A descriptive epidemiological study of the prevalence of self-reported sensory difficulties by age group, sex, education, disability, and migration status in Sweden in 2020.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulties, vision difficulties and combined vision and hearing difficulties in a Swedish adult population that varies according to migration status, sex, age, disability measured by ADL and IADL and educational attainment level. METHODS: The study utilised data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, which consisted of 2257 individuals aged 60 and above that were interviewed in Sweden in the 2019/2020, SHARE wave 8. To determine the prevalence of sensory difficulties (hearing, vision and dual-sensory difficulties) among various subgroups of the population, a multinomial logistic regression was used. The results of these analyses are presented in terms of predicted probabilities. RESULTS: The study findings indicate that foreign-born older adults experience a lower prevalence of visual difficulties (6.2% [3.3-11.5] in comparison to their Swedish-born counterparts. Moreover, older adults with higher levels of education tend to report a lower prevalence of sensory difficulties overall. Furthermore, sex differences are apparent, with males reporting a higher prevalence of hearing difficulties (18.9% [15.5-22.8] vs. 12.8% [10.7-15.3]) and females reporting a higher prevalence of vision difficulties (12.7% [10.7-15.1] vs. 8.5%[6.8-10.5]). CONCLUSION: The findings highlight disparities in the prevalence and type of perceived sensory difficulties experienced by older adults, by factors such as age, sex, education and migration status. It is important to consider these demographic factors in healthcare planning and interventions aimed at mitigating sensory difficulties in the older population.

Medical Home Care for Children with Deafness and Hearing Problems.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Since 2001, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has advocated for improving the effectiveness of early hearing screening, diagnosis, and intervention (EHDI) and reducing hearing health disparities through the medical home model of care (MHMOC). However, the scope of the MHMOC and its components and potential disparities among US children with deafness or hearing problems (DHH) have not been identified. METHODS: Data from the 2016 to 2020 National Survey of Children's Health (N = 174 551) were analyzed, including 12 121 children with DHH, 171 523 children without DHH, and 38 722 with other special health needs (SHCN). Univariable statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to analyze the association of hearing problems with medical home composite and components and cohort disparities. RESULTS: After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, medical home care was less likely for children with DHH (adjusted odds ratio: 0.74; 95% confidence interval: 0.56-0.97) compared with children without DHH. Children with DHH and SHCN were also less likely to receive medical home care compared with other SHCN children (adjusted odds ratio: 0.71; 95% confidence interval: 0.55-0.92). Specific medical home components significantly less prevalent among children with DHH included family-centered care, ease of referrals, and effective care coordination, whereas a usual source for sick care was more prevalent, although not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Despite over two decades of efforts to improve EHDI through the medical home, rates of the MHMOC for children with DHH remain disparately low. Systems-level quality improvement efforts supporting the medical home will be necessary to allow the MHMOC to support early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) systems.

Medical and legal diagnoses comparison of the occupational diseases: A nationwide study in Turkey.

OBJECTIVES: The underreporting of occupational diseases in many countries significantly hampers the development of intervention programs, posing a significant public health problem. Our study aimed to contribute to the occupational diseases surveillance by examining the data of hospitals authorized to issue reports throughout Turkey. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted using medical diagnoses of occupational diseases reported to the General Directorate of Public Health from 81 provinces in Turkey between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022. The study evaluated hospitals that made medical diagnoses of occupational diseases and compared age groups, genders, occupational disease diagnosis groups and provinces of work regarding legal and medical diagnoses. RESULTS: The top three disease groups in terms of medical diagnosis are musculoskeletal disorders with 38.8%, respiratory diseases with 14.4% and hearing defects with 10.9%. Regarding legal diagnoses, respiratory system diseases ranked first with 26.4%, followed by musculoskeletal disorders with 8.2% and hearing defects with 5.5%. While the provinces where most cases of medical occupational diseases are diagnosed share similarities, the majority of affected individuals in Karabük and Batman have not received a legal recognition of the occupational disease. Two-thirds of Turkey's medical occupational disease diagnoses were made in two hospitals. CONCLUSION: This study is reflecting national data in Turkey and is the country's first nationwide study. The number of occupational diseases in Turkey is lower than expected. It would be more accurate to express the data in a way that includes medical diagnoses instead of using the number of compensated files corresponding to legal diagnoses.

Brigatinib in NF2-Related Schwannomatosis with Progressive Tumors.

