J Audiol Otol.  2019 Apr;23(2):83-88. 10.7874/jao.2018.00283.

Central Auditory Processing Tests as Diagnostic Tools for the Early Identification of Elderly Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment

• Jalaei B
• Valadbeigi A
• Panahi R
• Nahrani MH
• Arefi HN
• Zia M
• Ranjbar N

• KMID: 2447578
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7874/jao.2018.00283

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a disorder that usually occurs in the elderly, leading to dementia in some progressive cases. The purpose of this study is to examine the utility of central auditory processing tests as early diagnostic tools for identifying the elderly with MCI.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
This study was conducted on 20 elderly patients with MCI and 20 healthy matched peers. The speech perception ability in a quiet environment and in the presence of background noise and also temporal resolution were assessed by using Speech Perception in Noise (SPIN) and Gap in Noise (GIN) tests, respectively.
RESULTS
The results indicated that the ability to understand speech in a quiet environment did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, SPIN at the three signal-tonoise ratios and the temporal resolution scores were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Individuals with MCI appear to have poorer speech comprehension in noise and a lower temporal resolution than those of the same age, but without cognitive defects. Considering the utility of these tests in identifying cognitive problems, we propose that since the GIN test seems to be less influenced by intervening factors, this test can therefore, be a useful tool for the early screening of elderly people with cognitive problems.

Keyword

Dementia; Mild cognitive impairment; Speech perception; Auditory processing disorder; Cognition

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Auditory Perceptual Disorders
Cognition
Cognition Disorders
Comprehension
Dementia
Humans
Mass Screening
Mild Cognitive Impairment*
Noise
Speech Perception