How mild non-blast brain injuries affect hearing and understanding speech in noisy places
Official title: Effects of Non-Blast mTBI on Binaural Processing and Speech Understanding in Noise
Funded at Portland VA Medical Center · NIH-11222668 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at why people with mild non-blast brain injuries (from falls, sports, or car crashes) have trouble hearing and following speech in noisy places.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Portland VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | November 1, 2022 |
| Project end | October 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| NIH project number | 5IK2RX003941-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11222668 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with a history of mild non-blast traumatic brain injury (falls, sports injuries, or motor vehicle accidents) who report difficulty understanding speech in noise despite normal basic hearing tests are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People whose communication problems are due to clear peripheral hearing loss, moderate-to-severe brain injury, or unrelated cognitive or psychiatric conditions may not benefit from the specific findings.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will test how your two ears and your brain work together to hear sounds and speech in background noise using detailed listening tests and brain-based measures. They will compare people with a history of mild non-blast traumatic brain injury to others with similar hearing sensitivity to separate sensory from thinking-related causes of trouble. The team aims to pinpoint which parts of hearing are impaired after injury so they can design better tests and rehabilitation methods. Visits are likely to include behavioral auditory tasks and noninvasive physiological recordings at the medical center.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better diagnostic tests and personalized hearing rehabilitation to help people with mTBI understand speech in noisy environments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous behavioral studies have shown binaural processing problems after mTBI, but methods have not clearly separated sensory versus cognitive causes, so this approach builds on prior findings and adds newer physiological measures.
Where this research is happening
-
Portland VA Medical Center
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Koerner, Tess — Portland VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Koerner, Tess
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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.