BACKGROUND: NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN, formerly called neurofibromatosis type 2) is a tumor predisposition syndrome that is manifested by multiple vestibular schwannomas, nonvestibular schwannomas, meningiomas, and ependymomas. The condition is relentlessly progressive with no approved therapies. On the basis of preclinical activity of brigatinib (an inhibitor of multiple tyrosine kinases) in NF2-driven nonvestibular schwannoma and meningioma, data were needed on the use of brigatinib in patients with multiple types of progressive NF2-SWN tumors. METHODS: In this phase 2 platform trial with a basket design, patients who were 12 years of age or older with NF2-SWN and progressive tumors were treated with oral brigatinib at a dose of 180 mg daily. A central review committee evaluated one target tumor and up to five nontarget tumors in each patient. The primary outcome was radiographic response in target tumors. Key secondary outcomes were safety, response rate in all tumors, hearing response, and patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients (median age, 26 years) with progressive target tumors (10 vestibular schwannomas, 8 nonvestibular schwannomas, 20 meningiomas, and 2 ependymomas) received treatment with brigatinib. After a median follow-up of 10.4 months, the percentage of tumors with a radiographic response was 10% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3 to 24) for target tumors and 23% (95% CI, 16 to 30) for all tumors; meningiomas and nonvestibular schwannomas had the greatest benefit. Annualized growth rates decreased for all tumor types during treatment. Hearing improvement occurred in 35% (95% CI, 20 to 53) of eligible ears. Exploratory analyses suggested a decrease in self-reported pain severity during treatment (-0.013 units per month; 95% CI, -0.002 to -0.029) on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 3 (severe pain). No grade 4 or 5 treatment-related adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Brigatinib treatment resulted in radiographic responses in multiple tumor types and clinical benefit in a heavily pretreated cohort of patients with NF2-SWN. (Funded by the Children's Tumor Foundation and others; INTUITT-NF2 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04374305.).

Effects of Natural Delivery and Cesarean Section on the Result of First Hearing Screening of Newborns.

BACKGROUND: Early detection and intervention of hearing issues in newborns are crucial for their auditory and speech development, necessitating newborn hearing screenings. This study aimed to investigate the impact of delivery methods, specifically natural delivery and cesarean section, on newborn hearing screening outcomes. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 600 newborns delivered at The First Affiliated Hospital of Shaoyang University between January 2020 and January 2023. The initial hearing screenings used the AccuScreen otoacoustic emission instrument. The study examined the influence of delivery method on the pass rates of newborns' first hearing screenings within and beyond 48 h postbirth. RESULTS: The pass rates for the initial hearing screenings, conducted within and after 48 h of birth, were significantly higher in the natural delivery group compared to the cesarean section group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, multivariate analysis identified the delivery method as a significant factor influencing the pass rates of newborns' first hearing screenings. CONCLUSIONS: The mode of delivery appears to affect the results of the initial hearing screenings of newborns, though further research is needed to validate these findings.

Cuidado del oído y la audición en la atención primaria: manual de capacitación

El diagnóstico precoz de las enfermedades del oído y la pérdida auditiva es fundamental. Casi todas las personas que padecen enfermedades del oído o pérdida de audición se beneficiarían de adoptar medidas oportunas y adecuadas. Muchas de las causas comunes de enfermedades del oído y pérdida de audición, como por ejemplo infecciones de oído o sonidos y ruidos fuertes, se pueden prevenir. El tratamiento y la rehabilitación oportunos pueden beneficiar a todas las personas con enfermedades del oído y pérdida de audición. Los trabajadores de la salud, los médicos generales, los médicos de familia y los médicos que trabajan en atención primaria suelen ser el primer punto de contacto para que las personas reciban servicios de atención de salud. El cuidado del oído y la audición en la atención primaria: manual de capacitación es una guía práctica sobre cómo prevenir, identificar y controlar la pérdida auditiva y las enfermedades comunes del oído que conducen a la pérdida auditiva. Está destinado principalmente a trabajadores de la salud y médicos que trabajan en el nivel de atención primaria y brindan servicios a las personas, ya sea en establecimientos de salud o en comunidades. Está destinado a ser administrado por un formador/instructor familiarizado con los problemas del oído y la audición, su evaluación y tratamiento y va acompañado de un manual para el formador. El manual consta de una serie de módulos independientes. El manual fue desarrollado siguiendo un proceso de consulta basado en evidencia. Los procesos y pasos de diagnóstico y procesos de gestión/referencia descritos en el manual se basan en diversas fuentes de información.

