Dichotic Sentences Test Performance of Adults with communication complaints. / Desempenho no Teste Dicótico de Sentenças em Adultos com queixa comunicativa.

PURPOSE: To analyze the performance of normal-hearing adults with communication complaints in the Dichotic Sentences Test. METHODS: We selected from the database 15 normal-hearing participants with normal results in the Digits Dichotic Test, aged between 19 and 44 years, right-handed, who reported communicative complaints. The Dichotic Sentences Test was applied using two protocols consisting of four different combinations of lists called sequences 1 and 2, in the following order: training, divided attention step, right and left directed attention steps. RESULTS: In the first application sequence, the average performance in the divided attention step was 84.7% for the right ear and 60.67% for the left, with statistical difference between ears. The asymmetry between ears varied from -50% to 60%. In the directed attention step, the average performance was 99.33% for the right ear and 98% for the left, with no statistical difference. In the second application sequence, there was a tendency for better results, more pronounced for the left ear, with no statistical significance, with the performance variation and asymmetry between ears remaining high. In the comparison between the sequences, in the divided attention step, it was found that, for the right ear, 40% of the individuals did not vary, 33% performed worse, and 26.7% performed better; for the left ear, 6.6% did not vary, 20% performed worse, and 73.33% performed better. There was result stability in the directed attention step. CONCLUSION: The normal-hearing adults with communication complaints presented a heterogeneous profile, especially in the divided attention step, with a marked difference between ears and response variability.

OBJETIVO: Analisar o desempenho de adultos normo-ouvintes com queixa comunicativa no Teste Dicótico de Sentenças. MÉTODO: Selecionou-se em banco de dados, 15 participantes normo-ouvintes com resultados normais no Teste Dicótico de Dígitos, idades entre 19 a 44 anos, destros, que referiram queixa comunicativa. O Teste de Dicótico de Sentenças foi aplicado por meio de dois protocolos compostos por quatro diferentes combinações de listas denominados de sequências 1 e 2, de acordo com a seguinte ordem: treino, etapa de atenção dividida, etapas de atenção direcionada à direita e à esquerda. RESULTADOS: Na sequência de aplicação 1, a média de desempenho na etapa de atenção dividida foi 84,67% na orelha direita e 60,67% na esquerda, com diferença estatística entre orelhas, com assimetria entre orelhas variando de -50% a 60%. Na etapa de atenção direcionada, a média de desempenho foi 99,33% na orelha direita e 98% na esquerda, sem diferença estatística. Na sequência de aplicação 2, houve tendência de melhores resultados, mais acentuada na orelha esquerda, sem significância estatística, mantendo elevadas a variação de desempenho e a assimetria entre orelhas. Verificou-se na comparação entre as sequências, na etapa de atenção dividida, que na orelha direita 40% dos indivíduos não variaram, 33% pioraram, 26,7% melhoraram; na orelha esquerda, 6,6% não variaram, 20% pioraram e 73,33% melhoraram. Na etapa de atenção direcionada houve estabilidade nos resultados. CONCLUSÃO: Os adultos normo-ouvintes, com queixas comunicativas, apresentaram um perfil heterogêneo, especialmente na etapa de atenção dividida, com acentuada diferença entre as orelhas e variabilidade de respostas.

Dichotic-listening performance after complete callosotomy: No relief from left-ear extinction by selective attention.

The surgical section of the corpus callosum (callosotomy) has been frequently demonstrated to result in a left-ear extinction in dichotic listening. That is, callosotomy patients report the left-ear stimulus below chance level, resulting in substantially enhanced right-ear advantage (REA) compared with controls. A small number of previous studies also suggest that callosotomy patients can overcome left-ear extinction when the instruction encourages to attend selectively to the left-ear stimulus. In the present case study, we re-examine the role of selective attention in dichotic listening in two patients with complete callosotomy and 40 age- and sex-matched controls. We used the standardised Bergen dichotic-listening paradigm which uses stop-consonant-vowel syllables as stimulus material and includes both a free-report and selective-attention condition. As was predicted, both patients showed a clear left-ear extinction. However, contrasting the earlier reports, we did not find any evidence for a relief from this extinction by selectively attending to the left-ear stimulus. We conclude that previous demonstrations of an attention-improved left-ear recall in callosotomy patients may be attributed to the use of suboptimal dichotic paradigms or residual callosal connectivity, rather than representing a genuine effect of attention.

