title: Brain structural and functional alterations in patients with unilateral hearing loss.
abstract: Alterations of brain structure and functional connectivity have been described in patients with hearing impairments due to distinct pathogenesis; however, the influence of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) on brain morphology and regional brain activity is still not completely understood. In this study, we aim to investigate regional brain structural and functional alterations in patients with UHL. T1-weighted volumetric images and task-free fMRIs were acquired from 14 patients with right-sided UHL (pure tone average ≥ 40 dB HL) and 19 healthy controls. Hearing ability was assessed by pure tone audiometry. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was performed to detect brain regions with changed gray matter volume or white matter volume in UHL. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was calculated to analyze brain activity at the baseline and was compared between two groups. Compared with controls, UHL patients showed decreased gray matter volume in bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus, left superior/middle/inferior temporal gyrus, and right parahippocampal gyrus and lingual gyrus. Meanwhile, patients showed significantly decreased ALFF in bilateral precuneus, left inferior parietal lobule, and right inferior frontal gyrus and insula and increased ALFF in right inferior and middle temporal gyrus. These findings suggest that chronic UHL could induce brain morphological changes and is associated with aberrant baseline brain activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: yangming19710217@163.com.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Hua-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-neck Surgery, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Chun
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Ya
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Ling-Ling
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-neck Surgery, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-neck Surgery, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head-neck Surgery, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhong-Da Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: gjteng@vip.sina.com.
authors.forename: Gao-Jun
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Teng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D046088:Hearing Loss, Unilateral / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007802:Language; D008032:Limbic System / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008875:Middle Aged; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology