Objective tools to manage auditory neuropathy in children
Official title: Developing evidence-based objective tools for managing children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder
Funded at Ohio State University · NIH-11325724 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will create easy-to-use tests that show how the hearing nerve is working and help guide treatment for infants and young children with auditory neuropathy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ohio State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | May 1, 2025 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $641,776 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC022051-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325724 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Infants and children diagnosed with or suspected of having auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder, especially those too young or with other conditions to provide reliable behavioral hearing tests.
✕Less likely to help
Children whose hearing loss is due to typical sensorineural causes with reliable behavioral responses, or older patients not represented in the study, may not benefit directly from these specific tools.
What this research studies
Younger children with auditory neuropathy often cannot give reliable hearing responses, so researchers will turn laboratory measures of ear and brain responses into practical clinic tests doctors can use. The team will record otoacoustic emissions, cochlear microphonics, and auditory brainstem responses to sounds, compare patterns across patients, and build decision rules for hearing-aid or cochlear-implant choices. They will test these methods in infants and children who cannot complete standard behavioral testing and track how the results relate to later communication outcomes. The goal is to shorten the time to the right treatment by giving clinicians objective information when behavioral testing is not possible.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these tools could let clinicians choose appropriate hearing devices earlier so children have a better chance to develop speech and language skills.
How similar studies have gone: Measures like otoacoustic emissions and brainstem responses are well-established, but applying them as standardized clinical decision tools for cochlear implant candidacy in infants with ANSD is a newer translational step.
Where this research is happening
-
Ohio State University
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: He, Shuman — Ohio State University
- Study coordinator: He, Shuman
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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.