| 1. |
- Maier, Hannes, et al.
(author)
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Consensus Statement on Bone Conduction Devices and Active Middle Ear Implants in Conductive and Mixed Hearing Loss
- 2022
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In: Otology and Neurotology. - : Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. - 1531-7129 .- 1537-4505. ; 43:5, s. 513-529
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nowadays, several options are available to treat patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss. Whenever surgical intervention is not possible or contra-indicated, and amplification by a conventional hearing device (e.g., behind-the-ear device) is not feasible, then implantable hearing devices are an indispensable next option. Implantable bone-conduction devices and middle-ear implants have advantages but also limitations concerning complexity/invasiveness of the surgery, medical complications, and effectiveness. To counsel the patient, the clinician should have a good overview of the options with regard to safety and reliability as well as unequivocal technical performance data. The present consensus document is the outcome of an extensive iterative process including ENT specialists, audiologists, health-policy scientists, and representatives/technicians of the main companies in this field. This document should provide a first framework for procedures and technical characterization to enhance effective communication between these stakeholders, improving health care.
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| 2. |
- Ghoncheh, Mohammad, et al.
(author)
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Output performance of the novel active transcutaneous bone conduction implant Sentio at different stimulation sites
- 2022
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In: Hearing Research. - : ELSEVIER. - 0378-5955 .- 1878-5891. ; 421
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: The output performance of a novel semi-implantable transcutaneous bone conduction device was compared to an established percutaneous bone-anchored hearing system device using cadaver heads. The influence of actuator position, tissue growth below the actuator and mounting it on the surface or in a flattened bone bed on the performance of the implanted actuator was investigated.Materials and Methods: The percutaneous and the new transcutaneous device were sequentially implanted at two sites in five human cadaver heads: 55 mm superior-posterior to the ear canal opening (position A) and, closer to the cochlea, about 20 mm inferior-posterior to the ear canal opening behind the pinna on the mastoid (position B). The ipsi-and contralateral cochlear promontory (CP) velocity magnitude responses to percutaneous and transcutaneous stimulation were measured using laser Doppler vibrometry. In addition, the CP vibration of the transcutaneous device placed directly on the skull bone surface was compared with the placement in a flattened bone bed at a depth of about 3 mm. Finally, the influence of placing a thin silicone interposition layer under the implanted transducer was also explored.Results: The percutaneous device provided about an 11 dB higher average CP vibration level than the transcutaneous device at frequencies between 0.5 and 10 kHz. The ipsilateral CP vibration responses with stimulations at position B were on average 13 dB higher compared to stimulation at position A. The placement of the transcutaneous transducer at position B provided similar or higher average vibration magnitudes than the percutaneous transducer at position A. The 3 mm deep flattened bone bed had no significant effects on the output performance. Placing a thin silicone layer under the transcutaneous transducer had no significant influence on the output of the transcutaneous device.Conclusions: Our results using the CP vibration responses show that at frequencies above 500 Hz the new transcutaneous device at position B provides similar output levels as the percutaneous device at position A. The results also indicated that neither a bone bed for the placement of the transcutaneous transducer nor a simulated tissue growth between the actuator and the bone affect the output performance of the device.
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| 3. |
- Ekberg, Mattias, 1987-, et al.
(author)
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Acoustic Features Distinguishing Emotions in Swedish Speech.
- 2023
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In: Journal of Voice. - : Elsevier. - 0892-1997 .- 1873-4588.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Few studies have examined which acoustic features of speech can be used to distinguish between different emotions, and how combinations of acoustic parameters contribute to identification of emotions. The aim of the present study was to investigate which acoustic parameters in Swedish speech are most important for differentiation between, and identification of, the emotions anger, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise in Swedish sentences. One-way ANOVAs were used to compare acoustic parameters between the emotions and both simple and multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the contribution of different acoustic parameters to differentiation between emotions. Results showed differences between emotions for several acoustic parameters in Swedish speech: surprise was the most distinct emotion, with significant differences compared to the other emotions across a range of acoustic parameters, while anger and happiness did not differ from each other on any parameter. The logistic regression models showed that fear was the best-predicted emotion while happiness was most difficult to predict. Frequency- and spectral-balance-related parameters were best at predicting fear. Amplitude- and temporal-related parameters were most important for surprise, while a combination of frequency-, amplitude- and spectral balance-related parameters are important for sadness. Assuming that there are similarities between acoustic models and how listeners infer emotions in speech, results suggest that individuals with hearing loss, who lack abilities of frequency detection, may compared to normal hearing individuals have difficulties in identifying fear in Swedish speech. Since happiness and fear relied primarily on amplitude- and spectral-balance-related parameters, detection of them are probably facilitated more by hearing aid use.
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| 4. |
- Ekberg, Mattias, 1987-, et al.
(author)
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Effects of mild-to-moderate sensorineuralhearing loss and signal amplification on vocalemotion recognition in middle-aged–olderindividuals
- 2022
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 17:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous research has shown deficits in vocal emotion recognition in sub-populations of individuals with hearing loss, making this a high priority research topic. However, previousresearch has only examined vocal emotion recognition using verbal material, in which emotions are expressed through emotional prosody. There is evidence that older individualswith hearing loss suffer from deficits in general prosody recognition, not specific to emotionalprosody. No study has examined the recognition of non-verbal vocalization, which constitutes another important source for the vocal communication of emotions. It might be thecase that individuals with hearing loss have specific difficulties in recognizing emotionsexpressed through prosody in speech, but not non-verbal vocalizations. We aim to examinewhether vocal emotion recognition difficulties in middle- aged-to older individuals with sensorineural mild-moderate hearing loss are better explained by deficits in vocal emotion recognition specifically, or deficits in prosody recognition generally by including both sentencesand non-verbal expressions. Furthermore a, some of the studies which have concluded thatindividuals with mild-moderate hearing loss have deficits in vocal emotion recognition abilityhave also found that the use of hearing aids does not improve recognition accuracy in thisgroup. We aim to examine the effects of linear amplification and audibility on the recognitionof different emotions expressed both verbally and non-verbally. Besides examining accuracy for different emotions we will also look at patterns of confusion (which specific emotionsare mistaken for other specific emotion and at which rates) during both amplified and nonamplified listening, and we will analyze all material acoustically and relate the acoustic content to performance. Together these analyses will provide clues to effects of amplification onthe perception of different emotions. For these purposes, a total of 70 middle-aged-olderindividuals, half with mild-moderate hearing loss and half with normal hearing will perform acomputerized forced-choice vocal emotion recognition task with and without amplification
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| 5. |
- Hengen, Johanna, et al.
(author)
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Perception of Ones Own Voice After Hearing-Aid Fitting for Naive Hearing-Aid Users and Hearing-Aid Refitting for Experienced Hearing-Aid Users
- 2020
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In: TRENDS IN HEARING. - : SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC. - 2331-2165. ; 24
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dissatisfaction with the sound of ones own voice is common among hearing-aid users. Little is known regarding how hearing impairment and hearing aids separately affect own-voice perception. This study examined own-voice perception and associated issues before and after a hearing-aid fitting for new hearing-aid users and refitting for experienced users to investigate whether it was possible to differentiate between the effect of (unaided) hearing impairment and hearing aids. Further aims were to investigate whether First-Time and Experienced users as well as users with dome and mold inserts differed in the severity of own-voice problems. The study had a cohort design with three groups: First-Time hearing-aid users going from unaided to aided hearing (n = 70), Experienced hearing-aid users replacing their old hearing aids (n = 70), and an unaided control group (n = 70). The control group was surveyed once and the hearing-aid users twice; once before hearing-aid fitting/refitting and once after. The results demonstrated that own-voice problems are common among both First-Time and Experienced hearing-aid users with either dome- or mold-type fittings, while people with near-normal hearing and not using hearing aids report few problems. Hearing aids increased ratings of own-voice problems among First-Time users, particularly those with mold inserts. The results suggest that altered auditory feedback through unaided hearing impairment or through hearing aids is likely both to change own-voice perception and complicate regulation of vocal intensity, but hearing aids are the primary reason for poor perceived sound quality of ones own voice.
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| 6. |
- Hjertman, Heléne, et al.
