Showing papers by "Björn Lyxell published in 2015"

From isolation and dependence to autonomy – expectations before and experiences after cochlear implantation in adult cochlear implant users and their significant others

Abstract: Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine pre-operative expectations and the post-operative experiences related to cochlear implants (CI) in CI-users and their significant others. Methods: A questionnaire was used and the responses were analysed by means of The Qualitative Content Analysis. All adults implanted between 1992 and 2010, who had had their implants for a minimum of 12 months (n = 120) were contacted. Response rate was high (90.8%), and all-inclusive answers were received from 101 CI-users (84.2%). Results: The overall sense of increased well-being and life satisfaction was described as having lived in two different worlds, one with the auditory stimulation and one without. In the overall sense of increased well-being and satisfaction three interwoven subcategories, alienation – normality, fear – autonomy, and living a social life emerged. When CI-users and their significant others recalled the time prior to receiving the CI, a sense of fear was present with origins in the concern fo...

Long-term asymmetric hearing affects cochlear implantation outcomes differently in adults with pre- and postlingual hearing loss

Abstract: In many countries, a single cochlear implant is offered as a treatment for a bilateral hearing loss. In cases where there is asymmetry in the amount of sound deprivation between the ears, there is a dilemma in choosing which ear should be implanted. In many clinics, the choice of ear has been guided by an assumption that the reorganisation of the auditory pathways caused by longer duration of deafness in one ear is associated with poorer implantation outcomes for that ear. This assumption, however, is mainly derived from studies of early childhood deafness. This study compared outcomes following implantation of the better or poorer ear in cases of long-term hearing asymmetries. Audiological records of 146 adults with bilateral hearing loss using a single hearing aid were reviewed. The unaided ear had 15 to 72 years of unaided severe to profound hearing loss before unilateral cochlear implantation. 98 received the implant in their long-term sound-deprived ear. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to assess the relative contribution of potential predictors to speech recognition performance after implantation. Duration of bilateral significant hearing loss and the presence of a prelingual hearing loss explained the majority of variance in speech recognition performance following cochlear implantation. For participants with postlingual hearing loss, similar outcomes were obtained by implanting either ear. With prelingual hearing loss, poorer outcomes were obtained when implanting the long-term sound-deprived ear, but the duration of the sound deprivation in the implanted ear did not reliably predict outcomes. Contrary to an apparent clinical consensus, duration of sound deprivation in one ear has limited value in predicting speech recognition outcomes of cochlear implantation in that ear. Outcomes of cochlear implantation are more closely related to the period of time for which the brain is deprived of auditory stimulation from both ears.

The Swedish Hayling task, and its relation to working memory, verbal ability, and speech-recognition-in-noise.

Abstract: Cognitive functions and speech-recognition-in-noise were evaluated with a cognitive test battery, assessing response inhibition using the Hayling task, working memory capacity (WMC) and verbal information processing, and an auditory test of speech recognition. The cognitive tests were performed in silence whereas the speech recognition task was presented in noise. Thirty young normally-hearing individuals participated in the study. The aim of the study was to investigate one executive function, response inhibition, and whether it is related to individual working memory capacity (WMC), and how speech-recognition-in-noise relates to WMC and inhibitory control. The results showed a significant difference between initiation and response inhibition, suggesting that the Hayling task taps cognitive activity responsible for executive control. Our findings also suggest that high verbal ability was associated with better performance in the Hayling task. We also present findings suggesting that individuals who perform well on tasks involving response inhibition, and WMC, also perform well on a speech-in-noise task. Our findings indicate that capacity to resist semantic interference can be used to predict performance on speech-in-noise tasks.

Conceptions of working life among employees with mild-moderate aided hearing impairment: A phenomenographic study.

Abstract: Objectives: The aim was to explore the conceptions of working life among employees with mild-moderate aided hearing impairment (HI).Design: This study has a descriptive design, in which data was co ...

Segmental and suprasegmental properties in nonword repetition - An explorative study of the associations with nonword decoding in children with normal hearing and children with bilateral cochlear implants

Abstract: The present study explored nonword repetition (NWR) and nonword decoding in normalhearing (NH) children and in children with cochlear implants (CIs). Participants were 11 children with bilateral CI ...

Theory-of-mind in individuals with Alström syndrome is related to executive functions, and verbal ability

Abstract: Objective: This study focuses on cognitive prerequisites for the development of Theory-of-mind (ToM), the ability to impute mental states to self and others in young adults with Alstrom syndrome (AS). AS is a recessively inherited ciliopathic disorder causing progressive hearing loss and juvenile blindness, both of which affect communication, as well as other dysfunctions. Two cognitive abilities were considered; Phonological working memory and Executive functions (EF), both of importance in speech development . Methods: Ten individuals (18–37 years) with AS, and 20 nondisabled individuals matched for age, gender and educational level participated. Sensory functions were measured. Information about motor functions and communicative skills was obtained from questionnaire data. ToM was assessed using Happes strange stories, verbal ability by a vocabulary test, phonological WM by an auditory presented serial-recall task and EF by tests of updating and inhibition. Results: The AS group performed significantly poorer than the control group in both the ToM task and the EF tasks. A relation was established between recall of non-words and EF in the AS group. Updating, but not inhibition, correlated with verbal ability, whereas both updating and inhibition related to the ability to initiate and sustain communication. Individuals with AS displayed a high degree of variance in performance across tasks and those with a relatively high ToM performance performed within the range of the control group, in EF tasks. Poorer ToM and EF performance were related to language perseverance and motor mannerisms. Conclusions: The AS group demonstrated delayed ToM, reduced phonological WM, EF and verbal ability and for the first time an association between ToM and EF in AS was found. This association is suggested to reflect the importance of EF in developing the capacity to perceive and process input from the social environment. Limitations in EF may be related to cerebellar dysfunction.

Cognitive skills and reading in adults with Usher syndrome type 2

Abstract: Objective: To investigate working memory, phonological skills, lexical skills, and reading comprehension in adults with Usher syndrome type 2 (USH2). Design: The participants performed tests of phonological processing, lexical access, working memory and reading comprehension. The design of the test situation and tests was specifically considered for use with persons with low vision in combination with hearing impairment. The performance of the group with USH2 on the different cognitive measures was compared to that of a matched control group with normal hearing and vision (NVH). Study Sample: Thirteen participants with USH2 aged 21–60 years and a control group of ten individuals with NVH, matched on age and level of education. Results: The group with USH2 displayed significantly lower performance on tests of phonological processing, and on measures requiring both fast visual judgment and phonological processing. There was a larger variation in performance among the individuals with USH2 than in the matched control group. Conclusions: The performance of the group with USH2 indicated similar problems with phonological processing skills and phonological working memory as in individuals with long-term hearing loss. The group with USH2 also had significantly longer reaction times, indicating that processing of visual stimuli is difficult due to the visual impairment. These findings point toward the difficulties in accessing information that persons with USH2 experience, and could be part of the explanation of why individuals with USH2 report high levels of fatigue and feelings of stress (Wahlqvist et al., 2013).

Online administration of a speech in noise test and its relationship to cognition, hearing problems and mental health

Abstract: Hearing loss is common, but often both undetected and untreated. In this two-part study we evaluated an online hearing test and used this test to explore potential links between hearing status, cognitive abilities, psychological distress as well as quality of life.Out of a total of 1370 online recruited participants who completed the procedure, 16.2% failed the online hearing test. Hearing difficulties were more prevalent among the older participants. Poor self-rated hearing ability, as measured by the Amsterdam Inventory of Auditory Handicap, increased the odds ratio for failing the hearing test (OR 2.34, 95 % CI 1.74-3.15). The same was true for scoring above the cut-off score of 11 on the anxiety subscale on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (OR 2.55, 95 % CI 1.22-5.33). On the other hand, good performance on the cognitive tasks lowered the risk for a failed hearing test.We conclude that online hearing tests may have the potential to reduce the time lag between noticing hearing difficulties and beginning a process to address the problem. Moreover, online data collection facilitate large scale investigations on the links between hearing, cognition and perceived communication and mental health problems.