[Dichotic digit test. Case]. / Test de dígitos dicóticos. Estudio de un caso.

In this study we present a case of a 71-year-old female patient with sensorineural hearing loss and fitted with bilateral hearing aids. The patient complained of scant benefit from the hearing aid fitting with difficulties in understanding speech with background noise. The otolaryngology examination was normal. Audiological tests revealed bilateral sensorineural hearing loss with threshold values of 51 and 50 dB HL in the right and left ear. The Dichotic Digit Test was administered in a divided attention mode and focalizing the attention to each ear. Results in this test are consistent with a Central Auditory Processing Disorder.

Test de dígitos dicóticos. Estudio de un caso / Dichotic digit test. Case study

Mujer de 71 años diagnosticada de hipoacusia neurosensorial bilateral. Se llevó a cabo adaptación audioprotésica en ambos oídos. Menciona que a pesar de la amplificación nota dificultades para la comunicación, especialmente en ambientes ruidosos. La exploración otorrinolaringológica está dentro de los límites normales. El estudio audiométrico concuerda con umbrales de 51 y 50 dB HL en los oídos derecho e izquierdo respectivamente. Los resultados en el test de dígitos dicóticos en modalidad de atención dividida y focalizada son compatibles con un trastorno del procesamiento auditivo central (AU)

In this study we present a case of a 71-year-old female patient with sensorineural hearing loss and fitted with bilateral hearing aids. The patient complained of scant benefit from the hearing aid fitting with difficulties in understanding speech with background noise. The otolaryngology examination was normal. Audiological tests revealed bilateral sensorineural hearing loss with threshold values of 51 and 50 dB HL in the right and left ear. The Dichotic Digit Test was administered in a divided attention mode and focalizing the attention to each ear. Results in this test are consistent with a Central Auditory Processing Disorder (AU)

[The effect of cochlear sensorineural hearing loss on binaural integration mechanisms]. / Efecto de la hipoacusia neurosensorial coclear en los mecanismos de integración biauricular.

INTRODUCTION: Binaural integration is the ability to process different messages when presented simultaneously in both ears. Any deficit in this mechanism implies poor auditory discrimination of background noise and difficulties in processing competing auditory signals. METHOD: In the present study, pairs of digits were presented dichotically to both ears in adult subjects with normal hearing and bilaterally symmetrical sensorineural cochlear hearing loss. RESULTS: Hearing sensitivity, the difficulty in hearing the pairs and the effect of aging determine the capacity for correct recognition. In general, subjects with normal hearing score higher than those with hearing loss. Hypoacusic subjects show a deficit in the recognition of digits presented to the left ear and a greater advantage in the right ear. CONCLUSIONS: The study of binaural integration mechanisms may be useful in the audiological evaluation of patients who reject bilateral amplification and in normal- hearing subjects presenting difficulties to understand speech in noisy settings.

Efecto de la hipoacusia neurosensorial coclear en los mecanismos de integración biauricular / The effect of cochlear sensorineural hearing loss on binaural integration mechanisms

Introducción: La integración biauricular es la habilidad para procesar de forma simultánea por ambos oídos señales acústicas diferentes. El déficit en este mecanismo conlleva una pobre discriminación auditiva en presencia de ruido de fondo y dificultades en el procesamiento de señales acústicas competitivas. Material y método: En esta investigación se han presentado pares de dígitos de forma dicótica con distintos niveles de dificultad. Los sujetos participantes en este estudio eran adultos con audición normal y con pérdidas auditivas neurosensoriales bilaterales simétricas de origen coclear. Resultados: El estado auditivo, la dificultad de los ítems y el efecto del envejecimiento determinaron las capacidades de acierto. En general los sujetos normoyentes obtienen mejores puntuaciones que los sujetos con pérdida auditiva. Los sujetos hipoacúsicos muestran un déficit en el reconocimiento de los dígitos presentados por el oído izquierdo y una mayor ventaja del oído derecho. Conclusiones: El estudio de los mecanismos de integración biauricular puede tener interés en la evaluación audiológica de los pacientes que rechazan la amplificación biauricular y en sujetos que experimentan dificultades en la comprensión del habla en entornos ruidosos con una sensibilidad auditiva normal

Introduction: Binaural integration is the ability to process different messages when presented simultaneously in both ears. Any deficit in this mechanism implies poor auditory discrimination of background noise and difficulties in processing competing auditory signals. Method: In the present study, pairs of digits were presented dichotically to both ears in adult subjects with normal hearing and bilaterally symmetrical sensorineural cochlear hearing loss. Results: Hearing sensitivity, the difficulty in hearing the pairs and the effect of aging determine the capacity for correct recognition. In general, subjects with normal hearing score higher than those with hearing loss. Hypoacusic subjects show a deficit in the recognition of digits presented to the left ear and a greater advantage in the right ear. Conclusions: The study of binaural integration mechanisms may be useful in the audiological evaluation of patients who reject bilateral amplification and in normal- hearing subjects presenting difficulties to understand speech in noisy settings

Loudness and auditory steady-state responses in normal-hearing subjects.

This study evaluated the use of multiple auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) to estimate the growth of loudness in listeners with normal hearing. Individual intensity functions were obtained from measures of loudness growth using the contour test and from the electrophysiological amplitude measures of multiple amplitude-modulated (77-105 Hz) tones (500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz) simultaneously presented to both ears and recorded over the scalp. Slope analyses for the behavioural and electrophysiological intensity functions were separately performed. Response amplitudes of the ASSRs and loudness sensation judgements increase as the stimulus intensity increases for the four frequencies studied. A significant relationship was obtained between loudness and the ASSRs. The results of this study suggest that the amplitude of the ASSRs may be used to estimate loudness growth at least for individuals with normal hearing.