(author)
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The Swedish hearing in noise test for children, HINT-C
- 2021
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In: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. - : Elsevier. - 0165-5876 .- 1872-8464. ; 141
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a Swedish version of the Hearing In Noise Test for Children (HINT-C).DESIGN: In the first part, the Swedish HINT lists for adults was evaluated by children at three signal to noise ratios (SNRs), -4, -1 and +2 dB. Lists including sentences not reaching 50% recognition at +2 dB SNR were excluded and the rest constituted the HINT-C. In the second part, HINT-C was evaluated in children and adults using an adaptive procedure to determine the SNR for 50% correctly repeated sentences. Study Sample In the first part, 112 children aged 6-11 years participated while another 28 children and 9 adults participated in the second part.RESULTS: Eight out of 24 tested adult HINT lists did not reach the inclusion criteria. The remaining 16 lists formed the Swedish HINT-C which was evaluated in children 6-11 years old. A regression analysis showed that the predicted SNR threshold (dB) was 0.495-0.365*age (years + months/12) and the children reached the mean adult score at an age of 10.5 years.CONCLUSIONS: A Swedish version of HINT-C was developed and evaluated in children six years and older.
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| 7. |
- Lim, Jongwoo, et al.
(author)
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Development of a finite element model of a human head including auditory periphery for understanding of bone-conducted hearing
- 2022
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In: Hearing Research. - : ELSEVIER. - 0378-5955 .- 1878-5891. ; 421
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model of a human head including the auditory periphery was developed to obtain a better understanding of bone-conducted (BC) hearing. The model was validated by comparison of cochlear and head responses in both air-conducted (AC) and BC hearing with experimental data. Specifically, the FE model provided the cochlear responses such as basilar membrane velocity and intracochlear pressure corresponding to BC stimulations applied to the mastoid or the conventional bone-anchored-hearing-aid (BAHA) positions. This is a strength of the model because it is difficult to obtain the cochlear responses from experiments corresponding to the BC stimulation applied at a specific position on the head surface. In addition, there have been few studies based on an FE model that can calculate the head and cochlear responses simultaneously from a BC stimulation. Moreover, in this study, the intracochlear sound pressure at multi-positions along the BM length was calculated and used to clarify the effect of stimulating force direction on the cochlear and promontory velocities in BC hearing. Also, the relationship between BC and AC stimulation and the basilar membrane velocity in the FE model was used to calculate the stimulation level at hearing thresholds which has been investigated only by psychoacoustical methods.
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| 8. |
- Prodanovic, Srdan, et al.
(author)
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Consequences of Mastoidectomy on Bone Conducted Sound Based on Simulations in a Whole Human Head
- 2020
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In: Otology and Neurotology. - : LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. - 1531-7129 .- 1537-4505. ; 41:9, s. E1158-E1166
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hypothesis: The aim of this study is to investigate how a mastoidectomy surgery affects bone conduction (BC) sound transmission using a whole head finite element model. Background: Air conduction (AC) and BC hearing thresholds are normally used to evaluate the effect of an ear surgery. It is then assumed that the BC hearing thresholds are unaffected by the surgery. Moreover, BC hearing aids are used in cases of unilateral or conductive hearing loss in heads that have undergone a mastoidectomy surgery. Given the invasiveness of the surgery, the BC hearing sensitivity may be altered by the surgery itself. Methods: Two types of mastoid surgery, canal wall up and canal wall down, with and without obliteration, were simulated in a whole head finite element model for BC stimulation, the LiUHead. The evaluations were conducted for two different methods of applying the BC sound, at the skin surface (B71 transducer) and directly at the bone (BC hearing aid). Results: The results showed that a mastoidectomy surgery increased the cochlear vibration responses with BC stimulation. The increase was less than 5 dB, except for a canal wall down surgery which gave an increase of up to 8 dB at frequencies close to 10 kHz. The increase was greater at the ipsilateral cochlea compared with the contralateral cochlea. Conclusion: A mastoidectomy surgery increases the vibration at both cochleae for BC stimulation and the increase generally improved with frequency. Obliteration of the surgical cavity does not influence BC sound transmission.