Dichotic listening deficits in children with hearing loss.

PURPOSE: This correlational study compared dichotic listening among children with significant hearing loss to typically developing children and children clinically assessed for auditory processing disorder. METHOD: Recorded versions of two dichotic tests were delivered under earphones or in the sound field for children using amplification. Individual ear scores and interaural asymmetry were compared to normative data. Matched deficit patterns from both tests were identified, ranked for severity of deficit, and compared across groups. Relationships between dichotic scores and factors related to amplification were investigated in the children with hearing loss. RESULTS: Dichotic scores were significantly poorer among children with hearing loss without the large interaural asymmetries seen in children assessed clinically for auditory processing problems. Device type and age of implantation had no effect on scores; non-dominant ear scores on the digits test were significantly correlated to age of device use in the left ear and duration of device use in the right ear. Non-dominant ear scores with digits were also significantly correlated with bilateral word recognition. CONCLUSIONS: Poor dichotic perception in children with significant hearing losses may be related to the use of recorded test materials, immature skills in attention and working memory, or other factors that contribute to development of vocabulary and language. These weaknesses may interfere with successful mainstream educational placement in these children. Assessment of dichotic performance in this population could lead to deficit-specific interventions that may improve outcomes and enhance educational opportunities for children with hearing loss.

ARIA treatment benefits are related to severity of dichotic listening deficits in children.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship between dichotic listening (DL) benefits from treatment with Auditory Rehabilitation for Interaural Asymmetry (ARIA) and the severity of DL deficits quantified prior to the onset of treatment. We hypothesized that children with more severe DL deficits would demonstrate greater benefits following ARIA. METHOD: A scale that quantifies deficit severity was applied to dichotic listening scores obtained before and after training with ARIA at multiple clinical sites (n = 92). Using multiple regression analyses, we evaluated the predictive effects of deficit severity on DL outcomes. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that deficit severity can predict benefits from ARIA, as measured by improvements in DL scores in both ears. CONCLUSION: ARIA is an adaptive training paradigm for improving binaural integration abilities in children with DL deficits. The results from this study suggest that children with more severe DL deficits achieve greater benefits from ARIA and that a severity scale may provide important clinical information for recommending intervention.

Investigating Auditory Perception at Europe's Highest Mountain Lodge.

Altitude hypoxia can impair sensory and cognitive functions, from causing slowed responses to sensory hallucinations. In a field study, we tested 12 expeditioners at varied altitudes (low: 1696 m; high: 4556 m) with a simple auditory detection task and a dichotic listening paradigm in which a voice was presented, lateralized, within a binaural white noise stream. Slower reaction times and a reduced right ear advantage might be expected at high (vs. low) altitude, due to hypoxia. The participants' performances on both tasks did not differ between conditions, revealing that these functions are resistant to short-term hypoxia in young healthy adults.

The use of the Feather Squadron to identify auditory processing disorders in South African children: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: Development of the Feather Squadron (FS) has created a cost-effective, accessible form of assessment through tele-audiology. As accessibility to reliable, cost-effective assessment of auditory processing (AP) skills is limited in South Africa (SA), this study aims to establish whether there is correlation between the FS and traditional tests of AP viz. Frequency Pattern and Dichotic Digits Test, and to establish its relevance to the SA population. DESIGN: Retrospective, within-subject, comparative design used to compare performance on the FS and the traditional tests. Data were considered in two ways: Firstly, using the traditional -2SD cut-off on some subtests of the FS compared to the same traditional tests, and secondly, by comparing the Z-scores obtained on the FS compared to Z-scores on the same traditional tests obtained by applying a double arcsine transformation. STUDY SAMPLE: Sixty-six subjects (35 males, 31 females) aged between 8.08 and 9.75 years (mean = 8.73; SD = 0.51) seen for AP assessments between 2016 and 2019. RESULTS: -2SD criteria yielded no significant association (p > 0.05). Z-score comparison suggested a statistically significant correlation (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A statistically significant correlation between certain subtests of FS with traditional tests of AP to merit its use in the SA population is suggested.

