AUDIOLOGY JAPAN
Online ISSN : 1883-7301
Print ISSN : 0303-8106
ISSN-L : 0303-8106
Volume 64, Issue 4
August
Displaying 1-8 of 8 articles from this issue
Review articles
  • Hirohisa Watanabe
    2021 Volume 64 Issue 4 Pages 279-288
    Published: August 30, 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     Visualizing the spatial relationships and shapes of brain networks and understanding the plasticity and resilience of these networks is vital for understanding the mechanisms by which cognitive function is preserved in aging, and for considering the process and mode of development of dementia. In particular, hub regions of the brain, such as the multisensory integration network and the default mode network, are well-preserved during aging and play essential roles in various compensatory processes. In neurodegenerative dementias, such as Alzheimer's disease, the hub region is the preferred site for lesions. Our results suggest that disruption of primary information processing networks, such as auditory, visual, and sensorimotor networks, may lead to the overactivity of multisensory integration networks, leading to the accumulation of pathological proteins that cause dementia. We believe that this study will help estimate how hearing loss in middle age leads to dementia through a long process complex mechanism.

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Original articles
  • Mari Ito, Naoki Oishi, Kaoru Ogawa, Masao Toji
    2021 Volume 64 Issue 4 Pages 289-295
    Published: August 30, 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     In tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) for the treatment of tinnitus associated with unilateral hearing loss, sound input into the affected or unaffected ear is provided with the use of a sound generator (SG) or hearing aids. In patients with profound unilateral hearing loss of 90dB or over, the use of hearing aids is considered as being ineffective; therefore, contralateral routing of signals (CROS) has been proposed as a means of providing hearing support. A CROS hearing aid is worn on the affected ear as a transmitter and transmits sounds around the affected ear to a hearing aid in the unaffected ear.

     A total of 104 patients with tinnitus (62 men and 45 women) visited the Tinnitus and Hearing Loss Clinic of the Shin-Yurigaoka General Hospital during the 1-year period from January 2018 to December 2018. A total of 92 patients (54 men and 38 women) received TRT with a hearing aid. We encountered 2 patients who developed tinnitus after sudden hearing loss, in whom the distress caused by the tinnitus and the hearing loss was alleviated by implementation of TRT with a CROS hearing aid. Both the patients had profound severe hearing loss in the affected ear. One patient received treatment with a CROS hearing aid from the beginning, with improvement. In the other patient, a conventional hearing aid was changed to a CROS hearing aid after the patient showed no improvement with the conventional air conduction hearing aid worn in the affected ear. After the switch to a CROS hearing aid, the patient reported a sense of improvement. We also encountered 1 other patient with profound severe hearing loss who did not use a CROS hearing aid. We evaluated the cases, speculate that? the sounds around the affected ear caught by the CROS in the unaffected ear gave sufficient input of external sounds to both ears, which may have contributed to the alleviation of the patients' tinnitus.

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  • Toshinori Kubota, Tsukasa Ito, Hirooki Matsui, Chikako Shinkawa, Hi ...
    2021 Volume 64 Issue 4 Pages 296-300
    Published: August 30, 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     To detect the usefulness of the acoustic reflex (AR) for discriminating between sensorineural hearing loss and functional hearing loss and for diagnosing inner ear disorder, we examined the negative rate of the AR and positivity rate of the Metz test in 74 acute sensorineural hearing loss patients. The negative rate of the AR increased as the hearing level increased, regardless of the auditory stimulation frequencies (pure tones of 0.5, 1, 2, 4kHz). The negative rate of the AR at 4kHz was significantly higher than at 0.5kHz, when the hearing levels were 60, 70 and 80dB (p<0.05) . The positivity rate of the Metz test was 100% when the hearing level was higher than 60dB, regardless of the auditory stimulation frequencies. We think that the negative rate of the AR at 4kHz is more useful for discriminating between sensorineural hearing loss and functional hearing loss with AR. Diagnosis of inner ear disorder using with Metz test is useful for patients with hearing levels of higher than 60dB.

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  • Masako Kitano, Satoko Usui, Kazuhiko Takeuchi
    2021 Volume 64 Issue 4 Pages 301-307
    Published: August 30, 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

      We analyzed the data 21 children with congenital CMV infection. There were 3 cases of hearing loss, including one case of congenital bilateral hearing loss, one case of delayed-onset unilateral hearing loss, and one case of unilateral hearing loss that was thought to be due to an inner ear malformation. The course of hearing loss varied, and we reaffirm the importance of careful hearing follow-up. It is necessary to consider whether there might be other causes of hearing loss in children with congenital CMV infection. The peripheral blood CMV DNA levels were low in all cases, except in one case of symptomatic congenital CMV infection, and deafness could be noted even in cases with low blood viral levels. We encountered a case of congenital CMV infection with hearing loss caused by a nonprimary CMV infection during pregnancy. It is hoped that screening for congenital CMV infection will be performed in all newborns, not only in cases that do not pass the NHS or cases born of mothers with primary CMV infection.

