Author(s): Barbara Goldstein and Abraham Shulman
This study reports central auditory speech test performance of 25 consecutive patients with subjective idiopathic tinnitus of the severe disabling type. A preliminary study of 14 individuals who had subjective idiopathic tinnitus and complained of difficulty in hearing and understanding revealed a high incidence of abnormal central auditory speech test performance (71 %), despite satisfactory peripheral hearing. The results (I) identify objectively for the first time that tinnitus affects specific components of the auditory pathway; (2) provide a basis for monitoring methods of tinnitus control; and (3) provide a basis for understanding "the interference effect" and problem of communication difficulties in patients with tinnitus of the severe disabling type.