A longitudinal study on auditory developmental responses in very preterm, moderately preterm and late preterm infants

1.Introduction Permanent sensorineural hearing loss in infants and children presents a significant challenge as it can negatively impact speech,language development,and education.Hearing loss occurs in about 1–3 out of every 1000 live births in healthy infants and in 2–4 out of 100 infants who receive care in a neonatal intensive care unit(NICU)(Ohl et al.,2009).Premature birth is the major cause for prolonged NICU stays or hospitalizations in newborns(Schindler et al.,2017).Newborn hearing screening is gaining momentum in developing countries such as India,in spite of a shortage of audiologists and limited infrastructure(Ramkuamar,2019;Galhotra and Sahu,2019).Newborn hearing screening programs are implemented in a few tertiary care hospitals,and ABR screening is recommended for preterm infants and infants who have been in the NICU for more than 5 days.

Synchronization and firing mode transition of two neurons in a bilateral auditory system driven by a high–low frequency signal

The FitzHugh–Nagumo neuron circuit integrates a piezoelectric ceramic to form a piezoelectric sensing neuron,which can capture external sound signals and simulate the auditory neuron system.Two piezoelectric sensing neurons are coupled by a parallel circuit consisting of a Josephson junction and a linear resistor,and a binaural auditory system is established.Considering the non-singleness of external sound sources,the high–low frequency signal is used as the input signal to study the firing mode transition and synchronization of this system.It is found that the angular frequency of the high–low frequency signal is a key factor in determining whether the dynamic behaviors of two coupled neurons are synchronous.When they are in synchronization at a specific angular frequency,the changes in physical parameters of the input signal and the coupling strength between them will not destroy their synchronization.In addition,the firing mode of two coupled auditory neurons in synchronization is affected by the characteristic parameters of the high–low frequency signal rather than the coupling strength.The asynchronous dynamic behavior and variations in firing modes will harm the auditory system.These findings could help determine the causes of hearing loss and devise functional assistive devices for patients.

Current trends and hotspots of etiology of auditory neuropathy in the past 30 years: A bibliometric analysis

Objective:To make an overview of global research trends in the etiology of auditory neuropathy(AN)over the past 30 years using a bibliometric approach.Methods:Bibliometric analyses were conducted by GraphPad Prism 9.0,Citespace 6.2.R2,and an online analysis platform to analyze and visualize publications related to etiology of AN from the Web of Science Core Collection(WoSCC)database from 1996 to 2022.Additionally,genetic factors in human AN were analyzed.Results:In total,604 original articles and reviews related to the etiology of AN from the WoSCC were included for bibliometric analysis.The results showed that annual publications and trend on etiology of AN increased linearly from 2000.Among them,the United States and China published nearly 400 records(40.32%).From the 604 records,a total of 752 keywords and 10 clustered network maps were extracted by Citespace,and‘mutations’was among the top 10 keywords.Analysis of genetic factors found that more than 30 genes were related to AN,and the latest burst occurred in 2022.Conclusion:The bibliometric analysis mapped the global research trends and analyzed hotspots for future.The results indicated that the annual publications increased linearly from 2000.Notably,there was a burst in genetic factors in 2022,which identified that genetic factor would remain a focus of future research.

Unilateral versus bilateral stapes surgery: A comparative study on auditory outcome and quality of life

Otosclerosis is a well-known disease which mainly affects middle-aged female patients,causing conductive or mixed hearing loss.Diagnosis is essentially made through a complete audiometric battery testing,while treatment substantially relies on stapes surgery.In this study,we analyzed audiometric and Quality-of-Life data from 33 patients in order to refine the surgical indications(unilateral versus bilateral stapes surgery)and assess the best technique(stapedotomy versus partial stapedectomy)and timing of treatment.The original questionnaire OTOS,in the Italian language,was administered to all patients.In this study,most of the patients were female(18/33),with a mean age of 53 years old.Both surgical techniques appear to be effective with no significant difference in post-operative Air Bone Gap.OTOS questionnaire appeared to be effective in assessing quality of life in patients treated by stapes surgery.Post-operative QoL appeared to be similar in bilaterally and unilaterally operated patients,suggesting that a contralateral intervention after effective surgery should be undertaken only if expressly requested by the patient.

Impact of auditory stimulation nursing protocol on auditory response in cerebrovascular stroke patients

Objectives:The objective of the study was to explore the impact of auditory stimulation protocol on auditory response in cerebrovascular stroke(CVS)patients.Materials and Methods:A pre-posttest nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental study was conducted at Al Mainal Hospital at Al Kars Einy Hospital,Cairo University,among 60 CVS patients,and the sample was randomly assigned through a coin to allocate subjects to study or control group(30 for each group).Auditory stimulation techniques were applied three times per week for the study group for two consecutive weeks.Patients in the control group received only routine hospital care during the study period.The Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS)score for assessing the neurological function and level of arousal and the auditory subscale score of Western Neuro Sensory Stimulation Profile(WNSSP)for assessing auditory response were recorded and compared between the two groups before and after the intervention.Results:There were statistically significant differences between the study group and the control group regarding third reading of GCS score(11.5±0.3 vs.10.6±0.9,t=4.676,P=0.000).The scores of all auditory subscales of WNSSP in the study groups increased after implementing the auditory stimulation protocol(P<0.05).Conclusion:Utilizing the auditory stimulation protocol by nurse proves to be an effective method for enhancing hearing responses in individuals with CVS.

Radio Sound and Auditory Nostalgia in Toni Morrison’s Love

Radio sound is a key signal sound in Toni Morrison’s 2003 novel Love.The intertwining of memories and radio music constitutes an intriguing window on how radio sound serves as a vehicle for exploring the cultural and historical implications of African American women’s listening experiences with home radio,as is presented by Toni Morrison in her first new millennium novel Love.Far from a simple sonic link with the larger external world,radio sound in is a primary means for individual nostalgia,collective memory,and expression of auditory aesthetics.It is a mechanical sound which conveys a particular“black restorative nostalgia.”

Auditory-model-based Feature Extraction Method for Mechanical Faults Diagnosis

It is well known that the human auditory system possesses remarkable capabilities to analyze and identify signals. Therefore, it would be significant to build an auditory model based on the mechanism of human auditory systems, which may improve the effects of mechanical signal analysis and enrich the methods of mechanical faults features extraction. However the existing methods are all based on explicit senses of mathematics or physics, and have some shortages on distinguishing different faults, stability, and suppressing the disturbance noise, etc. For the purpose of improving the performances of the work of feature extraction, an auditory model, early auditory（EA） model, is introduced for the first time. This auditory model transforms time domain signal into auditory spectrum via bandpass filtering, nonlinear compressing, and lateral inhibiting by simulating the principle of the human auditory system. The EA model is developed with the Gammatone filterbank as the basilar membrane. According to the characteristics of vibration signals, a method is proposed for determining the parameter of inner hair cells model of EA model. The performance of EA model is evaluated through experiments on four rotor faults, including misalignment, rotor-to-stator rubbing, oil film whirl, and pedestal looseness. The results show that the auditory spectrum, output of EA model, can effectively distinguish different faults with satisfactory stability and has the ability to suppress the disturbance noise. Then, it is feasible to apply auditory model, as a new method, to the feature extraction for mechanical faults diagnosis with effect.

The dual-pathway model of auditory signal processing

Similar to the visual dual-pathway model, neurophysiological studies in non-human primates have suggested that the dual-pathway model is also applicable for explaining auditory cortical processing, including the ventral ＂what＂ pathway for object identification and the dorsal ＂where＂ pathway for spatial localization. This review summarizes evidence from human neuroimaging studies supporting the dual-pathway model for auditory cortical processing in humans.

A case of auditory neuropathy revealed by OTOF gene mutation analysis in a junior high school girl

Objective: Congenital auditory neuropathy(AN) affects hearing and speech development. The degree of hearing difficulty in congenital AN varies as a function of pathology at the inner ear hair cell(IHC) synapses or the auditory nerve. We report a case of a Chinese girl with AN revealed by OTOF(otoferlin) gene mutation analysis who had only a mild hearing loss.Patient: A 13-year-old Chinese girl was diagnosed as having congenital AN on the basis of OTOF gene mutation analysis. She manifest a mild sensorineural hearing loss with 50% maximum monosyllable speech discrimination rate, normal DPOAEs(distortion product otoacoustic emissions) beyond ambient noise levels, only SPs(summating potentials) evoked during ECoG(electrocochleography) and absent ABRs(auditory evoked brainstem responses) bilaterally to clicks presented at 100 d Bn HL. She was able to effectively communicate with others by speech reading owing to her mild hearing loss. Moreover, bilateral hearing aids helped her to communicate.Conclusions: Our patient was demonstrated to have a mutation on the OTOF gene. Nevertheless, she was able to communicate using auditory visual speech reading in spite of a mild auditory threshold elevation probably due to partial pathology at the IHC synapses or in the auditory nerve.

