Effects of Tinnitus on Verbal Communication
Tinnitus, characterized by the perception of noise or ringing in the ears without an external sound source, can significantly impact speech comprehension, especially in noisy environments. Despite the complexity of spoken language, the exact reasons why tinnitus hampers conversation in such settings remain unclear. It is possible that individuals with tinnitus experience fundamental deficits in frequency processing, starting with the basic speech elements, such as the spectral components of phonemes. To better understand this issue, we aim to investigate whether there is a central processing deficit in tinnitus sufferers affecting their ability to process these spectral elements in speech.
Inclusion criteria
The inclusion criteria for chronic tinnitus are:
- Subjective bilateral tonal tinnitus over 12 months (ESIT-SQ)
- Age from 18 to 60
- Swiss German speaker
- No moderate hearing loss
- No medical treatment when participating in the experiment
- Signed informed consent
The exclusion criteria for chronic tinnitus are:
- Moderate or strong hearing loss (a pure tone hearing loss over 25 dB for frequencies within the range of 500 and 4000 Hz, and under 40 dB for frequency range 4000 and 8000 Hz.)
- Hearing aids
- Medications that have related influences
- Neurological or psychiatric disease
- Self-reported drug and/or alcohol abuse
If you are interested in participating
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