Auditory Attention Ability under Dichotic Dual-Task Situation in Adults with Listening Difficulties.

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have reported poor cognition, such as attention and working memory, in adults with listening difficulties (LiD). However, they do not adequately describe the actual state of poor attention ability in adults with LiD. We examined the state of auditory attention in adults with and without LiD in tasks requiring multiple attention controls. METHODS: Twenty-one adults who had normal hearing but complained about LiD encountered during everyday life and 22 healthy controls were included. We presented a target detection task using an odd-ball format for one ear and a sentence repetition task for the other ear. In the target detection task, participants listened to the 1,000-Hz tone served as the standard stimulus, while they had to accept a 2,000-Hz tone presented as the deviant stimulus. In the sentence repetition task, short sentences were presented. The stimuli presented to them were played on a personal computer at the most comfortable level. The participants heard these stimuli through headphones. They were required to press a key for standard stimuli in the target detection task and repeat what they heard immediately in the repetition task. We compared the response accuracy for each ear task between adults with and without LiD. RESULTS: Our results showed that there were significant differences between the participant groups in the auditory dual-task under the dichotic listening situation. When examined individually, four adults with LiD had decreased scores in both the sentence repetition and target detection task, while the other nine participants showed a bias toward either task. Furthermore, the analysis of reaction time for pressing button revealed that the standard deviation of reaction time was extended in participants who scored poorly in either of the ear tasks. On the other hand, all adults without LiD were able to conduct the auditory dual-task exactly and promptly. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that adults with LiD have difficulties in appropriately allocating various cognitive abilities required for each task. We concluded that auditory attention is an important ability to conduct the auditory dual-task, and this is applicable for adults with LiD. Therefore, we believe that it is necessary to use auditory tests that require complex attentional abilities in listening, such as those required in daily life, to assess adults with LiD.

Habilidades auditivas em adultos jovens com e sem percepção de zumbido: um estudo de comparações / Auditory skills in young adults with and without tinnitus perception: a comparative study

RESUMO Objetivo analisar as respostas do processamento das informações auditivas em sujeitos adultos jovens com transtorno do zumbido. Métodos estudo de caráter descritivo e quantitativo. Participaram do estudo 36 sujeitos, com idades entre 19 e 35 anos, divididos em dois grupos: Grupo 1 (20 sujeitos com zumbido crônico) e Grupo 2 (16 sujeitos sem zumbido). Todos os indivíduos foram submetidos à anamnese, inspeção visual do meato acústico externo, audiometria tonal liminar, logoaudiometria, medidas de imitância acústica e, como instrumentos de avaliação, os testes comportamentais do processamento auditivo central - Teste Dicótico de Dígitos, Teste Padrão de Frequência, Teste de Fala no Ruído, Masking Level Difference e Gap in Noise. Resultados existiram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre os grupos para as respostas do Teste Dicótico de Dígitos na orelha esquerda e para o Gap in Noise em ambas as orelhas. Conclusão adultos jovens com zumbido crônico apresentam prejuízo nas habilidades de integração binaural e resolução temporal.

ABSTRACT Purpose Objective: To analyze auditory information processing responses in young adult subjects with tinnitus disorder. Methods A descriptive and quantitative study was conducted, involving 36 subjects aged between 19 and 35 years. The subjects were divided into two groups: Group 1 (20 subjects with chronic tinnitus) and Group 2 (16 subjects without tinnitus). All participants underwent medical history assessment, Visual Inspection of the External Auditory Canal, Pure-Tone Audiometry, Speech Audiometry, Acoustic Immittance Measures, and used Behavioral Central Auditory Processing Tests as an evaluation tool - Dichotic Digits Test (TDD), Frequency Pattern Test, Speech in Noise, Masking Level Difference, and Gap in Noise (GIN). Results Statistically significant differences were found between the groups for TDD responses in the left ear and for GIN in both ears. Conclusion Young adults with chronic tinnitus exhibit impairments in binaural integration and temporal resolution skills.

AudBility: test-retest reliability in typically developing children aged 6 to 7 years. / AudBility: confiabilidade teste-reteste em crianças com desenvolvimento típico de 6 e 7 anos.

