Cognitive interactions with hearing loss: Project 1 (v1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Uncovering how central cognitive pathways interact with hearing loss: Project 1
IRAS ID
292146
Contact name
Emma Holmes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2022/04/61, UCL Data Protection Registration Number
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
When we try to understand what someone’s saying in a noisy place — such as a busy café or open plan office — we use our brains as well as our ears. These noisy environments are particularly difficult for people with hearing loss, even when they use hearing aids. Yet, research into hearing loss has mainly focused on how processes at the ear are affected and has largely ignored its impact on how the brain processes speech.
This project is part of a larger programme of work that aims to better understand how cognitive processes in the brain interact with hearing loss when people listen to speech in noisy places.
This project will compare the magnitude of three cognitive effects (auditory spatial attention, semantic context, and voice familiarity) on speech perception between people with normal hearing and those with impaired hearing.
Approximately 28 participants with normal hearing and 28 participants with hearing loss will come to the lab at UCL to take part in a single session lasting up to 4.5 hours including breaks. Before the study commences, we will gain informed consent from all participants. During the study, participants will listen to sounds through headphones (without hearing aids) while sat in a quiet room. They will be asked to press buttons depending on the sounds they have heard. The techniques pose no substantial risks. They are already approved for healthy volunteers by the UCL Research Ethics Committee.
UCL Hospitals and Guy's Hospital will act as PICs for participants with hearing loss, based on medical records. Eligible patients will be aged 18-45 years with bilateral mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. Participants aged 18-45 years with normal hearing will be recruited through existing volunteer lists and not through UCL Hospitals.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EE/0189
Date of REC Opinion
16 Aug 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion