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Examining Age-Related Enhancement Of Multisensory Gain: The Role Of Sensory Decline And Inverse Effectiveness, Laura C. Schneeberger

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Older adults experience a greater benefit from multisensory integration than their younger counterparts, but it is unclear why. One hypothesis is that age-related sensory decline weakens unisensory stimulus effectiveness, producing a boost in multisensory gain through inverse effectiveness. Many previous studies present stimuli at the same intensity for both younger and older adults (i.e., stimulus-matched), as opposed to accounting for each participant’s unique perceptual ability (i.e., perception-matched). This makes it difficult to discern the source of age-related differences in multisensory gain. Through a combination of stimulus-matched and perception-matched tasks, I found that older adults exhibit enhanced multisensory gain at low …

Vibroacoustic Response Of The Tympanic Membrane To Hyoid-Borne Sound Generated During Echolocation In Bats, Chelsie Snipes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The hyoid apparatus in laryngeally echolocating bats forms a mechanical connection between the larynx and auditory bullae and has been hypothesized to transfer the outgoing echolocation call to the middle ear during echolocation call emission. We used µCT data to build models of the hyoid apparatus and middle ear from six species of bats and used finite element modeling (FEM) to measure the vibroacoustic response of the tympanic membrane due to hyoid-borne sound generated during echolocation. We found that hyoid-borne sound in all six species stimulated the eardrum within a range likely heard by bats. Although there were minor differences …

Lived Experiences Of Mixed-Race Children Of Deaf Adults, Marissa Rivera

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative exploratory study was to examine the impact of Deaf culture upbringing on mixed-race children raised in the United States. The data was obtained through virtual semi structured focus groups with ten mixed-race children of Deaf adults (Codas) over the age of eighteen years old, and an anonymous survey with the phenomenological analysis of participants’ experiences growing up as a mixed-race child of a Deaf adult. Growing up mixed-race as a Coda revealed four overarching themes of lived experiences such as: intersectionality of a mixed-race Coda, parental culture transmission, hearing family members, and managing intersecting …

Associations Between Atherogenic Markers And Hearing Loss: National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey: 2011-2012, 2015-2016, Anna Anya Rombakh

All Master's Theses

Importance Hearing loss (HL) is a major public health problem that has been previously found to be associated with abnormal atherogenic markers.

Objective To investigate the associations between such atherogenic markers and the degree of HL using continuous NHANES data from cycle years 2011-2012 and 2015-2016.

Design, Study, and Participants This observational study used data from two National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle years 2011-2012 and 2015-2016. NHANES continuously conducts data collection via home interviews and physical exams completed in their Mobile Examination Centers. NHANES participants ages 20-69 who partook in audiometry, anthropometric and laboratory testing were included. …

Multi-Platform Suppressor Design Project, Wyatt A. Openshaw, Alex B. Chiples

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Multi-Platform suppressor is a design that is meant to bridge the gap in the suppressor market by being compatible and configurable with both rifle and pistol platform firearms. In the specific design and prototype referenced in this report, the Multi-Platform suppressor was designed to be used with 9mm pistol and 5.56x45mm rifle calibers with safety, effectiveness, and practicality in mind. To achieve this, the suppressor is configurable, utilizing a Nielsen device in the pistol configuration and a solid mount adapter that replaces the Nielson device piston and spring while in the rifle configuration. This allows the suppressor to retain …

Strings Of Sound And Sense: Towards A Feminine Sonic, Ellen N. Moffat

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation listens to sound and sound art as sense, sensation, and sonic materiality. We make sense of the world from experience. The sense we make from sound is a subjective and intersubjective engagement with the sensoriality, audibility, and inaudibility of sound and its fluctuation. How we listen has potential to affect our relations with each other: how we hear these relations informs our understanding of the world. The question driving this research is how listening to others and their differences affects how we might hear others and the world differently. The potential for listening and hearing difference in the …

