Perception of loudness in children with ADD and without ADD

Twenty-eight children identified with attention deficits and a comparison group of children without ADD were asked to judge the loudness of speech as comfortable (MCL) or tolerable (TL). Results indicated that children with attention deficits required a softer level to make both of these loudness judgements. Children with ADD had statistically signficant differences in their choices of comfort levels (MCL=51 dBHL) and choices of tolerance levels (TL=95 dBHL) from their peers without ADD (MCL=59 dBHL, TL=100 dBHL). These findings are viewed in relation to perceptual differences between children with and without ADD. Additionally, implications for classroom management are discussed. Parent and Child Consultation Service     

Brain oscillatory patterns of affective prosody perception in children with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundParalinguistic features, such as prosody (tempo, loudness, and timbre), are an essential marker of a speaker’s emotional state. Abnormal processing of emotional prosody may result in the deficient social behavior associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).MethodTwo groups of children participated in our study: the ASD group consisted of 30 preschoolers from 4 to 6 years of age and 24 typically developing (TD) peers. An electroencephalogram (EEG) was acquired in response to a combination of syllables uttered with the following types of emotional prosody: joy, anger, sadness, fear, and calmness.ResultsChildren with ASD and TD showed a similar EEG oscillatory response to fear and anger prosodies. Significant group differences in power spectral density (PSD) were detected for sad and joy intonations. The PSD differences between pairs of intonations, such as joyful and sad, sad and neutral, or joyful and neutral, were significantly higher in the control group than in the ASD group. EEG responses to affective prosody also demonstrated less hemispheric asymmetry in the ASD than in the TD group.ConclusionsOur results suggest that difficulties in emotional prosody recognition in autistic children could be based on the atypical processing of specific acoustic features coding differences between sad, neutral, and joyful intonations and could underlie emotional perception deficits in individuals with ASD.     

响度依赖性听觉诱发电位在情感障碍疾病中的应用进展

中枢5-羟色胺功能活性与情感障碍疾病密切相关,而响度依赖性听觉诱发电位可反映中枢5-羟色胺功能的活性,为情感障碍疾病的诊断和疗效预测提供新的方法和依据.现将响度依赖性听觉诱发电位及其在抑郁症及双相情感障碍中的应用进行综述.     

Measurement of Loudness Discomfort Levels as a Test for Hyperacusis: Test-Retest Reliability and Its Clinical Value

ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to investigate the test-retest reliability of measurements of loudness discomfort levels (LDLs), to suggest cut-off values for diagnosing patients with hyperacusis, and to evaluate the clinical value of-LDL measurements as a test for monitoring hyperacusis.MethodsFor the test-retest reliability of LDL measurements (study 1), a total of 68 patients who sought consultations at our clinic were subcategorized into four groups: patients with tinnitus (group 1), tinnitus and hearing loss (group 2), hyperacusis (group 3), and normal controls (group 4). Inter-hour and inter-day test-retest reliability values using different stimuli were investigated. For study 2, the clinical value of LDL measurements using pure tone stimuli was analyzed by comparing changes after sound generator use in patients with hyperacusis.ResultsIn study 1, the group 3 patients showed significantly lower LDLs than the other groups. High test-retest reliability of LDL tests was demonstrated, regardless of the type of stimulus used. The cut-off values for screening patients with hyperacusis were 90 dB HL using pure tone stimuli and 62 dB HL using white-band noise stimuli. In study 2, significantly increased LDLs were correlated with improved symptoms and improved scores on tinnitus questionnaires after sound generator use, indicating that LDL measurement is a reliable test for monitoring hyperacusis during an intervention.ConclusionLDL measurement is a reliable diagnostic tool to reflect the condition of hyperacusis, especially during the course of treatment.     

