title: Large cross-sectional study of presbycusis reveals rapid progressive decline in auditory temporal acuity.
abstract: The auditory system relies on extraordinarily precise timing cues for the accurate perception of speech, music, and object identification. Epidemiological research has documented the age-related progressive decline in hearing sensitivity that is known to be a major health concern for the elderly. Although smaller investigations indicate that auditory temporal processing also declines with age, such measures have not been included in larger studies. Temporal gap detection thresholds (TGDTs; an index of auditory temporal resolution) measured in 1071 listeners (aged 18-98 years) were shown to decline at a minimum rate of 1.05 ms (15%) per decade. Age was a significant predictor of TGDT when controlling for audibility (partial correlation) and when restricting analyses to persons with normal-hearing sensitivity (n = 434). The TGDTs were significantly better for males (3.5 ms; 51%) than females when averaged across the life span. These results highlight the need for indices of temporal processing in diagnostics, as treatment targets, and as factors in models of aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA. Electronic address: eozmeral@usf.edu.
authors.forename: Erol J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Ozmeral
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Ann C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Eddins
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: D Robert
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Frisina
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Eddins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011304:Presbycusis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Age-related hearing loss; Aging; Auditory temporal processing; Gap detection; Presbycusis