Data-driven approach for auditory profiling

Authors

  • Raul Sanchez Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
  • Federica Bianchi Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
  • Michal Feręczkowski Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
  • Sébastien Santurette Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery & Audiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Torsten Dau Hearing Systems, Department of Electrical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

Keywords:

hearing loss, hearing aids, auditory profiling

Abstract

Nowadays, the pure-tone audiogram is the main tool used to characterize hearing loss and to fit hearing aids. However, the perceptual consequences of hearing loss are typically not only associated with a loss of sensitivity, but also with a clarity loss that is not captured by the audiogram. A detailed characterization of hearing loss has to be simplified to efficiently explore the specific compensation needs of the individual listener. We hypothesized that any listener's hearing can be characterized along two dimensions of distortion: type I and type II. While type I can be linked to factors affecting audibility, type II reflects non-audibility-related distortions. To test our hypothesis, the individual performance data from two previous studies were re-analyzed using an archetypal analysis. Unsupervised learning was used to identify extreme patterns in the data which form the basis for different auditory profiles. Next, a decision tree was determined to classify the listeners into one of the profiles. The new analysis provides evidence for the existence of four profiles in the data. The most significant predictors for profile identification were related to binaural processing, auditory non-linearity and speech-in-noise perception. The current approach is promising for analyzing other existing data sets in order to select the most relevant tests for auditory profiling.

References

Ahroon, W.A., Davis, R.I., and Hamemik, R.P. (1993). “The role of tuning curve variables and threshold measures in the estimation of sensory cell loss,” Audiology, 32, 244-259. doi: 10.3109/00206099309072940

Dubno, J.R., Eckert, M.A., Lee, F.S., Matthews, L.J., and Schmiedt, R.A. (2013). “Classifying human audiometric phenotypes of age-related hearing loss from animal models,” J. Assoc. Res. Otolaryngol., 14, 687-701. doi: 10.1007/s10162-013-0396-x

Glasberg, B.R., and Moore, B.C. (1989). “Psychoacoustic abilities of subjects with unilateral and bilateral cochlear hearing impairments and their relationship to the ability to understand speech,” Scand. Audiol. Suppl., 32, 1-25.

Johannesen, P.T., P´erez-Gonz´alez, P., Kalluri, S., Blanco, J.L., and Lopez-Poveda, E.A. (2016). “The influence of cochlear mechanical dysfunction, temporal processing deficits, and age on the intelligibility of audible speech in noise for hearing-impaired listeners,” Trends Hear., 20. doi: 10.1177/2331216516641055

Kollmeier, B., and Kiessling, J. (2016). “Functionality of hearing aids: State-of-the-art and future model-based solutions,” Int. J. Audiol., 1-26. doi: 10.1080/14992027.2016.1256504

Lobarinas, E., Salvi, R., and Ding, D. (2013). “Insensitivity of the audiogram to carboplatin induced inner hair cell loss in chinchillas,” Hear. Res., 302, 113-120. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2013.03.012

Lopez-Poveda, E.A. (2014). “Why do I hear but not understand? Stochastic undersampling as a model of degraded neural encoding of speech,” Front. Neurosci., 8. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2014.00348

Plomp, R. (1978). “Auditory handicap of hearing impairment and the limited benefit of hearing aids,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 63, 533-549. doi: 10.1121/1.381753

Ragozini, G., Palumbo, F., and D’Esposito, M.R. (2017). “Archetypal analysis for data-driven prototype identification. Stat. Anal. Data Min., 10, 6-20. doi: 10.1002/sam.11325

Strelcyk, O., and Dau, T. (2009). “Relations between frequency selectivity, temporal fine-structure processing, and speech reception in impaired hearing,” J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 125, 3328-3345. doi: 10.1121/1.3097469

Thorup, N., Santurette, S., Jørgensen, S., Kjærbøl, E., Dau, T., and Friis, M. (2016). “Auditory profiling and hearing-aid satisfaction in hearing-aid candidates,” Dan. Med. J., 63, A5275.

Zeng, F.G., Oba, S., Garde, S., Sininger, Y., and Starr, A. (1999). “Temporal and speech processing deficits in auditory neuropathy,” Neuroreport, 10, 3429-3435. doi: 10.1097/00001756-199911080-00031
Adaptive processes in hearing

Additional Files

Published

2017-12-12

How to Cite

Sanchez, R., Bianchi, F., Feręczkowski, M., Santurette, S., & Dau, T. (2017). Data-driven approach for auditory profiling. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiological Research, 6, 247–254. Retrieved from https://proceedings.isaar.eu/index.php/isaarproc/article/view/2017-30

Issue

Vol. 6 (2017): Adaptive Processes in Hearing

Section

2017/4. Assessment of specific auditory functions and hearing ability

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

a. Authors retain copyright* and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

*From the 2017 issue onward. The Danavox Jubilee Foundation owns the copyright of all articles published in the 1969-2015 issues. However, authors are still allowed to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.