Binaural hearing, neurological disability and brain imaging in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by focal destruction of myelin within the central nervous system. Auditory deficits are a relatively frequent, but often underdiagnosed symptom. This study examined sound detection threshold and functional hearing ability in a cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis. Thirty adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 30 age, gender and hearing-level matched controls underwent peripheral and central auditory assessments. These included audiometric (sound detection threshold) measurement, binaural speech perception, spatial hearing (Listening in Spatialized Noise test) and self-perceived hearing/communication disability rating (Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Questionnaire). Correlations with neurological disability, white matter lesion count, lesion volume and whole brain volume were evaluated. Average sound detection levels for individuals with multiple sclerosis were abnormal in one or both ears for 18/30 participants and outside age-based population norms in 17/60 ears. Binaural speech perception was significantly poorer (P