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  • Masayo Kamei, Hiroaki Sato, Risa Kamisawa, Kiyoshi Yonemoto, Youko Od ...
    2021 Volume 64 Issue 4 Pages 308-314
    Published: August 30, 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     In 2012, the IEC published a document entitled, “Methods for characterizing signal processing in hearing aids with a speech-like signal” (IEC 60118-15), and the Japanese version (JIS C 5516) was subsequently issued in 2015. According to this document, we analyzed the long-term average speech spectrum (LTASS) and percentile of the sound pressure level (Percentile) of four hearing aids, and compared them under an on or off condition of various functions. We also evaluated the LTASS and Percentile, as well as the result of evaluation according to the “Guideline for the evaluation of hearing aid fitting” in 50 hearing aid users.

     The results showed that all of the four different hearing aids showed the same pattern of the frequency diagram, regardless of whether various functions were on or off. And also we found few discrepancies between the results of hearing aid fitting evaluation and the Percentile. However, the international speech test signal (ISTS) was found to be a more useful to measure the acoustic characteristics of hearing aids for the ‘normal wear' setting.

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  • Yuka Sasame, Masae Shiroma, Chie Obuch, Yoshihiro Noguchi
    2021 Volume 64 Issue 4 Pages 315-321
    Published: August 30, 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     This study was aimed at clarifying the age of acquisition of the use of compound words in school-age children diagnosed as being hard of hearing (HH) and having normal hearing (NH). We examined the effect of the “Rendaku” phenomenon, in which a word-initial voiceless obstruent of the second member becomes voiced. A total of 6 HH children and 41 NH children participated in this study and performed two tasks, namely, the combination and/or division of words tasks. In these two tasks, the subjects were instructed to combine two words or divide a compound word into two, respectively. As a first member of the compounds, a noun, adjective or verb was used, and as the second member for the rest material, a voiceless/voiced noun was used. Only noun-noun compounds had voiceless and voiced conditions.

     The results showed that there was a difference in the age at which the children acquired the of ability for the combination and division tasks. In the combination task, the mean correct score of 4th grade children was over 90%. On the other hand, in the division task, the score of even the 5th grade children did not reach 90%. Both the HH and NH children showed a poorer score in the adjective/verb-noun condition as compared to that in the noun-noun condition.

     We wish to emphasize the importance of adequate vocabulary training for children with hearing impairment, to improve the comprehension and use of compound words.

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  • Hajime Tachiiri, Yuko Tsurumune
    2021 Volume 64 Issue 4 Pages 322-327
    Published: August 30, 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     Sound source localization in patients with unilateral hearing loss was evaluated under 4 conditions: 1) unaided; 2) after learning unaided; 3) aided by a CROS hearing aid; 4) after learning aided using 12 speakers and white noise. Sound localization was significantly more difficult for cases of unilateral deafness than for cases with bilateral normal hearing. Localization of the normal hearing side was significantly better than that from the impaired ear side, and there was no difference front/back localization, in cases of unilateral deafness. Localization became more difficult in subjects who wore a CROS hearing aid for unilateral deafness. Analysis of the output sound from the CROS aid revealed that the potential for localization was improved by hearing when the wearer heard the amplified sound through the CROS aid, which was expressed as a “mechanical sound” after the original sound.

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  • Kazuha Ishikawa, Nozomu Matsumoto, Yoshie Higashino, Tomoko Tabuki ...
    2021 Volume 64 Issue 4 Pages 328-335
    Published: August 30, 2021
    Released on J-STAGE: September 22, 2021
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

     We measured and determined the standard values of the auditory processing test battery (APT), the test that is used to evaluate patients suffering from (central) auditory processing disorder (APD). A total of 21 subjects with normal hearing who were 20 to 37 years old were enrolled in the study. Pure tone audiometry, Fisher's auditory problems checklist, and Obuchi's check sheet for hearing problems were obtained. Based on the results, 20 of the subjects were considered as having normal hearing and underwent were evaluated by the APT. The mean±2x standard deviation of the collected data were determined as standard values. We then determined the cutoff values, by finding the smallest number of correct answers required to fulfill the normal limits. Finally, we produced the APT results sheet showing the scores of each item and the cutoff values.

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