Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Improving Speech in Noise Perception for Individuals With Age-related Hearing Loss

ConditionPresbycusis
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age55-80
SponsorUniversity of Florida

About this trial

Hearing loss, especially for speech perception in the presence of noise, may lead older individuals to withdraw from social situations. While hearing aids help amplify sound and are useful in many situations, they can be ineffective in noisy contexts. The proposed pilot study will evaluate taVNS for improving speech in noise perception in adults with age-related hearing loss.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Adults 55-80 years old

Normal hearing or age-related hearing loss (with or without hearing aids)

Disqualifiers

History of traumatic brain injury or noise trauma

Implanted medical devices (eg., pacemaker) or ferrous metal

Known history of heart conditions

Medications that impact neurotransmitters released by vagus nerve stimulation

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation

    Device

    active electrical stimulation applied to the cymba conchae of the left ear

  • Sham Control

    Device

    electrical stimulation applied to a location on the ear not innervated by the auricular vagus

Treatment groups

36 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Treatment AExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Treatment BActive comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Speech in noise performance

Percent correct on a speech in noise perception task in participants receiving Treatment A compared to Treatment B

Time frame
2 weeks

Secondary outcomes

Other outcomes

1

Predictive value of audiometric testing

Scores on audiometric battery measures and how they differ in those receiving treatment A compared to those receiving treatment B

Time frame
2 weeks
2

Predictive value of brain measures

Level of baseline GABA levels in primary auditory cortex prior to and following intervention in those receiving Treatment A compared to those receiving Treatment B

Time frame
2 weeks

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

University of Florida

Lead sponsor

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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