Examination of spectral timbre cues and musical instrument identification in cochlear implant recipients

Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the discrimination of two isolated spectral timbre cues, spectral centroid (Fc) and spectral irregularity (spIrr), in cochlear implant (CI) listeners. To examine whether the perception of Fc and spIrr changes is related to the perception of loudness and pitch and the identification of musical instruments.

Methods

Stimuli were based on French horn recordings which were artificially manipulated with respect to isolated changes in Fc and spIrr. Difference limens for Fc and spIrr were determined and changes in loudness and pitch perception based on these modifications were examined. Identification of musical instruments was additionally assessed.

Results

Mean difference limens were 161 Hz for Fc and 0.63 dB for spIrr. Modifications in spectral timbre cues caused changes in loudness and pitch perception. None of the timbre cues examined showed a significant correlation with musical instrument identification. In contrast, instrument identification was significantly related to the frequency of listening to music prior to onset of deafness.

Conclusions

CI recipients are able to detect small modifications in spectral timbre cues which are in turn associated with changes in loudness and pitch. Variations of spectral centroid have a larger impact on loudness and pitch perception than variations of spectral irregularity. Music listening behaviour prior to onset of deafness is significantly associated with musical instrument identification.     

Calculating the Hearing Threshold from the Stapedius Reflex Threshold for Different Sound Stimuli

The acoustic stapedius reflex depends not only on stimulus intensity, but also on stimulus frequency, as far as reflex threshold, amplitude of response and reflex decay are concerned. The stapedius reflex threshold (SRT) for wide-band noise has been proved lower than that for pure tones. Our own investigations dealt with the relation between the SRTs for pure tones, white noise, and a 24-tone mixture (one single tone at every critical band width) in normal-hearing persons and patients suffering from sensorineural hearing loss

In normal hearing, the SRT for pure tones was measures at 70-85 dB (73-105 dB SPL) above the normal-hearing threshold in a free sound-field, the SRT for white noise (average) at 46.5 dB (68.5 dB SPL) and the SRT for the 24-tone mixture at 47.0 dB (67.2 dB SPL). In 125 patients (223 ears), the difference level between the mean SRT for tones of 0.5-4 kHz and the SRT for white noise (dl 2) was correlated with the difference level between the mean SRT for tones of 0.5-4 kHz and the mean hearing threshold for tones of 0.5-4 kHz (dl 1). The functions were found to be roughly linear: dl 2 = dl 1/2.5 and dl 1 = 2.5 dl 2. Validity: 73% ～ 10 dB; 17% ～ 15 dB, and 10% ～ 20 dB. Since the dB-value of the mean SRT for pure tones of 0.5-4 kHz can be read from the audiogram, it is possible to calculate the mean hearing threshold for 0.5-4 kHz from dl 2 with equal validity: mean hearing threshold 0.5-4 kHz = SRT tones -2.5 dl 2

In cases of falling threshold curves the results become less exact and in addition to the SRT for white noise and pure tones, the SRT for two tone-mixtures was determined, namely for one low-pass noise consisting of 12 sine waves of 100-1 600 Hz, and for one high-pass noise consisting of 12 sine waves of 1.8-13.5 kHz. In normal hearing, the dl 2 for the low-pass noise is ～ 15 dB and for the high-pass noise ～ 20 dB (3:4). In falling audiograms, the dl 2 for the high-pass noise was found to be equal or lower than that for the low-pass noise. Investigations in sleeping children indicated that these relations were practically unchanged

A correlation of the free-field findings with the loudness calculated by Zwicker's procedure showed that the triggering of the stapedius reflex by wide-band sounds is due to the centrally summated loudness and not the SPL     

Evoked Potential Correlates of Interaural Phase Reversals

Human auditory evoked potentials were recorded from the vertex in a variety of interaural stimulus conditions over a broad range of intensities. The amplitude of the N1-P2 component of the evoked potential was greater for antiphasic than for homophasic stimuli, reflecting the loudness differences reported by others at low signal-to-noise ratios. At higher signal-to-noise ratios or in the absence of an external noise masker where loudness differences disappear, however, a difference between N1-P2 amplitudes evoked by homophasic and antiphasic stimuli persists     

