Effects of steep high-frequency hearing loss on speech recognition using temporal fine structure in low-frequency region

• High-frequency hearing loss causes supra-threshold deficits in low-frequency region.
• Mandarin sentence recognition using TFS cues in low-frequency regions decreased.
• Speech recognition decreased as the effective listening bandwidth narrowed from 4 to 1 kHz.

The present study examined the effects of steep high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss (SHF-SNHL) on speech recognition using acoustic temporal fine structure (TFS) in the low-frequency region where the absolute thresholds appeared to be normal. In total, 28 participants with SHF-SNHL were assigned to 3 groups according to the cut-off frequency (1, 2, and 4 kHz, respectively) of their pure-tone absolute thresholds. Fourteen age-matched normal-hearing (NH) individuals were enrolled as controls. For each Mandarin sentence, the acoustic TFS in 10 frequency bands (each 3-ERB wide) was extracted using the Hilbert transform and was further lowpass filtered at 1, 2, and 4 kHz. Speech recognition scores were compared among the NH and 1-, 2-, and 4-kHz SHF-SNHL groups using stimuli with varying bandwidths. Results showed that speech recognition with the same TFS-speech stimulus bandwidth differed significantly in groups and filtering conditions. Sentence recognition in quiet conditions was better than that in noise. Compared with the NH participants, nearly all the SHF-SNHL participants showed significantly poorer sentence recognition within their frequency regions with “normal hearing” (defined clinically by normal absolute thresholds) in both quiet and noisy conditions. These may result from disrupted auditory nerve function in the “normal hearing” low-frequency regions.