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Extended High Frequency Hearing Thresholds and Self-Reported Listening Abilities

PP1329 - Extended High-Frequency Hearing Thresholds and Self-Reported Listening Abilities

POSTERS

Location: Halls A1-A2

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Lead Presenter(s)

Taylor Harden

Doctoral Student of Audiology
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, New York

Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

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Contributor(s)

Mishaela DiNino, PhD (she/her/hers)

Assistant Professor
University at Buffalo

Disclosure(s): No financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Abstract: Previous research has linked hearing loss at extended high frequencies (10Khz–16Khz;
EHFs) to poor speech-in-noise perception. As speech and other relevant sounds do not contain
EHFs, it is unclear how everyday listening is affected by poorer EHF hearing. This study
compared young adults’ standard and EHF hearing thresholds to performance on the Speech,
Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ), a detailed questionnaire of listening experiences
in different auditory scenarios. Results indicated that EHF thresholds more strongly predicted
SSQ responses than did standard thresholds, providing additional evidence for the inclusion of EHF
threshold testing in the basic audiometric battery.

Summary:
Audiometric threshold testing typically assesses pure tone thresholds at frequencies up to and
including 8000 Hz. However, several studies have found that young adults with normal hearing
thresholds at standard audiometric frequencies have elevated thresholds at extended high
frequencies. This may be an indicator of noise-induced cochlear damage that has not yet affected
the lower, standard audiometric frequencies, or a sign of noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy, a
pathology that does not impair hearing thresholds at standard frequencies but is thought to
contribute to challenges perceiving speech in background noise. Previous studies have found
individuals with hearing loss at extended high frequencies, but normal audiometric thresholds at
standard frequencies, performed more poorly on tests of speech-in-noise perception and reported
difficulty perceiving speech in noise on a one-question survey. However, speech does not contain
frequencies above 8000 Hz, and it is therefore unclear what aspects of speech-in-noise
perception and/or everyday listening are affected by poorer hearing at extended high frequencies.
This study compared standard (250-8000 Hz in octaves) and extended high frequency (EHF;
10kHz, 12.5kHz, 14kHz, and 16kHz) hearing thresholds to young adults’ responses on the
Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ), a detailed questionnaire of individuals'
listening experiences in different auditory scenarios. Pure tone audiometry was conducted to
obtain standard and EHF hearing thresholds for both ears of young adults aged 18-30 (mean age
23.5 years). Each set of thresholds were averaged across frequencies and ears to obtain a
“standard” and “EHF” threshold value for each participant. Participants used a computer to
complete the SSQ. This questionnaire contains 14 questions containing scenarios related to
hearing speech in noisy listening environments (“speech” subscale), 17 questions containing
scenarios related to spatial hearing (“spatial” subscale), and 18 questions containing scenarios
related to quality of hearing (“quality” subscale). Participants responded to each question by

selecting a value that corresponded to how well they could hear in each scenario, with 0 typically

being “Not at all” and 10 being “Perfectly.” Responses were summed for each subscale and were
statistically compared to each participant’s hearing thresholds. The analysis revealed that EHF
thresholds were a much stronger predictor of SSQ responses than standard thresholds,
particularly for the “speech” and “quality” subscales. Further, substantial variability was
observed in participants’ EHF thresholds, but not in standard thresholds. These findings indicate
that even young adults with normal hearing thresholds at standard frequencies may have elevated
thresholds at EHFs that cause challenges hearing in everyday listening scenarios. Ongoing work
is assessing the relationship between SSQ responses and extended high frequency hearing
thresholds in older adults, a population that commonly reports difficulty hearing in background
noise, and whose audiometric thresholds at standard frequencies do not always predict their
speech-in-noise understanding. Findings from this research add further evidence that audiometric
thresholds at extended high frequencies be included in the basic audiometric battery. Such
information could provide clinicians with a deeper understanding of communication difficulties
that are not well-predicted by thresholds at standard audiometric frequencies.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this session, participants will be able to describe the relationship between hearing thresholds at extended high frequencies (above 8000 Hz) and hearing abilities in everyday listening scenarios.