The characterization of auditory brainstem response(ABR) waveforms: A study in tree shrews(Tupaia belangeri)

To characterize the patterns of ABR waves in tree shrews, we must understand the hearing sensitivity and auditory function of healthy adult tree shrews. Fifteen tree shrews(30 ears) were stimulated with clicks and tone-pips at 11 different frequencies from 1 to 60 kHz. The ABR waves were recorded and analyzed. The ABR consisted of five to seven positive waves in the first 10 ms after a click stimulus, and the average hearing threshold of component III was 27.86 ± 3.78 dB SPL. Wave III was the largest and most clear. The ABR threshold was related to the tone-pip sitmulus by a "U" shaped curve. The sensitive frequency was approximately 8 kHz in tree shrews. The latencies systematically decreased with increasing stimulus frequencies. The ABR amplitudes of wave III increased as the sound pressure level increased. All of these results provide an empirical basis for future studies of hearing diseases in tree shrews.

Auditory deprivation modifies the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and tropomyosin receptor kinase B in the rat auditory cortex

The development and plasticity of central auditory system can be influenced by the change of peripheral neuronal activity. However, the molecular mechanism participating in the process remains elusive. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) binding with its functional receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase B(TrkB) has multiple effects on neurons. Here we used a rat model of auditory deprivation by bilateral cochlear ablation, to investigate the changes in expression of BDNF and Trk B in the auditory cortex after auditory deprivation that occurred during the critical period for the development of central auditory system. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RTqPCR) and immunohistochemistry methods were adopted to detect the m RNA and protein expression levels of BDNF and TrkB in the auditory cortex at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after surgery, respectively. The change in the expression of BDNF and TrkB mRNAs and proteins followed similar trend. In the bilateral cochlear ablation groups, the BDNF-TrkB expression level initially decreased at 2 weeks but increased at 4 weeks followed by the reduction at 6 and 8 weeks after cochlear removal, as compared to the age-matched sham control groups. In conclusion, the BDNF-TrkB signaling is involved in the plasticity of auditory cortex in an activity-dependent manner.

Post-inflammatory acquired atresia of the external auditory canal

Acquired atresia of the external auditory canal(EAC)is a rare cause of conductive hearing loss.It has been traditionally classified into 4 categories:traumatic,post-operative,neoplastic and inflammatory.Post-inflammatory acquired auditory canal atresia is thought to be the result of chronic and repetitive infectious bouts affecting the auditory canal.Nevertheless,the underlying pathophysiology of this disorder is yet to be fully elucidated.Current data fail to clearly state the impact that certain underlying systemic disorders may have on the EAC.The possible association to metabolic disturbances such as iron deficiency is also emphasized.In the light of these findings,this analysis can be used to improve the classification of this entity thereby standardizing the assessment of therapeutic approaches.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia:A review

AIM To provide an updated of recent findings about efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy(CBT) in reduction of command hallucinations.METHODS Pub Med/MEDLINE,Cochrane Library,the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature,PsycI NFO,Clinical Trial.gov searches were performed using the keywords "hallucinations","behavioural therapy" and " cognitive therapy" in order to identify relevant articles published during the years of 2011 to 2016.No language limits were used.Studies conducted within control group,reviews,editorials,were excluded.Data on efficacy,acceptability and tolerability were extracted by three authors independently.Disagreements were resolved in a consensus meeting or by another reviewer.RESULTS A total of eight articles were eligible for inclusion.Two are randomized clinical trials(RCTs) and six are observational studies.The two RCTs included showed a greater efficacy of CBT compared to standard care on auditory hallucinations(AHs).Nevertheless,they considered different CBT models,particularly Treatment of Resistant Command Hallucinations and Cognitive Therapy for Command Hallucinations.As regards non RCT-studies,all papers included showed reduction on frequency and severity of AHs and distress related to them.However,the lack of content details within non-RCTs studies decreased their comparability.In terms of predictive variables,our findings show that negative symptoms at baseline appeared to be the strongest predictor of the treatment efficacy.Indeed,negative symptoms showed a significant negative correlation on outcome.CONCLUSION Although more conclusive studies are still needed,we found some preliminary evidence for the efficacy of CBT in the treatment of command hallucinations.

Auditory hallucinations: A review of the ERC “VOICE” project

In this invited review I provide a selective overview of recent research on brain mechanisms and cognitive processes involved in auditory hallucinations. The review is focused on research carried out in the "VOICE" ERC Advanced Grant Project, funded by the European Research Council, but I also review and discuss the literature in general. Auditory hallucinations are suggested to be perceptual phenomena, with a neuronal origin in the speech perception areas in the temporal lobe. The phenomenology of auditory hallucinations is conceptualized along three domains, or dimensions; a perceptual dimension, experienced as someone speaking to the patient; a cognitive dimension, experienced as an inability to inhibit, or ignore the voices, and an emotional dimension, experienced as the "voices" having primarily a negative, or sinister, emotional tone. I will review cognitive, imaging, and neurochemistry data related to these dimensions, primarily the first two. The reviewed data are summarized in a model that sees auditory hallucinations as initiated from temporal lobe neuronal hyper-activation that draws attentional focus inward, and which is not inhibited due to frontal lobe hypo-activation. It is further suggested that this is maintained through abnormal glutamate and possibly gamma-amino-butyric-acid transmitter mediation, which could point towards new pathways for pharmacological treatment. A final section discusses new methods of acquiring quantitative data on the phenomenology and subjective experience of auditory hallucination that goes beyond standard interview questionnaires, by suggesting an iP hone/iP od app.

Cochlear implantation in a child with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder

Objective To report outcomes of cochlear implantation (CI) in a child with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) and to provide preliminary clinical evidence of the efficacy of CI in ANSD patients.Methods A 4-year-old boy with diagnosed auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) received implantation of a Nucleus CI24R after an unsatisfactory trial of amplification.Post-implantation performance in both hearing sensitivity and speech recognition was assessed in different sessions.Aided hearing thresholds were tested by behavioral audiometry.Mandarin Early Speech Perception Test (MESP),Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS),category of auditory performance (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) were used to assess the benefits in auditory skills or speech recognition the boy obtained from CI.The tests were administered before surgery and at 3 months and 7 months after opening.Results The boy demonstrated improved auditory sensitivity by using CI.Concerning speech recognition and communication,both speech audiometry and questionnaires showed an obvious benefit from CI.Conclusions CI has worked efficiently in this ANSD boy.But because of limited understanding of ANSD and rehabilitation effect by cochlear implantation in this condition,the clinical decision to implant should be cautious and only after a thorough evaluation.Meanwhile,well controlled and long term studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of cochlear implantation in patients with ANSD.

Cerebral processing of auditory stimuli in patients with irritable bowel syndrome

AIM： To determine by brain functional magnetic resonance imaging （fMRI） whether cerebral processing of non-visceral stimuli is altered in irritable bowel syndrome （IBS） patients compared with healthy subjects. To circumvent spinal viscerosomatic convergence mechanisms, we used auditory stimulation, and to identify a possible influence of psychological factors the stimuli differed in their emotional quality. METHODS： In 8 IBS patients and 8 controls, fMRI measurements were performed using a block design of 4 auditory stimuli of different emotional quality （pleasant sounds of chimes, unpleasant peep （2000 Hz）, neutral words, and emotional words）. A gradient echo T2＊weighted sequence was used for the functional scans. Statistical maps were constructed using the general linear model. RESULTS： To emotional auditory stimuli, IBS patients relative to controls responded with stronger deactivations in a greater variety of emotional processing regions, while the response patterns, unlike in controls, did not differentiate between distressing or pleasant sounds. To neutral auditory stimuli, by contrast, only IBS patients responded with large significant activations. CONCLUSION： Altered cerebral response patterns to auditory stimuli in emotional stimulus-processing regions suggest that altered sensory processing in IBS may not be specific for visceral sensation, but might reflect generalized changes in emotional sensitivity and affectire reactivity, possibly associated with the psychological comorbidity often found in IBS patients.

40 Hz Auditory Steady State Response to Linguistic Features of Stimuli during Auditory Hallucinations

The auditory steady state response （ASSR） may reflect activity from different regions of the brain, depending on the modulation frequency used. In general, responses induced by low rates （_〈40 Hz） emanate mostly from central structures of the brain, and responses from high rates （〉80 Hz） emanate mostly from the peripheral auditory nerve or brainstem structures. Besides, it was reported that the gamma band ASSR （30-90 Hz） played an important role in working memory, speech understanding and recognition. This paper investigated the 40 Hz ASSR evoked by modulated speech and reversed speech. The speech was Chinese phrase voice, and the noise-like reversed speech was obtained by temporally reversing the speech. Both auditory stimuli were modulated with a frequency of 40 Hz. Ten healthy subjects and 5 patients with hallucination symptom participated in the experiment. Results showed re- duction in left auditory cortex response when healthy subjects listened to the reversed speech compared with the speech. In contrast, when the patients who experienced auditory hallucinations listened to the reversed speech, the auditory cortex of left hemispheric responded more actively. The ASSR results were consistent with the behavior results of patients. Therefore, the gamma band ASSR is expected to be helpful for rapid and objective diagnosis of hallucination in clinic.

