Properties (13)
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- Auditory Processing and Neuroregulation in Misophonia
- (Karupaiah & Prabhu, 2025)
- Misophonia
- central auditory processing (CAP)
- Masking level difference (MLD)
- Dichotic Consonant-Vowel (DCV) test
- pitch pattern test (PPT)
- RAMISO-S
- Duke-Vanderbilt Misophonia screening questionnaire
Auditory Processing and Neuroregulation in Misophonia: A Comparative Study of Behavioral Measures
Status:: #status/reviewed
Metadata
- Item Type: #journalArticle
- Authors:: Kamalakannan Karupaiah, Prashanth Prabhu,
- Date:
- Date Added: 1759424209000
- URL: https://www.neuroregulation.org/article/view/23526/version/1178
- DOI: 10.15540/nr.12.3.172
- Cite Key: karupaiahAuditoryProcessingNeuroregulation2025
- Topics: [object Object]
- Tags:: #audiology, #auditory-processing-abilities, #Bare-bones-review-🦴, #binural-integration, #clinical, #masking-level-difference, #Misophonia, #Neurology,
- PDF Attachments
Abstract
| Background/Purpose | Background- • Misophonia is linked with abnormal neural responses to specific trigger sounds, leading to atypical emotional and attentional reactions. • Past research yielded inconsistent results regarding auditory processing differences in individuals with misophonia. • Recent studies suggest cortical involvement in misophonia through fMRI and auditory evoked potential data • Prior behavioral studies either lacked severity stratification or did not focus on higher-severity misophonia. Purpose- • To assess auditory processing (binaural interaction, binaural integration, and temporal processing) in normal-hearing individuals with moderate-to-severe misophonia using behavioral auditory tests (MLD, DCV, PPT). • To determine whether auditory processing abnormalities in misophonia are cortical or brainstem-based. |
| Participants/samples | • Total participants: 30 (18–30 years, Mean = 24.23, SD = 2.91) • Misophonia group: 15 (10 moderate, 5 severe) • Control group: 15 • Gender: 23 female, 7 male • Inclusion Criteria: Normal hearing, no history of otological disorders, no tinnitus, hyperacusis, or phonophobia. • Exclusion Instruments: THI, MKHQ, DSTS-S. |
| Measures | • Self-report screening: Duke-Vanderbilt Misophonia Screening Questionnaire, RAMISO-S • Hearing tests: Pure tone audiometry, tympanometry, DPOAEs • Auditory Processing Tests: • DCV Test: Right, left, and double correct syllables • PPT: Correct identification of tone sequences • MLD: Detection threshold difference between SoNo and SπNo conditions |
| Procedures | • Stimuli: • DCV: Six syllables (/pa/, /ba/, /ta/, /da/, /ka/, /ga/) delivered binaurally with 0ms lag. • PPT: Sequences of three tones (500ms each) using 880 Hz and 1430 Hz frequencies. • MLD: 500 Hz tone in noise presented in homophasic and antiphasic configurations. • Instructions: • DCV: Repeat both heard syllables • PPT: Identify high/low tone sequence • MLD: Signal detection amid background noise • Calibration and Environment: ANSI standard acoustic chamber with calibrated equipment. |
| Results | • found altered cortical processing but no alterations in brainstem processing (consistent with Aryal and Prabhu, 2023) (page 7) • DCV: Misophonia group showed significantly reduced right, left, and double correct scores (all p < .05). • PPT: Significantly reduced scores in misophonia group (p < .05). • MLD: No significant difference in MLD thresholds at 500 Hz between groups (p > .05). |
| Discussion/Limits | Conclusion- • Behavioral evidence suggests altered cortical auditory processing (binaural integration, temporal processing) in individuals with moderate-to-severe misophonia. • Brainstem-level auditory processing (as indexed by MLD) appears preserved. • Findings align with neuroimaging evidence indicating disrupted connectivity between auditory and emotional brain areas. |
| Limitations:: | • Small sample size • Use of only behavioral (not electrophysiological) measures limits inferences about neural mechanisms. |
| Future Directions:: | • Incorporate electrophysiological measures (e.g., ABR, cortical evoked potentials) to map precise neural correlates. • Explore auditory processing variations across a broader range of misophonia severity levels. • Develop tailored interventions targeting cortical auditory deficits in severe misophonia. |
| Relevance:: | • looks at the auditory processing of Misophonics vs controls to test speculative in Misophonic cortical/brainstem processing abnormalities. found evidence for altered cortical auditory processing (but unaltered brain stem processing) for those with mild-severe Misophonia (contradicts the Jastreboff model assumption of normal auditory processing ) • a decent source for the audiologist approach to methods and conceptualization of Misophonia |
Notes
key terms and concepts
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Central Auditory Processing (CAP) – The efficiency and effectiveness by which the central nervous system uses auditory information, including skills like binaural integration, interaction, and temporal processing. (page 2)
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Misophonia – A disorder marked by a strong aversion to specific sounds (e.g., chewing, breathing), eliciting emotional, physiological, and behavioral responses disproportionate to the acoustic properties of the stimuli.
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Masking Level Difference (MLD) – A behavioral test of binaural interaction typically at the brainstem level; evaluates the auditory system’s ability to detect tones in noise.
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Dichotic Consonant-Vowel (DCV) Test – A measure of binaural integration at the cortical level requiring the processing of different syllables presented simultaneously to both ears.
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Pitch Pattern Test (PPT) – A test assessing temporal ordering (sequence recognition of high vs. low tones) at the cortical level.
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RAMISO-S – Revised Amsterdam Misophonia Scale – Severity; used to assess severity levels of misophonia.
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Duke-Vanderbilt Misophonia Screening Questionnaire – A validated tool for screening misophonia symptoms and functional impact.
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Clinical Implications:
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Suggests including behavioral auditory processing tests in misophonia assessment protocols.
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Interventions may benefit from addressing attention and cortical auditory processing mechanisms.
Methodological Insight:
- Clear differentiation between cortical (DCV, PPT) vs. brainstem (MLD) levels in auditory processing allows localization of functional deficits.