Can noise-induced TTS cause persistent impairment of speech understanding?

噪声引起的 TTS 会导致语音理解持续受损吗？

• 批准号: 8737269
• 负责人: ANTHONY BRAMMER
• 金额: $ 21.46万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-01 至 2016-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8737269
• 关键词: noise; induced; TTS; cause; persistent

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A recent animal experiment found that mice exposed to sufficient noise to produce temporary threshold shift (TTS) experienced unexpected, persistent suprathreshold changes in auditory function even though their long-term hearing thresholds remained normal. The results conflict with occupational noise exposure guidelines and regulations, which assume reversible threshold shifts (i.e., TTS) are associated with benign levels of exposure. The purpose of the proposed study is to establish whether the conclusion of the animal experiment is applicable to man and, as predicted, causes impaired speech understanding in noise and/or perturbed perception of loudness growth (LG). We propose to study adult males or females (aged 21 - 50 years) with normal audiometric hearing thresholds (HLs) who either report frequent exposure to noise and/or loud music and symptoms suggestive of noise-induced TTS and/or tinnitus ("exposed" group), or little or no exposure to noise or symptoms suggestive of noise-induced TTS or tinnitus ("unexposed" group). Volunteers will complete a questionnaire to establish symptoms and exposures after confirmation of their HLs. Up to 90 volunteers will participate in behavioral tests of: 1) pure-tone HLs; 2) word scores in noise using the Modified Rhyme Test, and; 3) thresholds for detecting sinusoidal amplitude modulation of pure tones. The analysis of data will be performed on 25 "exposed" and 25 "unexposed persons selected to best match the group mean audiometric thresholds. The proposal addresses an issue relevant to the Hearing Loss Prevention Cross-Sector Program and all NORA Sector Programs in which hearing loss may occur (Agriculture, Forestry, Construction, Manufacturing, Mining, and Transportation). Confirmation of the need to reduce or eliminate reversible threshold shifts will require intermediate outcomes such as public policy changes concerning occupational noise exposures and hearing conservation programs. There will also be a need for redesigned hearing protectors and improved communication devices to comply with the more restrictive noise exposure guidelines that would be required to reduce hazardous exposures. Identifying the need for such devices would contribute to NIOSH's r2P initiative. Should the effect prove to be experienced by only a few persons, it may be more appropriate to develop devices designed to compensate for a deficiency in the LG function (see Brammer and Bernstein, 2012). Hence, providing a rapid method for establishing the LG function, as proposed here, will contribute to NIOSH's r2P initiative by enabling the development of such devices. The outputs of the proposed research will be presented at conferences and published in scientific journals.

描述（由申请人提供）：最近的一项动物实验发现，暴露于足够噪声以产生暂时阈值偏移（TTS）的小鼠在听觉功能上经历了意想不到的、持续的阈上变化，即使它们的长期听力阈值保持正常。结果与职业噪声暴露指南和法规相冲突，这些指南和法规假设可逆阈值变化（即 TTS）与良性暴露水平相关。拟议研究的目的是确定动物实验的结论是否适用于人类，并且如预测的那样，会导致噪声中的语音理解受损和/或响度增长 (LG) 的感知扰乱。我们建议研究具有正常听力阈值 (HL) 的成年男性或女性（21 - 50 岁），他们要么经常暴露于噪声和/或大声的音乐并出现提示噪声引起的 TTS 和/或耳鸣的症状（“暴露”组），要么很少或没有暴露于噪声或提示噪声引起的 TTS 或耳鸣的症状（“未暴露”组）。确认其 HL 后，志愿者将填写一份调查问卷以确定症状和暴露情况。多达 90 名志愿者将参加以下行为测试：1) 纯音 HL； 2) 使用修改韵律测试在噪音中进行单词评分，以及； 3) 检测纯音正弦幅度调制的阈值。数据分析将对 25 名“暴露者”和 25 名“未暴露者”进行选择，以最佳匹配该组平均听力阈值。该提案解决了与听力损失预防跨部门计划和所有可能发生听力损失的 NORA 部门计划（农业、林业、建筑、制造、采矿和运输）相关的问题。确认需要减少或消除可逆阈值漂移将需要中间结果，例如 随着有关职业噪声暴露和听力保护计划的公共政策发生变化。还需要重新设计听力保护器和改进的通信设备，以符合减少危险暴露所需的更严格的噪声暴露准则。确定对此类设备的需求将有助于 NIOSH 的 r2P 计划。如果事实证明只有少数人会经历这种影响，那么开发旨在补偿的设备可能更合适 LG 功能缺陷（参见 Brammer 和 Bernstein，2012）。因此，如此处所提议的，提供一种建立 LG 功能的快速方法，将有助于开发此类设备，从而为 NIOSH 的 r2P 计划做出贡献。拟议研究的成果将在会议上展示并在科学期刊上发表。