TY - JOUR
T1 - Implications of blast exposure for central auditory function
T2 - A review
AU - Gallun, Frederick J.
AU - Lewis, M. Samantha
AU - Folmer, Robert L.
AU - Diedesch, Anna C.
AU - Kubli, Lina R.
AU - McDermott, Daniel J.
AU - Walden, Therese C.
AU - Fausti, Stephen A.
AU - Lew, Henry L.
AU - Leek, Marjorie R.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Auditory system functions, from peripheral sensitivity to central processing capacities, are all at risk from a blast event. Accurate encoding of auditory patterns in time, frequency, and space are required for a clear understanding of speech and accurate localization of sound sources in environments with background noise, multiple sound sources, and/or reverberation. Further work is needed to refine the battery of clinical tests sensitive to the sorts of central auditory dysfunction observed in individuals with blast exposure. Treatment options include low-gain hearing aids, remote-microphone technology, and auditory-training regimens, but clinical evidence does not yet exist for recommending one or more of these options. As this population ages, the natural aging process and other potential brain injuries (such as stroke and blunt trauma) may combine with blast-related brain changes to produce a population for which the current clinical diagnostic and treatment tools may prove inadequate. It is important to maintain an updated understanding of the scope of the issues present in this population and to continue to identify those solutions that can provide measurable improvements in the lives of Veterans who have been exposed to high-intensity blasts during the course of their military service.
AB - Auditory system functions, from peripheral sensitivity to central processing capacities, are all at risk from a blast event. Accurate encoding of auditory patterns in time, frequency, and space are required for a clear understanding of speech and accurate localization of sound sources in environments with background noise, multiple sound sources, and/or reverberation. Further work is needed to refine the battery of clinical tests sensitive to the sorts of central auditory dysfunction observed in individuals with blast exposure. Treatment options include low-gain hearing aids, remote-microphone technology, and auditory-training regimens, but clinical evidence does not yet exist for recommending one or more of these options. As this population ages, the natural aging process and other potential brain injuries (such as stroke and blunt trauma) may combine with blast-related brain changes to produce a population for which the current clinical diagnostic and treatment tools may prove inadequate. It is important to maintain an updated understanding of the scope of the issues present in this population and to continue to identify those solutions that can provide measurable improvements in the lives of Veterans who have been exposed to high-intensity blasts during the course of their military service.
KW - Auditory dysfunction
KW - Auditory processing disorder
KW - Blast
KW - Central auditory dysfunction
KW - Central auditory processing
KW - Central auditory system
KW - Hearing loss
KW - Rehabilitation
KW - Traumatic brain injury
KW - Veteran
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U2 - 10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0166
DO - 10.1682/JRRD.2010.09.0166
M3 - Review article
C2 - 23341279
AN - SCOPUS:84868137030
SN - 0748-7711
VL - 49
SP - 1059
EP - 1074
JO - Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
JF - Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development
IS - 7
ER -