Relationship between self-reported hearing and vision problems, cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction in older adults: a retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Sensory impairment in older adults is associated with cognitive decline, elevated depressive symptoms, and low levels of life satisfaction. However, these relationships are usually investigated separately and in pairs. This study examined these relationships comprehensively, for the first time. METHODS: The analysis included 5,658 community-dwelling older adults from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (aged 50 to 108 years, 52.1% male) who completed the Jorm Informant Questionnaire Cognitive Decline in the Elderly and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression-short form. A questionnaire was used to collect information on hearing, visual status, and life satisfaction. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the direct and indirect relationships between these variables. RESULTS: Self-reported hearing and vision problems are directly associated with cognitive decline and elevated depressive symptoms. In addition, hearing and vision problems are indirectly related to cognitive decline through elevated depressive symptoms. Although hearing and vision problems had no direct effect on life satisfaction, they were indirectly associated with life satisfaction through cognitive decline and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first epidemiological evidence of the comprehensive relationships between hearing and vision problems, cognitive decline, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. When older adults report hearing and/or vision problems, clinicians and caregivers should be aware of the concurrence of declined cognition, elevated depressive symptoms, and compensated life satisfaction. Future studies should examine the causal relationships and potential mechanisms of these relationships.

Towards universal access: A review of global efforts in ear and hearing care.

Hearing loss affects 1.6 billion people worldwide and disproportionately affects those in low- and middle-income countries. Despite being largely preventable or treatable, ear and hearing conditions result in significant and lifelong morbidity such as delayed language development, reduced educational attainment, and diminished social well-being. There is a need to augment prevention, early identification, treatment, and rehabilitation for these conditions. Expanded access to hearing screening, growth of the hearing health workforce, and innovations in ear and hearing care delivery systems are among the changes that are needed. To that end, the World Health Organization has prioritized ear and hearing care as a component of Universal Health Coverage, and recent publications have advanced the priority for ear and hearing care. Efforts are underway at the national levels around the world, as evidenced by countries like Zambia and Nigeria that have integrated ear and hearing care within national health strategies. While significant strides have been made in improving access, a critical need remains for additional research, advocacy, and intervention to ensure that no one is left behind in the goal to achieve universal access to ear and hearing care.

Clinical characteristics of treatment-seeking youth with misophonia.

OBJECTIVE: Misophonia is a psychiatric condition characterized by strong emotional and/or behavioral responses to auditory stimuli, leading to distress and functional impairment. Despite previous attempts to define and categorize this condition, misophonia is not currently included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or International Classification of Diseases. The lack of formal diagnostic consensus presents challenges for research aimed at assessing and treating this clinical presentation. METHODS: The current study presents clinical characteristics of youth (N = 47) with misophonia in the largest treatment-seeking sample to date. We examined demographic characteristics of the sample, frequency of comorbid disorders, frequency of specific misophonia symptoms (i.e., triggers, emotional and behavioral responses, and impairments), and caregiver-child symptom agreement. Misophonia symptoms were evaluated using a multimodal assessment including clinician, youth, and caregiver reports on empirically established misophonia measures, and concordance among measures was assessed. RESULTS: Youth seeking treatment for misophonia presented with marked misophonia symptoms and an array of comorbid conditions. Youth and caregivers identified various triggers of misophonia symptoms (e.g., chewing sounds, breathing sounds), as well as a wide range of emotional (e.g., anger, annoyance, disgust) and behavioral (e.g., aggression, avoidance) responses to triggers. Youth and caregivers exhibited high agreement on misophonia triggers but lower agreement on symptom severity and associated impairment. Compared to younger children (aged 8-13), older children (aged 14+) appeared to report symptom severity and associated impairment more reliably. CONCLUSION: Misophonia is a heterogenous and impairing clinical condition that warrants future investigation and evidence-based treatment development.

Misophonia is related to stress but not directly with traumatic stress.

The relationship between misophonia, stress, and traumatic stress has not been well characterized scientifically. This study aimed to explore the relationships among misophonia, stress, lifetime traumatic events, and traumatic stress. A community sample of adults with self-reported misophonia (N = 143) completed structured diagnostic interviews and psychometrically validated self-report measures. Significant positive correlations were observed among perceived stress, traumatic stress, and misophonia severity. However, multivariate analyses revealed that perceived stress significantly predicted misophonia severity, over and above traumatic stress symptoms. The number of adverse life events was not associated with misophonia severity. Among symptom clusters of post-traumatic stress disorder, only hyperarousal was associated with misophonia severity. These findings suggest that transdiagnostic processes related to stress, such as perceived stress and hyperarousal, may be important phenotypic features and possible treatment targets for adults with misophonia.

An experimental examination of neurostimulation and cognitive restructuring as potential components for Misophonia interventions.

Misophonia is a disorder of decreased tolerance to certain aversive, repetitive common sounds, or to stimuli associated with these sounds. Two matched groups of adults (29 participants with misophonia and 30 clinical controls with high emotion dysregulation) received inhibitory neurostimulation (1 Hz) over a personalized medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) target functionally connected to the left insula; excitatory neurostimulation (10 Hz) over a personalized dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC) target; and sham stimulation over either target. Stimulations were applied while participants were either listening or cognitively downregulating emotions associated with personalized aversive, misophonic, or neutral sounds. Subjective units of distress (SUDS) and psychophysiological measurements (e.g., skin conductance response [SCR] and level [SCL]) were collected. Compared to controls, participants with misophonia reported higher distress (∆SUDS = 1.91-1.93, ps < 0.001) when listening to and when downregulating misophonic distress. Both types of neurostimulation reduced distress significantly more than sham, with excitatory rTMS providing the most benefit (Cohen's dSUDS = 0.53; dSCL = 0.14). Excitatory rTMS also enhanced the regulation of emotions associated with misophonic sounds in both groups when measured by SUDS (dcontrol = 1.28; dMisophonia = 0.94), and in the misophonia group alone when measured with SCL (d = 0.20). Both types of neurostimulation were well tolerated. Engaging in cognitive restructuring enhanced with high-frequency neurostimulation led to the lowest misophonic distress, highlighting the best path forward for misophonia interventions.

Alterations in attentional processing in youth with misophonia: A phenotypical cross-comparison with anxiety patients.

BACKGROUND: Misophonia is a complex condition characterized by extreme emotional distress in response to specific sounds or specific visual stimuli. Despite a growing body of clinical and neuroscientific literature, the etiology of this condition remains unclear. Hyperarousal, that is, a state of heightened alertness and disinhibition, as a core feature of misophonia is supported by behavioral and neuroimaging literature and might represent a viable clinical target for the development of both behavioral and pharmacological interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate how hyperarousal might be linked to neurocognitive processes associated with vigilance and stimulus discrimination in youth with misophonia. METHODS: We compared 72 children and adolescents with misophonia (13.74 ± 2.44 years) (64 % female) and 89 children and adolescents with anxiety (12.35 ± 2.57 years) (58.4 % female) on behavioral and signal detection performance of the immediate memory task (IMT). Anxiety patients were used as a clinical control group to distinguish attentional processes specific for misophonia. RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated similar behavioral performance, including response rate and reaction time. However, misophonia was associated with elevated stimulus discrimination (d prime), which in turn was positively correlated with the severity of misophonia trigger reports. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are in line with previous cognitive and neuroimaging studies, and support an arousal-based model of misophonia, where individuals with misophonia experience a state of heightened vigilance, being more aware of stimuli in the environment. Our findings provide a neurocognitive basis for future study of neurochemical imaging that might further progress towards clinical targets.

Targeting beliefs and behaviours in misophonia: a case series from a UK specialist psychology service.

BACKGROUND: Misophonia, a disorder of decreased sound tolerance, can cause significant distress and impairment. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may be helpful for improving symptoms of misophonia, but the key mechanisms of the disorder are not yet known. AIMS: This case series aimed to evaluate individual, formulation-driven CBT for patients with misophonia in a UK psychology service. METHOD: A service evaluation of one-to-one therapy for patients with misophonia (n=19) was conducted in a specialist psychology service. Patients completed an average of 13 hours of therapy with a focus on the meaning applied to their reactions to sounds and associated behaviours. Primary outcome measures were the Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ) and the Amsterdam Misophonia Scale (A-MISO-S). Repeated measures t-tests were used to compare scores from pre-treatment to follow-up, and reliable and clinically significant change on the MQ was calculated. RESULTS: Scores significantly improved on both misophonia measures, with an average of 38% change on the MQ and 40% change on the A-MISO-S. From pre-treatment to follow-up, 78% of patients showed reliable improvement on the MQ and 61% made clinically significant change. CONCLUSIONS: Limitations included a lack of control group, small sample size, and the use of an outcome measure that had not been thoroughly validated for a treatment-seeking sample. These results suggest that one-to-one, formulation-driven CBT for misophonia is worth exploring further using experimental design. Potential mechanisms to explore further include feared consequences of escalating reactions, the role of safety-seeking behaviours and the impact of early memories associated with reactions to sounds.

