AzTrials
AzTrials

Auditory Perceptual DisordersNCT04431622

Objective Measurement of Hearing Aid Benefit

A study testing Hearing aid amplification algorithms in people with Auditory Perceptual Disorders and Age-related Hearing Loss, run by University of Maryland, College Park.

Withdrawn

Withdrawn. The study stopped before anyone enrolled.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Hearing loss is a critical health concern in the rapidly aging population, affecting approximately 22 million older individuals in the United States. Yet, only 30% of individuals who would benefit from the use of hearing aids regularly use them. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 85 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Hearing aid amplification algorithms
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
0 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Jun 2022to Aug 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Aims 1 and 2 age ranges: 18-35 and 60-75
  • Aim 3 age range: 50 to 85
  • Aims 1 and 2 hearing levels: 1) Normal hearing thresholds defined as pure-tone thresholds ≤ 20 decibel (dB) hearing level (HL) from 125 to 4000 Hz and ≤ 30 dB HL at 6000 and 8000 Hz bilaterally, or 2) Mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss defined as thresholds within 5 dB of 30 dB HL at 500 Hz, 50 dB HL at 1000 and 2000 Hz, and 60 dB HL at 4000 Hz.
  • Aim 3 hearing level: Symmetric hearing thresholds with no interaural difference ≥ 15 dB HL at ≥ 2 frequencies.
  • Intelligent Quotients ≥ 85 based on the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (Psychological Corp., New York)
  • Scores ≥ 24 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Who cannot join

  • Neurological disorders
  • Middle ear pathology
  • Nonnative English speakers

About this study

Hearing loss is a critical health concern in the rapidly aging population, affecting approximately 22 million older individuals in the United States. Yet, only 30% of individuals who would benefit from the use of hearing aids regularly use them. This project aims to improve the benefit of hearing aids for older adults through incorporation of objective neural measures to assess effects of hearing aid algorithms.

Read the detailed description

Hearing loss is among the top three major health conditions in older adults and has been identified as a major modifiable risk factor for dementia. It is therefore imperative that older adults receive effective treatment for hearing loss in a timely manner to prevent losses in social, emotional, and cognitive function. The current hearing aid fitting is based on audiometric thresholds, but this approach does not account for large individual differences in auditory temporal perception and cognitive ability that may affect speech understanding in challenging listening environments. At present, there is a gap in knowledge of how best to fit hearing aids for individual listeners. The long-term goal is to improve the benefit of hearing aids for older adults so that they can maintain independence and quality of life. The overall objective of this proposal is to identify the neural temporal processing mechanisms associated with individual differences in hearing aid benefit in older adults with similar audiograms. The investigators will use the innovative approach of combining complementary neural and behavioral measures to assess the effects of hearing aid amplification on speech perception and effortful listening. The central hypothesis is that the neural representation of the temporal envelope of speech can be used to predict hearing aid benefit in older adults with hearing loss. The central hypothesis will be tested through the pursuit of three aims: (1) Measure the extent to which amplification distorts the neural and perceptual processing of temporal cues; (2) Quantify reductions in temporal envelope tracking and increases in cognitive effort associated with amplification algorithms that distort the temporal envelope of the speech signal; and (3) Investigate the use of objective physiological measures of temporal processing to predict hearing aid benefit. The expected outcome is the development of an objective, neurophysiological tool for use in the design and fitting of advanced algorithms to maximize speech perception in a variety of listening environments. This outcome is expected to have a positive impact on the treatment of hearing loss and its sequelae in older adults, because it will lead to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms contributing to successful use of hearing aids.

Being tested
Hearing aid amplification algorithms
Medical subject headings
Auditory Perceptual Disorders, Presbycusis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Hearing aid amplification algorithmsDevice

    The investigators will use stimulus waveforms that have been amplified and recorded for each individual's hearing loss. These waveforms will be created using Desired Sensation Level, Version 5-C hearing aid targets on a continuum of increased signal manipulation. The NIH-funded open hearing aid platform will be used to provide precise control over hearing aid parameters to create waveforms with linear and fast-acting compression amplification. A third set of waveforms will be created using a current clinical hearing aid that uses typical noise reduction and compression parameters. Investigating the effects of hearing aid algorithms in young normal-hearing and older normal-hearing listeners will aid in interpretation of these effects in the older hearing-impaired listeners.

Study groups in NCT04431622
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Effects of hearing aid algorithmsExperimentalNeural processing and cognitive effort will be assessed in individuals who listen to stimuli generated with linear and fast-acting compression hearing aid algorithms and with actual hearing aids.
Receives: Device: Hearing aid amplification algorithms

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Neural response fidelity

    Neuroelectric and neuromagnetic responses are recorded to amplified one-minute speech samples. Reconstruction of the speech envelope will be performed using a linear reconstruction matrix estimated via boosting. Reconstruction success is measured by the linear correlation between the reconstructed and the acoustic speech envelope.

    Measured: Immediately post-treatment

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Cognitive effort

    Cognitive effort is inferred from pupillometry data Growth-curve analysis will be used to determine pupil response amplitude.

    Measured: Immediately post-treatment

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted16 Jun 2020
  2. Study startJun 2022 (estimated)
  3. Primary completionFeb 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionAug 2027 (estimated)

Why it stopped: This study did not receive funding

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
0 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04431622
Sponsor's protocol ID
415685-15
Status last verified
May 2022
First submitted
17 Mar 2020
Last updated
23 May 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Publication of data and other research products shall occur during the project, if appropriate, or at the end of the project, consistent with practices in our field. De-identified data that document, support, and validate research findings will be made available when the main findings have been accepted for publication. Research products from this project will be archived at the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM) unless a more appropriate facility can be identified. DRUM is a long-term, open access repository managed and maintained by the University of Maryland Libraries. Researchers and the general public can download data and code files, associated metadata and documentation, and any guidelines for reuse. All records in DRUM are assigned a persistent Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to support consistent discovery and citation. The project description will be automatically indexed in Google Scholar to support global discovery.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Hearing aid amplification algorithms in people with Auditory Perceptual Disorders and Age-related Hearing Loss, run by University of Maryland, College Park.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: withdrawn, as of the sponsor's last update on 23 May 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study was withdrawn before enrolling participants, so there are no results.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Neural response fidelity (time frame: Immediately post-treatment). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 23 May 2022.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in