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Degradation in Binaural and Spatial Hearing, and Auditory Temporal Processing Abilities, as a Function of Aging
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 19, 2024
Summary
Aging impairs spatial hearing and auditory processing, even with normal hearing thresholds. These age-related deficits, not solely due to hearing loss, impact speech understanding in noise and sound localization abilities.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Speech Perception
Background:
- Sensorineural hearing loss is common in aging.
- Older adults often show performance deficits in suprathreshold listening tasks, suggesting central auditory system involvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine age-related performance on spatial hearing (acuity and speech-in-noise) and auditory temporal/spectro-temporal processing tasks.
- To investigate correlations between age, hearing thresholds (including extended high frequencies), and these auditory performance measures.
Main Methods:
- 48 adults (21-78 years) with normal or mild hearing loss were tested.
- Spatial acuity (minimum audible angle) and spatial speech-in-noise (SSIN) recognition were measured in a sound field.
- Auditory temporal processing (Temporal Fine Structure - TFS) and spectro-temporal processing (STM) were assessed via headphones.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited poorer spatial acuity and SSIN recognition, particularly in challenging listening conditions.
- Deficits in TFS and STM tasks emerged with age, independent of standard hearing thresholds.
- SSIN performance correlated with binaural temporal and envelope processing, affected by aging but not necessarily audiometric thresholds.
Conclusions:
- Age-related deficits, rather than hearing thresholds alone, significantly impact spatial hearing and auditory processing abilities.
- Impaired temporal processing may contribute to poorer spatial hearing in older adults.
- Extended high-frequency hearing loss might coexist with and contribute to reduced performance in older individuals.
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