Center for Frontier Medical Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoicho, Inageku, Chiba-shi, Chiba Pref., 263-8522 Japan.
NTT Communication Science Laboratories, NTT Corporation, 3-1, Morinosato Wakamiya, Atsugi-shi, Kanagawa Pref., 243-0198,
J Acoust Soc Am. 2019 Sep;146(3):EL265. doi: 10.1121/1.5125008.
Some normal-hearing listeners report difficulties in speech perception in noisy environments, and the cause is not well understood. The present study explores the correlation between speech-in-noise reception performance and cochlear mechanical characteristics, which were evaluated using a principal component analysis of the otoacoustic emission (OAE) spectra. A principal component, specifically a characteristic dip at around 2-2.5 kHz in OAE spectra, correlated with speech reception thresholds in noise but not in quiet. The results suggest that subclinical cochlear dysfunction specifically contributes to difficulties in speech perception in noisy environments, which is possibly a new form of "hidden hearing deficits."
一些听力正常的听众反映在嘈杂环境中言语感知有困难，但原因尚不清楚。本研究通过对耳声发射（OAE）频谱的主成分分析，探讨了言语在噪声中的接收性能与耳蜗力学特性之间的相关性。OAE 频谱中约 2-2.5 kHz 处的一个特征凹陷是一个主成分，与噪声中的言语接收阈值相关，但与安静环境中的言语接收阈值不相关。结果表明，特定的亚临床耳蜗功能障碍特别导致在嘈杂环境中言语感知困难，这可能是一种新形式的“隐性听力缺陷”。
