Heggdal Peder O Laugen, Larsen Kristina S, Brännström Jonas, Aarstad Hans Jørgen, Specht Karsten
Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Jonas Lies vei 87, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital, PB 1400, 5021 Bergen, Norway.
Heliyon. 2020 Dec 17;6(12):e05658. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05658. eCollection 2020 Dec.
Previous studies of the consequences of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) on the functional-structural organization of the brain has included subjects with various degrees of UHL. We suggest that the consequences of a total loss of hearing in one ear might differ from those seen in subjects with residual hearing in the affected ear. Thus, the main aim of the present study was to compare the structural properties of auditory and non-auditory brain regions in persons with complete UHL to those of normal hearing controls. We hypothesize that the consequences of complete UHL following treatment for vestibular schwannoma will differ between ipsi- and contralateral structures, as well as between right- and left side deafness.
A 3T Siemens Prisma MR-scanner was used. Anatomical images were acquired using a high-resolution T1-weighted sequence. Grey- and white matter volumes were assessed using voxel-based morphometry.
Twenty-two patients with left- or right-side unilateral hearing loss. Fifty normal hearing controls.
Reductions in grey- and white matter volumes were seen in cortical and sub-cortical regions, mainly in the right hemisphere including the auditory cortex, lingual gyrus, cuneus, middle temporal gyrus, occipital fusiform gyrus, middle cingulate gyrus and the superior temporal gyrus. Patients displayed reduced grey- and white matter volumes in cerebellar exterior structures ipsilateral to the tumor side.
When compared to controls, right side hearing loss yields more widespread reduction of grey matter volume than left side hearing loss. The findings of reduced grey- and white matter volumes in auditory and non-auditory brain regions could be related to problems with speech perception in adverse listening conditions, increased listening effort and reduced quality of life reported by persons with unilateral hearing loss despite normal hearing in the unaffected ear.
以往关于单侧听力损失（UHL）对大脑功能结构组织影响的研究纳入了不同程度UHL的受试者。我们认为，单耳全聋的后果可能与患耳有残余听力的受试者不同。因此，本研究的主要目的是比较完全性UHL患者与正常听力对照组在听觉和非听觉脑区的结构特性。我们假设，前庭神经鞘瘤治疗后完全性UHL的后果在同侧和对侧结构之间以及右侧和左侧耳聋之间会有所不同。
使用3T西门子Prisma磁共振扫描仪。采用高分辨率T1加权序列采集解剖图像。使用基于体素的形态学方法评估灰质和白质体积。
22例左侧或右侧单侧听力损失患者。50名正常听力对照组。
在皮质和皮质下区域观察到灰质和白质体积减少，主要在右半球，包括听觉皮层、舌回、楔叶、颞中回、枕颞梭状回、中央扣带回和颞上回。患者肿瘤侧同侧小脑外部结构的灰质和白质体积减少。
与对照组相比，右侧听力损失导致的灰质体积减少比左侧听力损失更广泛。听觉和非听觉脑区灰质和白质体积减少的结果可能与在不利听力条件下的言语感知问题、听力努力增加以及单侧听力损失患者报告的生活质量下降有关，尽管未受影响的耳朵听力正常。
