Development of audiometric parameters throughout the lifespan. II: Relationships between parameters.
Zbyněk Bureš1, Jan Voráček2, Dora Čapková3
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, University Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Prague, Czechia; Department of Auditory Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia; Department of Technical Studies, College of Polytechnics Jihlava, Jihlava, Czechia.
Hearing Research
|May 28, 2025
Summary
Hearing abilities change with age, showing complex interrelations between auditory functions. These relationships evolve, impacting speech comprehension differently across age groups and hearing statuses.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Speech Perception
Background:
- Aging causes progressive hearing loss affecting both peripheral and central auditory systems.
- Understanding the interplay of auditory functions during aging is crucial for auditory health.
- Previous research often focuses on individual auditory parameters rather than their interrelationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the complex relationships between various auditory parameters in healthy adults across a wide age range.
- To determine how these relationships change with age and hearing status.
- To predict speech comprehension based on elementary auditory parameters.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of auditory parameters in 290 healthy volunteers (18-87 years old).
- Variable clustering to identify general auditory characteristics.
- Speech comprehension prediction models based on auditory parameters.
- Correlation analyses within specific age and hearing subgroups.
Main Results:
- Auditory functions are interrelated and can be grouped into characteristics like 'hearing sensitivity' and 'temporal processing'.
- The interrelationships between auditory variables are not universal and vary significantly across different age and hearing subgroups.
- Speech comprehension relies on distinct mechanisms that are dependent on the listener's age and hearing status.
Conclusions:
- Auditory function interdependencies increase with age.
- A comprehensive understanding of auditory phenotypes requires considering age-related changes.
- Future research should account for the dynamic nature of auditory function relationships in aging individuals.
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