Hearing Aid Effects on Brain and Behavior

听力损失和耳鸣是最常见的两种与服务有关的残疾 退伍军人。这两种情况，再加上与衰老相关的渐进性影响， 对有效的退伍军人护理提出了重大挑战。此外，耳鸣和耳鸣的治疗 听力损失已被证明可以改善生活质量。听力损失的听力康复 通常包括助听器，作为改善听力的一种手段，并允许访问 准确的语音感知的线索，这反过来又促进成功的沟通和 参与生活中的心理社会方面。助听器也被发现可以减少 对耳鸣患者的烦人评级；事实上，一些临床医生经常将助听器作为一种 耳鸣治疗的主要手段，在某些情况下，即使听力阈值在 正常范围。 除了与以下相关的即时听觉变化和治疗质量 声学改装对助听器、扩音器也有潜在的影响 较高水平的听觉处理能力，如在噪音、认知或其他方面的语音感知 复杂听力任务所需的能力和效果(例如，努力).的长期影响 放大，也被称为适应效应，相对于更多的 与听觉相关的即时影响。对长期习服的更好理解 效果，再加上更直接的听觉效果，将有助于听力专家改善听力 帮助退伍军人取得成功并从中受益。 一种使用心理物理、生理、认知和问卷结果的方法 相关的即刻可听性和长期适应效果的测量 助听器的使用可能有助于阐明放大作为康复的积极影响 接近。这项研究的目的是检查即时听觉影响的方式 放大的长期听觉处理效应会影响一系列结果衡量标准。 改进对放大过程中发生的变化的测量将有助于理解 提高康复成功率。

Hearing loss and tinnitus are the two most common service-related disabilities among Veterans. These two conditions, together with the progressive effects associated with aging, present an important challenge for effective Veteran care. Furthermore, treatment of tinnitus and hearing loss has been shown to improve quality of life. Auditory rehabilitation for hearing loss commonly includes hearing aids as a means to improve audibility and allow access to important cues for accurate speech perception, which, in turn, promotes successful communication and engagement in psychosocial aspects of life. Hearing aids have also been found to reduce the bothersome ratings of those with tinnitus; in fact, some clinicians routinely fit hearing aids as a primary means of tinnitus treatment, in some cases even when hearing thresholds are within the normal range. In addition to the immediate audibility changes and treatment qualities related to acoustic modification made by the hearing aid, amplification also has the potential to affect higher level auditory processing abilities, such as speech perception in noise, cognition or other abilities required for complex listening tasks the effects (e.g., effort). Long-term effects of amplification, also known as acclimatization effects, are not well understood relative to more immediate audibility-related effects. A better understanding of the long-term acclimatization effects, together with more immediate audibility effects, will help audiologist to improve hearing aid success and benefit among Veterans. An approach using psychophysical, physiological, cognitive, and questionnaire outcome measures of both immediate audibility and long-term acclimatization effects that are associated with hearing aid use may help to clarify the positive impacts of amplification as a rehabilitation approach. The purpose of this study is to examine the way in which immediate audibility effects and long-term auditory processing effects of amplification affect a range of outcome measures. Improved measurement of the changes that occur with amplification will then help to understand and improve rehabilitation success.