Computer-automated tinnitus assessment using patient control

Henry, James A.; Rheinsburg, Betsy; Ellingson, Roger M.

doi:10.1682/jrrd.2003.10.0158

Cited by 16 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Some studies have shown good loudness test-retest reliability over a period ranging from several days [4,6,15,31,38,39] to several months [12,34], with less than 5 dB difference between sessions, whereas other studies have reported greater variability [16,21,40], putting into question the validity of this measure for tinnitus diagnosis and follow-up. Herein we investigate the proposition that the assessment of frequency likeness ratings over the entire frequency span will increase the reliability of loudness judgments by providing participants with several opportunities to judge tinnitus loudness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychoacoustic Assessment to Improve Tinnitus Diagnosis

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The diagnosis of tinnitus relies on self-report. Psychoacoustic measurements of tinnitus pitch and loudness are essential for assessing claims and discriminating true from false ones. For this reason, the quantification of tinnitus remains a challenging research goal. We aimed to: (1) assess the precision of a new tinnitus likeness rating procedure with a continuous-pitch presentation method, controlling for music training, and (2) test whether tinnitus psychoacoustic measurements have the sensitivity and specificity required to detect people faking tinnitus. Musicians and non-musicians with tinnitus, as well as simulated malingerers without tinnitus, were tested. Most were retested several weeks later. Tinnitus pitch matching was first assessed using the likeness rating method: pure tones from 0.25 to 16 kHz were presented randomly to participants, who had to rate the likeness of each tone to their tinnitus, and to adjust its level from 0 to 100 dB SPL. Tinnitus pitch matching was then assessed with a continuous-pitch method: participants had to match the pitch of their tinnitus to an external tone by moving their finger across a touch-sensitive strip, which generated a continuous pure tone from 0.5 to 20 kHz in 1-Hz steps. The predominant tinnitus pitch was consistent across both methods for both musicians and non-musicians, although musicians displayed better external tone pitch matching abilities. Simulated malingerers rated loudness much higher than did the other groups with a high degree of specificity (94.4%) and were unreliable in loudness (not pitch) matching from one session to the other. Retest data showed similar pitch matching responses for both methods for all participants. In conclusion, tinnitus pitch and loudness reliably correspond to the tinnitus percept, and psychoacoustic loudness matches are sensitive and specific to the presence of tinnitus.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychoacoustic Assessment to Improve Tinnitus Diagnosis

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, a typical approach would consist in adjusting a sound until the tinnitus subject has the impression that the frequency resembles his/her perceived pitch. Automated procedures using a computer have also been published, in which the subject, e.g., makes higher/lower judgments or gives judgments which of two sounds is closer to the tinnitus pitch (Henry et al, 2004). Tinnitus pitch matching has revealed that tinnitus pitch is usually in the high-frequency region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-frequency tinnitus without hearing loss does not mean absence of deafferentation

et al. 2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A broad consensus within the neuroscience of tinnitus holds that this audiologic condition is triggered by central deafferentation, mostly due to cochlear damage. The absence of audiometrically detectable hearing loss however poses a challenge to this rather generalizing assumption. The aim of this study was therefore to scrutinize cochlear functioning in a sample of tinnitus subjects audiometrically matched to a normal hearing control group. Two tests were applied: the Threshold Equalizing Noise (TEN) test and a pitch scaling task. To perform well on both tasks relatively normal functioning of inner hair cells is a requirement. In the TEN test the tinnitus group revealed a circumscribed increment of thresholds partially overlapping with the tinnitus spectrum. Abnormal slopes were observed in the pitch scaling task which indicated that tinnitus subjects, when presented with a high-frequency stimulus, relied heavily on input derived from lower-frequency inner hair cells (off-frequency listening). In total both results argue for the presence of a deafferentation also in tinnitus subjects with audiometrically normal thresholds and therefore favour the deafferentation assumption posed by most neuroscientific theories.

show abstract

“…8 Other studies have also introduced automated tests for tinnitus quantification. Henry et al [5][6][7][8] have been developing and using an automated process for tinnitus psychoacoustic assessment that consists of hardware and software for evaluation of tinnitus loudness match, pitch match, minimum masking level, and residual inhibition. In comparison, the web-based system we introduced is currently designed to quantify only tinnitus frequency, but is easily available over the web and could be performed with minimal equipment.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accuracy of Tinnitus Pitch Matching Using a Web-Based Protocol

Mahboubi

Ziai²,

Brunworth³

et al. 2012

Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives:We investigated the accuracy of a web-based protocol for tinnitus frequency matching compared to that of tinnitus pitch matching performed by an audiologist using an audiometer in an anechoic chamber. Methods: Twenty subjects underwent tinnitus frequency-matching in a random order using an audiometer in an anechoic chamber and using web-based software with a multiple-choice protocol in octave or half-octave steps from 250 Hz to 12,000 Hz and a slider in 25-Hz steps from 20 to 20,000 Hz. Octave challenge testing was performed. The participants were asked to indicate which protocol resulted in the closest match to their tinnitus frequency. Results: The median tinnitus frequency was 6,000 Hz (range, 2,000 to 12,000 Hz) with use of the audiometer and selfdirected multiple-choice protocol. With the slider, the median frequency was 5,925 Hz (range, 1,850 to 16,000 Hz). The patients with a tinnitus frequency higher than 12,000 Hz experienced a greater level of satisfaction when using the computer-based slider system. Five patients experienced octave confusion with self-directed multiple-choice tinnitus matching that was corrected accurately after the octave challenge step. Conclusions: A web-based protocol for tinnitus frequency matching is as accurate as a standard audiometric protocol. An octave challenge test might be necessary for patient-directed tinnitus frequency matching.

show abstract

Computer-automated tinnitus assessment using patient control

Cited by 16 publications

References 16 publications

Psychoacoustic Assessment to Improve Tinnitus Diagnosis

Psychoacoustic Assessment to Improve Tinnitus Diagnosis

High-frequency tinnitus without hearing loss does not mean absence of deafferentation

Accuracy of Tinnitus Pitch Matching Using a Web-Based Protocol

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About