PURPOSE: to investigate the test-retest reliability of the AudBility program in typically developing children aged six-seven years. METHODS: 29 children, male and female, right-handed, native Portuguese speakers and adequate school performance for the age group studied, underwent previous meatoscopy, immittance measurements and the AudBility program was applied, composed of a self-perception questionnaire and auditory tasks, being analyzed the abilities of sound localization, auditory closure, figure-ground, dichotic digits test, temporal resolution, and temporal ordering of frequency and duration. The program was designed and reapplied with an interval of one week under the same conditions. The performance in each task was presented from central tendency and dispersion data and was conducted using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), based on the 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: The analyses showed a positive and significant ICC (p<0.01) for the questionnaire and auditory tasks, except for auditory closure, in the right and left ears and figure-ground in the left ear. The questionnaire mean ICC was 0.742 and ranged from -0.012 to 0.698 for the auditory tasks. CONCLUSION: Based on mean results and upper limit of the CI, the findings showed agreement between moments, classified as good for the questionnaire and moderate to good for five of the seven auditory analyzed tasks (ICC>0.05 and <0.9). The results of the reliability study represent an important parameter for validating the program for the studied age group.

OBJETIVO: investigar a confiabilidade teste-reteste do programa AudBility em crianças com desenvolvimento típico de seis a sete anos. MÉTODO: 29 crianças, sexo masculino e feminino, destros, falantes nativos do Português e desempenho escolar adequado para a faixa etária estudada de acordo com o professor foram submetidas aos procedimentos de meatoscopia, imitanciometria e foi aplicado o programa AudBility, composto por questionário de autopercepção e tarefas auditivas. As tarefas incluíram localização sonora, fechamento auditivo, figura fundo, escuta dicótica, resolução temporal e ordenação temporal de frequência e duração. O programa foi reaplicado com um intervalo de 1 semana sob as mesmas condições de avaliação. O desempenho em cada tarefa foi apresentado a partir de dados de tendência central e dispersão e a confiabilidade a partir do Cálculo do Coeficiente intra-classe (CCI), com base no intervalo de confiança (IC) de 95%. RESULTADOS: As análises demonstraram CCI positivo e significante para o questionário e tarefas auditivas, exceto fechamento auditivo, nas orelhas direita e esquerda e figura-fundo na orelha esquerda. O CCI médio do questionário foi de 0,742 e variou de -0,012 a 0,698 para as tarefas auditivas. CONCLUSÃO: Com base no resultado médio e no limite superior do IC, os achados demonstraram concordância entre os momentos de grau bom para o questionário, e de grau bom a moderado para cinco das sete variáveis auditivas analisadas (CCI>0,05 e < 0,9). Os achados do estudo de confiabilidade representam um parâmetro importante de validação do programa para a faixa etária estudada.

Language lateralization in very preterm children: associating dichotic listening to interhemispheric connectivity and language performance.

BACKGROUND: Language difficulties of very preterm (VPT) children might be related to weaker cerebral hemispheric lateralization of language. Language lateralization refers to the development of an expert region for language processing in the left hemisphere during the first years of life. Children born VPT might not develop such a dominant left hemisphere for language processing. A dichotic listening task may be a functional task to show the dominance of the left hemisphere during language processing. During this task, different acoustic events are simultaneously presented to both ears. Due to crossing fibers in the brain, right ear stimuli are transferred directly to the left hemisphere, and left ear stimuli are transferred first to the right hemisphere and then, through the corpus callosum (CC), to the left hemisphere. Dichotic listening typically shows a right ear advantage, assuming to reflect left hemispherical language dominance. The CC, in particular the splenium, is associated with auditory processing and is considered important for language lateralization. The objective of this work was to explore whether dichotic listening performance in school-aged VPT children are associated with language performance and interhemispheric connectivity. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of 58 VPT children and 30 full term controls at age 10 years. Language performance and dichotic digit test (DDT) were assessed. In 44 VPT children, additionally diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) was performed using a 3 T MRI scanner. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values of the splenium of the CC were extracted. RESULTS: Poorer right ear DDT scores were associated with poorer language performance in VPT children only (p = 0.015). Association between right ear DDT scores and MD of the splenium approached the level of significance (p = 0.051). CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that poor language performance in VPT children may be a consequence of weaker lateralized language organization, due to a poorly developed splenium of the CC. Dichotic listening may reflect the level of language lateralization in VPT children. IMPACT: Poor language performance in VPT children may be a consequence of weaker lateralized language organization, due to a poorly developed splenium of the CC. Dichotic listening performance may reflect the level of language lateralization in VPT children and right ear scores of a dichotic listening task are associated with both the splenium of the corpus callosum and language performance. If our results could be validated in future research, it suggests that poor CC development may indicate VPT children at risk for long-term language problems.