The Benefits Of Spatial Separation On The Cortical Representations Of Speech Sounds, Benjamin H. Zobel

Doctoral Dissertations

Spatial separation between competing speech streams reduces their confusion (informational masking) and improves speech processing under challenging listening conditions. The precise stages of auditory processing and the bottom-up and top-down mechanisms involved in this spatial release from informational masking are not fully understood. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to measure the cortical processing of relevant speech under conditions of informational masking and its spatial release, and to examine the preattentive and attentive mechanisms that benefit listeners. Participants were asked to detect noise-vocoded target speech presented with noise-vocoded two-talker masking speech. In separate conditions, the same set of targets were spatially …

Collagen Xi Impact On Structure And Function Of The Vertebrate Inner Ear In A Zebrafish Model, Makenna Hardy

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The ear is essential to maintaining balance and hearing; both of which can be linked to one another and significantly impact a person’s quality of life. Although aging and damage are more common reasons for hearing loss, congenital ear defects still have a considerable impact on our population. The function of the ear can be affected by structural deformities to the ear and its components which results in hearing loss. Mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the gene encoding Collagen XI alpha one chain (COL11A1) protein can play a role in hearing and balance dysfunction in humans as seen in …

Optimizing Communication In Palliative And Hospice Care: A Toolkit For Audiologists, Sherry E. Queen

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, with age-related hearing loss (ARHL) being one of the most prevalent forms of sensory decline in older adults. Hearing loss is often overlooked in medical settings including palliative and hospice care. Screening for hearing loss in these settings is rare as is formal staff training on assessing and managing hearing loss in palliative and hospice care. An evidence-based toolkit for integrating audiologists into end-of-life care protocols is presented. This toolkit was developed to optimize communication in palliative and hospice care for patients, caregivers, audiologists, physicians, and other palliative care staff. Effective communication …

Social Isolation, Fear Of Missing Out, And Social Media Use In Deaf And Hearing College Students, Conor Lake

Theses

This study investigated the relationships between social isolation, fear of missing out, self-esteem, and social media usage, and whether these relationships are different in deaf and hearing college students. Data were collected from 191 individuals (46 Deaf/Hard of Hearing, 145 hearing) via an online survey. Variables included number of social media accounts, time spent (in hours) on social media, number of times per day social media is accessed, FOMO, social media use, hearing status/identity, self-esteem, social isolation, and social media disorder. Correlational tests were conducted separately for hearing and for Deaf/HH participants. The groups had an unequal distribution of gender, …

Responses Of Neurons In The Rat's Inferior Colliculus To A Sound Are Affected By Another Sound In A Temporal- And Spatial-Dependent Manner, Sarah Tran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In a natural acoustic environment, our perception to a sound of interest can be affected by an interfering sound. To understand the neural bases of this phenomenon, we used rats to study sound-driven activities in the auditory midbrain, namely the inferior colliculus. As a major central auditory processing center, the inferior colliculus receives a lion’s share of convergent inputs from other auditory structures on both sides of the brain. The neurons of the inferior colliculus are predominantly excited by stimulations to the contralateral ear and inhibited by stimulations to the ipsilateral ear. Integration of these excitatory-inhibitory inputs enable neurons in …

How Do Adult Songbirds Learn New Sounds? Using Neuromodulators To Probe The Function Of The Auditory Association Cortex, Matheus Macedo-Lima

Doctoral Dissertations

The ability to associate sounds and outcomes is vital in the life history of many species. Animals constantly assess the soundscape for cues associated with threats, competitors, allies, mates or prey, and experience is crucial for those associations. For vocal learning species such as humans and songbirds, learning sounds (i.e. perception and association learning) is also the first step in the process of vocal learning. Auditory learning is thought to depend on high-order cortical brain structures, where sounds and meaning are bound. In songbirds, the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) is part of the auditory association cortex and is known to be …

