Study on Hearing Aid Effectiveness and Speech Perception in Noise Using Behavioral and Brain Measures

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying age-related hearing loss ARHL and how it affects the ability to separate sounds in space. The study aims to understand how hearing aids with directional processing may help people with poor spatial hearing sensitivity. It compares behavioral and brain measures of spatial hearing before and after using hearing aids in older adults with hearing impairment, alongside control groups of younger and older adults with normal hearing. Participants will be tested using an open-source hearing aid device that can be set to different microphone settings no aid, omnidirectional, fixed directional, and variable directional. The study includes two main testing groups with different noise environments. All participants undergo detailed hearing tests and measurements of spatial hearing before and after hearing aid fitting. The hearing aids are carefully programmed to match each participants hearing profile using standard fitting procedures. During the study, participants complete multiple visits lasting about two hours each to measure speech perception, spatial hearing accuracy, and brain responses with and without hearing aids. Researchers track changes using behavioral tests like digit identification and speech localization, as well as neurophysiological measures of how the brain processes sound. The study lasts several weeks and includes thorough safety and hearing assessments to understand the benefits and challenges of hearing aid use in older adults.

Understanding Aided Speech Perception in Noise