Brainstem plasticity and modified loudness following short-term use of hearing aids

Previous research has shown that the threshold of the middle ear acoustic reflex is modified in adult listeners following 1 week of continuous monaural sensory deprivation [Munro and Blount, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 126, 568-571 (2009)]. The results of the present study provide evidence of plasticity in the brainstem of adult listeners following monaural auditory stimulation. Acoustic reflexes were obtained at a higher sound pressure level in the ear that had been fitted with a low-gain hearing aid for 5 days. These changes are in the opposite direction to those reported after sensory deprivation and are consistent with a gain control mechanism mediated by a process within the brainstem. Stimuli were reported as less loud after hearing aid use but the relationship with changes to the acoustic reflex threshold was not statistically significant. (C) 2013 Acoustical Society of America. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4770234]