Actively Recruiting
Normal Values in Hearing and Balance Testing
Led by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) · Updated on 2026-05-07
500
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
N/A
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Background: \- Researchers at the National Institutes of Health give many tests of hearing and balance. These tests can help detect problems that affect hearing or balance. It is important to know exactly how healthy people perform on each of these tests. This information will indicate when a test result is normal and when a test result shows a problem. Researchers also want to determine the best methods for each test. Objectives: \- To test different types of hearing and balance tests, and collect information on normal values for each test. Eligibility: \- Healthy volunteers between 5 and 80 years of age. Design: * This study will require a single visit to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. It will include both screening tests and study tests of hearing and balance. Sometimes, a second visit may be required if a test is designed to measure the same thing on 2 different days. Each visit will last between 2 and 5 hours, depending on the number of tests scheduled per visit. * Participants will have a physical exam and medical history. They will also have basic tests to check for normal hearing and balance. * Participants may have different hearing tests, including the following: * Auditory Evoked Potentials to study how the ears and brain handle sound information. * Auditory Processing Tests to study how a person processes complex sounds like speech in background noise. * Tests of middle ear and inner ear function. * Participants may have different balance and inner ear tests, including the following: * Balance test on a tilting platform. * Different tests to measure how well the eyes, ears, and brain work together to help maintain balance. * Treatment will not be needed as part of this study.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Normal Values in Hearing and Balance Testing
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Healthy children aged 5 years 0 months to 17 years 11 months
- Healthy adults aged 18 to 80 years
- Normal hearing sensitivity within defined thresholds for age and gender
- Normal middle ear function as shown by normal 226 Hz tympanograms bilaterally
- American English as first language for auditory processing tasks
- Ability to follow verbal instructions and commands for study tests
- Able to refrain from caffeine and alcohol for 48 hours before vestibular test sessions
- Weight greater than 40 pounds for vestibular tasks involving computerized dynamic platform posturography (CDPP)
- Able to provide informed consent (adults)
You will not qualify if you...
- History of auditory or vestibular disorders such as Meniere's syndrome or enlarged vestibular aqueduct
- Active outer or middle ear disease or anomalies such as otitis media or stenotic ear canal
- Chronic middle ear fluid for more than 4 months or recurrent otitis media with more than 4 episodes in one year
- History of ear surgery other than pressure equalization (PE) tubes
- Current presence of PE tubes
- History of treatment with ototoxic medications like cisplatin or aminoglycoside antibiotics
- Unable to stop medications that affect vestibular test results for 48 hours before testing (including anti-dizziness, pain, headache, sleeping, anti-seizure, and antihistamine medications)
- Current or recent (past 2 years) psychiatric disorders or use of related medications
- Cognitive impairment as shown by specific assessment scores (MoCA <26 for adults, PPVT <85 for children)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) above defined thresholds on assessment scales
- History or diagnosis of central nervous system disorders including tumors, cerebrovascular disease, degenerative disorders, trauma, encephalitis, or meningitis
- Current diagnosis or recent therapy for speech/language disorders, autism, auditory neuropathy, or auditory processing disorder
- Reduced visual acuity worse than 20/25 preventing ability to see targets for vestibular/balance testing
- Ocular motor impairments preventing accurate following of visual targets in vestibular tests
- Reduced balance or postural instability based on Timed Up and Go test scores and Activities-specific Balance Confidence Score
- Employment or staff affiliation with the Audiology Unit, Otolaryngology Branch, NIDCD
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
C
Christopher K Zalewski, Ph.D.
CONTACT
G
Gayla L Poling, Ph.D.
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
1
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