How cochlear implants affect listening effort and understanding in everyday conversations
Official title: Cochlear Implants and Listening Effort: the Interaction of Cognitive and Sensory Constraints
Run by NYU Langone Health · NCT07279441 · Data updated 2026-11-12
The researchers will test whether measuring listening effort with pupil tracking and using realistic speech tasks can explain and improve how adults with cochlear implants understand everyday conversations.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 80 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 460 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | NYU Langone Health Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Waltham, Massachusetts and 1 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | January 2, 2025 |
| Main results expected | January 2, 2030 |
| Study ends | January 2, 2030 |
| Registry record updated | October 30, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07279441 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults aged 18–80 who use cochlear implants, are native American English speakers, and have no neurologic, psychiatric, or non–hearing-related language disorders are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People under 18, non-native speakers of American English, or individuals with neurologic, psychiatric, or language disorders beyond hearing loss are unlikely to be eligible or benefit.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This research uses six connected experiments to study how adults with cochlear implants comprehend speech in realistic communication settings. The team combines pupillometry (pupil dilation as an index of listening effort) with behavioral speech-recognition and a validated discourse-comprehension framework that distinguishes main ideas from details. Experiments manipulate linguistic context, cognitive load (for example remembering multiple sentences), and processing time (including self-paced presentation), and include normal-hearing controls listening to vocoded speech. Participants aged 18–80 complete a comprehensive baseline battery and attend lab sessions at NYU Langone or Brandeis, with one experiment designed for clinical application.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could lead to better tests and rehabilitation strategies that reduce listening effort and improve real-world communication for cochlear implant users.
How similar studies have gone: Prior laboratory work using pupillometry and vocoder simulations has linked listening effort to speech recognition, but applying these methods to longer discourse comprehension in cochlear implant users is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Subjects will be otherwise healthy normal-hearing and cochlear implant (CI) adult listeners (between 18 and 80 years old). Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals below 18 years of age. * Individuals with evidence of neurologic, vascular or psychiatric disease or dementia, and taking medications that might interfere with task performance. * Individuals with a history of language disorders (besides those associated with hearing loss for the CI users). Individuals who are non-native speakers of American English.
Where it's running
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Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts, United States Recruiting -
NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Mario A. Svirsky, PhD — NYU Langone Health
- Study coordinator: Mario A. Svirsky, PhD
- Email: Mario.svirsky@nyulangone.org
- Phone: 212-263-7217
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
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Binaural listening and its effects on listening effort and development in Mandarin-speaking children with cochlear implants
This study will test whether listening with two ears (two cochlear implants or a cochlear implant plus a hearing aid) reduces mental effort and helps brain, social, and daily-life development in Mandarin-speaking children aged 6–18 who use cochlear implants compared with children with normal hearing.
-
Improving speech in noise and sound localization for cochlear implant users
A new processing algorithm is tested to see if it helps people with bilateral cochlear implants understand speech in noisy environments and tell where sounds come from.
-
Low-energy (LE) Bluetooth audio streaming with Nucleus 8 and Kanso 3 sound processors
This project will test whether low-energy (LE) Bluetooth audio streaming is accepted and works well for experienced adult cochlear implant users who use Nucleus 8 or Kanso 3 processors.
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Early use of a cochlear implant in the first year
This project will test whether adults newly fitted with a cochlear implant notice changes in simple sound perception and improved speech understanding during their first year of device use using take-home and lab listening tests.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.