Benefit from non-linear frequency compression hearing aids in a clinical setting: The effects of duration of experience and severity of high-frequency hearing loss

Hopkins, Kathryn; Khanom, Mumtaz; Dickinson, Ann Marie; Munro, Kevin J.

doi:10.3109/14992027.2013.873956

Cited by 37 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This is in contradiction with another study where it was found that NFC does not improve sentence recognition in noise and that there is no significant correlation between the NFC benefit and period of acclimatization [5]. The study by Wolfe and colleagues [8] did however find that the benefit from NFC (both for consonant recognition and sentence intelligibility in noise) was greater following six months after the initial fit.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 55%

“…The study by Wolfe and colleagues [8] did however find that the benefit from NFC (both for consonant recognition and sentence intelligibility in noise) was greater following six months after the initial fit. It should be noted that the study by [5] included adult participants with a mean age of 75 years whereas the participants in the current study is much younger (aged 20 to 69 years) and that the study by Wolfe et al [8] included children compared to adults in the current study. Clearly, this continues to be an area of interest and future research should focus hereon to establish the clinical significance of the benefit of NFC in noise and with extended use.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Nonlinear Frequency Compression (NFC) is one successful approach to compensate for the deterioration of speech perception associated with reduced high frequency cues [5]. Two studies evaluated the effect of NFC on sound detection and both found that detection was better with NFC than without it [6,7] while other studies investigated the effect of NFC on consonant recognition and found it to be significantly better when NFC was enabled [6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-Term Effects of Non-Linear Frequency Compression on Performance of Music and Speech Perception

Latzel¹

2015

Commun Disord Deaf Stud Hearing Aids

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Objective: Previous studies have already documented improved speech intelligibility and music performance with the use of Nonlinear Frequency Compression (NFC) but as it is widely acknowledged that hearing aid users may gain increasing benefit with longer experience it is interesting to look into long-term effects of this technology. Speech perception benefit with extended use of NFC has been reported for children and cochlear implantees showed a significant improvement in melody recognition after extended use. Aim:The purpose of this study was to determine the long term effect on the perception of music with NFC in adult hearing aid users and whether speech intelligibility in noise changed with extended use of NFC. Design and Sample:As real-life use and experience of NFC hearing aids is necessary to reveal its true potential, the study described in this article was performed roughly three years after the initial study to address any long-term aspects and therefore a comparitive research design was implemented. A subgroup of the participants (n=9) of the study described in Uys, Pottas, Vinck and Van Dijk was recruited to check for their music performance and speech intelligibility after 3 years' experience with NFC. Results and Conclusion:The results confirm the general observation of increased benefit from the hearing devices when making use of the high-frequency cues provided by NFC. Whereas the majority of parameters describing the subjective perception did not change, those parameters relating to the performance -especially melody identification and speech understanding in noise -did improve over the longer period. This leads to the conclusion that it is prudent to intensify the evaluation into the long-term effects of NFC technology.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 55%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-Term Effects of Non-Linear Frequency Compression on Performance of Music and Speech Perception

Latzel¹

2015

Commun Disord Deaf Stud Hearing Aids

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“…Consonant sound detection in speech recognition in quiet environments, but not in noisy conditions, was significantly better when FC was activated. No significant correlation between time of FC experience and its benefits was found (22) . No study has investigated the period of acclimatization required to achieve fullest advantage of FC.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Study of the long-term effects of frequency compression by behavioral verbal tests in adults

Marchesin

Iório

2015

CoDAS

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PURPOSE: To verify the effect of long-term use of hearing aids with frequency compression for verbal behavior tests and daily activities. METHODS: Thirty-two adults, aged between 30 and 60 years old, with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss at high frequencies with steeply sloping configuration were divided into two groups: 16 with hearing aids with frequency compression algorithm enabled and 16 not enabled. All participants underwent the detection tests of consonant sounds, monosyllable recognition in quiet environments, identification of fricative monosyllables, and Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire in five times throughout a 12-month trial. RESULTS: Detection of consonant sounds, recognition of monosyllables in quiet environments and identification of fricative monosyllables improved significantly with frequency compression enabled. Participants had their APHAB scores improved whether they were adapted to the frequency compression or not. CONCLUSION: Frequency compression provides the anticipated improvement in audibility, detection of high-frequency consonant sounds, and recognition of monosyllables.

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“…Findings are mixed on the effect of NFC relative to RBW on speech recognition and potential relationships are complex (Alexander, 2013; Alexander et al, 2014; Arehart et al, 2013; Bentler et al, 2014; Ching et al, 2013; Ellis & Munro, 2015; Glista et al, 2009; Glista et al, 2012; Hopkins et al, 2014; John et al, 2014; Kokx-Ryan et al, 2015; McCreery et al, 2013, 2014; Picou et al, 2015; Simpson et al, 2005, 2006; Souza et al, 2013; Wolfe et al, 2010, 2011, 2015). In general, benefit from NFC is better when access to high frequency sounds is increased with NFC (McCreery et al, 2013, 2014) but spectral distortion is minimized (Souza et al, 2013) as well as in listeners with greater high-frequency hearing loss (Brennan et al, 2014; Glista et al, 2009; Souza et al, 2013; but see Kokx-Ryan et al, 2015).…”

Section: Speech Recognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Listening Effort and Speech Recognition with Frequency Compression Amplification for Children and Adults with Hearing Loss

et al. 2017

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Background Nonlinear frequency compression (NFC) can improve the audibility of high frequency sounds by lowering them to a frequency where audibility is better; however, this lowering results in spectral distortion. Consequently, performance is a combination of the effects of increased access to high frequency sounds and the detrimental effects of spectral distortion. Previous work has demonstrated positive benefits of NFC on speech recognition when NFC is set to improve audibility while minimizing distortion. However, the extent to which NFC impacts listening effort is not well understood, especially for children with hearing loss. Purpose To examine the impact of NFC on recognition and listening effort for speech in adults and children with hearing loss. Research Design Within-subject, quasi-experimental study. Participants listened to amplified nonsense words that were 1) frequency-lowered using NFC, 2) low-pass filtered at 5 kHz to simulate the restricted bandwidth (RBW) of conventional hearing aid processing, or 3) low-pass filtered at 10 kHz to simulate extended bandwidth (EBW) amplification. Participants were blinded to the type of processing. Participants’ responses to each nonsense word were analyzed for accuracy and verbal response time (listening effort). Study Sample Fourteen children (8–16 years) and 14 adults (19–65 years) with mild-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss. Intervention Participants listened to speech processed by a hearing aid simulator that amplified input signals to fit a prescriptive target fitting procedure. Results Both the children and adults identified the nonsense words and initial consonants better with EBW and NFC than with RBW. The type of processing did not affect the identification of the vowels or final consonants. There was no effect of age for recognition of the nonsense words, initial consonants, medial vowels or final consonants. Verbal response time did not change significantly with the type of processing or age. Conclusion Both the adults and children demonstrated improved speech recognition with access to the high-frequency sounds in speech. Listening effort as measured by verbal response time was not affected by access to high-frequency sounds.

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Benefit from non-linear frequency compression hearing aids in a clinical setting: The effects of duration of experience and severity of high-frequency hearing loss

Cited by 37 publications

References 22 publications

Long-Term Effects of Non-Linear Frequency Compression on Performance of Music and Speech Perception

Long-Term Effects of Non-Linear Frequency Compression on Performance of Music and Speech Perception

Study of the long-term effects of frequency compression by behavioral verbal tests in adults

Listening Effort and Speech Recognition with Frequency Compression Amplification for Children and Adults with Hearing Loss

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