Auditory Temporal Processing in Patients With Vestibular Migraine

Vestibular migraine (VM) has been associated with central sensory processing abnormalities and neural hyperexcitability, which may disrupt temporal coding despite normal peripheral hearing. This study aimed to determine whether auditory temporal processing is differentially affected in VM by comparing temporal resolution and temporal masking abilities with those of healthy controls.

This cross-sectional study included 17 adults aged 20-50 years with definite VM and 17 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants had normal hearing sensitivity and normal cognitive function, confirmed using the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE). Auditory temporal processing was evaluated using the Gap Detection Test (GDT) and the Forward Masking Test (FMT). Group differences were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods.

No significant differences were observed between the groups regarding age or sex. Participants with VM demonstrated significantly poorer GDT performance compared with healthy controls, indicating impaired auditory temporal resolution (p < 0.05). In contrast, no significant difference was found between the groups in FMT performance (p > 0.05).

Individuals with VM exhibit selective impairment of auditory temporal processing despite normal peripheral hearing. These findings support the inclusion of central auditory temporal processing assessment as part of the comprehensive audiological evaluation of this population and suggest that auditory training targeting temporal processing deficits may represent a potential avenue for future rehabilitation.