Corvallis Hearing Center

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Hearing Difficulty?

February 10, 2021 by Ron Leavitt

Hearing Difficulty?
It’s Important to Know the Business You Are In
Dr. Ron Leavitt, Audiologist

A noted entrepreneur once said “It is important to know what business you are actually in.” In recent years this quote has taken on new meaning for hearing health care providers.

In the past some audiologists may have thought we were in the hearing aid sales business. Then cochlear implants came along and that view was broadened to include a more encompassing term such as the “hearing improvement business” since hearing aids were no longer the only tool in the toolbox.

Today hearing health care providers are faced with a mountain of data suggesting we are in the cognitive optimization business.

Specifically, it is now known that when hearing loss is untreated or improperly treated, a host of anatomical and physiological changes occur in the brain that result in a phenomenon known as “synaptic pruning and resource reallocation.”

While synaptic pruning is used by the healthy brain to minimize those pathways that are nonessential to existence, when hearing loss is improperly treated synaptic pruning and reorganization takes place in critical areas of the brain associated with higher order reasoning. Such unfavorable reorganization/pruning may be a gateway to dementia whose strong relationship to hearing loss has been well documented.

The obvious question then becomes what should we be doing to prevent such an outcome? First, when friends, family or colleagues start saying you are having hearing problems act immediately to get a comprehensive hearing test. There is likely a point of no return where the brain is too improperly pruned/reallocated to recover (see https://corvallishearing.com/1feb2021 for more in-depth discussion).

Next, every hearing aid and cochlear implant must be programmed so as to provide audibility of the greatest number of speech sounds possible within the limitations of the individual’s hearing loss. Unfortunately, such programming rarely occurs (see https://corvallishearing.com/2feb2021 or https://corvallishearing.com/3feb2021 or https://corvallishearing.com/4feb2021 for more in depth explanation).

Next, you must work to maintain optimized hearing of speech sounds. Such maintenance entails annual hearing and hearing aid/cochlear implant checkups. Hearing rarely gets better over time and some causes of hearing loss result in a fairly rapid degradation of hearing in a relatively short time frame. As such, hearing aid reprogramming may be necessary on an annual basis or sooner.

Additionally, hearing aid and cochlear implant performance may degrade over time, particularly when used in high humidity or dusty/polluted environments or worn with excessive amounts of hair spray.

Finally, we must all take some initiative to stay physically active and eat well as contemporary research has shown both are critical areas of intervention in cognitive optimization for both children and adults (see https://corvallishearing.com/5feb2021 and https://corvallishearing.com/6feb2021 and https://corvallishearing.com/7feb2021 and https://corvallishearing.com/8feb2021 for more info).

For anyone interested in more information on this topic we will be presenting this information at our next “virtual” Better Listening Seminar and on our website in the near future. For more info call (541) 754-1377.

 

Filed Under: Community, Hearing Health Changes, Hearing Loss, Research, resources Tagged With: articles, Audiology, Better Hearing, Brain, Community, Consumer, Corvallis Oregon, Ears, Hearing aid, Hearing Aids, Patients, Research

Hearing Loss and the Brain

November 10, 2020 by Ron Leavitt

Frequent readers of this section are well aware that hearing loss changes the brain in ways that foster dementia. Those who have missed this news are referred to the following article (https://corvallishearing.com/hldementia)

Unfortunately, recent information suggests that well before dementia sets in there are a large series of changes that take place that make the brain function in abnormal ways (https://corvallishearing.com/congenital-deafness).

These new findings use radiographic techniques to show the numerous essential inter connections that exist between the primary and secondary auditory areas of the brain and all other parts.

These brain interconnections must be functional for people to completely comprehend spoken or written language or even maintain appropriate social behavior. To quote Dr. Kral and his colleagues, “The experienced adult brain relies on higher-order representations for generating expectations about the environment based on the context and behavioral goals. These expectations are possible since the brain has developed a meaningful representation of the world (sensory information) that is constantly updated and compared with external events. With the mature micro circuitry the auditory (area of the brain) can integrate bottom-up and top-down (sensory and intellectual) information flow. In cases of conflict between the input (from the senses) and these (memory) expectations, error signals drive plastic changes and learning. These processes require experience and a functional interareal (whole brain) and intrinsic (brain) circuitry.”

Stated differently, looking only at the auditory area of the brain is missing the point.

Knowledge of the critical importance of these inter connections brings us to an obvious question: What should we be doing to foster interconnected brain health?

Fortunately, we have research that addresses this intervention question.

First, there must be a foundation that allows for hearing the maximum number of speech sounds in individuals with hearing loss (https://corvallishearing.com/audibility).

Hearing Aid Programming Practices in Oregon: Fitting Errors and Real Ear Measurements

Depending on the level of hearing loss, this first rule mandates use of hearing aids or cochlear implants long before hearing loss becomes chronic.  Again quoting Dr. Kral and colleagues, “changes (due to hearing loss) in columnar microcircuits (deep and superficial brain connections) and interareal couplings (connections within the larger parts of the brain) limit the outcome of sensory restoration (hearing aids and/or cochlear implants) if performed late in life.

