How aging and hearing loss affect locating sounds and hearing speech in noisy places
Binaural Processing and Spatial Hearing: Effects of Age and Hearing Loss
This project looks at whether older adults and people with hearing loss have more trouble telling where sounds come from and understanding speech when other sounds are nearby.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11238485 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would come to the lab for listening tests and brief brain recordings to see how well you hear sounds coming from different directions and how timing in sounds is processed. The team will test adults across a wide age range, including people with near-normal hearing and those with cochlear hearing loss, using behavioral tasks, electrophysiological measures (like EEG), and short cognitive tests. They will focus on binaural timing cues and on understanding speech when other talkers are present, including situations where sounds move or change over time. The goal is to separate the effects of aging from the effects of hearing loss on real-world spatial hearing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults aged 21 and older, especially older adults with near-normal hearing and adults with cochlear-type hearing loss who can attend lab visits for listening tests and EEG recordings.
Not a fit: People younger than 21, those with profound hearing loss that prevents participating in standard listening tasks, or those unable to attend in-person lab visits are unlikely to directly benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help tailor hearing evaluations and rehab strategies (like hearing-aid settings or training) to improve older adults' ability to hear in noisy, spatially complex environments.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research has shown age-related declines in binaural processing and benefits from spatial separation, and combining behavioral and brain measures is an established approach though applying it to dynamic speech-in-speech situations is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Grose, John H — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Grose, John H
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.