How aging and hearing loss change the brain's timing for hearing
Effects of age and hearing loss on auditory temporal processing: Perceptual and electrophysiological measures
This project looks at how aging and hearing loss change how adults hear speech and sounds by combining listening tests with brain measurements.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11289481 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, you will listen to speech and other sounds while researchers record your brain activity with EEG/MEG and run standard hearing tests. They will also measure how well your inner ear (cochlea) works and how that relates to brain responses. The team compares adults across ages and with different levels of hearing loss to link ear function, brain tracking of sound, and speech understanding. Results aim to clarify why older adults often struggle to follow speech in noisy places.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older, both with normal hearing and with age-related hearing loss, who can attend in-person hearing and EEG/MEG testing are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People under 21, those whose hearing loss is from non-cochlear causes, or those unable to undergo EEG/MEG or travel to the site are less likely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better tests or tailored hearing-aid strategies that improve speech understanding in noisy environments for older adults.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier EEG/MEG studies have shown promising links between brain tracking and speech perception, but this project applies newer measures and tighter cochlear testing to strengthen those findings.
Where this research is happening
Minneapolis, United States
- University of Minnesota — Minneapolis, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wojtczak, Magdalena — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Wojtczak, Magdalena
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.