Stated differently, there is a point of no return.  The body is a habitual machine and if you let it develop bad physiological habits (untreated hearing loss) for a long period of time, these bad habits cannot be undone.

However simply obtaining timely hearing aids or cochlear implants is not enough.  These devices must be properly programmed and most are not (https://corvallishearing.com/oregon-fitting-errors)

Secondly as noted by Kral and colleagues, the individual must maintain brain stimulating, language-rich social contacts. (Use it or lose it).

To summarize, a healthy brain requires maximum audibility of speech sounds and intellectually stimulating use of those audible words.

For more in-depth discussion of this issue the reader is referred to the following summary (https://corvallishearing.com/entrain-brain).

Filed Under: Community, Hearing Aids, Hearing Health Changes, Hearing Loss, Research, resources Tagged With: Audiology, Better Hearing, Brain, Consumer, Corvallis Oregon, Ears, Health, Hearing, Hearing Aids, hearing health, Hearing Loss, Research

iOS 13 and Your Resound Hearing Aids

October 25, 2019 by Nikki Clark

Did you recently update your iPhone to iOS 13?

Since the launch of iOS 13, 13.1, 13.1.2 and 13.1.3 Resound has been diligently testing with ReSound MFi® hearing aids.

The testing confirms that iOS 13 platforms are compatible with ReSound MFi hearing aids. However, there are some iPhone and iOS related issues which may impact patients. Download the ReSound Tech Tip to troubleshoot your iPhone if you are experiencing these defects.

To pair your hearing aids to back to your iPhone go to Apple’s support page.

If you’re still having trouble with your iPhone Call us today (541) 754-1377 and we will schedule an appointment to further troubleshoot your iPhone and hearing aids.

Filed Under: Hearing Aids, resources, Uncategorized Tagged With: Audiology, Better Hearing, Consumer, Ears, Hearing aid, Patients, resources

Hearing Loss and the Brain: A Story of Evolution

October 15, 2019 by Ron Leavitt

At times, medical knowledge moves forward in leaps and bounds. At other times such knowledge moves forward in a more gradual fashion. Such has been the case with our knowledge of the effects of hearing loss on the brain.

Seven years ago, Dr. Frank Lin of Johns Hopkins Medical University reported that hearing loss was highly associated with dementia and accelerated brain shrinkage.  At that time, our medical knowledge on this topic took a giant step forward.

Since that report, our understanding of this relationship has been more evolutionary.  For example, Drs. Glick and Sharma showed that untreated and poorly treated hearing loss results in a scrambling of brain resources.

These researchers showed improperly treated hearing loss results in inappropriate use of the frontal and prefrontal areas of the brain. Typically, these two areas of the brain are associated with memory and reasoning. However, in the case of poorly treated hearing loss, these two brain areas are used for understanding speech, lending credence to Dr. Lin’s hypothesis that hearing loss may overwork the memory and reasoning areas of the brain.

On a positive note, Glick and Sharma showed that properly fit hearing aids may reset the brain so that the auditory area is once again used for listening. Now the frontal and prefrontal brain areas can resume their normal functions.

More recently, it was discovered that hearing loss upsets the normal rhythmic pulses and interconnections the brain uses to communicate among its different functional areas.

Within the last few months, two separate reports out of Boston and Northwestern Universities showed reestablishing appropriate pulse rates among these different areas of the brain results in significant memory improvements in older people.

These studies, when considered together, suggest the possibility that properly treated hearing loss with hearing aids, perhaps combined with brain pulse resetting, may combat the devastating effects hearing loss may have on memory.

Currently, several large-scale studies are under way, examining the potential therapeutic benefit of properly fit hearing aids and brain pulse resetting on memory. In the interim, it appears medically prudent to treat hearing loss sooner rather than later, as the average delay between diagnosis of hearing loss and treatment has recently been reported to be nine years. It is no longer appropriate to view hearing loss as an inconvenience that can be ignored.

At our clinic, we are currently reviewing the records of 51 patients who have normal aided scores on the same speech in noise test shown by Glick and Sharma to signal brain resource preservation in hopes of identifying those therapeutic steps that can properly reset the brain.

Those interested in obtaining further information on this topic are invited to the monthly meeting of the Oregon Association for Better Hearing at Corvallis Good Samaritan Hospital, Conference Room B on the second Thursday of every month from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

Click Here for the Upcoming Seminar Information

Filed Under: Community, Hearing Aids, Hearing Health Changes, Hearing Loss, Research, resources Tagged With: articles, Audiology, Better Hearing, Brain, Community, Consumer, Corvallis Oregon, Ears, Health, Hearing, hearing health, Hearing Loss, Patients, Research, resources

A Source to Resources!

July 30, 2019 by Naomi

Through research, networking and years of experience we have collected a huge amount of resources and put them together for your convenience. We want you to have the help you need at your fingertips. We know life is hectic and full of confusion so we hope that this is one way we can help! We have compiled resources for hearing health and information onto one useful page. Just click our link and you will have them at your fingertips. [Read more…]

Filed Under: resources Tagged With: articles, Hearing, Hearing aid, hearing health, Hearing Impaired, Hearing Loss, link, network, publications, Research, resources

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