Listening with one hemisphere: A review of auditory processing among individuals after hemispheric surgery.

The human auditory system consists of both peripheral and central components, both of which play a role but contribute distinctly to overall auditory functioning and can be differentially impacted by pathophysiologic states. Hemispheric surgery (HS), a procedure used for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, involves complete disconnection of the auditory cortex in the operative hemisphere, leaving hearing acuity (peripheral function) intact but having heavy implications for auditory processing (central function). The literature describing pre- and post-operative auditory processing abilities of individuals who have undergone HS is sparse, but the research available provides evidence that several central auditory processes including auditory spatial analysis and temporal processing may be impacted.

A hierarchy of processing complexity and timescales for natural sounds in human auditory cortex.

Efficient behavior is supported by humans' ability to rapidly recognize acoustically distinct sounds as members of a common category. Within auditory cortex, there are critical unanswered questions regarding the organization and dynamics of sound categorization. Here, we performed intracerebral recordings in the context of epilepsy surgery as 20 patient-participants listened to natural sounds.

Intracranial Mapping of Response Latencies and Task Effects for Spoken Syllable Processing in the Human Brain.

Prior lesion, noninvasive-imaging, and intracranial-electroencephalography (iEEG) studies have documented hierarchical, parallel, and distributed characteristics of human speech processing. Yet, there have not been direct, intracranial observations of the latency with which regions respond to speech, or how these responses are impacted by task demands. We leveraged human intracranial recordings via stereo-EEG to measure responses from diverse forebrain sites during (i) passive listening to /bi/ and /pi/ syllables, and (ii) active listening requiring /bi/-versus-/pi/ categorization.

Unveiling the development of human voice perception: Neurobiological mechanisms and pathophysiology.

The human voice is a critical stimulus for the auditory system that promotes social connection, informs the listener about identity and emotion, and acts as the carrier for spoken language. Research on voice processing in adults has informed our understanding of the unique status of the human voice in the mature auditory cortex and provided potential explanations for mechanisms that underly voice selectivity and identity processing. There is evidence that voice perception undergoes developmental change starting in infancy and extending through early adolescence.

Clinical outcomes of MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy corpus callosum ablation in drug-resistant epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to provide an updated analysis of studies investigating outcomes, morbidity, and mortality associated with MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) corpus callosum ablation (CCA).

Methods: Study inclusion criteria for screening required that studies report on human subjects only, including patients aged 1-52 years diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy who underwent CCA. Sixteen articles published between 2016 and 2023 were included for the systematic review and analysis, including 4 case reports, 11 case series, and 1 case-control study.

Comparison of magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy corpus callosum ablation to open microsurgical corpus callosotomy: A single-center retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Corpus callosotomy (CC) is an important treatment for atonic seizures in patients with generalized or multifocal drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Traditionally, CC is performed via an open microsurgical approach, but more recently, MR-guided stereotactic laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) corpus callosum ablation (CCA) has been developed to leverage the safety and minimally invasive nature of LITT. Given the recent adoption of CCA at select centers, how CCA compares to CC is unknown.

Functional outcomes of pediatric hemispherotomy: Impairment, activity, and medical service utilization.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the functional outcomes of hemispherotomy in a pediatric cohort, including impairments, activity limitations, utilization of therapies and medical specialist services, and subsequent surgical intervention.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent hemispherotomy at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh from 2001 to 2021. Data on impairments, activity limitations in mobility, self-care, and communication, and use of re/habilitative therapies and medical specialist services were collected pre-operatively and at 1, 5, 10, and 15 years postoperatively.

Electrocorticography reveals the dynamics of famous voice responses in human fusiform gyrus.

Voice and face processing occur through convergent neural systems that facilitate speaker recognition. Neuroimaging studies suggest that familiar voice processing engages early visual cortex, including the bilateral fusiform gyrus (FG) on the basal temporal lobe. However, what role the FG plays in voice processing and whether it is driven by bottom-up or top-down mechanisms is unresolved.

Subdural electrodes versus stereoelectroencephalography for pediatric epileptogenic zone localization: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the relative safety and effectiveness of invasive monitoring with subdural electrodes (SDEs) and stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) in pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed in 176 patients who underwent invasive monitoring evaluations at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh between January 2000 and September 2021. To examine differences between SDE and sEEG groups, independent-samples t-tests for continuous variables and Pearson chi-square tests for categorical variables were performed.

Responsive neurostimulation for pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a case series and review of the literature.

Objective: Responsive neurostimulation (RNS) is a promising treatment for pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy for whom resective surgery is not an option. The relative indications and risk for pediatric patients undergoing RNS therapy require further investigation. Here, the authors report their experience with RNS implantation and therapy in pediatric patients.

Choroidal melanoma with synchronous Fuchs' adenoma and novel ATRX mutation.

Background: To report a case of Fuchs' adenoma occurring in an eye with a large choroidal melanoma. We have reviewed the literature to describe the clinical presentation, ultrasound characteristics and pathological features of these entities.

Case Presentation: A 69-year-old Caucasian man presented with vision loss from a large choroidal melanoma.

