogrammentioning

confidence: 99%

Dead Regions in the Cochlea: Diagnosis, Perceptual Consequences, and Implications for the Fitting of Hearing Aids

Moore

2001

Trends in Amplification

202

176

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The present model, indeed inspired by the OHC, shares similar properties as a physical membrane embedded in viscoelastic surroundings that also functions as a mechanical amplifier at characteristic (resonant) frequencies [40,[63][64][65][66][67][68][69]. In this context, the dimensional power dissipation is given by the following expression:…”

Section: Dimensional Model A) Powermentioning

confidence: 99%

Linear oscillatory dynamics of flexoelectric membranes embedded in viscoelastic media with applications to outer hair cells

Abou-Dakka¹,

Herrera‐Valencia²,

Rey³

2012

Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics

115

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Membrane flexoelectricity is an electromechanical coupling effect between the membrane average curvature and macroscopic electric polarization. Flexolelectricity is a biological actuation mechanism involved in the functioning of hearing. This thesis uses theory and simulation to develop a fundamental understanding of flexolectricity of relevance to hearing processes by integrating membrane elasticity and flexolectricity with viscoelastic processes.

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“…Robinson, Baer, & Moore (2007) developed a similar frequency transposition scheme wherein the start frequency was defined by an individual's dead region, or the region of the cochlea with nonfunctioning inner hair cells (Thornton & Abbas, 1980).…”

Section: How It Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Contribution of a Frequency-Compression Hearing Aid to Contralateral Cochlear Implant Performance

Perreau¹,

Bentler²,

Tyler³

2013

J Am Acad Audiol

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Frequency-lowering signal processing in hearing aids has re-emerged as an option to improve audibility of the high frequencies by expanding the input bandwidth.However, few studies have investigated the usefulness of the scheme as a bimodal option for cochlear implant users. In this study, that question was posed. It was hypothesized that, following fitting and a period of adjustment to a frequency-compression hearing aid, sound localization and speech perception would be improved compared to conventional amplification. More specifically, more high-frequency cues would be perceived in the hearing aid ear using frequency compression, thereby providing better sensitivity to interaural level differences when a cochlear implant is used contralaterally.There were two experiments in this study. In the first experiment, the goal was to determine if frequency compression was a better bimodal option than conventional amplification. Performance was assessed on tests of sound localization, speech perception in a background of noise, and using questionnaires. Ten subjects with a cochlear implant plus hearing aid participated in experiment one. In the second experiment, the goal was to determine the impact of frequency compression on speech perception in quiet. Consonant and vowel perception in quiet was assessed using the frequency-compression and conventional hearing aid. Seventeen adult subjects participated in the second experiment.In both experiments, subjects alternated daily between a frequency-compression and conventional hearing aid for two months. The parameters of frequency compression were set individually for each subject and audibility was measured for the frequency compression and conventional hearing aid programs by comparing estimations of the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) using a modified algorithm (Bentler, R., Cole, B., Wu, Y-H. (2011, March). Deriving an audibility index for frequency-lowered hearing aids.Poster session presented at the meeting of the American Auditory Society, Scottsdale, 2 AZ). In both experiments, the outcome measures were administered following the hearing aid fitting to establish baseline performance and after two months of use.Results revealed no significant difference between the frequency-compression and conventional hearing aid on tests of localization and consonant recognition. Spondee-innoise and vowel perception scores were significantly higher with the conventional hearing aid compared to the frequency-compression hearing aid after two months of use.These results suggest that, for the subjects in this study, frequency compression is not a better bimodal option than conventional amplification. In addition, speech perception may be negatively influenced by frequency compression because formant frequencies are too severely compressed and can no longer be distinguished.

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Low-frequency hearing loss: perception of filtered speech, psychophysical tuning curves, and masking

Cited by 20 publications

References 0 publications

Dead Regions in the Cochlea: Diagnosis, Perceptual Consequences, and Implications for the Fitting of Hearing Aids

Dead Regions in the Cochlea: Diagnosis, Perceptual Consequences, and Implications for the Fitting of Hearing Aids

Linear oscillatory dynamics of flexoelectric membranes embedded in viscoelastic media with applications to outer hair cells

The Contribution of a Frequency-Compression Hearing Aid to Contralateral Cochlear Implant Performance

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