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| 9. |
- Prodanovic, Srdan, et al.
(author)
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Review of Whole Head Experimental Cochlear Promontory Vibration with Bone Conduction Stimulation and Investigation of Experimental Setup Effects
- 2021
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In: Trends in Hearing. - : Sage Publications. - 2331-2165. ; 25
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bone conduction sound transmission in humans has been extensively studied using cochlear promontory vibrations. These studies use vibration data collected from measurements in live humans, whole cadavers, and severed cadaver heads, with stimulation applied either at an implant in the skull bone or directly on the skin. Experimental protocols, methods, and preparation of cadavers or cadaver heads vary among the studies, and it is currently unknown to what extent the aforementioned variables affect the outcome of those studies. The current study has two aims. The first aim is to review and compare available experimental data and assess the effects of the experimental protocol and methods. The second aim is to investigate similarities and differences found between the experimental studies based on simulations in a finite element model, the LiUHead. With implant stimulation, the average cochlear promontory vibration levels were within 10 dB, independent of the experimental setup and preparations of the cadavers or cadaver heads. With on-skin stimulation, the results were consistent between cadaver heads and living humans. Partial or complete replacement of the brain with air does not affect the cochlear promontory vibration, whereas replacing the brain with liquid reduces the vibration level by up to 5 dB. An intact head-neck connection affects the vibration of the head at frequencies below 300-400 Hz with a significant vibration reduction at frequencies below 200 Hz. Removing all soft tissue, brain tissue, and intracranial fluid from the head increases the overall cochlear promontory vibration level by around 5 dB.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Saremi, Amin, et al.
(author)
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The effects of noise-induced hair cell lesions on cochlear electromechanical responses : a computational approach using a biophysical model
- 2022
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In: International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2040-7939 .- 2040-7947. ; 38:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A biophysically inspired signal processing model of the human cochlea is deployed to simulate the effects of specific noise-induced inner hair cell (IHC) and outer hair cell (OHC) lesions on hearing thresholds, cochlear compression, and the spectral and temporal features of the auditory nerve (AN) coding. The model predictions were evaluated by comparison with corresponding data from animal studies as well as human clinical observations. The hearing thresholds were simulated for specific OHC and IHC damages and the cochlear nonlinearity was assessed at 0.5 and 4 kHz. The tuning curves were estimated at 1 kHz and the contributions of the OHC and IHC pathologies to the tuning curve were distinguished by the model. Furthermore, the phase locking of AN spikes were simulated in quiet and in presence of noise. The model predicts that the phase locking drastically deteriorates in noise indicating the disturbing effect of background noise on the temporal coding in case of hearing impairment. Moreover, the paper presents an example wherein the model is inversely configured for diagnostic purposes using a machine learning optimization technique (Nelder–Mead method). Accordingly, the model finds a specific pattern of OHC lesions that gives the audiometric hearing loss measured in a group of noise-induced hearing impaired humans.
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| 12. |
- Stenfelt, Stefan
(author)
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Investigation of Mechanisms in Bone Conduction Hyperacusis With Third Window Pathologies Based on Model Predictions
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Neurology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1664-2295. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A lumped element impedance model of the inner ear with sources based on wave propagation in the skull bone was used to investigate the mechanisms of hearing sensitivity changes with semi-circular canal dehiscence (SSCD) and alterations of the size of the vestibular aqueduct. The model was able to replicate clinical and experimental findings reported in the literature. For air conduction, the reduction in cochlear impedance due to a SSCD reduces the intra-cochlear pressure at low frequencies resulting in a reduced hearing sensation. For bone conduction, the reduced impedance in the vestibular side due to the SSCD facilitates volume velocity caused by inner ear fluid inertia, and this effect dominates BC hearing with a third window opening on the vestibular side. The SSCD effect is generally greater for BC than for AC. Moreover, the effect increases with increased area of the dehiscence, but areas more than the cross section area of the semi-circular canal itself leads to small alterations. The model-predicted air-bone gap for a SSCD of 1 mm(2)is 30 dB at 100 Hz that decreases with frequency and become non-existent at frequencies above 1 kHz. According to the model, this air-bone gap is similar to the air-bone gap of an early stage otosclerosis. The normal variation of the size of the vestibular aqueduct do not affect air conduction hearing, but can vary bone conduction sensitivity by up to 15 dB at low frequencies. Reinforcement of the OW to mitigate hyperacusis with SSCD is inefficient while a RW reinforcement can reset the bone conduction sensitivity to near normal.
