| ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2012 | Volume
: 14
| Issue : 56 | Page : 6--12 |
Audiological and electrophysiological assessment of professional pop/rock musicians
Alessandra G Samelli, Carla G Matas, Renata M. M. Carvallo, Raquel F Gomes, Carolina S de Beija, Fernanda C. L. Magliaro, Camila M Rabelo
Departments of Physical Therapy, Speech language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Correspondence Address:
Alessandra G Samelli
Department of Physical Therapy, Speech language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Rua Cipotânea, 51, Cidade Universitária, SP Brasil 05360 160
Brazil
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1463-1741.93314
In the present study, we evaluated peripheral and central auditory pathways in professional musicians (with and without hearing loss) compared to non-musicians. The goal was to verify if music exposure could affect auditory pathways as a whole. This is a prospective study that compared the results obtained between three groups (musicians with and without hearing loss and non-musicians). Thirty-two male individuals participated and they were assessed by: Immittance measurements, pure-tone air conduction thresholds at all frequencies from 0.25 to 20 kHz, Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions, Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR), and Cognitive Potential. The musicians showed worse hearing thresholds in both conventional and high frequency audiometry when compared to the non-musicians; the mean amplitude of Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions was smaller in the musicians group, but the mean latencies of Auditory Brainstem Response and Cognitive Potential were diminished in the musicians when compared to the non-musicians. Our findings suggest that the population of musicians is at risk for developing music-induced hearing loss. However, the electrophysiological evaluation showed that latency waves of ABR and P300 were diminished in musicians, which may suggest that the auditory training to which these musicians are exposed acts as a facilitator of the acoustic signal transmission to the cortex.
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