476 research outputs found
Restoration of auditory network after Cochlear Implant: A P300 and EEG study using LORETA (Low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography)
No full textThe proper functioning of the auditory processing needs an integration of many types of information, and a synchronised action between auditory cortex and other cortical and subcortical centres. The normal development of connectivity between the auditory system and the higher neurocognitive functions depends on sensory experience, and congenital hearing loss makes it essentially impossible.
The aim of this work was to perform an electrophysiological analysis of auditory cortical areas in patients with cochlear implant (CI).
Thirty implanted patients were included in the study. Twenty-four of them were prelingual patients and they were divided into three groups, according to the age at time of CI surgery and to the duration of CI use: group A - early implant and lengthy CI use, group B - late implant and lengthy CI use, group C - late implant and short CI use. The remaining six patients were affected by postlingual deafness, and they were included in the group D. Each patient group was compared with a normal hearing age matched control group. Each subject underwent an Event-related potentials (ERPs) evaluation and electroencephalographic registration. All data analysis were performed by using Loreta software (Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography).
ERPs latencies were for the most part significantly longer in patients than in controls. Concerning the Event-related cortical activity, all the control groups showed a high and well-defined activation in frontals areas and the cingulate cortex, in the N200 and P300 time windows. A comparable activation in strength and timing, between patients and controls, was only found in the first prelingual patient group (A), and to a lesser extent in the second group (B), while patients belonging to the third prelingual group (C) showed a very low cortical activation, with no cyclic pattern. Postlingual patients (D) showed no difference in activation compared to controls.
ln a second step of the study, functional connectivity was analysed from EEG data, in two different conditions: resting state and activation state. Default mode network, left and right Precuneus and associative visual cortex were examined. No difference between prelingual patients and controls was found in the first group (A). Functional connectivity showed a significant increase in the second (B) and third (C) prelingual patient group, especially in the activation state, and specifically between visual areas and Precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex, while postlingual patients (D) showed no difference compared to controls.
Cochlear implant adds a new auditory modality in prelingual patients, allowing the creation of a functional network. This involves the areas implicated in sensory and cognitive modalities, and needs some time to form. The duration of CI use is crucial: prolonged CI use, in addiction to an early time of implant, can restore auditory network, allowing a normalization process, from both an audiological and a neurophysiological point of view. However, in the case of patients with postlingual hearing loss, cochlear implant seems to restore and reinforce a cortical network that has already been formed, before the onset of the hearing impairment
sj-docx-1-eab-10.1177_00139165241245823 – Supplemental material for The Effects of Noise on Children’s Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-eab-10.1177_00139165241245823 for The Effects of Noise on Children’s Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review by Flavia Gheller, Gaia Spicciarelli, Pietro Scimemi and Barbara Arfé in Environment and Behavior</p
How noise affect cognitive performances of children with additional learning needs: a preliminary study
No full textThe goal of the study is to investigate how background noise can affect children’s cognitive performance, and whether it affects in similar way the cognitive performance of children without and with additional learning need, like a learning disability (LD) or an attentional deficit disorder (ADHD).
Two visual attentional tasks, an inhibition task and a verbal WM task have been administered by a serious game App (“Cognitive Effort in Noise” – CoEN) to 62 typically developing children and to 17 children with a diagnosis of LD or ADHD, between 7 and 12 years of age. All tasks have been performed in both quiet and noise (multitalker babble at 60dB through headphones). The data analysis revealed a detrimental effect of noise on children’s WM performance in both groups. However, noise had also a positive influence on the attentional performance of children with additional needs
CoEN (Cognitive Effort in Noise) App: a serious game application for the assessment of children’s ability to focus in noisy environments
No full textChildren spend most of their time in schools. Unfortunately, classrooms do not always provide an optimal acoustic environment for learning, due to the presence of noise (whether external or internal) and reverberation. It has been widely demonstrated that noise has negative consequences on children’s learning (on reading and math) and cognition (on attention and working memory).
CoEN (Cognitive Effort in Noise) is an App developed to easily assess children’s executive functions when exposed to noisy environments. The App, available for tablets, contains six standardized neuropsychological tests adapted in the form of engaging games.
Verbal working memory, visual attention and non-verbal inhibition skills are assessed in quiet and noise.
In this contribution, we will present the design and evaluation of the app. The tests performed in the evaluation phase involved 233 primary school children, with and without learning disabilities or sensory impairments. Preliminary results showed that CoEN was easy to use, engaging and enjoyable for the children. It also captured individual differences in children’s response to noise.
Overall, the app provides a promising tool for children, as well as for teachers, parents or professionals, who wish to evaluate their cognitive abilities to cope with noise in an easy and engaging way
The effects of multitalker babble noise on children's cognitive performance
No full textClassroom noise, particularly irrelevant speech or background babble noise, can have detrimental effects on academic tasks and learning more generally. Researchers have proposed two alternative explanations of the interference of babble noise on non-auditory academic tasks, such as reading or math: i) Babble noise may generate interference on these tasks due to the automatic access of speech sounds (babbling) to phonological short-term memory; or ii) by capturing children’s attention, thereby diverting general attentional resources from the task. To test these hypotheses, we asked children aged 8, 9, and 10 years old to perform two visual attention tasks and two verbal working memory tasks (digit span and reading span) under both quiet and noisy conditions. Multitalker babble noise was administered through headphones at 65dB. The results revealed significant noise effects only in the most complex verbal working memory task (reading span). Interestingly, a significant difference between conditions was also observed in one of the visual attention tasks, where higher scores were, however, achieved in the presence of noise. These preliminary findings will be discussed in light of the current literature
A Modern Case Sheds Light on a Classical Enigma: Beethoven's Deafness
No full textTwo hundred and fifty years have passed since the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the enigma about his hearing loss and overall health status seems to be not completely solved. However, the admission to the hospital of a 64-year-old woman in 2018 with symptoms extremely similar to those experienced by the great composer may add further evidence to a theory previously underestimated. The health issues of the modern patient were found to be due to chronic lead intoxication. The lead was released during daily cooking using a ceramic-coated frying pan with worn surface that poisoned her breakfast most probably for years. Abdominal pain, asthenia, and hearing loss affecting the high frequencies with a many impact on speech intelligibility tormented the patient, as they had Beethoven. An extensive review of the music and medical literature was performed, as well as re-examination of manuscripts, correspondence, and autopsy reports of the famous composer; and great similarities have been found. The soundness of the most-cited classical theories about Beethoven's hearing loss will be discussed. After close scrutiny of the theories, our analysis points toward a progressive sensorineural hearing loss due to lead intoxication as the most probable cause of not only Beethoven's hypoacusis but his overall health status as well. Laryngoscope, 2020
The effect of unintelligible speech noise on children’s verbal working memory performance
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