Effects of Long-Term Musical Training on Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence suggests that musicians, as a group, have superior frequency resolution abilities when compared with nonmusicians. It is possible to assess auditory discrimination using either behavioral or electrophysiologic methods. The purpose of this study was to determine if the acoustic change complex (ACC) is sensitive enough to reflect the differences in spectral processing exhibited by musicians and nonmusicians. DESIGN: Twenty individuals (10 musicians and 10 nonmusicians) participated in this study. Pitch and spectral ripple discrimination were assessed using both behavioral and electrophysiologic methods. Behavioral measures were obtained using a standard three interval, forced choice procedure. The ACC was recorded and used as an objective (i.e., nonbehavioral) measure of discrimination between two auditory signals. The same stimuli were used for both psychophysical and electrophysiologic testing. RESULTS: As a group, musicians were able to detect smaller changes in pitch than nonmusician. They also were able to detect a shift in the position of the peaks and valleys in a ripple noise stimulus at higher ripple densities than non-musicians. ACC responses recorded from musicians were larger than those recorded from non-musicians when the amplitude of the ACC response was normalized to the amplitude of the onset response in each stimulus pair. Visual detection thresholds derived from the evoked potential data were better for musicians than non-musicians regardless of whether the task was discrimination of musical pitch or detection of a change in the frequency spectrum of the ripple noise stimuli. Behavioral measures of discrimination were generally more sensitive than the electrophysiologic measures; however, the two metrics were correlated. CONCLUSIONS: Perhaps as a result of extensive training, musicians are better able to discriminate spectrally complex acoustic signals than nonmusicians. Those differences are evident not only in perceptual/behavioral tests but also in electrophysiologic measures of neural response at the level of the auditory cortex. While these results are based on observations made from normal-hearing listeners, they suggest that the ACC may provide a non-behavioral method of assessing auditory discrimination and as a result might prove useful in future studies that explore the efficacy of participation in a musically based, auditory training program perhaps geared toward pediatric or hearing-impaired listeners.

Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status Representation in U.S.-Based Randomized Controlled Trials of Tinnitus: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate if peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for the management/treatment of tinnitus conducted in the United States include diverse participants in terms of gender, race/ethnicity, education, occupation, and income. METHOD: We performed a comprehensive and systematic literature search via PubMed, Web of Science, Clinical-Trials.gov, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Our goal was to identify prospective RCTs of tinnitus intervention conducted in the United States from January 1994 to September 2021 and published in peer-reviewed journals. RESULTS: A total of 2,584 studies were retrieved. Thirty-two peer-reviewed articles met all inclusion criteria. Of the included studies, approximately 96% reported participants' gender. Approximately 15% studies reported race/ethnicity information in alignment with the U.S. Census Bureau. However, an underrepresentation of both females and people of color was evident across studies. Reporting of socioeconomic status information of participants was also scarce, with only 25% studies reporting education and/or occupation of participants and 0% reporting income levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates underrepresentation and underreporting of diverse participant pools in tinnitus research. Reasons for such underrepresentation are explored. Additionally, this systematic review indicates that recent research in tinnitus portrays an optimistic trend in terms of reporting and recruitment of diverse participant groups. Sustainable strategies for including diverse research participants are essential for hearing health care equity. Research and strategies to promote this goal are discussed.

Online, Asynchronous Hearing Education and Research Project for Ethnically Diverse Adolescents via Interprofessional Collaboration and Electronic Service-Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study on the Needs and Challenges.

Purpose This study discusses the creation of an online, asynchronous presentation to educate adolescents about prevention of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) through interprofessional collaborations and electronic service-learning (eSL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method The Hearing Education and Research (HEAR) presentation, which included activities and videos to educate a group of ethnically diverse adolescents (n = 100) on NIHL, was created by 11 doctor of audiology (AuD) students through online collaborations toward course-related eSL requirements. Adolescents responded to a baseline survey to assess hearing health-related behaviors prior to reviewing the presentation. A postprogram survey was administered 1 week after the presentation to assess change in knowledge and attitudes toward NIHL prevention. Online collaborations with schoolteachers helped with project implementation. Postreflection papers written by AuD students regarding the eSL activities were analyzed. Lastly, suggestions from a focus group of educators were included that highlight the role of interprofessional collaborations to enhance school-based hearing conservation opportunities. Results The HEAR presentation resulted in changes in knowledge about NIHL among the adolescents. Postreflection papers by the AuD students indicated that the eSL activity served as a high-impact pedagogical assignment, especially during the academic challenges of the pandemic. Feedback from a focus group of schoolteachers helped outline ideas for future implementation of sustainable hearing conservation programs in school settings. Conclusion The pilot data collected in this study serve as a proof of concept for future hearing conservation projects in school-based settings via interprofessional collaborations and by engaging university students via eSL.

