[Audiological observations of a patient with auditory agnosia]

Abstract

A case is reported in which a patient was become unable to identify all kinds of auditory material, including speech, despite only subnormal audiometric thresholds (i.e. "auditory agnosia"). The following audiological disorders were shown: some fragility in the perception of brief sound stimuli, difficulties to apprehending prolonged series of stimuli (rhythms), defective sound localization, an increase in the homolateral and in the contralateral effects of masking sounds. On the other hand, differential thresholds for frequency and for intensity, as well as fusion thresholds, were little affected, or unaffected. A complete dissociation appeared between the auditory evoked potentials and the audiometric thresholds; a year after the first examination, and the following years, the auditory potentials were largely reduced, or even have elapsed for one ear, while the audiometric thresholds seem to remain nearly the same.