NCT05554692

Peripheral and Central Influences on Auditory Temporal Processing & Speech Perception in Older Cochlear Implantees

Peripheral and Central Contributions to Auditory Temporal Processing Deficits and Speech Understanding in Older Cochlear Implantees

• Status: Enrolling By Invitation
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 300 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Maryland, College Park · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 85 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Older adults who use cochlear implants to address hearing loss show wide variation in benefit. This research investigates the role of normal aging, the health of peripheral and central auditory pathways, and positioning of the cochlear implant electrode array in contributing to this variability. A range of input types from simple auditory signals to spoken sentences is used to examine these questions.

Detailed description

This research aims to understand age-related temporal processing in older cochlear-implant (CI) users. The overall objective is to disentangle the peripheral and central contributions to age-related temporal processing deficits in this population. The central hypothesis is that age-related speech perception deficits are explained by unique contributions from peripheral and central auditory functions, significantly affecting outcomes in older CI users. The central hypothesis will be tested by determining (1) the extent to which temporal processing of simple signals from single-electrode stimulation can be explained by aging and the peripheral electrode-to-neural interface; (2) the extent to which speech perception can be explained by aging and the peripheral electrode-to-neural interface; (3) the extent and manner in which central auditory compensation overcomes peripheral processing deficits that contribute to age-related performance declines in CI subjects. Outcome measures collected in this project include behavioral measures of speech and auditory perception and electrophysiological responses. Also collected are questionnaire-based reports of history of CI device use, cognitive screening measures, and imaging-based information regarding electrode placement in the cochlea. Better understanding of the locus of age-related temporal processing deficits in this population will aid in developing age-specific guidance regarding CI candidacy, programming, and rehabilitation, thereby improving expected benefit and quality of life.

Conditions

• Hearing Loss
• Cochlear Hearing Loss
• Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
• Aging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Diagnostic tests of cochlear implant function	Because the subjects in the study will use CI devices that they have already received as part of their standard-of-care treatment, the medical device itself is not an intervention for the purposes of this study. The intervention here will be to carry out diagnostic tests of CI function. This will include perceptual tests of temporal discrimination and speech understanding.
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Diagnostic tests of auditory function	The intervention here will be to carry out diagnostic tests of hearing. This will include perceptual tests of temporal discrimination and speech understanding.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-08-03
• Primary completion: 2027-03-01
• Completion: 2027-03-01
• First posted: 2022-09-26
• Last updated: 2025-03-25

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study