Clinical assessment of tinnitus usually includes pitch-matching between the tinnitus and a pure tone. Although such testing is performed routinely, response reliability has not been demonstrated yet. The present study continues a series of studies designed to develop automated methodology for quantifying tinnitus perceptual characteristics. Three methods for tinnitus pitch-matching were performed in a group of 42 subjects. Two methods were computer-automated (Binary and Subject-Guided) and the third method was a traditional manual technique. Each method provided excellent response reliability for about half of the subjects. The most reliable subjects, however, differed widely between the different methods. Each subject provided a total of 14 pitch matches using the three different methods. Analyses based on each subject's total of 14 pitch matches revealed the range of pitch matches for each subject. About half of the subjects selected pitch matches over a range of 2 1/3 octaves. Results of this study suggest that specifying the range of tinnitus pitch matches rather than attempting to identify a single pitch match may be more appropriate.

Findings from previous research assessing sleep quality in caregivers are inconsistent due to differences in sleep assessment methods. This study evaluated sleep in dementia caregivers using a comprehensive sleep assessment utilizing an ambulatory polysomnography (PSG) device. Twenty caregivers and twenty non-caregivers rated their perceived sleep quality, stress, and depressive symptoms; provided samples of cortisol and inflammatory biomarkers; and completed an objective sleep assessment using a portable PSG device. Caregivers reported greater perceived stress than non-caregivers. Next, the groups had different sleep architecture: caregivers spent less proportion of their sleep in restorative sleep stages compared to non-caregivers. Further, levels of C-reactive protein and awakening salivary cortisol were greater in caregivers than in non-caregivers, and these measures were related to sleep quality. Our findings indicate that sleep disruption is a significant concomitant of caregiving and may affect caregiver’s health. Sleep quality of caregivers might be a useful target for a clinical intervention.

This study addresses the need for uniformity in techniques for clinical quantification of tinnitus. Because automation can be an effective means to achieve standardization, this laboratory is developing techniques to perform computer-automated tinnitus testing. The present study was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining reliable tinnitus measures using a fully automated system. A computer-controlled psychoacoustical system was developed to quantify tinnitus loudness and pitch using a tone-matching technique. Hearing thresholds were also obtained as part of the procedure. The system generated test stimuli and simultaneously controlled a notebook computer positioned in the sound chamber facing the patient. The notebook computer displayed instructions for responding and relayed response choices through on-screen "buttons" that the patient touched with a pen device. Twenty individuals with tinnitus were evaluated with the technique over two sessions, and responses were analyzed for test-retest reliability. Analyses revealed good reliability of thresholds, loudness matches, and pitch matches. These results demonstrate that use of a fully automated system to obtain reliable measurements of tinnitus loudness and pitch is feasible for clinical application.

Study 1 documented that the new system could obtain LMs and PMs within approximately 20 min, while maintaining clinically acceptable reliability. Study 2 revealed characteristic differences in LM and PM test results for individuals who did not experience tinnitus. Study 3 documented the system's ability to obtain measures of MML and RI that were reliable across sessions.

Abstract-A need exists for a standardized tinnitus evaluation tool to measure "acoustic" parameters of tinnitus. An automated tinnitus evaluation system has been developed in this laboratory, consisting of a patient-controlled touch-screen computer monitor, main computer, and Programmable Auditory Laboratory 3000 (PAL 3000) (a custom-built signal conditioning module). The system obtains and records data from tinnitus patients, including hearing thresholds and the pitch and loudness of their tinnitus. New features have been incorporated into the system to make it more user-friendly and practical for clinical application. Using the system, we evaluated 40 individuals with tinnitus to assess within-and between-session reliability of responses. Response reliability has been documented with previous versions of the system. Incorporating the new features has reduced testing time to an average of less than 19 minutes and has resulted in comparable loudness-match reliability and improved pitch-match reliability compared with the previous results. These data support the technique as suitable for clinical application, indicating the need to develop instrumentation for this purpose.