Auditory Efferent System
Stavros Hatzopoulos, Andrea Ciorba, Mark Krumm in Advances in Audiology and Hearing Science, 2020
Recent works have suggested that olivocochlear feedback can slow age-related hearing loss by protecting the cochlear nerve from degeneration. Cumulative exposure to every day “nontraumatic” sounds would cause loss of synaptic terminals on IHC without losses of OHC (Maison et al., 2013; Liberman et al., 2014). This type of neuropathy can be implicated in difficulties hearing in noise and is very common in presbycusis. Therefore, feedback from the cochlea’s efferent neurons might minimize neuronal degeneration and hence slow the progression of cochlear aging (Liberman et al., 2014). According to these authors, this type of neuropathy is also seen after moderate noise exposure and has been termed “hidden hearing loss” “because it does not affect thresholds, but can be seen in the suprathreshold amplitudes of cochlear neural responses,” negatively impacting the ability of hearing in a noisy environment (Liberman et al., 2014). For this reason, efferent reflex strength, as measured noninvasively in humans, can be a potential neurobiological marker of risk factor, and prognostic indicator, for age-related hearing impairment (Liberman et al., 2014).
Hearing Loss/Presbycusis
Charles Theisler in Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
Presbycusis is the bilateral and symmetrical cumulative gradual hearing loss from inner ear damage occurring as a result of age or regular exposure to loud sounds, illness, and genetics. It usually occurs after the age of 50. Initially, changes in the inner ear, such as degeneration of hair cells and changes in the basilar membrane, lead to decreased hearing at higher tones and a decline in pitch discrimination. Sounds gradually become muffled, distorted, or obscured by background noises. As hearing continues to be lost, lower pitch tones also become harder to hear.1
Programmed Aging Paradigm and Aging of Perennial Neurons
Shamim I. Ahmad in Aging: Exploring a Complex Phenomenon, 2017
It is well known that there is an age-related progressive reduction of hearing ability (Zhan et al. 2010). In the United States, hearing loss of more than 25 dB in speech frequency pure tone average has been reported to be 45.6%, 67.6%, 78.2%, and 80.6% in groups aged 70–74, 75–79, 80–84, and >84 years, respectively (Lin et al. 2011b). Noise exposure is not an indispensable cause for the development of presbycusis, as it has been observed in healthy animals that were reared in silence (Sergeyenko et al. 2013, Yan et al. 2013).
Characteristics of hearing loss in elderly outpatients over 60 years of age: an annual cross-sectional study
Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 2021
Siyang Li, Hui Ye, Aiting Chen, Lan Lan, Shiming Yang, Fei Ji
Presbycusis, also known as age-related hearing loss, is a progressive, binaural symmetrical hearing loss, that usually begins in the high frequency region of the hearing spectrum, with hearing loss ranging from mild to severe. Presbycusis is a common chronic health problem affecting the elderly [3]. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, hearing loss, particularly age-related hearing loss, is already the third leading cause of years lived with disability and a major factor affecting global health [7]. With the gradual progression of hearing loss, there is increased difficulty in understanding speech, as well as an increase in the burden on cognition. It has been reported in the literature that the high incidence of hearing loss in the elderly population is significantly associated with the continuing rise in the incidence of dementia in this group [8]. A 2017 Lancet Commission from the International Committee on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care concluded that hearing loss is the largest potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia, and if early hearing loss is treated, it may reduce the risk of dementia by 9% [9]. As life expectancy increases globally, the burden of age-related hearing loss and dementia is greater than ever before. Therefore, the prevention and treatment of age-related hearing loss has significant health, social, and safety benefits. Understanding the characteristics of ARHL is thus of great importance for studying the condition as well as promoting the prevention and treatment of ARHL.
Creating Virtual Reality Based Interventions for Older Adults Impacted by Substance Misuse: Safety and Design Considerations
Published in Journal of Technology in Human Services, 2021
Micki Washburn, Aaron Hagedorn, Steven Moore
In addition to safety concerns associated with limited vision, many older adults may have difficulties with their hearing. Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss of higher pitched sounds, experienced universally among the aged as a result of a lifetime of high-volume exposures (Gates & Mills, 2005). Profound hearing loss affects up to one third of people 65-74, and about half of people over age 75 (NIH, 2020). Audio queues should be able to be adjustable to ensure safe and comfortable volume for the users. Audio devices which normally present in stereo (simulating surround sound) may not be feasible if the participant has partial or total hearing loss in one or both ears (Murray, Arnold, & Thornton, 2000). Volumes should be set just loud enough for the users to hear within the virtual environment, but also provide them with the ability to hear ambient noises and receive verbal instruction from the interventionist. Users may also experience discomfort from feedback when headphones interact with hearing aids, as the volumes may differ between left and right sides (Lau, Pichora-Fuller, Li, Singh, & Campos, 2016). Audio volume in each side of the headset should be independently adjustable. In addition, the interventionist should perform a volume check prior to the user entering the virtual environment and check in with the user regularly to ensure the user volume levels are appropriate and to minimize any discomfort the user may encounter.
Evaluation of age-related changes in middle-ear structures by wideband tympanometry
Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 2022
Doğukan Özdemir, Dursun Mehmet Mehel, Ayşe Bel Çeçen, Şule Özdemir, Ömer Küçüköner, Abdulkadir Özgür
Age‐related hearing loss (ARHL) is the most frequent cause of sensorineural hearing loss in adults. Presbycusis is defined as symmetrical bilateral hearing loss associated with progressive degeneration of cochlear structures and central auditory pathways due to aging [1]. Presbycusis initially affects high-frequency sounds, leading to poor speech recognition. Numerous environmental and genetic factors are considered to play a role in the age of onset, progression, and pathophysiology of the disease [2]. Presbycusis has been documented to affect 37% of adults between the ages of 61–70, and 80% of those age 85 and over [3]. It has been reported that approximately 75% of the American population >70 years of age is affected by ARHL; moreover, the prevalence of ARHL is projected to increase as the world’s population ages [4].