Primary Care Physician Perceptions Of Hearing Loss And Amplification: A Survey, Sophie Racine

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The goal of this survey is to determine primary care physicians’ (PCP) views regarding hearing loss and hearing amplification. A questionnaire was created, using TypeForm©. Factors interrogated in the survey included structural aspects of the health care delivery system, presence of stigma among providers regarding hearing amplification, PCPs’ knowledge of hearing loss, the utility of amplification, official recommendations on screening and amplification, costs of hearing aids and risks of untreated hearing loss, and practitioners’ viewpoints and practice behaviors surrounding hearing loss and amplification. The survey instrument is comprised of four domains: 1) demographics, 2) knowledge of hearing loss and amplification, …

Induction Of Nocebo Effects By Verbal Suggestions During The Caloric Test, Abbey Weist

Dissertations, 2020-current

The caloric test is the most frequently performed vestibular diagnostic test and is considered the “gold-standard” for the assessment of the peripheral vestibular system. Using a warm or cool stimulus, the caloric test alters the temperature gradient in the vestibular system resulting in nausea and dizziness. The nocebo effect is a phenomenon that can occur when negative expectations result in negative effects. No study has examined whether expectations of nausea and dizziness during the caloric test enhance the experience of unwanted symptoms. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether a nocebo response can be elicited during the caloric …

Advanced Phenotyping Of Otosclerosis In An Ontario Population And Two Large Newfoundland Families, Matthew B. Lucas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Otosclerosis is a relatively common hearing loss disorder characterized by abnormal bone growth in the otic capsule leading to stapes fixation. In approximately half of cases, otosclerosis is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Typically, gene discovery efforts rely on surgical confirmation, audiometry and occasionally acoustic reflexes to identify affected cases of otosclerosis within families, requiring that the otosclerosis was at an advanced stage to be detected. This makes it difficult to identify individuals with early otosclerosis. The use of advanced phenotyping to identify cases of otosclerosis was tested in an Ontario otosclerotic population as well as in two large …

Factors Affecting Seatbelt Use Among The Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing, Deidre G. Mott

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, despite the proven significant economic, health, and social benefits of seatbelt use, millions of Americans do not use seatbelts. It is known that some factors, including obesity, reduce the rates of seatbelt use; however, a lack of research exists regarding whether individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing (HOH) have different rates of seatbelt use. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in seatbelt use between deaf or HOH individuals and hearing individuals after adjusting for individual-level factors (BMI, marital status, education, and access to health care). The theoretical foundation for this study was …

Dental Professionals Occupational Noise Exposure And Its Auditory And Non-Auditory Effects, Alexis Frees

Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess noise exposure and its auditory and non-auditory effects on workers in five clinical departments in the School of Dental Medicine at Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences Campus in Newark, New Jersey. The study included environmental noise level measurement, dental instrument sound level measurement, personal noise dosimetry and a questionnaire survey to assess non-auditory effects. Octave band analysis of environmental noise levels showed that they are slightly above the standard noise criteria for clinics, and measurements from six dental instruments confirm that they contribute higher sound pressure levels at the frequencies of 1000, 2000, …

The Role Of Connexin And Pannexin Large-Pore Channels In Hearing, Julia Abitbol

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Connexin and pannexin large-pore channels allow the regulated passage of small molecules at sites of cell-cell contacts, and from the cytosol to the extracellular milieu, respectively. Since it has been known for many years that Cx26 and Cx30 gap junction proteins are crucial in hearing we propose that Cx43 might also be important in hearing. Here we used two different genetically modified mouse lines that contain systemic Cx43 gene mutations that reduces gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) to examine whether Cx43 is also important for proper hearing function. Furthermore, since pannexins have also been postulated to be involved in auditory …

