Temporary off-frequency listening after noise trauma. 2011

M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
Laveran Hospital, 34, boulevard Laveran 13013, Marseille, France.

Hearing loss is routinely estimated from the audiogram, even though this measure gives only a rough approximation of hearing. Indeed, cochlear regions functioning poorly, if at all, called dead regions, are not detected by a simple audiogram. To detect cochlear dead regions, additional measurements of psychophysical tuning curves or thresholds in background noise (TEN test) are required. A first aim of this study was to assess the presence of dead regions after impulse noise trauma using psychophysical tuning curves. The procedure we used was based on a compromise between the need to collect reliable estimates of psychophysical tuning curves and the limited time available to obtain these estimates in a hospital setting. Psychophysical tuning curves were measured using simultaneous masking with a 2-alternative forced choice paradigm, where the target was randomly placed in one of the two masker presentations. It is well known that some components of noise-induced hearing loss are reversible. A second aim of this study was to examine the potential recovery of dead regions after acoustic trauma. A third issue addressed in this article was the relationship between noise-induced dead regions and tinnitus. We found that 70% of the subjects had dead regions after noise trauma, while 88% reported tinnitus. Moreover, we found that the extent of dead regions probably diminished in about 50% of subjects, which highlights the ability of the human auditory system to recover from noise-induced hearing loss.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D008889 Military Personnel Persons including soldiers involved with the armed forces. Air Force Personnel,Armed Forces Personnel,Army Personnel,Coast Guard,Marines,Navy Personnel,Sailors,Soldiers,Submariners,Military,Force Personnel, Air,Personnel, Air Force,Personnel, Armed Forces,Personnel, Army,Personnel, Military,Personnel, Navy,Sailor,Soldier,Submariner
D009784 Occupational Diseases Diseases caused by factors involved in one's employment. Diseases, Occupational,Occupational Illnesses,Disease, Occupational,Illnesse, Occupational,Illnesses, Occupational,Occupational Disease,Occupational Illnesse
D010470 Perceptual Masking The interference of one perceptual stimulus with another causing a decrease or lessening in perceptual effectiveness. Masking, Perceptual,Maskings, Perceptual,Perceptual Maskings
D011571 Psychoacoustics The science pertaining to the interrelationship of psychologic phenomena and the individual's response to the physical properties of sound. Psychoacoustic
D003051 Cochlea The part of the inner ear (LABYRINTH) that is concerned with hearing. It forms the anterior part of the labyrinth, as a snail-like structure that is situated almost horizontally anterior to the VESTIBULAR LABYRINTH. Cochleas
D005389 Firearms Small-arms weapons, including handguns, pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, etc. Guns,Rifles,Shotguns
D006317 Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Hearing loss due to exposure to explosive loud noise or chronic exposure to sound level greater than 85 dB. The hearing loss is often in the frequency range 4000-6000 hertz. Acoustic Trauma,Hearing Loss, Noise Induced,Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000161 Acoustic Stimulation Use of sound to elicit a response in the nervous system. Auditory Stimulation,Stimulation, Acoustic,Stimulation, Auditory

Related Publications

M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
April 1992, Hearing research,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
July 1982, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
January 1980, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
December 2013, Hearing research,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
January 2014, The New England journal of medicine,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
January 2014, The New England journal of medicine,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
January 2012, Advances in experimental medicine and biology,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
September 1972, Journal of speech and hearing research,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
January 1967, American Industrial Hygiene Association journal,
M-C Etchelecou, and O Coulet, and R Derkenne, and M Tomasi, and A J Noreña
October 1983, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America,
Copied contents to your clipboard!