Alterations of the cerebral microstructure in patients with noise‐induced hearing loss: A diffusion tensor imaging study

Abstract

Abstract Objective To explore the changes in the cerebral microstructure of patients with noise‐induced hearing loss (NIHL) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Method Overall, 122 patients with NIHL (mild [MP, n = 79], relatively severe patients [including moderate and severe; RSP, n = 32], and undetermined [lost to follow‐up, n = 11]) and 84 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. All clinical data, including age, education level, hearing threshold, occupation type, noise exposure time, and some scale scores (including the Mini‐Mental State Examination [MMSE], tinnitus handicap inventory [THI], and Hamilton Anxiety Scale [HAMA]), were collected and analyzed. All participants underwent T1WI3DFSPGR and DTI, and tract‐based spatial statistics and region of interest (ROI) analysis were used for assessment. Results The final sample included 71 MP, 28 RSP, and 75 HCs. The HAMA scores of the three groups were significantly different (p .05). There was a significant negative correlation between the FA and HAMA scores for the left IFOF/ILF, right FPT, left SLF, and left C‐H for the three groups (p < .05). There was a significant positive correlation between the AD and HAMA scores for the left IFOF/ILF and right EC of the three groups (p < .05). There were significantly positive correlations between the RD/MD and HAMA scores in the left IFOF/ILF of the three groups (p < .05). There was a significant negative correlation between the AD in the right SCP and noise exposure time of the MP and RSP groups (p < .05). The AD, MD, and RD in the left ROI were significantly positively correlated with hearing threshold in the MP and RSP groups (p < .05), whereas FA in the right ROI was significantly positively correlated with the HAMA scores for the three groups (p < .05). Conclusion The changes in the white matter (WM) microstructure may be related to hearing loss caused by noise exposure, and the WM structural abnormalities in patients with NIHL were mainly located in the syndesmotic fibers of the temporooccipital region, which affected the auditory and language pathways. This confirmed that the auditory pathways have abnormal structural connectivity in patients with NIHL.

Keywords

• diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
• magnetic resonance imaging
• noise exposure time
• occupational noise‐induced hearing loss (occupational NIHL)
• tract‐based spatial statistic (TBSS)
• white matter