Misophonia and Hearing Comorbidities in a Collegiate Population.

OBJECTIVES: Misophonia is a little-understood disorder in which certain sounds cause a strong emotional response in those who experience it. People who are affected by misophonia may find that noises like loud chewing, pen clicking, and/or sniffing trigger intense frustration, anger, or discomfort. The relationship of misophonia with other auditory disorders including loudness hyperacusis, tinnitus, and hearing loss is largely underexplored. This project aimed to investigate the prevalence and hearing-health comorbidities of misophonia in a college-aged population by using an online survey. DESIGN: A total of 12,131 undergraduate and graduate students between the ages of 18 and 25 were given the opportunity to answer an in-depth online survey. These students were sampled in a roughly 50 of 50 sex distribution. The survey was created using Qualtrics and included the following components: electronic consent, demographics questionnaire, Misophonia Questionnaire (MQ), Khalfa's Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ), Tinnitus and Hearing Survey, and Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI). To be eligible for compensation, answers for each of the above components were required, with the exception of the TFI, which was only presented to students who indicated that they experienced tinnitus. Respondents were determined to have high or possible likelihood of having misophonia if they gave specific answers to the MQ's Emotion and Behavior Scale or the MQ Severity Scale. RESULTS: After excluding duplicate responses and age-related outliers, 1,084 responses were included in the analysis. Just over 20% (n = 217) of the sample was determined to have a high or probable likelihood of having misophonia. The sample was primarily White, female, and of mid-to-high socioeconomic status. There was a strong positive correlation between MQ total scores and HQ total scores. High likelihood misophonia status showed a significant relationship with self-reported hearing loss and tinnitus. No statistically significant relationship was found between misophonia and age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. MQ total scores differed significantly when separating respondents by sex, self-reported tinnitus, and loudness hyperacusis. White respondents had significantly higher MQ total scores than Asian/Asian American respondents. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated prevalence of misophonia was about 8% to 20% of the sample, which agrees with most of the currently published research examining misophonia symptoms in collegiate populations. Results of data analysis suggest that misophonia severity may be related to loudness hyperacusis, sex, and possibly tinnitus. Future studies are needed to further examine the characteristics of these relationships, possibly in populations more optimized to reflect the general population or those with hearing-health disorders.

Misophonia matters: A case study of the role of brain imaging in debates over new diagnoses.

Misophonia has gained attention in scientific circles that utilise brain imaging to validate diagnoses. The condition is promoted as not merely a symptom of other psychiatric diagnoses but as a discrete clinical entity. We illustrate the social construction of the diagnostic category of misophonia through examining prominent claims in research studies that use brain imaging to substantiate the diagnosis. We show that brain images are insufficient to establish the 'brain basis for misophonia' due to both technical and logical limitations of imaging data. Often misunderstood as providing direct access to the matter of the body, brain images are mediated and manipulated numerical data (Joyce, 2005, Social Studies of Science 35(3), p. 437). Interpretations of brain scans are further shaped by social expectations and attributes considered salient to the data. Causal inferences drawn from these studies are problematic because 'misophonics' are clinically pre-diagnosed before participating. We argue that imaging cannot replace the social process of diagnosis in the case of misophonia, nor validate diagnostic measures or otherwise substantiate the condition. More broadly, we highlight both the cultural authority and inherent limitations of brain imaging in the social construction of contested diagnoses while also illustrating its role in the disaggregation of symptoms into new diagnoses.

Auditory cortical functioning in individuals with misophonia: an electrophysiological investigation.

