P300 has been studied with a variety of stimuli. However, the nature of P300 has not been investigated for deviant stimuli which change its characteristics from standard stimuli after a period of time from onset. Nine young adults with normal hearing participated in the study. The P300 was elicited using an oddball paradigm, the probability of standard and deviant stimuli was 80% and 20% respectively. Six stimuli were used to elicit P300, it included two pure-tones (1,000 Hz and 2,000 Hz) and four tone-complexes (tones with frequency changes). Among these stimuli, 1,000 Hz tone served as standard while others served as deviant stimuli. The P300 was recorded in five separate blocks, with one of the deviant stimuli as target in each block. Electroencephalographic was recorded from electrode sites Fz, Cz, C3, C4, and Pz. Latency and amplitude of components of the cortical auditory evoked potentials were measured at Cz. Waveforms obtained in the present study shows that, all the deviant stimuli elicited obligatory P1-N1-P2 for stimulus onset. 2,000 Hz deviant tone elicited P300 at a latency of 300 ms. While, tone-complexes elicited acoustic change complex (ACC) for frequency changes and finally elicited P300 at a latency of 600 ms. In addition, the results showed shorter latency and larger amplitude ACC and P300 for rising tone-complexes compared to falling tone-complexes. Tone-complexes elicited distinct waveforms compared to 2,000 Hz deviant tone. Rising tone-complexes which had an increase in frequency elicited shorter latency and larger amplitude responses, which could be attributed to perceptual bias for frequency changes.

Background: Hearing loss in children can have a detrimental impact on their development, thus lowering the psychological well-being of parents. This study examined the amount of parental stress, learned helplessness, and perceived social support in mothers of children with hearing loss (MCHL) and mothers of typically developing children (MTDC), as well as the relationship between various possible contributing factors to parental stress such as learned helplessness and perceived social support. Method: Three questionnaires measured parental stress (Parental Stress Scale; PSS), learned helplessness (Learned Helplessness Scale; LHS), and perceived social support (Perceived Social Support-Friends PSS-Fr and Perceived Social Support-Family PSS-Fa Scale) in 100 MCHL and 90 MTDC. All mothers had normal hearing and children aged 1 to 12 years. Mothers of children with any degree of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, using hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, were included in the MCHL group. Children with hearing loss did not have any additional disabilities. Results: Parental stress and learned helplessness were not significantly different between the groups. The perceived social support was significantly lower in MCHL as compared to MTDC. Pearson correlation analysis with pooled data from both groups showed a small but significant negative correlation between parental stress and perceived social support. A moderately significant positive correlation existed between learned helplessness and parental stress. The relationship between learned helplessness and perceived social support was negative, being small but significant. Conclusions: The study findings indicate that parental stress was similar in both groups. As perceived social support increased, parental stress and learned helplessness decreased. Thus, the present study findings indicate the need for developing greater social support for MCHL.

The present study investigated the ability of native listeners to identify subtle phonetic contrasts in nonsense words and its relationship with the contralateral inhibition of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE). A group of 45 young adults with normal hearing sensitivity who were native speakers of Malayalam participated in the behavioral experiment. Phone identification score and reaction time for four phonetic pairs in nonsense words were measured for each participant. Based on the phone identification score, the participants were divided into high and low performers. Twelve participants randomly selected from each group were evaluated for contralateral inhibition of TEOAEs. Phone identification score and global contralateral inhibition amplitude of TEOAE were significantly higher and reaction time was significantly shorter in high performers than that of low performers. Significant correlation was found between the phone identification score and contralateral inhibition of TEOAE. Strength of the medial olivocochlear bundle activity explained about 30% of the variance in the phone identification scores providing evidence for the involvement of the descending auditory pathways in identifying the phonetic contrasts that are acoustically similar. These results support the emerging view that top down influences from higher centers shapes the responses of lower centers.

The study was aimed to investigate the relationship between parental stress and attitude of parents towards the outcomes of cochlear implantation in an Indian scenario. A total of 59 parents of children with cochlear implantation participated in the study. The outcomes of cochlear implant was measured using Parental attitudes of various aspects of cochlear implantation questionnaire and parental stress was measured using parental stress scale. The questionnaires were circulated to participants and data was collected in the form of e-survey. The present study showed that the parental stress level was similar among mothers and fathers. Further, the parental attitude towards communication abilities of children and education were positively correlated with the duration of cochlear implantation. Finally, a significant positive correlation was found between the parental stress and the parental attitude towards communication abilities of children and social skills. The present study showed a positive relationship between parental stress and parental attitude towards the outcomes of cochlear implantation for aspects of communication abilities and social skills.

Background: Individuals with untreated hearing loss often experience cognitive decline as a result of increased cognitive load and reduced sensory stimulation. Despite the well-established link between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults, its impact on cognition in young and middle-aged adults has not been systematically examined. Given the Lancet Commission’s identification of midlife hearing loss as the leading modifiable risk factor for dementia, early identification of cognitive decline is essential. This review explored the cognitive impact of untreated hearing loss in adults. Method: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE to include studies comparing cognitive function between adults with normal hearing and those with untreated hearing loss aged 18–65 years. The methodological quality of the included studies was examined via the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies. Pooled mean differences and heterogeneity were analysed for each domain. Results: Seven studies included in the qualitative synthesis had “moderate” to “strong” methodological quality. The cognitive domains assessed in these studies were global cognitive function, memory, attention, and executive function. Of these, six were eligible for meta-analysis, which revealed a small but statistically significant decline in overall cognitive performance and memory and executive function among adults with untreated hearing loss. Conclusions: Cognitive vulnerabilities exist in young and middle-aged adults with untreated hearing loss. Hence, incorporating cognitive assessment into routine audiological evaluation may enable earlier intervention and delay the future burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in such a population.