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Related Concept Videos

Hearing01:31

Hearing

When we hear a sound, our nervous system is detecting sound waves—pressure waves of mechanical energy traveling through a medium. The frequency of the wave is perceived as pitch, while the amplitude is perceived as loudness.
Sound Intensity Level00:53

Sound Intensity Level

Humans perceive sound by hearing. The human ear helps sound waves reach the brain, which then interprets the waves and creates the perception of hearing. The loudness of the environment in which a person is located determines whether they can distinguish between different sound sources.
The human ear can perceive an extensive range of sound intensity, necessitating the use of the logarithmic scale to define a physical quantity—the intensity level. It is a ratio of two intensities and hence a...

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Functional Hearing Difficulties in Blast-Exposed Service Members With Normal to Near-Normal Hearing Thresholds.

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Summary

Explosive blast exposure in service members can cause functional hearing and communication deficits (FHCDs) even with normal audiometric thresholds. Neural encoding degradation, particularly in the auditory pathway, contributes to these deficits, impacting speech processing.

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Area of Science:

  • Auditory Neuroscience
  • Military Medicine
  • Speech Processing

Background:

  • Functional hearing and communication deficits (FHCDs) are increasingly prevalent in active-duty service members (SMs) following explosive blast exposure.
  • These deficits are characterized by impaired speech recognition, reduced binaural tone detection in noise, or significant self-reported hearing difficulties, often occurring despite near-normal audiometric thresholds.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the underlying auditory processing deficits contributing to FHCD in blast-exposed SMs.
  • To characterize the effects of blast exposure on the human auditory system and inform clinical management.

Main Methods:

  • Comparison of three groups of SMs: controls (N=78), blast-exposed with FHCD (N=26), and blast-exposed without FHCD (N=11).
  • Utilized a comprehensive battery of audiometric, behavioral, cognitive, and electrophysiological measures, including frequency-following response (FFR) via EEG.
  • Assessed peripheral, subcortical, and cortical auditory processing, as well as cognitive functions like language processing speed and working memory.

Main Results:

  • Blast-exposed SMs with FHCD showed significant deficits in peripheral and subcortical auditory processing compared to controls.
  • Cognitive functions, specifically language processing speed and working memory, were impaired in blast-exposed SMs, irrespective of FHCD status.
  • FFR analysis revealed altered neural activity in blast-exposed SMs with FHCD, including increased spontaneous activity, reduced response amplitude, and delayed onset.

Conclusions:

  • Neural encoding degradation of acoustic stimuli is a likely cause of FHCD in blast-exposed SMs with normal audiometric thresholds.
  • Deficits in language processing speed and working memory may hinder speech decoding and comprehension in challenging environments.
  • Further research is needed to correlate these findings with clinical treatment protocols for auditory processing disorders.