Actively Recruiting
Effects of Binaural Hearing on Listening Effort and Cognitive Development in Mandarin-speaking Children With Cochlear Implants
Led by Xiong hao · Updated on 2026-04-15
360
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
260 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
The goal of this observational study is to learn how listening effort affects brain development and daily life in school-aged children (ages 6-18) who use cochlear implants (CIs), which are electronic devices surgically placed in the ear to help children with severe hearing loss hear sounds. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do children with CIs use more mental energy to listen than children with normal hearing, and does this extra effort slow their brain development over time? Does listening with two ears (bilateral CIs or a CI plus a hearing aid) reduce listening effort compared to listening with one ear only? How does listening effort affect children's ability to get along with others and adapt to daily life? Researchers will compare children with CIs to children with normal hearing to see if differences in listening effort lead to differences in cognitive development, social skills, and quality of life over 3 years. Participants will: Complete hearing tests to measure how well they understand speech in quiet and noisy settings Wear a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) headset and eye-tracking glasses during a short listening task (about 15-40 minutes) so researchers can measure brain activity and pupil size changes - these are safe, painless, and non-invasive ways to see how hard the brain is working to listen Take thinking and memory tests appropriate for their age Have a parent or guardian answer questions about their child's social skills and daily communication Return for the same set of tests at 1 year and 3 years after the first visit This study does not involve any new treatment or change to a child's current care. All children will continue their regular medical and rehabilitation plans. The study aims to enroll 360 children (120 with normal hearing and 240 with cochlear implants) at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital in China. Results may help doctors better understand when children with CIs need extra support and how to improve rehabilitation strategies.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Effects of Binaural Hearing on Listening Effort and Cognitive Development in Mandarin-speaking Children With Cochlear Implants
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Children aged 6 to 18 years
- Normal vision, including corrected vision
- For CI group: prelingual deafness with bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss and unilateral or bilateral cochlear implants
- For CI group: good speech perception with a Categories of Auditory Performance-II (CAP-II) score of 5 or above
- For normal-hearing group: bilateral pure-tone average of 30 dB HL or less at 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz
- Cooperative with testing and signed informed consent from parent or guardian
You will not qualify if you...
- Diagnosed neurological or psychiatric disorders
- Lack of informed consent from parent or guardian
- Other conditions deemed unsuitable for participation by the investigators
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
Z
Zhuoyi Chen MD
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Masking
N/A
Allocation
N/A
Model
N/A
Primary Purpose
N/A
Number of Arms
3
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