title: GIN Test (Gaps-in-Noise) in normal listeners with and without tinnitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  the Gaps-in-Noise (GIN) test assesses the auditory temporal resolution skill. Studies have described the GIN test an instrument of easy application and with good sensitivity and specificity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to compare the results of the GIN test in normal listeners with and without tinnitus and to correlate the obtained results with pure tone thresholds and age.
  
  
  METHODS
  hearing tests were performed in 44 subjects (hearing threshold up to 25 dB HL in the frequencies of 0.25 to 8 kHz). Two groups were considered for comparison: the Control Group with 23 subjects, 8 men and 15 women, aged between 22-40 (mean 29.7), and the Research Group with 18 tinnitus patients, 3 men and 15 women, aged between 21-45 (mean 31.3). All subjects underwent pure tone audiometry, speech tests, acoustic immittance measurements and the GIN test. For the statistical analysis, the significance level of 0.05 was adopted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  considering pure tone audiometry, the overall mean for hearing thresholds was significantly higher for the Research Group when compared to the Control Group (p = 0.001). The comparison between the groups for the performance in the GIN test indicated that the Control Group detected gaps with a shorter time interval than the Research Group (p < 0.001). There was no correlation between the age of the subjects and the level of the GIN test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the GIN test identified deficit in the hearing skill of temporal resolution in patients with tinnitus. In the studied age group (21 to 45 years) there was no correlation between age and the results obtained in the GIN test.
authors.affiliation: Fonoaudióloga, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. seisse@usp.br
authors.forename: Seisse Gabriela Gandolfi
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Sanches
authors.forename: Alessandra Giannella
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Samelli
authors.forename: Anne Kellie
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Tanit Ganz
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Renata Mota Mamede
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Carvallo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult