Journal Reviews
To question or not to question
Misophonia is a complex condition in which individuals experience a strong negative emotional response to specific sounds, such as chewing, breathing, swallowing or foot tapping. These reactions are not primarily determined by the volume of the sound. Although relatively few...
Environmental sounds matter too
Individuals with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) frequently report major listening difficulties despite hearing thresholds that may not fully explain their functional impairment. Most audiological assessment batteries focus heavily on speech perception, yet this paper argues that environmental sound perception...
Quicker than reading the BNF
It has long struck me that it might be helpful to search medication-induced side effects by symptom, rather than having to look up each individual drug. For many years, there have also been regularly cited categories of medications to be...
Where is that sound? Not every hot tub is a jacuzzi
Evidence suggests that the incidence of sound sensitivity and general noise intolerance is increasing. Studies have suggested that the incidence of hyperacusis is between 8% and 15.2% of the adult population. There is a correlation between the prevalence of hyperacusis...
Are you a man or a mouse?
Ok so the phrase is about bravery – however, this paper considers the differences in auditory cortex connectivity, cognition and emotion between humans and mice. The study began with 21 mice, but usable data were obtained from only 16. Notably,...
Starry eyed?
Attentive listening and active listening skills suggest that eye movement is an important factor in subject engagement. Indeed, when asked, AI suggests gaze is held for 70% of the time when listening. Although the route of this percentage is unclear,...
Keep on moving
This study compared the differences in localisation of sound between those with symmetrical hearing within normal limits (NH) and those with single-sided deafness (SSD). Unsurprisingly, those with SSD took longer to localise sounds and had a higher error rate. Although...
The cocktail party conundrum
I feel, with slight sadness and disappointment, that a good cocktail party, dresses, punch bowls and all is not currently in its heyday and, therefore, opportunity of attending is slim. However, from what I remember, they tend to be a...
Expectations and practice
Reading this paper is reassuring. It does not appear to be groundbreaking in its results but research can be as useful, if not more so, when it consolidates knowledge and helps unify the research base. This paper focuses on those...
Not to be mis-underestimated
It is a very rare occurrence to find a paper looking at NF2 and the auditory system. There seems to only be a couple on NF2 prevalence in the population, so this is unsurprising. As far as I can recall...
Current AI audiology knowledge
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming increasingly popular and can be utilised by patients, healthcare professionals and students. The performance of chatbots can be variable between different AIs and, indeed, different topics. There is no current consensus for the best...
Help seeking for tinnitus – experiences of the diagnostic and treatment process
Population-based and self-selecting adult participants of this Australian cohort study (n=281) completed survey questions exploring varied outcome measures related to tinnitus. Primary outcomes assessed communication of initial tinnitus diagnoses and subsequent treatment offering, with participants rating their satisfaction at the...
