Relationship with frequency selectivity and the word recognition impairment in auditory neuropathy patients.

• Project/Area Number: 25861537
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Otorhinolaryngology
• Research Institution: Niigata University
• Principal Investigator: IZUMI Shuji 新潟大学, 医歯学総合病院, 助教 (20452055)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,770,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥870,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥130,000 (Direct Cost: ¥100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥30,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥520,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥120,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000)
• Keywords: Auditory Neuropathy / 周波数選択性 / 聴覚フィルタ / 後迷路性難聴 / 語音聴取能 / 中枢性聴覚障害

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Auditory Neuropathy patients exhibit poor word recognition score compared with pure tone threshold. We hypothesized that the cause of the word recognition impairment in auditory neuropathy patients is frequency selectivity dysfunction. We examined auditory filter width to estimate the frequency selectivity in auditory neuropathy and the other retrocochlear hearing impairment patients. In result, auditory filter widths in those subjects were ranged from normal to mild enlargement. It indicates that the cause of word recognition impairment in auditory neuropathy patients were not frequency selectivity dysfunction. On the other hand, we found that these patients showed instability of pure tone threshold. It may be one of the causes of poor word recognition in auditory patients.