Understanding listening effort in cochlear implant users
Official title: Listening Effort in Cochlear Implant Users
Run by University of Minnesota · NCT06516575 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 75 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 400 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of Minnesota Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Minneapolis, Minnesota) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | September 1, 2023 |
| Main results expected | April 28, 2028 |
| Study ends | August 31, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | August 25, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT06516575 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates include adults aged 18 to 75 with normal hearing development or those with at least 6 months of cochlear implant experience.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with significant eye diseases affecting pupil dilation or those unable to maintain gaze may not benefit from this study.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This study investigates the listening effort experienced by individuals with cochlear implants when processing speech. It employs speech recognition testing in a controlled environment to assess how different sentence manipulations affect listening effort. The research also utilizes pupillometry to monitor changes in pupil size as a physiological indicator of cognitive load during listening tasks. By examining both normal-hearing individuals and cochlear implant users, the study aims to differentiate the effects of hearing loss from the challenges of signal degradation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this study could lead to improved strategies for enhancing communication and reducing fatigue in cochlear implant users.
How similar studies have gone: While there have been studies on listening effort, this specific approach using pupillometry in cochlear implant users is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: To be eligible for this study, a participant must: * Be an adult between the age of 18 to 75 years * Have had normal hearing and speech/language development as a young child * For younger NH listeners: have normal audiometric thresholds below 25 dB HL at frequencies between 250 and 8000 Hz * for cochlear implant listeners: at least 6 months experience with a cochlear implant * For older (55+ years) age-matched listeners with no cochlear implant: normal audiometric thresholds below 25 dB HL at frequencies between 250 and 2000 Hz and thresholds below 35 dB HL (hearing level) between 4000 and 8000 Hz * For cochlear implant listeners: be able to recognize spoken words in English at a rate of at least 50% * Be a competent speaker of north American English * Lack language-learning or other cognitive disabilities * Lack of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder Exclusion Criteria: * unable to fix gaze position * eye disease preventing typical changes in pupil dilation * lack of perceptual and productive fluency in English
Where it's running
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University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Matthew Winn, PhD, AuD
- Email: mwinn@umn.edu
- Phone: 612-624-4733
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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.