Understanding Aided Speech Perception in Noise: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Measures
University of South Florida
Summary
The overarching hypothesis to be evaluated using this protocol is that age-related hearing loss (ARHL) leads to shifts in the functional spatial boundaries between segregated and integrated auditory streams, and that hearing aid intervention that relies on directional processing schemes is most effective for those that have the poorest spatial sensitivity. One key component of the research design is to measure both behavioral and neurophysiological indices of an individual's spatial segregation boundary. The second key component is to measure the cost or benefit associated with hearing aid intervention in older hearing-impaired listeners. The final component is to relate cost and benefit of hearing aid intervention to spatial sensitivity measures that might predict the efficacy of clinical intervention.
Description
STUDY DESIGN: This is a between-group and within-subject, repeated-measures design. A detailed protocol, visit schedule, intervention methodology, and battery of outcome measures will be used to assess audition, spatial sensitivity, and pre- and post-intervention of behavioral and neurophysiological indices of spatial segregation. The study includes two control groups (young normal-hearing \[YNH\] and older normal-hearing \[ONH\]) and the test group (older hearing-impaired \[OHI\]) with three aided interventions: omnidirectional processing, fixed directional processing, and variable direction…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: Target candidates for this study will be 38 young normal-hearing (YNH), 38 older normal-hearing (ONH), and 55 older hearing-impaired (OHI) subjects. Eligible NH listeners will have ≤20 dB HL at octave frequencies from 0.25 to 4 kHz and ≤30 dB HL up to 8 kHz. Eligible HI listeners will have bilateral (symmetric), moderate sensorineural hearing loss characterized by pure-tone thresholds between 35 to 50 dB HL from 0.25 to 2 kHz and 50 to 70 dB HL between 3 and 8 kHz. Age is restricted from 60 to 80 years for the older listening groups and from 18 to 35 for younger listeners.…
Interventions
- DeviceOpen-source master hearing aid
The investigators will administer the intervention by fitting the device to the participant's audiometric profile. Testing will be counter-balanced across conditions with half the conditions requiring no intervention and the other half with the intervention.
Location
- USF Research Park BPB, 3802 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 210CTampa, Florida