Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of SNHL and the control groups and local measurements of the left and right insula.
| Characteristics | SNHL (n = 35) | Control (n = 54) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical measurements | |||
| Gender (male/female) | 22/13 | 34/20 | 0.992a |
| Age (years) | 56.1 ± 8.6 | 53.5 ± 7.9 | 0.153b |
| Education (years) | 10.9 ± 3.0 | 12.4 ± 5.2 | 0.136b |
| Duration (years) | 6.9 ± 6.7 | – | – |
| Neuropsychological tests | |||
| MMSE | 29.6 ± 0.8 | 29.7 ± 0.5 | 0.352b |
| SDMT | 33.4 ± 12.2 | 40.7 ± 8.9 | 0.003b |
| AVLT-5 min | 5.7 ± 2.5 | 6.6 ± 2.0 | 0.070b |
| AVLT-20 min | 5.6 ± 2.5 | 6.5 ± 2.2 | 0.079b |
| SAS | 35.8 ± 7.1 | 30.9 ± 5.5 | <0.001b |
| HAMD | 6.1 ± 4.0 | 4.4 ± 2.9 | 0.025b |
| Volume | |||
| Relative volume of left insula | 0.406 ± 0.007 | 0.411 ± 0.006 | 0.592b |
| Relative volume of right insula | 0.405 ± 0.007 | 0.409 ± 0.006 | 0.612b |
| Perfusion | SNHL (n = 25) | Control (n = 20) | P-value |
| Mean CBF of left insula (ml/100 g/min) | 71.610 ± 2.847 | 61.100 ± 2.975 | 0.013b |
| Mean CBF of right insula (ml/100 g/min) | 78.780 ± 3.109 | 67.230 ± 3.429 | 0.018b |
Data are represented as mean ± standard deviation. aChi-square test; bIndependent-sample t-test. SNHL, sensorineural hearing loss; MMSE, Mini Mental State Exam; SDMT, Symbol Digit Modalities Test; AVLT, Auditory Verbal Learning Test; SAS, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale; HAMD, Hamilton Depression Scale; CBF, cerebral blood flow.