Multisensory Responses In Primary Auditory Cortex Of The Cat, Catherine Boucher

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Core auditory cortex of the cat is comprised of primary auditory cortex (A1) and the anterior auditory field (AAF). Neurons in both fields respond strongly to acoustic stimuli and are tonotopically organized. In hearing animals, a small number of cells in AAF respond to tactile stimulation. However, it is unclear if multisensory input influences responses in A1. In this study, multisensory stimuli were developed by pairing a pure tone stimulus with a flash stimulus at various stimulus onset asynchronies. A linear multielectrode array recorded multi-unit activity in A1 across cortical layers. We identified unisensory auditory, unisensory visual, bimodal, and subthreshold …

Effects Of Primary And Secondary Cigarette Smoke On Auditory Function: A Systematic Review, Hilary Mcmanus

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Objective: The goal of this paper was to systematically review literature in order to investigate the effects of active and passive cigarette smoke on auditory function when assessing outcome measures including pure tone audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, high-frequency audiometry, and auditory evoked potentials.

Methods: A comprehensive search using the Medline Complete database was conducted to identify relevant studies published after 2005. Inclusion criteria included the use of pure tone audiometry, high-frequency audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, and/or auditory evoked potentials to examine the effect of primary or secondary cigarette smoke. Studies involving noise exposure or other confounding factors were excluded.

Results: A total …

Screening For Hearing Loss: Physician Attitudes And Practice, Theresa N. Vitale

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Age related hearing loss (ARHL) is considered a public health hazard in large part due to the negative health outcomes with which it is associated, such as, cognitive decline, increased risk of falling, social isolation and depression. Despite the health-related costs of ARHL, physician’s rarely screen older adults for ARHL. Some of the reasons previously cited include a lack of time and resources in medical offices, a lack of reimbursement for such measures, or lack of knowledge of risk factors associated with hearing loss. The latter is problematic as improved communication among physicians and their patients is an important correlate …

Hearing Studies In Old Mice: The Effect Of Pre-Pulse Inhibition On The Acoustic Startle Response, Ashley B. Hillyard, Nicolette S. Chuss

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The purpose of this study pertains to hearing in the species Peromyscus maniculatus (deer mice) — specifically their responses to a startling sound. Approximately seven mice were tested between four and five years of age, approaching the lifespan of this species. By means of an accelerometer, which measures a reflexive, motor response, the mice were presented with an acoustic startle-eliciting stimulus (SES) — that is a loud, startling, unexpected sound. During the study, the mice were also presented with a softer, less-intense stimulus — known as a pre-pulse — slightly before the more intense sound. This pre-pulse stimulus was in …

Glial Dysfunction In Mouse Auditory Nerve Results In Dysmyelination And Nodal Abnormalities Leading To Loss In Hearing Function, Clarisse Hipolito Panganiban

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

The auditory nerve (AN) is an integral part of the auditory system and without it, we cannot hear sound. Glial cells insulate type I spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) with myelin sheaths, which are protective and constrain electrical signal within SGNs, facilitating propagation. Formation of excitable nodal domains containing clusters of voltage-gated ion channels in unmyelinated gaps along axons also allow for rapid saltatory conduction. Sensorineural hearing loss is commonly attributed to loss of synaptic connections between the AN fibers and hair cells, hair cell loss, or SGN death. Primary glial dysfunction in the AN is not as well-studied. Demyelinating diseases …

Alcohol-Induced Developmental Defects In Octavolateral Organs Of Zebrafish: A Sensitive Period And Mechanisms, Lilliann Yvette Zamora

Open Access Dissertations

Fetal alcohol exposure is known to cause an array of deficits (fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, FASD) that may manifest as lifelong physical, cognitive, and behavioral anomalies of human development. However, when and how alcohol specifically affects the auditory system is still largely unknown. I hypothesized that embryonic alcohol exposure at specific time periods would affect the morphology and function of the octavolateral system (the inner ear and lateral line). In addition, I also hypothesized that biological processes occurring at the time of alcohol exposure, such as the neural crest and FGF signaling, would be adversely affected. This is the first …

