The impact of muscle tone on the development of auditory perception – research orientation

Background. Our brain accomplishes the remarkable feat of processing a continuous stream of incoming sensory information at an astonishing speed. Auditory perception is a complex process of organizing sensory information received by the brain through the auditory system.

Objectives. Auditory perception in children affected with pathological muscle tone, including a comparison of spatial localization in children without tonus abnormalities; the influence of age and gender on auditory reactions in children with and without pathological muscle tone.

Material and methods. The studied group consisted of 29 (100%) subjects, made up of 8 females (28%) and 21 males (72%), all afflicted with tonus pathology. The children were aged between 30 and 116 weeks (mean age 44.6 weeks) and divided into subgroups according to their levels of motor development. The control group was composed of 30 children, whose motor development was within norm limits.

Results. A delayed motor development in children corresponds with spatial hearing impairment. Children have a particular problem with locating sounds coming from above and below the head. The main factors contributing to abnormal auditory perception include: delayed physical development, reduced muscle tone and age.

Conclusions. Our study demonstrates a significant relationship between pathological tonus and auditory perception disorders. Abnormal auditory reactions could be observed in children with pathological tonus. This, in turn, affects the development of spatial hearing. A relationship has been found between children’s age and spatial hearing. Children under 40 weeks of age tended to have worse hearing reactions than older children.