The Relationship of Cardiometabolic Risk and Auditory Processing among African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study.

OBJECTIVES: There is limited research in population-based studies on auditory processing. The purpose of this work is to determine the prevalence of auditory processing impairment in the Jackson Heart Study cohort and to identify potential relationships with cardiometabolic risk factors. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Jackson Heart Study in Jackson, Mississippi. SUBJECTS: Participants of an all-African American cardiovascular study cohort (n = 1314). METHODS: The Quick Speech-in-Noise and Dichotic Digits, Double Pairs tests were used to assess auditory processing. Logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine how participants' cardiometabolic risk factors and audiologic characteristics were associated with speech perception in noise and binaural integration. RESULTS: Quick Speech-in-Noise and Dichotic Digits, Double Pairs testing showed a prevalence of auditory processing impairment in 69% and 71% of the cohort, respectively, which was significantly related to age, hearing thresholds, sex, and education level. With covariate adjustment in statistical models for age, sex, pure tone average, and education level, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and hypertension were statistically predictive of auditory processing impairment ( P < .05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest a high prevalence of auditory processing deficits in the Jackson Heart Study cohort. In addition, cardiometabolic and audiologic factors show a statistically significant independent relationship with auditory impairment measures.

Racial-Ethnic Differences in Word Fluency and Auditory Comprehension Among Persons With Poststroke Aphasia.

OBJECTIVES: To examine aphasia outcomes and to determine whether the observed language profiles vary by race-ethnicity. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study using a convenience sample of persons of with aphasia (PWA) obtained from AphasiaBank, a database designed for the study of aphasia outcomes. SETTING: Aphasia research laboratories. PARTICIPANTS: PWA (N=381; 339 white and 42 black individuals). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R) total scale score (Aphasia Quotient) and subtest scores were analyzed for racial-ethnic differences. The WAB-R is a comprehensive assessment of communication function designed to evaluate PWA in the areas of spontaneous speech, auditory comprehension, repetition, and naming in addition to reading, writing, apraxia, and constructional, visuospatial, and calculation skills. RESULTS: In univariate comparisons, black PWA exhibited lower word fluency (5.7 vs 7.6; P=.004), auditory word comprehension (49.0 vs 53.0; P=.021), and comprehension of sequential commands (44.2 vs 52.2; P=.012) when compared with white PWA. In multivariate comparisons, adjusted for age and years of education, black PWA exhibited lower word fluency (5.5 vs 7.6; P=.015), auditory word recognition (49.3 vs 53.3; P=.02), and comprehension of sequential commands (43.7 vs 53.2; P=.017) when compared with white PWA. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified racial-ethnic differences in word fluency and auditory comprehension ability among PWA. Both skills are critical to effective communication, and racial-ethnic differences in outcomes must be considered in treatment approaches designed to improve overall communication ability.

[Genes of connexin proteins participating in sound perception].

Congenital deafness is a severe, incurable and hardly correctable inherited disease. Mutations in GCB2 and GJB6 genes are most prevalent causes of deafness and occur in patients with hereditary and sporadic deafness all over the world. Some ethnic groups exhibit high rate of heterozygous carriage of most frequent GJB2 mutations (35delG, 167delT, 235delC). Definite association of hereditary deafness and mutational alterations in genes of connexins 26, 30 and 31 shows high informative value of molecular-genetic methods which diagnose hereditary deafness, carriage of mutations in GJB2, GJB3 and GJB6 genes, provide definite probability of the disease in medico-genetic consulting. Further progress in genetics of hereditary hearing loss will raise efficacy of deafness diagnosis at early stages of fetal development and prevent birth of babies with congenital defects of sound perception.