Matched and Self-Reported Loudness of Tinnitus: Methods and Sources of Error1

A consecutive series of 62 patients who reported tinnitus at the time of their first attendance at a neuro-otology clinic were studied. Loudness matches were obtained both at the frequency of the tinnitus and at 1 kHz. These matches were expressed in dB HL, dB SL and in units derived from individualised loudness functions (personal loudness units; PLUs). Self-reports of the loudness of tinnitus at the time of loudness matching were obtained on five different scales. Moderate correlations were found between self-reported loudness and some of the scales by which the loudness match was expressed. When subjects who had some difficulty with the test procedures were excluded, the correlations between PLU expressions of the matched loudness and certain of the self-report scales were found to be markedly improved. Correlations of traditional expressions of matched loudness with self-report improved to a limited extent. It was concluded that: (1) measurement error can appreciably reduce the maximum correlation between the best self-report measure and loudness match measures; (2) PLU conversions of matched loudness data produce the highest correlations with self-report measures of loudness, and (3) explicitly labelled self-report scales (Guttman and adjectival) produce better correlations with loudness match values than other self-report scales.

On a étudié une sérié de 62 patients se plaignant d'acouphènes au moment de leur première consultation à la clinique otoneurologique. Les sensations d'intensité ont été recherchées par égalisation, à la fois à la fréquence de l'acouphène et à l kHz. Ces concordances ont été exprimées en dB HL, dB SL et en unités obtenues a partir de fonctions de sonie individuelle (unité de sonie personnelle; USP). L'intensité de l'acouphène au moment des tests fut également appréciée par le malade luiměme et exprimée sur cinq échelles différentes. Une corrélation moyenne fut observée entre l'intensité évaluée par le malade et certaines des mesures résultant des tests d'égalisation. Une bien meilleure corrélation entre les valeurs en USP obtenues par égalisation et eel les appréciées par le malade fut trouvée en excluant les sujets difficiles à tester. On en tire les conclusions suivantes: 1) l'erreur de mesure peut réduire notablement la corrélation entre la mesure par le malade lui-měme et la sonie obtenue par concordance; 2) la conversion en USP des niveaux de sensation résultant de l'égalisation donne les meilleures corrélations avec les auto-évaluations; 3) les échelles d'auto-évaluation de Guttman et celles qui lui sont apparentées donnent de meilleures corrélations avec les valeurs mesurées par concordance que les autres échelles d'auto-évaluation.     

Factors Influencing the Choice of Fixed-Level Ear in the ABLB Test

The use of the worse ear as the fixed-intensity one in the ABLB test has been recommended. This recommendation has been criticised on three grounds. The present work studies these arguments, both theoretically and in light of recent experimental and clinical data, in terms of accuracy of results and of various operational and empirical factors. It is concluded that for achieving each loudness balance it is markedly better to follow the recommendation to keep the worse ear at a fixed intensity and to vary the intensities delivered to the better ear.     

Loudness recruitment: Contributing mechanisms as revealed by cochlear AP measures in man

Summary A measure of the (average) rate of discharge versus intensity function of cochlear fibers can be obtained from cochlear-evoked compound action potentials using a tone-on-tone forward masking technique. The rationale for the method is presented. This technique was used to investigate, indirectly, cochlear fiber responses in human subjects, both with normal hearing and with deafness of cochlear origin and showing signs of loudness recruitment. In animals with pathologic cochleas, the change in rate of fiber discharge with intensity is more rapid than in normal animals. The present study confirms that this also is the case in human cochlear pathology and suggests that this abnormal steepening of rate versus intensity functions contributes to the phenomenon of loudness recruitment.This study was supported by INSERMPresented at the 18th Workshop on Inner Ear Biology in Montpellier/La Grande Motte, 14–16 September 1981