How your two ears combine sounds with hearing loss and hearing devices
Binaural Spectral and Temporal Integration with Hearing Loss and Hearing Devices
This project looks at how people with hearing loss who use hearing aids or cochlear implants hear and fuse sounds from both ears, especially in noisy, multi-talker places.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11312699 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From my point of view, researchers will compare how people with hearing aids or cochlear implants hear paired sounds in each ear and whether those sounds are fused into one percept. They will use listening tests such as pitch-matching, spectral and temporal discrimination tasks, and speech-in-noise tests that mimic noisy restaurants or crowded rooms. Some tests will involve participants using their own devices or device simulations to see how binaural processing changes with hearing technology. The team will link abnormal fusion patterns to real-world difficulty understanding speech and look for patterns that might guide device programming or therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults with hearing loss who use hearing aids or cochlear implants and who report trouble understanding speech in noisy, multi-talker settings.
Not a fit: People with normal hearing or those whose communication problems are unrelated to binaural fusion or device use may not benefit directly from these findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help tailor hearing-aid or cochlear-implant settings or therapies to improve speech understanding in noisy environments for people with hearing loss.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have shown that many hearing-aid and cochlear-implant users have abnormal binaural fusion linked to poorer speech-in-noise understanding, but few proven treatments exist yet.
Where this research is happening
Portland, United States
- Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reiss, Lina a. — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Reiss, Lina a.
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.