PURPOSE: Misophonia is characterized by a reduced tolerance for specific sound triggers. This aspect has been relatively underexplored in audiology, with limited research from the audiological angle. Our primary objective is to compare the auditory late latency response (ALLR) findings between individuals with misophonia and those without it. METHODS: A study compared individuals with significant misophonia to a healthy control group. Thirty misophonia participants were categorized into mild and moderate-to-severe groups based on their Amsterdam Misophonia Scale scores. The latency and amplitude of auditory response peaks were analyzed across the groups using the ALLR. Statistical tests included Shapiro-Wilk for data normality, one-way ANOVA for group differences, and Bonferroni post hoc analysis for detailed variation sources. RESULTS: The result showed a significant difference in latency of P1 and N1 peaks (p < 0.05) of ALLR between the groups in both ears. This suggests a deficit in auditory processing at the cortical level in individuals with misophonia. CONCLUSION: Our study substantiates the potential utility of the ALLR as a valuable instrument for evaluating misophonia, particularly from the audiological standpoint.

[Retrocochlear diagnostics for acute hearing loss and successful therapy]. / Retrocochleäre Diagnostik im Rahmen der Hörsturzuntersuchung und erfolgreiche Therapie.

A 41-year-old female patient presented due to acute onset of unilateral hearing loss 3 months previously and persistent since then. Systemic therapy with oral glucocorticoids in decreasing doses had been performed beforehand, but did not lead to any improvement. In the course of audiological diagnostics, based on subjective and objective methods, a retrocochlear hearing disorder was suspected. A meningioma was diagnosed by diagnostic imaging. Subsequent surgical removal achieved a significant hearing improvement.

Mimicry in misophonia: A large-scale survey of prevalence and relationship with trigger sounds.

BACKGROUND: Misophonia is often referred to as a disorder that is characterized by excessive negative emotional responses, including anger and anxiety, to "trigger sounds" which are typically day-to-day sounds, such as those generated from people eating, chewing, and breathing. Misophonia (literally "hatred of sounds") has commonly been understood within an auditory processing framework where sounds cause distress due to aberrant processing in the auditory and emotional systems of the brain. However, a recent proposal suggests that it is the perceived action (e.g., mouth movement in eating/chewing sounds as triggers) of the trigger person, and not the sounds per se, that drives the distress in misophonia. Since observation or listening to sounds of actions of others are known to prompt mimicry in perceivers, we hypothesized that mimicking the action of the trigger person may be prevalent in misophonia. Apart from a few case studies and anecdotal information, a relation between mimicking and misophonia has not been systematically evaluated. METHOD: In this work, we addressed this limitation by collecting data on misophonia symptoms and mimicry behavior using online questionnaires from 676 participants. RESULTS: Analysis of these data shows that (i) more than 45% of individuals with misophonia reported mimicry, indicating its wide prevalence, (ii) the tendency to mimic varies in direct proportion to misophonia severity, (iii) compared to other human and environmental sounds, trigger sounds of eating and chewing are more likely to trigger mimicking, and (iv) the act of mimicking provides some degree of relief from distress to people with misophonia. CONCLUSION: This study shows prevalence of mimicry and its relation to misophonia severity and trigger types. The theoretical framework of misophonia needs to incorporate the phenomenon of mimicry and its effect on management of misophonia distress.

A neuropsychological study of misophonia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Misophonia is a recently identified condition characterized by negative emotional responsivity to certain types of sounds. Although progress has been made in understanding of neuronal, psychophysiological, and psychopathological mechanisms, important gaps in research remain, particularly insight into cognitive function. Accordingly, we conducted the first neuropsychological examination of misophonia, including clinical, diagnostic, and functional correlates. METHODS: A misophonia group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 64) were screened for comorbidities using a formal semi-structured interview and completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and self-report measures of depression, anxiety, stress, impulsivity, and functional impairment. RESULTS: The misophonia group significantly underperformed the control group on only 2 neuropsychological outcomes involving verbal memory retrieval. Subscales of the Misophonia Questionaaire (MQ) were inversely correlated only with measures of attention. The misophonia group reported significantly higher anxiety symptoms, behavioral impulsivity, and functional impairments, and had numerically higher rates of ADHD and OCD. LIMITATIONS: To facilitate comparability, in lieu of a formal diagnostic algorithm for misophonia, we used a commonly used empirical definition for group allocation that has been utilized in numerous previous studies. CONCLUSIONS: Misophonia was associated with a reduction in performance on a minority of cognitive tasks and a modest increase in some psychological symptoms and comorbid conditions. Correlational data suggest that difficulties with attention regulation and impulsivity may play a role in misophonia, albeit attention functions were intact. Results should be interpreted with caution given the variability in diagnostic definitions, and more research is needed to understand cognitive functioning under 'cold' conditions in misophonia.