The Effect of High Frequency Sensorineural Hearing Loss on Auditory Temporal Resolution: Gaps-In-Noise Test Performance in Older and Young Adults with Normal Hearing

Kang, Yong Kyung; Lee, Eun Sub; Yoon, Sang Won; Shim, Hyun Joon; An, Yong Hwi

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Auditory temporal resolution, which refers to the time-related aspects of acoustic processing, can be evaluated by the Gaps-In-Noise (GIN) test. We investigated whether the presence of high frequency sensorineural hearing loss (HF-SNHL) affects the temporal resolution of GIN performance in older adults with normal hearing.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
Hearing tests including the GIN test were performed in 87 subjects with normal pure tone average. The GIN threshold and percentage of correct answers were compared among 4 groups of participants; older adults with normal hearing (n=18), older adults with HF-SNHL (n=24), young adults with normal hearing (n=24) and young adults with HF-SNHL (n=21).
RESULTS
There was no significant difference in the mean GIN thresholds between the HF-SNHL group (5.8+/-0.8 msec) and the normal hearing group (6.0+/-0.8 msec) in older adults, whereas the mean GIN thresholds of HF-SNHL group was higher than that of the normal group in young adults (4.6+/-0.3 msec vs. 4.2+/-0.5 msec, p<0.05). The mean percentage of correct answers of HF-SNHL group (62.5+/-5.5%) was not significantly different from that of the normal hearing group (60.6+/-3.9%) in the old, unlike in the young (71.3+/-4.0% with HF-SNHL vs. 76.9+/-4.3% with normal hearing, p<0.05). Age only showed a significant correlation with the GIN performance. Neither the GIN threshold nor the GIN perception level had any relation with the presence of HF-SNHL in older adults.
CONCLUSION
We found no evidence that supported the influence of HF-SNHL on auditory temporal resolution in older adults. These results imply that HF-SNHL may be of little importance in gap detection after age-related changes in central auditory system.