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Identifying dead regions in the cochlea through the TEN test
Regina T S Jacob1, João Cândido Fernandes, Jair Manfrinato
1Sao Paulo University Craniofacial Anomalies Rehabilitation Hospital, Bauru, SP, Brazil.
Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
|January 16, 2007
Summary
The TEN test effectively identifies cochlear dead regions in individuals with sloping sensorineural hearing loss, a finding not evident with standard audiograms. This test differentiates pure-tone detection abilities in various hearing loss types.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Otoacoustic Emissions
- Hearing Science
Background:
- Cochlear dead regions are areas of the cochlea with impaired function.
- Standard audiograms may not accurately indicate the presence or extent of cochlear dead regions.
- The TEN test (Threshold Equalizing Noise) is a psychoacoustic method used to assess cochlear dead regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of the TEN test in identifying cochlear dead regions in subjects with sensorineural hearing loss.
- To compare the TEN test results with audiometric findings in different hearing loss configurations.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted.
- The TEN test was administered to three groups: normal hearing, moderate flat sensorineural hearing loss, and mild to severe sloping sensorineural hearing loss.
- Pure-tone thresholds and TEN test results were analyzed.
Main Results:
- In the normal hearing group, TEN values were near absolute thresholds.
- No cochlear dead regions were detected in the moderate flat hearing loss group.
- Six out of 76 ears in the sloping hearing loss group showed evidence of cochlear dead regions.
Conclusions:
- The TEN test is effective in detecting cochlear dead regions in subjects with sloping sensorineural hearing loss.
- Pure-tone detection differs between high-frequency sloping and flat hearing loss.
- A significant difference between masked and absolute thresholds was observed only in sloping hearing loss.
Related Concept Videos
01:13The Cochlea
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
01:22Hair Cells
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
01:15Auditory Pathway
Auditory pathways constitute the complex neural circuits responsible for transmitting and interpreting auditory information from the peripheral auditory system to the brain. Sound waves are initially captured by the outer ear, funneled through the ear canal, and reach the tympanic membrane (eardrum). These vibrations are transmitted via the middle ear's ossicles to the inner ear's cochlea.
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...
When viewed cross-sectionally, the cochlea reveals the scala vestibuli and scala tympani flanking the...