Relations between hemispheric asymmetries of grey matter and auditory processing of spoken syllables in 281 healthy adults.

Most people have a right-ear advantage for the perception of spoken syllables, consistent with left hemisphere dominance for speech processing. However, there is considerable variation, with some people showing left-ear advantage. The extent to which this variation is reflected in brain structure remains unclear. We tested for relations between hemispheric asymmetries of auditory processing and of grey matter in 281 adults, using dichotic listening and voxel-based morphometry. This was the largest study of this issue to date. Per-voxel asymmetry indexes were derived for each participant following registration of brain magnetic resonance images to a template that was symmetrized. The asymmetry index derived from dichotic listening was related to grey matter asymmetry in clusters of voxels corresponding to the amygdala and cerebellum lobule VI. There was also a smaller, non-significant cluster in the posterior superior temporal gyrus, a region of auditory cortex. These findings contribute to the mapping of asymmetrical structure-function links in the human brain and suggest that subcortical structures should be investigated in relation to hemispheric dominance for speech processing, in addition to auditory cortex.

Dichotic listening abilities among liturgical teachers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

This study examines patterns of ear advantage and attentional capacity among religious teachers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church versus adults who are not religious teachers. Religious education, rooted mainly in Christianity and Islam, has a long history in Ethiopia. Most of such education has been practised through recitations and oral presentations, which demand perceptual vigour particularly on the part of the teachers. The present study employed a dichotic listening paradigm, using monosyllabic word and CV-syllables listening tasks, administered in three attentional conditions: non-forced (NF), forced-right (FR) and forced-left (FL). 54 right-handed male adults (27 teachers and 27 non-teachers) served as participants. Percentages of correct responses per ear, as well as Laterality Index (LI) were calculated and analysed using a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical procedure. Results showed that, on both listening tasks, the religious teachers demonstrated a higher ear advantage in all conditions, indicative of stronger language asymmetry (in non-forced condition) and better ability to focus on one specific ear (in forced conditions). The findings of the present study are very much in support of the theory of neuroplasticity in human cognition (Konorski, 1948).

Cross-modal aftereffects of visuo-manual prism adaptation: Transfer to auditory divided attention in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Prism adaptation was shown to modify auditory perception. Using a dichotic listening task, which assesses auditory divided attention, benefits of a rightward prism adaptation were demonstrated in neglect patients (i.e., a syndrome following right hemisphere brain damage) by reducing their left auditory extinction. It is currently unknown whether prism adaptation affects auditory divided attention in healthy subjects. In the present study, we investigated the aftereffects of prism adaptation on dichotic listening. METHOD: A sample of 47 young adults performed a dichotic listening task, in which pairs of words were presented with two words sounded simultaneously, one in each ear. Three parameters were measured: The percentage of recalled words, the percentage of correctly recalled words, and the laterality index (LI). RESULTS: Prism adaptation to a leftward optical deviation (L-PA) significantly increased the overall percentage of recalled words (p = .044) and that from the right ear (p = .002), and the overall LI (p = .049). CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, these findings demonstrate that L-PA produced an orientation of the auditory divided attention in favor of the right ear in healthy participants. This asymmetrical aftereffect provides a new argument in favor of the cross-modal dimension of prism adaptation, although an acclimatization effect of the dichotic listening task is also discussed. Our study opens up a new avenue for using prism adaptation in the field of auditory rehabilitation requiring a modulation of auditory attention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Dichotic listening performance and interhemispheric integration after administration of hydrocortisone.

Chronic stress has been shown to have long-term effects on functional hemispheric asymmetries in both humans and non-human species. The short-term effects of acute stress exposure on functional hemispheric asymmetries are less well investigated. It has been suggested that acute stress can affect functional hemispheric asymmetries by modulating inhibitory function of the corpus callosum, the white matter pathway that connects the two hemispheres. On the molecular level, this modulation may be caused by a stress-related increase in cortisol, a major stress hormone. Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the acute effects of cortisol on functional hemispheric asymmetries. Overall, 60 participants were tested after administration of 20 mg hydrocortisone or a placebo tablet in a cross-over design. Both times, a verbal and an emotional dichotic listening task to assess language and emotional lateralization, as well as a Banich-Belger task to assess interhemispheric integration were applied. Lateralization quotients were determined for both reaction times and correctly identified syllables in both dichotic listening tasks. In the Banich-Belger task, across-field advantages were determined to quantify interhemispheric integration. While we could replicate previously reported findings for these tasks in the placebo session, we could not detect any differences in asymmetry between hydrocortisone and placebo treatment. This partially corroborates the results of a previous study we performed using social stress to induce cortisol increases. This suggests that an increase in cortisol does not influence dichotic listening performance on a behavioral level. As other studies reported an effect of stress hormones on functional hemispheric asymmetries on a neuro-functional level, future research using neuronal imaging methods would be helpful in the characterization of the relation of hemispheric asymmetries and stress hormones.

The use of the dichotic digit test as a screening method. / O uso do teste dicótico de dígitos como método de triagem.

PURPOSE: To analyze the use of the Dichotic Digit Test (DDT) as a screening method and to compare its performance with a self-perception questionnaire and other Central Auditory Processing (CAP)behavioral tests. METHODS: Cross-sectional, retrospective study with analysis of medical records. The study analyzed 66 medical records of children aged 8 to 11 years, and divided them into control group (G1), consisting of 34 children who did not show changes in the DDT, and the study group (G2) with 32 children who showed changes in the DDT. The Scale of Auditory Behaviors (SAB) questionnaire was used in addition to behavioral tests that assessed the auditory abilities of localization, closure, figure-ground, temporal ordering and resolution. RESULTS: Individuals in G2 showed higher percentages of changes in all instruments, except for the speech-in-noise test. There was a statistically significant association between the DDT performance categories with the categories of the SAB questionnaire (p-value 0.022) and the simplified CAP assessment (p-value<0.001). The DDT showed a significant correlation with the SAB questionnaire and with all CAP tests used in at least one of the analyzed ears. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the DDT can be used as a screening method for central auditory processing disorder in basic audiological assessment as there was an association in its performance with the self-perception in the SAB questionnaire, in addition to correlation, especially in the left ear, with behavioral tests applied to diagnose CAPD.

OBJETIVO: Analisar o uso do teste dicótico de dígitos (TDD) como método de triagem e comparar seu desempenho com questionário de autopercepção e demais testes comportamentais do processamento auditivo central (PAC). MÉTODO: Estudo do tipo transversal, retrospectivo e com análise de prontuários. Foram analisados 66 prontuários de crianças com idade de 8 a 11 anos, sendo as mesmas divididas em grupo controle (G1), constituído por 34 crianças que não apresentaram alteração no TDD e o grupo estudo (G2), por 32 crianças que apresentaram alteração no TDD. Foi utilizado o questionário Scale of Auditory Behaviors (SAB). Além de testes comportamentais que avaliaram as habilidades auditivas de localização, fechamento, figura-fundo, ordenação e resolução temporal. RESULTADOS: Os indivíduos do G2 apresentaram maiores percentuais de alteração em todos os instrumentos, com exceção do teste fala com ruído. Houve associação estatisticamente significante entre as categorias de desempenho do TDD com as categorias do questionário SAB (p-valor 0,022) e da Avaliação simplificada do PAC (p-valor<0,001).O TDD apresentou correlação significante com o questionário SAB e com todos os testes do PAC utilizados, em pelo menos uma das orelhas analisadas. CONCLUSÃO: Conclui-se o TDD pode ser utilizado como método triagem do transtorno do processamento auditivo central na avaliação audiológica básica, uma vez que houve associação no seu desempenho com o questionário de autopercepção SAB.Além de correlação, especialmente na orelha esquerda, com os testes comportamentais aplicados para realizar o diagnóstico do transtorno do PAC.

