The aim of the present study is to measure sound sensitivity of the saccule for low frequencies in a populationof both young and adult prelingual deaf patients using cervical Vestibular Evoked MyogenicPotentials (cVEMPs) and to correlate the findings obtained with the phonological features. The sensitivityof the saccule to sound stimuli is well known in previous studies. The functional role of the human sacculein responding to sound stimuli is still unclear. The study was conducted on a control population ofyoung and adults with normal hearing. The outcomes showed that the amplitude of myogenic vestibularevoked potentials resulted the most significant parameter, indicating the degree of saccular response. Wefound in the group of deaf adults that the saccule retained an unaltered responsiveness to sound stimuli,without suffering the age-related functional decrease as demonstrated in normal hearing patients. Weassumed that the high saccular response in deaf patients is determined by a constant somatosensorystimulation (rehabilitation) of the saccule, represented by the phonetic training. We correlated the phoneticfeatures typical of the deaf with the sensitivity of the saccule to low frequencies. Such sensitivitymakes this organ the ending point of the phonetic information (perception) but also the starting pointof its regulation (production). Our experience demonstrates the phonetic role of saccule in the regulationof the human voice and provides the basis for further development of this topic. Thus we strongly believethat in the deaf the saccule plays a compensatory role. The high response of the saccule allows phonemicself-regulation, compensating the low/absent tone-verbal feedback. The saccule would come rightfully tobe the accessory inner ear in deaf patients. We recommend the cVEMPs in the audio-phonological assessmentbefore starting the speech therapy or during treatment to assess the degree of responsiveness of thesaccule. The resulting data would give an extremely useful information that could be ignored by the puretone audiometry. The presence of the cVEMPs in the deaf patient may improve the expectation of the performanceof speech therapy.

Compensatory role of saccule in deaf children and adults: Novel hypotheses

Trivelli M;Petitti T;Deidda V;Salvinelli F
2013-01-01

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to measure sound sensitivity of the saccule for low frequencies in a populationof both young and adult prelingual deaf patients using cervical Vestibular Evoked MyogenicPotentials (cVEMPs) and to correlate the findings obtained with the phonological features. The sensitivityof the saccule to sound stimuli is well known in previous studies. The functional role of the human sacculein responding to sound stimuli is still unclear. The study was conducted on a control population ofyoung and adults with normal hearing. The outcomes showed that the amplitude of myogenic vestibularevoked potentials resulted the most significant parameter, indicating the degree of saccular response. Wefound in the group of deaf adults that the saccule retained an unaltered responsiveness to sound stimuli,without suffering the age-related functional decrease as demonstrated in normal hearing patients. Weassumed that the high saccular response in deaf patients is determined by a constant somatosensorystimulation (rehabilitation) of the saccule, represented by the phonetic training. We correlated the phoneticfeatures typical of the deaf with the sensitivity of the saccule to low frequencies. Such sensitivitymakes this organ the ending point of the phonetic information (perception) but also the starting pointof its regulation (production). Our experience demonstrates the phonetic role of saccule in the regulationof the human voice and provides the basis for further development of this topic. Thus we strongly believethat in the deaf the saccule plays a compensatory role. The high response of the saccule allows phonemicself-regulation, compensating the low/absent tone-verbal feedback. The saccule would come rightfully tobe the accessory inner ear in deaf patients. We recommend the cVEMPs in the audio-phonological assessmentbefore starting the speech therapy or during treatment to assess the degree of responsiveness of thesaccule. The resulting data would give an extremely useful information that could be ignored by the puretone audiometry. The presence of the cVEMPs in the deaf patient may improve the expectation of the performanceof speech therapy.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12610/3877
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