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| 13. |
- Stenfelt, Stefan, et al.
(author)
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Simulation of soft tissue stimulation - Indication of a skull bone vibration mechanism in bone conduction hearing
- 2022
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In: Hearing Research. - : Elsevier. - 0378-5955 .- 1878-5891. ; 418
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Soft tissue conduction has been proposed as an alternative to bone conduction (BC) for hearing vibrations applied at soft tissue positions at the human head. Arguments for soft tissue conduction originate primarily from experimental studies with stimulation applied to different positions such as the neck, the eye, and directly to the dura. To investigate the mechanism for hearing when stimulations are at soft tissue positions, experimental studies were replicated using the finite element model for BC research, the LiUHead. The vibrations at the cochlear promontory and the sound pressure in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) close to the inner ear were extracted from simulations in the LiUHead. The LiUHead simulations were able to replicate data in the literature of cochlear promontory vibration levels and CSF sound pressures with stimulation applied at the soft tissue positions and at the skin covered mastoid. It was shown that the mechanical point impedance of the soft tissue positions affected the output of the BC transducer at frequencies below 1 kHz. The LiUHead simulated cochlear promontory velocities predicted the soft tissue positions hearing thresholds reported in the literature within the inter-study range. This indicates that the hearing mechanism for stimulation at soft tissue positions equals the hearing mechanism for conventional BC hearing, and that soft tissue conduction is not an alternative hearing mechanism. Moreover, the simulations indicated that the CSF sound pressure is not an important pathway for BC hearing and that the CSF pressure is generated by the local skull bone vibrations. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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| 14. |
- Surendran, Sudeep, et al.
(author)
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Hearing Through Bone Conduction Headsets
- 2023
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In: TRENDS IN HEARING. - : SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC. - 2331-2165. ; 27
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bone conduction (BC) stimulation has mainly been used for clinical hearing assessment and hearing aids where stimulation is applied at the mastoid behind the ear. Recently, BC has become popular for communication headsets where the stimulation position often is close to the anterior part of the ear canal opening. The BC sound transmission for this stimulation position is here investigated in 21 participants by ear canal sound pressure measurements and hearing threshold assessment as well as simulations in the LiUHead. The results indicated that a stimulation position close to the ear canal opening improves the sensitivity for BC sound by around 20 dB but by up to 40 dB at some frequencies. The transcranial transmission ranges typically between -40 and -25 dB. This decreased transcranial transmission facilitates saliency of binaural cues and implies that BC headsets are suitable for virtual and augmented reality applications. The findings suggest that with BC stimulation close to the ear canal opening, the sound pressure in the ear canal dominates the perception of BC sound. With this stimulation, the ear canal pathway was estimated to be around 25 dB greater than other contributors, like skull bone vibrations, for hearing BC sound in a healthy ear. This increased contribution from the ear canal sound pressure to BC hearing means that a position close to the ear canal is not appropriate for clinical use since, in such case, a conductive hearing loss affects BC and air conduction thresholds by a similar amount.
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| 15. |
- Surendran, Sudeep, et al.
(author)
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Inter-aural separation during hearing by bilateral bone conduction stimulation
- 2023
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In: Hearing Research. - : ELSEVIER. - 0378-5955 .- 1878-5891. ; 437
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cross-head transmission inherent in bone conduction (BC) hearing is one of the most important factors that limit the performance of BC binaural hearing compared to air conduction (AC) binaural hearing. In AC, cross-head transmission is imperceptible leading to a clear understanding of the nature and position of the sound source (s). In this study, the prominence of cross-head transmission in BC hearing is addressed using the fact that ipsilateral cochlear excitation can be canceled by controlled bilateral BC stimulation.A cancellation experiment was conducted on twenty participants with normal hearing at thirteen third-octave frequencies between 250 and 4000 Hz. Both stationary and transient BC stimulation at the mastoid was used. The technique employed multiple stages of masking enabling adjustments of the stimulation level and phase until the tones got canceled in the ipsilateral ear. In addition, the ear canal sound pressure was obtained for ipsilateral and contralateral BC stimulation in isolation, and with bilateral BC stimulation at perceptual cancellation.The inter-aural level differences of both the types of stimulations were found to be the same. Crosstalk was found to be the lowest around 2 kHz and the highest around 1 kHz. The unwrapped inter-aural phase difference from stationary signal cancellation showed an overall increase with frequency starting at around no difference (35 degrees) at 250 Hz to reach 607 degrees at 4 kHz. Cycle-adjusted inter-aural time difference was very low (61 & mu;s) at 250 Hz and increased to 1.1 ms at 800 Hz before falling to 0.6 ms at 4 kHz. It was also found that the ear canal sound pressure was not cancelled at the same phase as the sound in the cochlea.
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| 16. |
- Surendran, Sudeep, et al.
(author)
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The outer ear pathway during hearing by bone conduction
- 2022
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In: Hearing Research. - : ELSEVIER. - 0378-5955 .- 1878-5891. ; 421
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There have been conflicting reports in the literature about the importance of the induced ear canal sound pressure for the perception of bone-conducted (BC) sound. Here we investigated this by comparing the ear canal sound pressure at threshold for air-conducted (AC) and BC stimulation. Twenty-one adults with subjectively normal hearing function participated. They were tested for their hearing thresholds in the frequency range 250 Hz to 12.5 kHz with AC and BC stimulation and the ear canal sound pressure within 5 mm of the eardrum was obtained with probe tube microphones. Contralateral masking used with BC stimulation shifted the hearing threshold by 5 to 10 dB due to central masking effects. When the ear canal sound pressures at threshold were investigated, the results indicate that the ear canal component for hearing BC sound is around 10 dB below other contributors at frequencies below 2 kHz and similar to other important contributors at frequencies between 2 and 4 kHz. At frequencies above 4 kHz, the contribution from the ear canal sound pressure on BC hearing declines and was around 40 dB below other contributors at 12.5 kHz. The contribution of the ear canal sound pressure in the mid-frequency region is facilitated by the ear canal resonance occurring in this frequency area. The results were similar irrespective of stimulation position. The study also revealed problems estimating the force out of BC transducers caused by a shift in resonance frequency when the artificial mastoid impedance deviates from the impedance of human mastoids. The current study indicates that model predictions have underestimated the contribution from the ear canal sound pressure on BC hearing by around 10 dB.
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| 17. |
- Wang, Jie, et al.
(author)
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Analysis of cross-talk cancellation of bilateral bone conduction stimulation
- 2023
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In: Hearing Research. - : ELSEVIER. - 0378-5955 .- 1878-5891. ; 434
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- When presenting a stereo sound through bilateral stimulation by two bone conduction transducers (BTs), part of the sound at the left side leaks to the right side, and vice versa. The sound transmitted to the contralateral cochlea becomes cross-talk, which can affect space perception. The negative effects of the cross-talk can be mitigated by a cross-talk cancellation system (CCS). Here, a CCS is designed from in-dividual bone conduction (BC) transfer functions using a fast deconvolution algorithm. The BC response functions (BCRFs) from the stimulation positions to the cochleae were obtained by measurements of BC evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) of 10 participants. The BCRFs of the 10 participants showed that the interaural isolation was low. In 5 of the participants, a cross-talk cancellation experiment was car-ried out based on the individualized BCRFs. Simulations showed that the CCS gave a channel separation (CS) of more than 50 dB in the 1-3 kHz range with appropriately chosen parameter values. Moreover, a localization test showed that the BC localization accuracy improved using the CCS where a 2-4.5 kHz narrowband noise gave better localization performance than a broadband 0.4-10 kHz noise. The results indicate that using a CCS with bilateral BC stimulation can improve interaural separation and thereby improve spatial hearing by bilateral BC. (c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 18. |
- Wang, Jie, et al.
