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Non-verbal dichotic listening: A new cognitive hearing test for dementia
Chris J D Hardy1, Benjamin A Levett1, Jessica Jiang1
1Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK.
Summary
A new non-verbal dichotic listening test (NVDLT) effectively identifies central hearing issues in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA), correlating with brain changes and daily function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Audiology
- Cognitive Neurology
Background:
- Central hearing difficulties are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) but are not adequately assessed by conventional speech perception tests.
- Standard tests may fail to capture the nuances of auditory processing deficits in neurodegenerative conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a non-verbal dichotic listening test (NVDLT) using everyday sounds to assess central auditory processing.
- To compare the NVDLT with a standard verbal dichotic listening test (VDLT) in various dementia cohorts and healthy controls.
- To evaluate the NVDLT's ability to predict daily-life hearing function and identify neuroanatomical correlates.
Main Methods:
- A non-verbal dichotic listening test (NVDLT) utilizing everyday sounds was administered.
- Participants included individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), typical Alzheimer's disease (tAD), right temporal-variant frontotemporal dementia (rtvFTD), and cognitively healthy controls.
- Daily-life hearing was assessed using the modified Amsterdam Inventory for Auditory Disability and Handicap (mAIAD).
Main Results:
- All dementia groups, except rtvFTD, showed poorer performance on the NVDLT compared to controls.
- NVDLT performance correlated with retrosplenial cortex and hippocampal atrophy, and accurately distinguished tAD patients from controls (AUC = 0.99).
- NVDLT scores significantly predicted self-reported daily-life hearing function (r = 0.57).
Conclusions:
- The NVDLT is a sensitive measure of daily-life hearing function in dementia.
- The NVDLT shows potential as a diagnostic aid for dementia, including in diverse populations.
- This non-verbal test offers a valuable tool for assessing central auditory processing deficits in neurodegenerative diseases.
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