What is Auditory Neuropathy?

Problems in communication concept, misunderstanding create confusion in work, miscommunicate unclear message and information, people have troubles with understanding each other due to auditory neuropathy.

Have you ever been in the middle of the roadway and your car breaks down? That really stinks! Your car has to be safely pulled to the side of the road. Then you probably pop your hood and take a look at the engine. Who knows why?

What’s funny is that you do this even if you have no idea how engines work. Maybe you think there’ll be a convenient knob you can turn or something. Eventually, you have to call somebody to tow your car to a garage.

And it’s only when the experts get a look at things that you get an understanding of the issue. Just because the car is not moving, doesn’t mean you can know what’s wrong with it because cars are complex and computerized machines.

The same thing can happen at times with hearing loss. The symptom itself doesn’t automatically indicate what the cause is. Sure, noise-related hearing loss is the typical culprit. But sometimes, something else like auditory neuropathy is the culprit.

What is auditory neuropathy?

Most individuals think of extremely loud noise such as a rock concert or a jet engine when they consider hearing loss. This kind of hearing loss, known as sensorineural hearing loss is somewhat more complex than that, but you get the idea.

But in some cases, this kind of long-term, noise related damage isn’t the cause of hearing loss. A condition known as auditory neuropathy, while less common, can sometimes be the cause. This is a hearing disorder in which your ear and inner ear collect sounds just fine, but for some reason, can’t fully transfer those sounds to your brain.

Symptoms of auditory neuropathy

The symptoms related to auditory neuropathy are, at first look, not all that distinct from those symptoms linked to conventional hearing loss. You can’t hear very well in noisy situations, you keep turning the volume up on your television and other devices, that kind of thing. This can frequently make auditory neuropathy hard to diagnose and treat.

Auditory neuropathy, however, has some specific symptoms that make spotting it easier. When hearing loss symptoms present like this, you can be fairly certain that it’s not standard noise related hearing loss. Though, naturally, you’ll be better informed by an official diagnosis from us.

Here are some of the more unique symptoms of auditory neuropathy:

  • Sound fades in and out: The volume of sound seems to rise and fall like somebody is messing with the volume knob. If you’re encountering these symptoms it might be a case of auditory neuropathy.
  • Sounds seem jumbled or confused: This is, once again, not a problem with volume. The volume of what you’re hearing is completely normal, the issue is that the sounds seem jumbled and you can’t make sense of them. This can go beyond the spoken word and apply to all types of sounds around you.
  • Difficulty understanding speech: Sometimes, the volume of a word is normal, but you just can’t distinguish what’s being said. Words are unclear and unclear.

What triggers auditory neuropathy?

These symptoms can be explained, in part, by the underlying causes behind this particular condition. On an individual level, the reasons why you may experience auditory neuropathy might not be completely clear. Both children and adults can experience this disorder. And there are a couple of well described possible causes, generally speaking:

  • The cilia that deliver signals to the brain can be damaged: Sound can’t be passed to your brain in complete form once these little fragile hairs have been compromised in a particular way.
  • Nerve damage: There’s a nerve that transmits sound signals from your inner ear to the hearing center of your brain. If this nerve gets damaged, your brain can’t get the full signal, and as a result, the sounds it “interprets” will sound wrong. When this takes place, you might interpret sounds as garbled, unclear, or too quiet to discern.

Risk factors of auditory neuropathy

Some people will develop auditory neuropathy while others won’t and no one is quite certain why. Because of this, there isn’t a definitive way to prevent auditory neuropathy. Still, there are close associations which may indicate that you’re at a higher risk of experiencing this condition.

Bear in mind that even if you have all of these risk factors you still might or may not develop auditory neuropathy. But the more risk factors shown, the higher your statistical probability of developing this condition.

Risk factors for children

Here are a few risk factors that will increase the likelihood of auditory neuropathy in children:

  • A lack of oxygen before labor begins or during birth
  • An abundance of bilirubin in the blood (bilirubin is a normal byproduct of red blood cell breakdown)
  • Preterm or premature birth
  • Other neurological disorders
  • Liver conditions that lead to jaundice (a yellow look to the skin)
  • A low birth weight

Adult risk factors

For adults, risk factors that raise your likelihood of developing auditory neuropathy include:

  • auditory neuropathy and other hearing disorders that run in the family
  • Mumps and other specific infectious diseases
  • Overuse of medications that cause hearing issues
  • Immune diseases of various kinds

Limiting the risks as much as possible is always a good idea. Scheduling regular screenings with us is a smart idea, particularly if you do have risk factors.

Diagnosing auditory neuropathy

A normal hearing exam involves listening to tones with a set of headphones and raising a hand depending on which side you hear the tone on. That test won’t help very much with auditory neuropathy.

One of the following two tests will typically be done instead:

  • Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test: Specialized electrodes will be fastened to certain spots on your head and scalp with this test. This test isn’t painful or uncomfortable in any way so don’t be concerned. These electrodes measure your brainwaves, with specific attention to how those brainwaves respond to sound. Whether you’re dealing with sensorineural hearing loss (outer ear) or auditory neuropathy (inner ear) will be established by the quality of your brainwaves.
  • Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test: This diagnostic is made to determine how well your inner ear and cochlea respond to sound stimuli. A little microphone is put just inside your ear canal. Then a series of tones and clicks will be played. Then your inner ear will be assessed to see how it responds. The data will help identify whether the inner ear is the issue.

Once we do the appropriate tests, we will be able to more effectively diagnose and treat your auditory neuropathy.

Does auditory neuropathy have any treatments?

So, just like you bring your car to the auto technician to get it fixed, you can bring your ears to us for treatment! Auditory neuropathy generally has no cure. But there are a few ways to manage this disorder.

  • Hearing aids: In some milder cases, hearing aids will be able to supply the necessary sound amplification to help you hear better, even with auditory neuropathy. For some people, hearing aids will work just fine! Having said that, this is not usually the case, because, again, volume is virtually never the problem. Hearing aids are usually used in combination with other treatments because of this.
  • Cochlear implant: For some individuals, hearing aids will not be able to get around the problems. It might be necessary to opt for cochlear implants in these instances. This implant, essentially, takes the signals from your inner ear and carries them directly to your brain. The internet has lots of videos of individuals having success with these remarkable devices!
  • Frequency modulation: In some cases, it’s possible to hear better by boosting or reducing certain frequencies. That’s what occurs with a technology known as frequency modulation. Basically, highly customized hearing aids are used in this strategy.
  • Communication skills training: In some situations, any and all of these treatments might be combined with communication skills training. This will allow you to work with whatever level of hearing you have to communicate better.

The sooner you receive treatment, the better

Getting your condition treated promptly will, as with any hearing disorder, lead to better outcomes.

So if you suspect you have auditory neuropathy, or even just ordinary hearing loss, it’s important to get treatment as quickly as you can. You’ll be able to go back to hearing better and enjoying your life once you schedule an appointment and get treated. This can be extremely crucial for children, who experience a lot of cognitive development and linguistic growth during their early years.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.