Dichotic listening deficits in amblyaudia are characterized by aberrant neural oscillations in auditory cortex.

OBJECTIVE: Children diagnosed with auditory processing disorder (APD) show deficits in processing complex sounds that are associated with difficulties in higher-order language, learning, cognitive, and communicative functions. Amblyaudia (AMB) is a subcategory of APD characterized by abnormally large ear asymmetries in dichotic listening tasks. METHODS: Here, we examined frequency-specific neural oscillations and functional connectivity via high-density electroencephalography (EEG) in children with and without AMB during passive listening of nonspeech stimuli. RESULTS: Time-frequency maps of these "brain rhythms" revealed stronger phase-locked beta-gamma (~35 Hz) oscillations in AMB participants within bilateral auditory cortex for sounds presented to the right ear, suggesting a hypersynchronization and imbalance of auditory neural activity. Brain-behavior correlations revealed neural asymmetries in cortical responses predicted the larger than normal right-ear advantage seen in participants with AMB. Additionally, we found weaker functional connectivity in the AMB group from right to left auditory cortex, despite their stronger neural responses overall. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal abnormally large auditory sensory encoding and an imbalance in communication between cerebral hemispheres (ipsi- to -contralateral signaling) in AMB. SIGNIFICANCE: These neurophysiological changes might lead to the functionally poorer behavioral capacity to integrate information between the two ears in children with AMB.

Dichotic sentence identification test in Portuguese: a study in young adults / Teste de reconhecimento de sentenças dicóticas em português: estudo em adultos jovens

Abstract Introduction Among the currently-applied auditory processing tests, dichotic listening tests have been widely used, since they allow investigating the hemispheric and inter-hemispheric function and their respective skills to process the received auditory information. Objective To obtain normality reference measures with the new dichotic sentence identification test in right-handed adults with normal hearing. Methods Quantitative, observational, cross-sectional study. 72 subjects were assessed, aged 19-44 years, right-handed, with normal hearing, without hearing complaints. The dichotic sentence identification test consists of different lists of sentences, which were combined two by two and presented at the same time, using earphones in both ears, at 50 dB Sensation Level. The test was applied in four stages: training of the 3 stages, free attention, right and left directed attention, thus evaluating different auditory skills. Results In the free attention task, the average percentage of correct answers in the right ear was 93.59% and in the left ear 86.06%, with a statistically significant difference between the ears, with an advantage for the right ear. In the directed attention task, the average percentage of correct answers was 99.37% in the right ear and 98.8% in the left ear, with no statistical difference between the ears. Conclusion It is suggested, as a normality reference for the stage of free attention, 90%-100% for correct answers for the right ear and for the left ear, from 80% to 100%. When there is asymmetry between the ears, differences of up to 20% are expected, with an advantage for the right ear For the directed attention stage, the expected normality reference values ​​are 100% for the right ear and for the left ear, with no asymmetry between the ears; however, if it occurs, a difference of 10% is expected between the ears, with an advantage for the right ear.

Resumo Introdução Entre os testes de processamento auditivo aplicados atualmente, os testes de escuta dicótica têm sido amplamente usados, uma vez que permitem investigar a função hemisférica e inter-hemisférica e suas respectivas habilidades, para processar a informação auditiva recebida. Objetivo Obter medidas de referência de normalidade com o novo teste dicótico de reconhecimento de sentenças em indivíduos adultos, destros, com audição normal. Método Estudo quantitativo, observacional, de corte transversal. Foram avaliados 72 indivíduos, entre 19 e 44 anos, destros, com audição normal, sem queixa auditiva. O teste dicótico de reconhecimento de sentenças é constituído por diferentes listas de sentenças, que foram combinadas duas a duas e apresentadas ao mesmo tempo, por meio de fones auriculares em ambas as orelhas, a 50 dB nível de sensação. O teste foi aplicado em quatro etapas: treino das 3 etapas, atenção livre, atenção direcionada direita e esquerda, avaliou assim diferentes habilidades auditivas. Resultados Na tarefa de atenção livre, as porcentagens médias de acertos na orelha direita foram de 93,59% e na orelha esquerda de 86,06%, com diferença estatisticamente significante entre as orelhas, com vantagem para a orelha direita. Na tarefa de atenção direcionada, as porcentagens médias de acertos foram de 99,37% na orelha direita e de 98,8% na orelha esquerda, sem diferença estatística entre as orelhas. Conclusão Sugere-se como referência de normalidade na etapa de atenção livre, para a orelha direita, 90% e 100% de acertos e para a orelha esquerda, de 80% a 100%. Quando houver assimetria entre as orelhas, são esperadas diferenças de até 20%, com vantagem para a orelha direita. Para a etapa de atenção direcionada os valores de referência de normalidade esperados são de 100% para a orelha direita e para a orelha esquerda, sem assimetria entre as orelhas, mas se ocorrer é esperada diferença entre as orelhas de 10%, com vantagem para a orelha direita.

