Measuring presbycusis
Diagnosing and treating presbycusis (age related hearing loss) includes measuring basilar membrane stiffness. In an example, a low frequency component of an electrocochleogram stimulation signal is used to bias a region of the basilar membrane, the results of which are used basilar membrane stiffness. The resulting measurement is used to measure a subcomponent of presbycusis. Further, the measurement can be combined with known diagnostic methods to reveal or distinguish other origins of hearing loss such as strial presbycusis, sensory presbycusis, neural presbycusis, and cochlea conductive presbycusis. The relative contributions for each of the diagnosed origins of hearing loss can be determined.
1 . A method, comprising:
providing one or more sound waves to an inner ear of a recipient, wherein the one or more sound waves include a first component having a first frequency configured to activate a tissue region of the inner ear, and a second component having a second frequency that is lower than the first frequency and is configured to bias the tissue region;
measuring a response to the provided one or more sound waves; and
determining a stiffness of a basilar membrane at a region of the inner ear based on the measured response.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a level of cochlea conductive presbycusis based on the measured response.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a plurality of presbycusis sub-factors, wherein cochlea conductive presbycusis is one of the plurality of the presbycusis sub-factors; and
determining contribution of each of the plurality of presbycusis sub-factors to overall presbycusis.
4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
performing a treatment action based on the plurality of presbycusis sub-factors.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein performing the treatment action includes:
recommending a pharmacological substance, a hearing aid for the recipient, a bone conduction device for the recipient, a cochlear implant for the recipient, an operational adjustment to a hearing aid associated with the recipient, or an operational adjustment to a bone conduction device associated with the recipient.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
performing the measuring of stiffness for one or more additional regions of the inner ear.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein measuring the response includes measuring otoacoustic emissions.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein measuring otoacoustic emissions includes:
receiving a first otoacoustic emission corresponding to the first frequency;
receiving a second otoacoustic emission corresponding to the second frequency; and
disregarding the second otoacoustic emission.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second frequency is configured to at least one of constructively bias the region or destructively bias the region.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sound waves comprise a first sound wave and a second sound wave, and wherein the method comprises:
providing the first sound wave at a first volume to the inner ear, wherein the first sound wave comprises the first component having the first frequency;
measuring a first response to the first sound wave;
providing the second sound wave to the inner ear such that a measured second response to the second sound wave is within a threshold amount of the first response, wherein the second sound wave includes:
a component having the first frequency delivered at a modified volume relative to the first volume; and
a second component having the second frequency, delivered at a second volume; and
determining the stiffness of the basilar membrane of the inner ear based on one or more differences between the first sound wave and the second sound wave.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein providing the second sound wave to the inner ear includes:
providing the second sound wave to the inner ear; and
modifying the second sound wave until a measured second response to the second sound wave is within the threshold amount of the first response.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein modifying the second sound wave until a measured second response to the second sound wave is within the threshold amount of the first response includes:
modifying the modified volume of the first frequency; or
modifying the second volume of the second frequency.
13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the second sound wave includes multiple additional frequencies that are lower in frequency than the first frequency.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the multiple additional frequencies are harmonic.
15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein measuring the first response includes measuring the first response with an electrocochleogram.
16 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
diagnosing a hearing condition of the inner ear based on the stiffness of the basilar membrane being above a diagnostic threshold.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the hearing condition is cochlea conductive presbycusis.
18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein determining the stiffness of the basilar membrane of the inner ear based on the one or more differences between the first sound wave and the second sound wave includes determining a ratio between the first volume and the second volume.
19 . The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first volume or the modified volume is a volume above an otoacoustic emission threshold.
20 . A system comprising:
an electroacoustic transducer configured to provide at least one sound wave to an inner ear of a recipient, the at least one sound wave having:
a first frequency component having a first frequency configured to activate a tissue region;
a second frequency component having a second frequency that is lower than the first frequency configured to bias the tissue region;
a response sensor configured to measure a response to the provided sound wave; and
one or more processors configured to cause the electroacoustic transducer to provide the at least one sound wave and to determine a stiffness of a basilar membrane at a region of the inner ear based on the response measured by the response sensor.
21 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
provide a stiffness measurement for a tissue region based on the response.
22 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the response sensor includes one or more electrodes.
23 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the response sensor is an electrocochleography monitor.
24 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
select the second frequency to constructively bias the tissue region.
25 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
select the second frequency to destructively bias the tissue region.
26 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
determine multiple stiffness measures using a range of frequencies lower than the first frequency.
27 . The system of claim 26 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
provide the multiple stiffness measures as a stiffness spectrogram.
28 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
determine cochlea conductive presbycusis based on the response; and
recommend a treatment action based on the cochlea conductive presbycusis.
29 . The system of claim 20 , wherein the system includes memory having instructions thereon that, when executed, so configure the one or more processors, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to measure at least one of strial presbycusis, sensory presbycusis, neural presbycusis, or cochlea conductive presbycusis.