NCT03279367

Optimisation of Hearing Aid Fitting

Objective Response Detection to Natural Speech Stimuli for Optimisation of Hearing Aid Fitting Evaluation

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 20 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Southampton · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 70 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to explore if objective brain responses to speech stimuli (words and running speech) can be used to evaluate hearing aid fitting in adults. Objective brain responses would be beneficial, as they could be used to evaluate hearing with people who are incapable or unwilling to provide subjective responses. The study aims to determine if EEG responses to speech sounds are sensitive to the effects of hearing aids for hearing aid users. Secondary, the study will look into the need for using speech stimuli in order to obtain more robust responses compared to current clinical standards.

Detailed description

The research questions addressed are as follows 1. Are speech-evoked objective brain responses sensitive to hearing aid amplification? 2. Are speech-evoked brain responses sensitive to distortions in speech and can hearing aid amplification resolve issues with brain responses to distorted speech? 3. Which tests are optimal for detection of objective brain responses to speech? 4. Are realistic speech stimuli (words or running speech) able to robustly detect brain responses compared to current clinical standards (clicks and tones)? The study will be carried out on a group of mildly to moderately hearing impaired subjects between the age of 18 and 70. Subjects will be recruited from the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, where the research will be conducted. Participants will have their hearing function and hearing aid fitting checked as described in the design and methodology section of this proposal. During the experiment, participants will be asked to listen to speech sounds presented from a loudspeaker at comfortable listening levels. The responses will be measured with the participant wearing and not wearing hearing aids. Additionally, participants will perform a behavioural task for perception of speech. Participants will be asked to attend 2 sessions of 2 hours. Data collection will run over 1 year.

Conditions

• Hearing Loss
• Hearing Abnormality

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Objective speech response detection	Changes in brain activity when a speech stimulus is presented will be measured using electro-encephalography (EEG)

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-12-22
• Primary completion: 2018-09-01
• Completion: 2018-09-30
• First posted: 2017-09-12
• Last updated: 2021-07-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom