Hearing Function Tests for Hearing Loss
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?
Binaural hearing involves combining auditory information across the ears. With binaural hearing, listeners benefit from perceiving sounds from different spatial locations. This is critical in solving the "cocktail party problem" (i.e., understanding speech in the presence of competing background sounds and noise). As humans get older, hearing loss increases, binaural abilities decrease, and the cocktail party problem becomes increasingly difficult. This research studies the mechanisms underlying the impact of age and hearing loss on speech-perception in noise and cocktail-party listening situations. More specifically, the role of hearing asymmetries between the ears is investigated. The specific aims are to generate an audiological and binaural-hearing-focused dataset for a large cohort of participants that vary in hearing asymmetry, age, and hearing loss and to use machine learning to uncover complex associations and generate novel hypotheses relating audiometric variables and basic binaural-hearing abilities to the cocktail-party problem. Participants in this research will complete perceptual measures of hearing acuity and spatial hearing. Participants will also report on speech understanding under noisy and challenging listening conditions. This research may lead to improvements in audiological care and hearing interventions.
Research Team
Michael P. Cummings, PhD
Principal Investigator
University of Maryland, College Park
Matthew J. Goupell, PhD
Principal Investigator
University of Maryland, College Park
Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for individuals of varying ages who experience different levels of hearing loss, including those with unilateral (one-sided) hearing loss. It aims to include a diverse group to study how age and asymmetrical hearing affect understanding speech in noisy environments.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Assessment
Participants complete perceptual measures of hearing acuity and spatial hearing, and report on speech understanding under noisy and challenging listening conditions
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for any changes in hearing abilities and cognitive assessments are conducted
Treatment Details
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of Maryland, College Park
Lead Sponsor
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Collaborator