The long-term goal of this study is to develop evidence-based auditory rehabilitation for veterans who have normal/near-normal peripheral auditory function and significant complaints of difficulty hearing. Many are veterans of the OIF/OEF conflicts who have been exposed to blast - the most common wounding etiology in these conflicts. Approximately 18% of blast-injured veterans are diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). mTBI can result in post-concussive symptoms such as memory problems, difficulty concentrating, increased anxiety, and functional hearing difficulties in the presence of clinically-normal hearing sensitivity. Currently there is no standard-of-care auditory rehabilitation for veterans with normal/near-normal auditory sensitivity and complaints of difficulty hearing. At a minimum, the VA recommends provision of information about the auditory system, hearing conservation and use of communication strategies. Two interventions likely to be more efficacious are: (1) use of personal FM (frequency modulation) systems, and/or (2) auditory training. FM systems are effective for managing auditory problems in children with normal/near normal peripheral hearing. FM systems substantially improve the signal-to-noise ratio of speech in noisy and reverberant environments, theoretically making more resources available for higher level processing. Auditory training takes advantage of neural plasticity. LACETM (Listening And Communication Enhancement) is an auditory training program for adults that can improve speech processing for hearing aid users. Combining use of FM systems with auditory training has been shown to improve speech understanding and to decrease reported hearing abilities among adults with sensorineural hearing loss and functional hearing complaints. No study has systemically examined the relative efficacy of FM use and/or auditory training for veterans with mTBI and normal/almost normal hearing sensitivity. The effectiveness of these two intervention strategies will be examined in this study through a between-subjects randomized controlled clinical trial comparing the outcomes of: (1) FM use alone, (2) LACETM alone, and (3) FM+LACETM combined. All groups will also receive informational-counseling, as will (4) a control group. Outcomes will be measured both objectively, through performance on an auditory task requiring higher level processing in a challenging listening condition (i.e., auditory selective attention in noise);and, subjectively, through self-report of auditory competence. The results of the study will help to determine whether or not the use of FM systems or auditory training, either alone or combined, are efficacious interventions for blast-exposed veterans with reported functional hearing difficulties and normal/near-normal auditory sensitivity. Results will contribute to the development of evidence-based auditory rehabilitation for these veterans, moving VA closer to fulfilling its goal of providing excellence in patient care, veterans'benefits and customer satisfaction.
Project Narrative Many soldiers returning from their recent service in Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) were exposed to blasts during combat. About 60% of blast-injured soldiers are diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), with approximately 18% having a mild TBI (mTBI). mTBI is associated with many symptoms, including memory problems, headaches, difficulty concentrating, increased anxiety, and, especially relevant here, reports of difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments and/or when people speak rapidly. While problems understanding rapid speech or speech in noise are associated with hearing loss, many of the OIF/OEF veterans with these complaints have clinically normal hearing. Although there is no physical damage to their ears, these veterans'hearing problems have a negative impact on their quality-of-life and functioning. Thus it is incumbent upon the VA to examine intervention approaches for veterans with normal/near-normal auditory sensitivity and significant complaints of difficulty hearing. Currently, there is no standard-of-care for these veterans other than providing information about hearing, hearing conservation, and the use of communication strategies. Two forms of rehabilitation likely to be more effective than such an informational-counseling approach are: (1) the use of personal miniaturized FM systems, and (2) the provision of auditory training with LACETM (Listening And Communication Enhancement). Personal FM systems increase the loudness of the speech signal relative to that of the unwanted noise, while LACETM training improves the ability to listen by taking advantage of the brain's ability to change (i.e., neural plasticity). In this study veterans will randomly be selected to receive one of four treatments: (1) FM use alone, (2) LACETM training alone, (3) FM+LACETM training combined, and (4) informational-counseling. The effectiveness of the interventions will be compared in two ways. First by measuring objectively how well the veterans can attend to one person talking and ignore others, an ability called """"""""selective attention"""""""";and second, subjectively, by self-report of hearing functioning on a standard questionnaire. Results will contribute to the development of evidence-based intervention approaches for blast-exposed veterans with reported functional hearing difficulties and normal/near-normal auditory sensitivity.
| Saunders, Gabrielle H; Frederick, Melissa T; Arnold, Michelle et al. (2015) Auditory difficulties in blast-exposed Veterans with clinically normal hearing. J Rehabil Res Dev 52:343-60 |
| Saunders, Gabrielle H; Echt, Katharina V (2012) Blast exposure and dual sensory impairment: an evidence review and integrated rehabilitation approach. J Rehabil Res Dev 49:1043-58 |
