Electrophysiological evaluation of processing central hearing in women in the climacteric

• Grant number: 20/13046-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2020
• End date: November 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Gil
• Grantee: Thuany Tossato Oliveira
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The climacteric is considered a syndrome with variables that affects the organism as a whole. During this period, menopause occurs, a permanent interruption of menstruation, recognized after 12 consecutive months of amenorrhea. The climacteric, then, can be understood as the period that precedes the end of the woman's reproductive life, marked by somatic and psychical changes, and extends to senility. One of the observed changes is a drop in the production of estrogen, which in addition to being the main female reproductive hormone, also acts on other systems, including the nervous system. Considering the role of estrogen in the auditory system, women in the climacteric period, may suffer from central auditory processing disorders due to decreased hormone production, since it is related to the processing of verbal information. Thus, hormonal therapy, in addition to decreasing the symptoms of menopause, can also benefit women in terms of its effects on auditory processing. To verify the auditory effects before and after hormonal therapy, it is necessary to evaluate the central auditory processing, as well as the auditory evoked potentials. Objective: To characterize the auditory evoked potentials in women in the pre- and post-hormonal climacteric. Method: The electrophysiological evaluation will consist of Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential (BERA) and the Long Latency Auditory Evoked Potential (P300) pre and post hormonal therapy.