Thresholds and Acceptability of Low Frequency Pure Tones by Sufferers

Inukai, Yukio; Taya, Hideto; Yamada, Shinji

doi:10.1260/026309205775374433

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…This however poses a particular challenge with respect to IS, considering the pronounced differences across listeners in terms of hearing thresholds and the markedly limited perceptual dynamic range. Another way to increase the variation would be to include individuals that are (self-reportedly) characterized by an abnormal sensitivity to LFS and IS, such as in the study of Inukai et al [18].…”

Section: Activation In Relation To Sound Level Loudness and Unpleasamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, some researchers have reported exceptionally large interindividual variability in the extent of annoyance for low frequency noise [16,17]. At the very least, there are extreme outliers, as in the case of a group of self-reported ʺnoise-sufferers" investigated by Inukai et al [18]. For this particularly sensitive group of listeners LFS and IS tones deemed unacceptably unpleasant under daily living conditions, even at levels that more or less coincided with their detection thresholds and despite the fact that individual thresholds in this group were comparable to those of a control group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Activation in human auditory cortex in relation to the loudness and unpleasantness of low-frequency and infrasound stimuli

Behler

Uppenkamp

2020

PLoS ONE

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Low frequency noise (LFS) and infrasound (IS) are controversially discussed as potential causes of annoyance and distress experienced by many people. However, the perception mechanisms for IS in the human auditory system are not completely understood yet. In the present study, sinusoids at 32 Hz (at the lower limit of melodic pitch for tonal stimulation), as well as 8 Hz (IS range) were presented to a group of 20 normal hearing subjects, using monaural stimulation via a loudspeaker sound source coupled to the ear canal by a long silicone rubber tube. Each participant attended two experimental sessions. In the first session, participants performed a categorical loudness scaling procedure as well as an unpleasantness rating task in a sound booth. In the second session, the loudness scaling procedure was repeated while brain activation was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Subsequently, activation data were collected for the respective stimuli presented at fixed levels adjusted to the individual loudness judgments. Silent trials were included as a baseline condition. Our results indicate that the brain regions involved in processing LFS and IS are similar to those for sounds in the typical audio frequency range, i.e., mainly primary and secondary auditory cortex (AC). In spite of large variation across listeners with respect to judgments of loudness and unpleasantness, neural correlates of these interindividual differences could not yet be identified. Still, for individual listeners, fMRI activation in the AC was more closely related to individual perception than to the physical stimulus level.

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Section: Activation In Relation To Sound Level Loudness and Unpleasamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activation in human auditory cortex in relation to the loudness and unpleasantness of low-frequency and infrasound stimuli

Behler

Uppenkamp

2020

PLoS ONE

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“…Although results of this study underscore the potential risk of LF noises for older adults, the behaviour of a person, particularly whether that person will complain about a LF noise or not, is another issue. In fact, Inukai et al [11] showed that not all LF noise sufferers had a lower threshold than ordinary adults: rather, they can be characterised by an extremely narrow range between their hearing threshold and the acceptable limit to an LF tone.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Laboratory studies of the ageing effect have practical importance for LF noise evaluation. It has been reported frequently that elderly people (women in many cases) tend to complain about LF noises [11][12][13]. Dutch guidelines for LF sound determined its assessment criterion based on hearing thresholds of people aged 50-60 years [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Ageing on Hearing Thresholds in the Low Frequency Region

Kurakata

Mizunami

Satō

et al. 2008

Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control

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The hearing threshold for low frequency (LF) tones was measured in a pressure field to investigate the effects of ageing on hearing sensitivity. Participants were young adults around 20 years old and older adults over 60. Measurement results showed that the older listeners had a higher threshold, on average, than the young listeners. The difference of median thresholds between these two groups was about 10 dB at every measurement frequency. Furthermore, hearing abnormalities other than age-related hearing loss showed no great effect upon the LF thresholds. Comparison of LF thresholds and audiograms (i.e. mid and high frequency hearing) of the older listeners revealed only moderate correlation between them. These results suggest that older people retain good hearing sensitivity in the LF region, in contrast to their often-degraded sensitivity at higher frequencies. Therefore, in LF noise evaluation, we should carefully regard the possibility that older listeners can perceive a low level LF noise.

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“…Figure 3 Annoyance rating, showing rapid growth at low frequencies Subedi et al (Subedi et al, 2005) had similar findings, but used combinations of tones. Inukai et al (Inukai et al, 2005) determined acceptability by noise sufferers of tones in the range 10Hz to 100Hz. They were shown to have low acceptance levels, close to their thresholds.…”

Section: Equal Annoyance Contoursmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Frequency Noise. What we know, what we do not know, and what we would like to know

Leventhall

2009

Journal of Low Frequency Noise, Vibration and Active Control

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The paper reviews perception of low frequency noise (LFN) and the responses of people to LFN. Sometimes, when there are complaints of LFN and its effects, a specific noise cannot be measured. The possibilities are considered for development of enhanced sensitivity, for alternative (non-aural) receptors at very low frequencies and for false perceptions. The way in which we measure LFN may contribute to the problems. INTRODUCTIONThere is considerable misunderstanding about low frequency noise and infrasound Some of this is due to misleading presentations by scientists 30 or 40 years ago (Gavreau, 1968;Gavreau et al., 1966), which were interpreted selectively by the media in order to give eye-catching news stories. A succession of "reinterpretations" over a period of five or six years led infrasound and low frequency noise to be described in popular texts as a cause of death, whilst also possessing the ability to knock down buildings. (Watson, 1974). This aura of mystery and danger still persists today, deep in the minds of many people, where it waits for a trigger to bring it to the surface. The most recent trigger has been wind turbines.Although we know a great deal about low frequency noise, there are aspects which we cannot yet explain. We know about how people hear low frequency noise and that some have a low tolerance to it. We believe that low frequency noise may, in general, be more annoying than higher frequency noise, but do not know why this is so. We do not know why some people complain of a low frequency noise which cannot be measured separately from the background noise.It is also possible that there are subtle effects of low frequency noise on the body, which we do not yet understand.

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Thresholds and Acceptability of Low Frequency Pure Tones by Sufferers

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

Activation in human auditory cortex in relation to the loudness and unpleasantness of low-frequency and infrasound stimuli

Activation in human auditory cortex in relation to the loudness and unpleasantness of low-frequency and infrasound stimuli

Effect of Ageing on Hearing Thresholds in the Low Frequency Region

Low Frequency Noise. What we know, what we do not know, and what we would like to know

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