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Auditory Function Assessment in Blast-Exposed Individuals

This study compares central auditory function in blast-exposed individuals with and without mild traumatic brain injury through behavioral and electrophysiological tests. Results suggest that tests like Dichotic Digits and Masking Level Difference provide insights into central auditory impairment.

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Auditory Function Assessment in Blast-Exposed Individuals

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  1. Performance on tests of central auditory processing by individuals exposed to high-intensity blasts Frederick J. Gallun, PhD; Anna C. Diedesch, AuD; Lina R. Kubli, MS; Therese C. Walden, AuD; Robert L. Folmer, PhD; M. Samantha Lewis, PhD; Daniel J. McDermott, MS; Stephen A. Fausti, PhD; Marjorie R. Leek, PhD

  2. Aim • Compare performance on behavioral and electrophysiological tests of central auditory function between individuals who have and have not recently experienced high-explosive blast. • Relevance • Auditory evaluation typically focuses on peripheral auditory system damage, but prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among those exposed to high-intensity blasts suggests that central auditory system damage is an equally important concern.

  3. Methods • Subjects: • 36 blast-exposed (19 with mild TBI diagnosis and 17 without TBI diagnosis). • 29 non-blast-exposed (controls). • Testing: • Interview and audiometric evaluation. • Behavioral: Frequency Patterns (FP), Gaps-In-Noise (GIN), Masking Level Difference (MLD), Dichotic Digits (DD), Staggered Spondaic Words (SSW). • Electrophysiological: Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR), Long Latency Responses (LLRs).

  4. Results (a) Percentage of blast-exposed and control subjects who demonstrated abnormal performance on at least one subtest or component of each behavioral test. (b) Percentage of subjects who performed abnormally on from 0 to 5 behavioral tests.

  5. Conclusion • Performance on these tests was not strongly correlated with mild TBI diagnosis. • Performing SSW, MLD, or GIN tests may provide insight into likelihood of impairment to central auditory functions.

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