What type of hearing loss might be associated with an auditory nerve disorder?

Sensorineural hearing loss is characterized by damage to the inner ear or the auditory nerve pathways that connect the ear to the brain. This type of hearing loss can arise from various factors, including exposure to loud sounds, age-related degeneration, genetic conditions, and certain illnesses that affect the auditory nerve directly.

When an auditory nerve disorder occurs, such as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder or damage due to ototoxic medications, it predominantly leads to sensorineural hearing loss. This condition typically presents as a decrease in sound sensitivity, difficulties with speech understanding, and often a distortion of sounds.

The other types of hearing loss mentioned differ in their underlying causes. Conductive hearing loss involves problems in the outer or middle ear that impede sound transmission but does not directly affect the auditory nerve. Temporary threshold shift refers to a temporary reduction in hearing sensitivity usually due to brief exposure to loud sounds, while functional hearing loss, often termed non-organic hearing loss, is not associated with a physical cause but rather may be psychological or behavioral. These distinctions help clarify why sensorineural hearing loss is the correct association with an auditory nerve disorder.