Effect of a Dichotic Interaural Time Difference Program on Dichotic Listening Deficit of Children with Learning Difficulty.

BACKGROUND: Dichotic listening deficit (DLD) is a common sign in children showing learning problem and is identified during auditory processing assessment. A dichotic listening training program was developed in which the weak ear lags behind the strong ear in time and has certain practices for switching attention between the ears and auditory memory. PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment program on dichotic performance of primary school children showing DLD. RESEARCH DESIGN: A pre/post clinical trial without control study. STUDY SAMPLE: Twenty-five primary school children, aged 7 to 12 years (mean = 9.3 years), showing DLD. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Several primary schools referred the children with learning difficulty to us. We defined learning difficulty as a score of 2 and lower on a five-point scale in at least two primary school courses in the current semester. The children with DLD participated in listening practices three times a week for 10 weeks, each session lasting for 30 minutes. The practices started with one pair of dichotic digits and ended in practice with sentences. The weak ear lag varied from 100 to 1,000 milliseconds. In the last stage of the practices, the precued and postcued directed response aimed at strengthening auditory memory and switching attention between the ears. The results obtained by the tests of dichotic digits, competing words, and competing sentences before and after the intervention were compared using paired t-test. Hedges's g was calculated as the effect size. RESULTS: Comparison of the results of pretraining and those of posttraining revealed that the average dominant ear (DE) and nondominant ear (NDE) scores in dichotic listening tests improved significantly with medium-to-large effect sizes. It was also found that the mean change in the NDE score of the children was significantly greater than that of the DE score for all the tests. CONCLUSIONS: Dichotic interaural time difference training that employed dichotic lag phenomenon followed by directed response practices significantly improved the DE and the NDE scores of the schoolchildren with DLD.

Influence of Alignment Strategies and Consonant Acoustic Features on Laterality Index in Dichotic Testing in Indian Languages.

BACKGROUND: The right ear advantage (REA) observed for dichotic CV (DCV) testing in Indian languages is seen to be smaller compared with the observations in several studies in English and other languages. PURPOSE: The present study aims to explore whether the differences in the temporal alignment of consonant-vowel (CV) stimuli used for the dichotic task is a contributing factor that can explain the smaller REAs observed in Indian languages. RESEARCH DESIGN: The study compared the laterality index (LI) values between DCV test results obtained using CV stimuli that were temporally aligned at the acoustic onset versus the burst onset, with 0 milliseconds lag between the right and left ears. STUDY SAMPLE: A total of 50 right-handed individuals (native speakers of Kannada language) in the age range of 17 to 30 years with normal hearing sensitivity participated in the study. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The participants' responses to the two sets of DCV stimuli were recorded and compared. LI was calculated for the overall scores as well as for specific voiced and unvoiced segment combinations. To test the reliability of the findings, 10 of the participants were re-tested using the same stimuli and the data were checked for reliability. RESULTS: The overall LI was 15.1% for the stimuli temporally aligned at the burst onset, whereas it was 5.7% for the stimuli temporally aligned at the acoustic onset. The difference in LI was not significant between the alignment conditions for unvoiced-unvoiced and voiced-voiced CV combinations, but this difference was significant for the unvoiced-voiced and voiced-unvoiced CV combinations. Comparing test and re-test scores showed good reliability. CONCLUSION: The results support our hypothesis that smaller REA observed in DCV task in Indian languages was due to the temporal alignment of CV stimuli. In the acoustic-onset-aligned condition, presenting pairs contrasting in the voicing feature tends to cancel out a relative ear advantage.