Spatial Cues Affect Neural Responses To Oddball Paradigm In The Rat’S Auditory Midbrain, Mathiang Ghai Chot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to detect novel sounds in a natural environment has behavioral significance. For instance, novel sounds are important for predation, predator avoidance as well as inter- and intraspecific communications. One of the methods used to study novelty detection is to record neural responses to oddball paradigm. An oddball paradigm is a train of acoustic stimuli in which an oddball sound (Odd) is occasional and randomly interleaved in an otherwise repetitively presented qualitatively different standard sound (Std). Neurons sensitive to novel sounds exist in auditory structures including the auditory midbrain. This study investigated whether neurons in the auditory midbrain use …

Distractions In Hearing: Measuring Impulsivity In Service Members With A Mtbi, Kathleen Margaret Chopra

Dissertations, 2014-2019

One of the cognitive symptoms associated with the diagnosis of a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is the degradation of focus and attention. This pilot study was designed to quantify examples of such capabilities in Service Members diagnosed with mTBI and to compare their abilities to peers without an mTBI diagnosis. Specifically, we compared participant groups on their false alarm rates and thresholds for contralateral and informational masking tasks to document the participants’ ability to focus and detect an auditory stimulus in the presence of distracting maskers. In this study, comparing the overall performance of Service Members, with and without …

Hearing Conservation Program On A Campus: Worker Noise Exposure Assessment And Training, Tika Nepal

Capstone Experience

Abstract

Introduction: Campus workers are exposed to loud noise from boilers, chillers, generators, snow blowers, leaf blowers, helicopters, utility vehicles, laboratory animals etc. No studies have looked at characterizing noise exposures among campus workers to see who needed to be enrolled in the Hearing Conservation Program (HCP).

Goal: The goal of this study was to determine which employees needed to be enrolled in a HCP.

Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted among campus workers. We identified utility plant workers, comparative medicine workers, landscaping crew, security officers and facility staff who used utility vehicles as employees potentially exposed to …

Retrospective Policy Analysis On The Efficacy Of The Army Hearing Program, Ahmad Brandelle Alexander

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

The present study (1) examined the Army Hearing Program (AHP) and (2) provided a retrospective policy analysis on several of the policies embedded within the AHP, more specifically the hearing readiness policy, to determine their efficacy and impact regarding noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). The Beaufort Longest Framework was the analytic framework for this project. It was also used to structure the writing and formatting of this report. An extensive literature review of Army Medical Department (AMEDD) journals and Public Health journals were used in addition to several published Army Regulations and Pamphlets for guidance within conducting the Methods section of …

Affordable And Accessible Hearing Healthcare Interventions In The United States: A Literature Review And Prospective Analysis, Garrett Thompson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Age-related hearing loss is a significant public health concern with serious and far-reaching consequences including: social isolation, depression, faster cognitive decline, and increased risk of falls. Hearing loss is a widespread condition, it is in fact a leading cause of disability among older people. Hearing aids, the primary intervention for adults with hearing loss, are costly and inaccessible to many patients who need them. Among other reasons, these factors have led to a low uptake rate among the adult population; only one in seven adults who could benefit from wearing hearing aids utilizes them. Given the status quo of high …

Development And Deployment Of A Small Stereo-Hearing Testing System: Two Manuscripts, Sofia A. Ganev

Dissertations, 2014-2019

MANUSCRIPT #1 TITLE

Development of a Deployable Stereo-Hearing System

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of a portable stereo-hearing testing system with the intent of deployment for data collection in future studies. We quantify sound localization accuracy and speech-in-noise thresholds comparing unilateral (such as single-sided deafness) and bilateral subjects. We desired to design a small, inexpensive system that would show a large effect size between binaural and monaural subjects in a variety of stereo hearing tasks.

Methods: Subjects were tested on localization accuracy and speech understanding in noise using a laboratory-made stereo-hearing testing device. For the …