(author)
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Spatial Release From Masking With Bilateral Bone Conduction Stimulation at Mastoid for Normal Hearing Subjects
- 2024
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In: TRENDS IN HEARING. - : SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC. - 2331-2165. ; 28
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study investigates the effect of spatial release from masking (SRM) in bilateral bone conduction (BC) stimulation at the mastoid. Nine adults with normal hearing were tested to determine SRM based on speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) in simulated spatial configurations ranging from 0 to 180 degrees. These configurations were based on nonindividualized head-related transfer functions. The participants were subjected to sound stimulation through either air conduction (AC) via headphones or BC. The results indicated that both the angular separation between the target and the masker, and the modality of sound stimulation, significantly influenced speech recognition performance. As the angular separation between the target and the masker increased up to 150 degrees, both BC and AC SRTs decreased, indicating improved performance. However, performance slightly deteriorated when the angular separation exceeded 150 degrees. For spatial separations less than 75 degrees, BC stimulation provided greater spatial benefits than AC, although this difference was not statistically significant. For separations greater than 75 degrees, AC stimulation offered significantly more spatial benefits than BC. When speech and noise originated from the same side of the head, the "better ear effect" did not significantly contribute to SRM. However, when speech and noise were located on opposite sides of the head, this effect became dominant in SRM.
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| 19. |
- Wang, Jie, et al.
(author)
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The Effect of Stimulation Position and Ear Canal Occlusion on Perception of Bone Conducted Sound
- 2022
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In: Trends in Hearing. - : Sage Publications Inc. - 2331-2165. ; 26
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The position of a bone conduction (BC) transducer influences the perception of BC sound, but the relation between the stimulation position and BC sound perception is not entirely clear. In the current study, eleven participants with normal hearing were evaluated for their hearing thresholds and speech intelligibility for three stimulation positions (temple, mastoid, and condyle) and four types of ear canal occlusion produced by headphones. In addition, the sound quality for three types of music was rated with stimulation at the three positions. Stimulation at the condyle gave the best performance while the temple showed the worst performance for hearing thresholds, speech intelligibility, and sound quality. The in-ear headphones gave the highest occlusion effect while fully open headphones gave the least occlusion effect. BC stimulated speech intelligibility improved with greater occlusion, especially for the temple stimulation position. The results suggest that BC stimulation at the condyle is generally superior to the other positions tested in terms of sensitivity, clarity, and intelligibility, and that occlusion with ordinary headphones improves the BC signal.
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| 20. |
- Zhao, Mingduo, et al.
(author)
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Vibration direction sensitivity of the cochlea with bone conduction stimulation in guinea pigs
- 2021
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Research. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sound and vibrations that cause the skull bone to vibrate can be heard as ordinary sounds and this is termed hearing by bone conduction (BC). Not all mechanisms that causes a skull vibration to result in BC hearing are known, and one such unknown is how the direction of the vibration influences BC hearing. This direction sensitivity was investigated by providing BC stimulation in five different directions at the vertex of the guinea pig skull. The hearing thresholds for BC stimulation was obtained in the frequency range of 2 to 20 kHz by measurements of compound action potential. During the stimulation by BC, the vibration of the cochlear promontory was measured with a three-dimensional laser Doppler vibrometer resulting in a set of unique three-dimensional velocity magnitude combinations for each threshold estimation. The sets of three-dimensional velocity magnitude at threshold were used to investigate nine different predictors of BC hearing based on cochlear promontory velocity magnitudes, six single direction (x, y and z directions in isolation, the normal to the stapes footplate, the oval to round window direction, and the cochlear base to apex direction), one linear combination of the three dimension velocity magnitudes, one square-rooted sum of the squared velocity magnitudes, and one sum of the weighted three dimensional velocity magnitudes based on a restricted minimum square error (MSE) estimation. The MSE gave the best predictions of the hearing threshold based on the cochlear promontory velocity magnitudes while using only a single direction gave the worst predictions of the hearing thresholds overall. According to the MSE estimation, at frequencies up to 8 kHz the vibration direction between the right and left side gave the greatest contribution to BC hearing in the guinea pig while at the highest frequencies measured, 16 and 20 kHz, the anteroposterior direction of the guinea pig head gave the greatest contribution.
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