Understanding how aging affects using context to understand speech in noisy environments
Official title: Neural Mechanisms Underlying Linguistic Context Use for Speech Processing in Aging
Funded at Mcmaster University · NIH-11325090 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Older adults often struggle to understand speech in noisy places, but using the meaning of words nearby can help; this project explores why that works in aging.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mcmaster University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hamilton, Canada) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC020961-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325090 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults with typical age-related hearing challenges who can participate in brain-imaging sessions and listening tasks.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy young adults or individuals unable to undergo brain-imaging or listening experiments may derive no direct benefit.
What this research studies
This research will study how aging changes the brain’s use of linguistic context to understand speech, especially when there is background noise. Researchers will compare younger and older adults while they listen to continuous spoken stories in quiet and in noisy settings, using advanced brain-imaging techniques. The goal is to identify cognitive and neural mechanisms that enable or limit predictive and compensatory processing in speech perception as people age. Findings could guide strategies to improve real-world listening for older adults.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to better hearing interventions and communication strategies that help older adults understand speech in noisy environments.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research suggests aging affects predictive language processing, but this study broadens the scope with more comprehensive brain measures and naturalistic listening tasks.
Where this research is happening
-
Mcmaster University
Hamilton, Canada Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brodbeck, Christian — Mcmaster University
- Study coordinator: Brodbeck, Christian
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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.