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Aided cortical auditory evoked potentials in response to changes in hearing aid gain
Curtis J Billings1, Kelly L Tremblay, Christi W Miller
1National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Portland VA Medical Center, USA. curtis.billings2@va.gov
International Journal of Audiology
|April 14, 2011
Summary
Hearing aids alter signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), impacting cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs). These changes, not just gain, affect CAEPs, making them unreliable for assessing hearing aid amplification.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Hearing Aid Technology
Background:
- Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) show promise for evaluating hearing aid fittings and plasticity.
- Limited understanding exists regarding how hearing aid signal processing influences CAEPs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of hearing aid gain settings and resulting in-the-canal signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) on CAEP latency and amplitude (P1, N1, P2 waves).
Main Methods:
- Nine normal-hearing adults participated in unaided and aided conditions.
- Evoked potentials and in-the-canal acoustics were measured.
- Hearing aids were programmed with four gain levels (0, 10, 20, 30 dB) with a 40-dB input signal. Unaided levels were matched to aided outputs for control.
Main Results:
- Aided CAEPs exhibited smaller amplitudes and longer latencies compared to unaided CAEPs when assessed by output level.
- This effect is likely due to increased noise levels introduced by the hearing aid.
Conclusions:
- Hearing aids significantly modify stimulus characteristics, particularly SNRs.
- These modifications influence CAEPs in a manner that may not accurately reflect the applied hearing aid gain.
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