title: Altered Contralateral Auditory Cortical Morphology in Unilateral Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the cerebral gray matter volume alterations in unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients within the acute period by the voxel-based morphometry method, and to determine if hearing impairment is associated with regional gray matter alterations in unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective case study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary class A teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine patients with left-side unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss and 47 patients with right-side unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic.
  
  
  METHODS
  To compare the regional gray matter of unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients and healthy control participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with control groups, patients with left side unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss had significant gray matter reductions in the right middle temporal gyrus and right superior temporal gyrus, whereas patients with right side unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss showed gray matter decreases in the left superior temporal gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus. A significant negative correlation with the duration of the sudden sensorineural hearing loss (R = -0.427, p = 0.012 for left-side unilateral SSNHL and R = -0.412, p = 0.013 for right-side unilateral SSNHL) was also found in these brain areas. There was no region with increased gray matter found in both groups of unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that detectable decreased contralateral auditory cortical morphological changes have occurred in unilateral SSNHL patients within the acute period by voxel-based morphometry methods. The gray matter volumes of these brain areas also perform a negative correlation with the duration of the disease, which suggests a gradual brain structural impairment after the progression of the disease.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Radiology †Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology ‡Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Wenliang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Wenjuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xueyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mella
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Haha
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huamao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Haibo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies