Speech Audiometry Tests in Noise Are Impaired in Older Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Study

RESULTS: The signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), expressed in dB, needed for speech reception threshold (SRT) in noise was worse in older patients affected by MCI, compared with older controls. The presence of masking likely affected the performance of both elderly controls and MCI patients; however, elderly controls had better performance with informative masking (CoDi) than MCI patients. CONCLUSION: Speech audiometry tests in noise are impaired in MCI older patients, and this could indicate a particular decline in functions associated with selective attention in these individuals. If confirmed in a larger sample of patients, these simple tests might contribute to the early identification of MCI patients.