Awareness of the Profession of Audiology Among Ethnically Diverse Adolescents: A Pre- and Post-Education Study.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate knowledge about the profession of Audiology among adolescents from diverse backgrounds before, immediately after, and 6 months after an educational program on the profession of Audiology. Method Adolescents (N = 152) from ethnically diverse backgrounds responded to a survey investigating their awareness about Audiology. Thereafter, they participated in an educational program on the profession of Audiology. One third of the participants were invited to respond to the survey immediately after the educational program. Six months after the educational program, 120 of the original sample of 152 participants responded again to the survey in order to assess if the gains from the educational program were retained. Results The results from the baseline survey indicated that approximately 25% of participants were aware about the profession of Audiology. None of the participants reported that balance assessment or management was within the scope of practice of audiologists in the baseline survey. The chi-square test indicated that the educational program resulted in significant enhancement in awareness about the profession of Audiology immediately after education. Results also indicated that the gains in knowledge were retained 6 months after education. Conclusion In light of the existing literature, it is clear that there is a need to recruit an ethnically diverse talent pool of individuals who will choose a career in Audiology in the forthcoming decades. Preliminary results from this study could be helpful in strategizing efforts to improve the visibility of Audiology to younger college aspirants. Advantages of reaching to school-age students at grassroots levels and educating them about the profession of Audiology are discussed in this article.

A Study of Social Media Utilization by Individuals With Tinnitus.

PURPOSE: As more people experience tinnitus, social awareness of tinnitus has consequently increased, due in part to the Internet. Social media platforms are being used increasingly by patients to seek health-related information for various conditions including tinnitus. These online platforms may be used to seek guidance from and share experiences with individuals suffering from a similar disorder. Some social media platforms can also be used to communicate with health care providers. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of tinnitus-related information on social media platforms. METHOD: The present investigation analyzed the portrayal of tinnitus-related information across 3 social media platforms: Facebook (pages and groups), Twitter, and YouTube. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the platforms using the key words "tinnitus" and "ringing in the ears." The results on each platform were manually examined by 2 reviewers based on social media activity metrics, such as "likes," "followers," and "comments." RESULTS: The different social media platforms yielded diverse results, allowing individuals to learn about tinnitus, seek support, advocate for tinnitus awareness, and connect with medical professionals. The greatest activity was seen on Facebook pages, followed by YouTube videos. Various degrees of misinformation were found across all social media platforms. CONCLUSIONS: The present investigation reveals copious amounts of tinnitus-related information on different social media platforms, which the community with tinnitus may use to learn about and cope with the condition. Audiologists must be aware that tinnitus sufferers often turn to social media for additional help and should understand the current climate of how tinnitus is portrayed. Clinicians should be equipped to steer individuals with tinnitus toward valid information.

The Relationship Between EABR and Auditory Performance and Speech Intelligibility Outcomes in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients.

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between postimplant electrically evoked auditory brainstem response (EABR) measures (wave V threshold, wave V latency, input-output functions) and auditory performance and speech intelligibility outcomes measured using parental rating scales, such as Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP; Archbold, Lutman, & Marshall, 1995) and the Speech Intelligibility Rating scale (SIR; Allen, Nikolopoulos, Dyar, & O'Donoghue, 2001), respectively. The secondary purpose was to evaluate the relationship between age at implantation and ratings on the CAP and SIR. METHOD: Forty children with congenital sensorineural hearing loss participated. Preimplant parental ratings on the CAP and SIR were obtained, and all the children underwent cochlear implantation. Intracochlear EABRs were recorded postimplantation. Postimplant parental ratings on the CAP and SIR were obtained. The relationships between EABR parameters and auditory performance and speech intelligibility outcomes were studied. The effect of age at implantation on auditory performance and speech intelligibility outcomes was also investigated. RESULTS: A significant negative correlation was found between EABR wave V thresholds and SIR growth (r = -.415, p = .016). Children with better CAP growths tended to have lower wave V thresholds than those with poorer CAP growths. Age at implantation had an effect on the auditory performance as measured using the CAP. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides evidence for the relationship between wave V thresholds of the intracochlear EABR and auditory performance and speech intelligibility outcomes measured using parental rating scales in pediatric cochlear implant recipients. Data also indicate that early intervention has a positive impact on auditory performance outcomes.