Diagnosis and treatment of carcinoma in external auditory canal

Objectives:To evaluate outcomes in treating carcinoma of external auditory canal(EAC) and to analysis factors which effect the prognosis of this disease.Methods:A retrospectively review of 16 patients treated for carcinoma of EAC at our department between April 2000 and April 2014 was conducted.All patients underwent surgical treatment and the diagnosis confirmed by pathological examination.Results:There were adenoid cystic carcinoma(ACC) in 8 patients,squamous cell carcinoma(SCC) in 5 patients,adenocarcinoma(AC) in 2patients,and verrucous carcinoma(VC) in 1 patient.The tumors were classified as Stage I in 4 cases,Stage II in 2 cases,Stage III in 3 cases,and Stage Ⅳ in 7 cases.Five patients underwent extensive tumor resection(ETR),2 patients underwent lateral temporal bone resection(LTBR),5patients underwent modified LTBR,2 patients underwent subtotal temporal bone resection(STBR),and 2 patients underwent only open biopsy.Besides,adjunctive procedures,including neck dissection,parotidectomy and pinna resection were performed when indicated.Ten patients received postoperative radiotherapy.By the end of follow up,two patients had died of their disease,2 lost to follow up,2 survived with the disease,and the rest survived disease-free.The median follow-up period was 24 months.Conclusion: Complete tumor resection appears to be an effective treatment for carcinoma of the EAC. Patients with SCC seem to have worse prognosis than those with ACC. Radiation therapy seems less effective for ihe disease than surgical treatment.

Auditory cortical stimulability in non habilitated individuals-An evidence from CAEPs

Objective:The effect of long term auditory deprivation on Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials(CAEPs)especially in human models is not well explored.Hence,the current study was aimed to investigate the effects of long-term auditory deprivation and stimulability of auditory cortex in non habilitated congenitally deaf adolescents and adults using CAEPs.Methods and Results:A total of 27 non-habilitated congenitally deaf adolescents/adults with age and gender matched normal hearing adolescents/adults participated in the study.The congenitally deaf group was fitted with high gain hearing aids(first fit).Further,the CAEPs were recorded.The obtained CAEP components were assessed for group effect,source and topographical differences.The between group analysis for CAEP responses showed a significant difference only for P2 latency and amplitude.The source analysis revealed that,in the normal hearing group for CAEPs,the sources were within the temporal regions.However,in the congenitally deaf group,along with the temporal cortex,the bilateral prefrontal cortex also was activated.Conclusion:The findings revealed that it is possible to stimulate and evoke a matured CAEP response from a long deprived auditory system with adequate acoustic stimulation.The presence of CAEP responses is indicative of the functionality of the innate auditory pathway and the crossmodal plasticity in long auditory deprived individuals.

Brainstem auditory evoked potentials in patients with delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning

Objective:To evaluate the changes of brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) in patients with delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Methods: BAEPs were performed in 32 controls and 40 patients. Wave Ⅰ , Ⅱ , Ⅲ ,Ⅳ, Ⅴ latencies and Ⅰ-Ⅲ , Ⅲ-Ⅴ , Ⅰ-Ⅴ interpeak latencies were measured, respectively. Results: Abnormalities of BAEPs in 13 patients (13/40, 32 ％). Among the13 abnormal BAEPs, 3 displayed prolongation of latency to waves in one side, no potential in another side; 5 displayed a similar abnormality which was bilateral prolongation of latency to waves ;and another 5 displayed unilateral latency delay. Compared wave Ⅰ , Ⅱ , Ⅲ , Ⅳ, Ⅴ latencies and Ⅰ-Ⅲ , Ⅲ-Ⅴ , Ⅰ-Ⅴ interpeak latencies in the patients and the controls, there were no significant differences (P＞0.05). Conclusion: BAEPs can be used for evaluating the diagnostic and prognostic values in the cases of delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning.