title: Effect of conductive hearing loss on central auditory function.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been demonstrated that long-term Conductive Hearing Loss (CHL) may influence the precise detection of the temporal features of acoustic signals or Auditory Temporal Processing (ATP). It can be argued that ATP may be the underlying component of many central auditory processing capabilities such as speech comprehension or sound localization. Little is known about the consequences of CHL on temporal aspects of central auditory processing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to assess auditory temporal processing ability in individuals with chronic CHL.
  
  
  METHODS
  During this analytical cross-sectional study, 52 patients with mild to moderate chronic CHL and 52 normal-hearing listeners (control), aged between 18 and 45 year-old, were recruited. In order to evaluate auditory temporal processing, the Gaps-in-Noise (GIN) test was used. The results obtained for each ear were analyzed based on the gap perception threshold and the percentage of correct responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average of GIN thresholds was significantly smaller for the control group than for the CHL group for both ears (right: p=0.004; left: p<0.001). Individuals with CHL had significantly lower correct responses than individuals with normal hearing for both sides (p<0.001). No correlation was found between GIN performance and degree of hearing loss in either group (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest reduced auditory temporal processing ability in adults with CHL compared to normal hearing subjects. Therefore, developing a clinical protocol to evaluate auditory temporal processing in this population is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Hearing and Speech Research Center, Ahvaz, Iran. Electronic address: bayat-a@ajums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bayat
authors.affiliation: Iran University of Medical Sciences, Hazrat Rasoul Akram Hospital, Head and Neck Surgery, Department and Research Center of Otolaryngology, Tehran, IR, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farhadi
authors.affiliation: Iran University of Medical Sciences, Haztat Rasoul Akram Hospital, Department of Audiology, Tehran, IR, Iran.
authors.forename: Hesam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Emamdjomeh
authors.affiliation: Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Hearing and Speech Research Center, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Nader
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saki
authors.affiliation: Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Student Research Committee, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Golshan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mirmomeni
authors.affiliation: Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Hearing and Speech Research Center, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Fakher
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rahim
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011930:Reaction Time; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology*; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adult; Adulto; Auditory temporal processing; Conductive hearing loss; Gap in noise; Gap no ruído; Perda auditiva condutiva; Processamento temporal auditivo