Localization of Free-Field Sound Sources in the Chronic Phase of Mild Ischemic Stroke

Accurate sound localization relies on the transformation of binaural cues into stable spatial representations, yet the neural mechanisms supporting this process remain incompletely understood. Mild stroke provides a unique opportunity to study the vulnerability of auditory spatial processing within distributed neural networks....

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Audiologists seeing post-stroke patients should be aware that even mild ischemic stroke can impair sound localization and binaural processing; formal binaural assessment may be warranted in this population, though practice protocols are not yet established from this single study.

Identifying binaural hearing deficits after mild stroke highlights an underappreciated audiological consequence of cerebrovascular disease and may open new avenues for audiological rehabilitation in stroke survivors.

1. 01Study focuses on sound localization in the chronic (stable, long-term) phase after mild ischemic stroke.
2. 02Examines neural processing of interaural time and level differences (the cues used to locate sounds).
3. 03Published in Trends in Hearing (2026), an open-access auditory neuroscience journal.
4. 04Findings suggest stroke-related central auditory processing changes persist over time.
5. 05Has potential implications for audiological screening protocols in stroke rehabilitation.

PMID

42132836

DOI

10.1177/23312165261446384.

Journal

Trends in Hearing

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Patients in the chronic phase of mild ischemic stroke

Intervention

Free-field sound localization testing and binaural cue processing assessment