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Spatial benefit of bilateral hearing AIDS.
Jayne B Ahlstrom1, Amy R Horwitz, Judy R Dubno
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425-5500, USA. ahlstrjb@musc.edu
Ear and Hearing
|February 6, 2009
Summary
Bilateral hearing aids significantly improve speech recognition in noise by enhancing spatial cues for older adults with high-frequency hearing loss. These devices help users better utilize interaural differences, leading to greater spatial benefit.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Speech and Hearing Sciences
- Gerontology
Background:
- Hearing aids aim to restore audibility and improve speech understanding in noisy environments.
- Spatial hearing relies on interaural time and level differences (ITDs/ILDs) for sound localization and segregation.
- Older adults with hearing loss often struggle with speech-in-noise, potentially due to reduced access to ITDs/ILDs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the spatial benefit provided by bilateral hearing aids in older adults with high-frequency hearing loss.
- To assess how hearing aid restoration of interaural cues affects speech recognition in noise as a function of frequency bandwidth.
- To evaluate the impact of amplification on the Acceptable Noise Level (ANL).
Main Methods:
- Twenty-one older adults with hearing loss used bilateral hearing aids for 3-6 months.
- Speech recognition in babble was measured using the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) at different low-pass cutoff frequencies (1.8, 3.6, 5.6 kHz).
- Speech was presented at 0 degrees, and babble at 0 or 90 degrees, with and without hearing aids.
Main Results:
- Both hearing aid benefit and spatial benefit significantly improved with increasing cutoff frequency up to 3.6 kHz.
- Aided spatial benefit was significantly greater than unaided spatial benefit, indicating effective use of interaural cues with hearing aids.
- Hearing aid benefit was less than predicted, suggesting limitations in audibility or cue restoration across the full speech bandwidth.
Conclusions:
- Bilateral hearing aids enhance spatial benefit for older adults with high-frequency hearing loss by improving access to interaural cues.
- While hearing aid benefit was significant, it did not fully meet predictions, indicating potential limitations in amplification effectiveness.
- Older adults effectively utilized spatial cues with hearing aids, demonstrating their ability to benefit from restored interaural differences for speech-in-noise.
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