Stereotactic laser interstitial thermal therapy for the treatment of pediatric drug-resistant epilepsy: indications, techniques, and safety.

Background: MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) is a promising alternative to open surgery for treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy, offering significant advantages over traditional approaches for candidate patients, including minimally invasive approach, shorter hospitalization, and decreased patient post-operative discomfort. LITT uses a stereotactically placed fiber optic laser probe to ablate tissue under real-time MR thermometry.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of intraoperative and perioperative characteristics was performed for 28 cases of MRgLITT in 25 pediatric patients, ages 4-21 years old, at our institution between 2019 and 2021.

The pediatric audiologist: from magician to clinician.

The tremendous progress of pediatric-audiology during the past 30 years is reviewed. Early identification of infants with impaired hearing is based on a high-risk register, screening behaviorally and/or brain stem audiometry. Since many hearing losses have a late onset, it is important to cooperate closely with pediatricians and well-baby clinics.

Predictability of real ear hearing aid performance from coupler measurements.

Results comparing hearing aid performance utilizing probe microphones with performance measured in a commercial hearing aid test box using an HA-2 coupler are presented. Sixteen hearing-impaired subjects (23 ears) were divided into two groups. Group I utilized unvented earmolds with short canals and large bores; group II utilized unvented earmolds with long canals and small bores.

Audiometric earphone discomfort level and hearing aid saturation sound pressure level for a 90 decibel input signal (SSPL90) as measured in the human ear canal.

The acoustical problems involved in matching the saturation sound pressure level for a 90 dB input signal (SSPL90) of a hearing aid to individual discomfort level were investigated. The real ear SPL (RE/SSPL90) produced by a supra-aural earphone used when measuring uncomfortable loudness (UCL), and RE/SSPL90 produced by three different hearing aids at 90 dB SPL input, were measured for nine subjects, using a miniature microphone technique, and compared to the corresponding coupler levels used when matching hearing aid maximum output to UCL. It was found that a hearing aid often gives about 5 dB, and sometimes 10 dB, higher RE/SPLs than the earphone, if the hearing aid output levels, as measured in a 2-cc coupler (IEC126), are equal to the earphone output levels as measured in a 6-cc coupler (NBS9A).

Children with persistent otitis media. Audiometric and tympanometric findings.

Audiometric and tympanometric findings were compared among 129 patients with clinically manifest persistent otitis media (OM) with effusion. Ears with thick effusion (mucoid OM) had significantly larger air-bone gaps and higher prevalence of flat tympanograms than either of the thin effusion types (purulent [POM] or serous OM [SOM]) or ears with no effusion (dry). Ears with thin effusion (POM and SOM) had similar air-bone gaps, thresholds for air and bone conduction, and prevalences of flat and underpressure tympanograms.

A simplified real ear technique for verifying the maximum output of a hearing aid.

Real ear SPL (RE/SSPL90) produced by four different hearing aids was compared to the standard SSPL90 measurements for the same hearing aids on a 2-cc coupler. The effects of venting, location, and reliability for RE/SSPL90 were also studied. As expected, the real ear output level was greater than the coupler level.

Venous and volume factors in women during and after normotensive pregnancy.

1. Venous compliance and plasma volume were measured in thirty-one continuously normotensive women early (11-20 weeks) and late (31-40 weeks) in pregnancy and following delivery. 2.

A community hearing conservation program for senior citizens.

A commnity hearing conservation program for more than 1000 senior citizens is described. Seminars about hearing loss, hearing aids were conducted. Results of hearing tests under various conditions are drawn from a population of more than 500 senior adults.

Hearing status of ambulatory senior citizens.

The objective of this paper is to provide some current data on the hearing sensitivity for pure-tone stimuli for a population of ambulatory, noninstitutionalized Caucasian males and females 60 years and older. Data pertaining to four areas of hearing status are reported, i.e.

Tympanometric configurations and middle ear findings in experimental otitis media.

Relationships between ventilation of the middle ear (ME) system and pathogenic bacteria in the upper respiratory tract were explored in an animal model to better understand the etiopathogenesis of otitis media. Otitis media developed in 12 of 18 chinchillas inoculated intranasally with Streptococcus pneumoniae followed by bilateral ME deflation (negative pressure). Otitis media with effusion developed in 19 of 36 ears examined ten days after inoculation.

A new clinical technique for verification of hearing aid response.

A new miniature wide-range electret microphone with a flat frequency response is available to the audiology clinic to measure sound pressure in the patient's ear canal. This article describes the clinical application of this new microphone for the selection and monitoring of hearing aid response. Preliminary results of the relationship between ear canal measurements and functional gain are also provided.

The use of a miniature microphone in the ear canal for the verification of hearing aid performance.

An individual head, auricle, and ear canal can alter signals from a hearing aid other sources of acoustic stimulation compared to artificial couplers. The most realistic method for quantifying or verifying certain parameters of acoustic simulation delivered to the ear by a hearing aid is to measure the sound pressure level of a signal in the ear canal of an individual while wearing an aid. Probe microphone measurements have been conducted and reported for the past 33 years.