Understanding Hearing Aid Outcomes in Older Adults with Alzheimer's Dementia

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This project aims to explore how different hearing aid signal processing strategies affect older adults with Alzheimer's dementia and amnestic mild cognitive impairment. The researchers hypothesize that individuals with lower cognitive abilities will benefit more from simpler hearing aid settings that preserve the original sound. By comparing two common signal processing approaches, the study seeks to identify which method yields better speech intelligibility and conversation outcomes for these patients. The ultimate goal is to tailor hearing aid technology to individual auditory and cognitive profiles to enhance patient satisfaction and effectiveness.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Speak English as their primary language
2. Normal or corrected to normal vision (20/40 binocular vision or unaided using a Snellen chart)
3. Sensorineural hearing loss with pure-tone thresholds 25-70 dB HL at octave frequencies between 500 and 3000 Hz and a 4 frequency (.5, 1, 2, 3 kHz) pure-tone average of greater than or equal to 30 dB in each ear
4. Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0.5 or 1 (indicating slight or mild cognitive impairment in the areas of memory, orientation, judgment/problem solving, community affairs, behavior at home/hobbies, and personal care)
5. Diagnosis of dementia Alzheimer's type or amnestic mild cognitive impairment (minimum MoCA score of 18).
6. Living at home
7. Minimum Grade 10 education
8. Able to provide own consent as evaluated by the Consent Assessment.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Clinically significant unstable or progressive medical conditions, or conditions which, in the opinion of the investigator(s) places the participant at unacceptable risk if he or she were to participate in the study
2. History of unresolved communication difficulties following another neurological problem (e.g. stroke or brain tumor), neurodevelopmental disorder (e.g. Down's syndrome), or head/neck cancer
3. Positive history of major psychiatric disorder (e.g. schizophrenia, significant untreated depression)
4. Co-enrolled in other intervention studies targeting hearing, language, or communication strategies
5. Conductive hearing loss pathology, congenital hearing loss, or fluctuating hearing loss
6. Current active hearing aid wearer (defined as wearing hearing aid(s) at least 4 hours a day for most days within the past year)

Where it's running

• Northwestern University
  Chicago, Illinois, United States Recruiting
• Northwestern University
  Evanston, Illinois, United States Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Pam Souza, PhD — Northwestern University
• Study coordinator: Kendra Marks, Au.D.
• Email: kendra.marks@northwestern.edu
• Phone: 847-467-0897

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Long-term hearing and speech outcomes after cochlear implants

  This project will see if cochlear implants improve hearing, speech understanding, and quality of life in Mandarin-speaking patients of all ages before and after surgery.

  Recruiting Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University · Shanghai · NCT07380269

• Comparing domestic and imported hearing aids for age-related hearing loss

  This study is testing whether hearing aids made in the U.S. work better than imported ones for older adults with age-related hearing loss.

  Recruiting Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University · Guangzhou, Guangdong · NCT06882889

• Gene therapy for hearing loss caused by OTOF gene mutations

  This study is testing a new gene therapy to see if it can help children with hearing loss caused by OTOF gene mutations hear better.

  Recruiting at 2 sites Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University · Zhengzhou, Henan and 1 other locations · NCT06722170

• Using robotics and electrocochleography for cochlear implant surgery

  This study is testing if using a robotic system during cochlear implant surgery can help improve outcomes for people with hearing loss.

  Recruiting iotaMotion, Inc. · Iowa City, Iowa · NCT06664710

• Understanding listening effort in cochlear implant users

  This study tests how much effort people with cochlear implants need to understand speech compared to those with normal hearing, using speech tests and measuring pupil size to see how hard they are working to listen.

  Recruiting University of Minnesota · Minneapolis, Minnesota · NCT06516575

• Comparing experiences of over-the-counter and audiologist-fitted hearing aids

  This study looks at how people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss feel about using over-the-counter hearing aids compared to those fitted by an audiologist to see which option works better for their hearing and quality of life.

  Recruiting at 2 sites University of Iowa · Iowa City, Iowa and 1 other locations · NCT06499805

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.