title: Problems hearing in noise in older adults: a review of spatial processing disorder.
abstract: Difficulty understanding speech in background noise, even with amplification to restore audibility, is a common problem for hearing-impaired individuals and is especially frequent in older adults. Despite the debilitating nature of the problem the cause is not yet completely clear. This review considers the role of spatial processing ability in understanding speech in noise, highlights the potential impact of disordered spatial processing, and attempts to establish if aging leads to reduced spatial processing ability. Evidence supporting and opposing the hypothesis that spatial processing is disordered among the aging population is presented. With a few notable exceptions, spatial processing ability was shown to be reduced in an older population in comparison to young adults, leading to poorer speech understanding in noise. However, it is argued that to conclude aging negatively effects spatial processing ability may be oversimplified or even premature given potentially confounding factors such as cognitive ability and hearing impairment. Further research is required to determine the effect of aging and hearing impairment on spatial processing and to investigate possible remediation options for spatial processing disorder.
authors.affiliation: HEARing Cooperative Research Centre, Carlton, Australia. helen.glyde@nal.gov.au
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Glyde
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hickson
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Harvey
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dillon
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D003071:Cognition; D032882:Comprehension; D007839:Functional Laterality; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception; D013997:Time Factors
references.citation: Lancet. 2005 Sep 24-30;366(9491):1111-20
references.pmid: 16182900
references.citation: Percept Psychophys. 2002 Nov;64(8):1325-36
references.pmid: 12519029
references.citation: J Speech Hear Res. 1994 Apr;37(2):465-74
references.pmid: 8028328
references.citation: J Acoust Soc Am. 1988 Mar;83(3):859-95
references.pmid: 3281988
references.citation: J Acoust Soc Am. 2005 Apr;117(4 Pt 1):2169-80
references.pmid: 15898658
references.citation: Arch Otolaryngol. 1965 Aug;82:115-32
references.pmid: 14317382
references.citation: J Am Acad Audiol. 2010 Nov-Dec;21(10):629-41
references.pmid: 21376004
references.citation: J Acoust Soc Am. 1994 Feb;95(2):1085-99
references.pmid: 8132902
references.citation: J Acoust Soc Am. 2008 Mar;123(3):1562-70
references.pmid: 18345844
references.citation: J Acoust Soc Am. 2005 Aug;118(2):1089-100
references.pmid: 16158663
references.citation: Ear Hear. 1989 Apr;10(2):79-89
references.pmid: 2707505
references.citation: J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2008 Apr;51(2):539-56
references.pmid: 18367695
references.citation: J Am Acad Audiol. 2008 May;19(5):377-91
references.pmid: 19253811
references.citation: J Acoust Soc Am. 1977 May;61(5):1337-51
references.pmid: 881487
references.citation: Psychon Bull Rev. 1996 Dec;3(4):422-33
references.pmid: 24213976
references.citation: J Acoust Soc Am. 2008 Nov;124(5):3064-75
references.pmid: 19045792
references.citation: J Am Acad Audiol. 2011 Nov-Dec;22(10):678-96
references.pmid: 22212767
references.citation: Ear Hear. 2009 Apr;30(2):203-18
references.pmid: 19194292
references.citation: Trends Amplif. 2006 Mar;10(1):29-59
references.pmid: 16528429
references.citation: Ear Hear. 2007 Apr;28(2):196-211
references.pmid: 17496671
references.citation: Psychol Aging. 2000 Mar;15(1):110-25
references.pmid: 10755294
references.citation: Ear Hear. 1997 Feb;18(1):42-61
references.pmid: 9058037
references.citation: J Am Acad Audiol. 2011 Nov-Dec;22(10):697-709
references.pmid: 22212768
references.citation: J Gerontol. 1978 Sep;33(5):731-6
references.pmid: 299563
references.citation: Int J Audiol. 2004 Feb;43(2):85-99
references.pmid: 15035561
references.citation: Psychol Aging. 2006 Mar;21(1):49-61
references.pmid: 16594791
references.citation: Psychol Aging. 1994 Sep;9(3):339-55
references.pmid: 7999320
references.citation: Brain Lang. 1977 Apr;4(2):277-94
references.pmid: 851857
references.citation: Int J Audiol. 2003 Jul;42 Suppl 1:S49-58
references.pmid: 12918610
references.citation: J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2002 Dec;45(6):1297-310
references.pmid: 12546495
references.citation: Audiology. 1991;30(3):125-34
references.pmid: 1953442
references.citation: J Acoust Soc Am. 1988 Jan;83(1):248-56
references.pmid: 3343444