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Dynamic Spatial Auditory Processing in the Elderly

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Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

One of the most obvious functional effects of aging on the cognitive and processing processes of spatial hearing is the localization problem and the disorder of speech perception in noise. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the performance of dynamic spatial auditory processing in the elderly.

Methods

This descriptive and analytical study was conducted on 60 young participants aged from18 to 25 years old and 60 elderly participants aged from 60 to 75 old years, using speech, spatial, and qualities of hearing scale (SSQ) questionnaire, binaural masking level difference (BMLD) and dynamic quick speech in noise (DS-QSIN) tests.

Results

Comparing the average scores of the tests and the questionnaire using the independent t test showed a significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.001). It was also found that gender had no effect on the results (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

Aging is accompanied by different structural and functional changes in the auditory central nervous system, which leads to a decrease in speech perception in challenging listening environments, as well as a decrease in sound localization abilities, due to the reduction of temporal and spectral information. This problem affects the determination of the source of sound and the spatial cognition of the elderly and leads to a disturbance in the awareness of the auditory environment. Therefore, auditory rehabilitation programs can cause the improvement of spatial auditory processing performance and improve speech perception in noise in the elderly.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the people who participated in this study.

Funding

The research leading to these results received funding from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science under Grant Agreement No 01-31420.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Audiology, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Majid Ashrafi

  2. Proteomics Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban

  3. Department of Biostatistics, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban

Authors
  1. Majid Ashrafi
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  2. Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban
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Contributions

MA: Study design, evaluations, data collection, interpretation and writing the manuscript. AAB: Analysis of the results and writing the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Majid Ashrafi.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

The study was approved by The Ethical Committees of Vice chancellor in Research Affairs- Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran (reference number IR.SBMU.RETECH.REC.1400.1194).

Informed Consent

All patients were informed about the nature of the study and a written informed consent was obtained.

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Ashrafi, M., Baghban, A.A. Dynamic Spatial Auditory Processing in the Elderly. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-024-04581-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-024-04581-3

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