Hidden hearing loss in unexplained listening difficulties and tinnitus
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The role of "hidden" hearing loss in unexplained listening difficulties and tinnitus
IRAS ID
168221
Contact name
Hannah H Guest
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Some people have particular difficulty understanding speech in the presence of background noise, despite performing normally on conventional hearing tests. Such individuals make up a sizeable minority of patients referred to NHS audiology departments, yet their symptoms often go unexplained. Similarly, some patients with normal hearing test results have tinnitus (ringing, buzzing or rushing sounds in their ears), despite the fact that tinnitus is generally associated with impaired hearing.
Recent dramatic findings in animals suggest a possible explanation: auditory nerve damage that goes undetected by conventional tests of hearing sensitivity - "hidden" hearing loss. The present study will test the theory that hidden hearing loss underlies some cases of unexplained listening difficulty and tinnitus, by comparing measures of auditory nerve function in affected individuals with those of controls.
It will also investigate whether hidden hearing loss is associated with a weaker olivocochlear reflex: a reflex that "turns down" the ear's response to loud sounds and may protect it from noise damage. The strength of this reflex varies between individuals, and this may explain why some people experience hidden hearing loss and others do not.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0133
Date of REC Opinion
24 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion