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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04167735

Assessment of Novel Sound Changing Principles in Hearing Instruments to Determine Their Application - 2019_33

Participants will complete a listening task in a simulated reverberant environment. Participants are seated and instructed to look at a fixation cross while a sentence is played. Sentences are varied with respect to their speech rate. While listening to the sentences participant's pupil dilation is measured by means of pupillometry which is a non-invasive physiological measurement. Participants are asked to repeat back the sentences loud. At fixed intervals, subjective ratings are collected by asking participants to move an on-screen slider using a game controller. Two hearing aid programs will be compared, one intended for speech perception in quiet and the other to reduce reverberation in reverberant environments. The study is designed as factorial, with 2 speech rates, 2 room simulations and 2 hearing aid programs. The same conditions will be re-tested once after a minimum of one day. A pilot study will determine appropriate speech rates by applying a different factorial, with 4 speech rates, 2 room simulations and 1 hearing aid program. Participants complete all conditions (within-subjects) in one experimental sessions that lasts around 1 hour.

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Key information

Conditions

Hearing Loss Ear Diseases Hearing Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Sensation Disorders Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–99 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Sonova AG

Stäfa, 8712, Switzerland

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy outer ear (without previous surgical procedures)
  • Ability to fill in a questionnaire conscientiously
  • Informed Consent as documented by signature
  • Mild-Moderate/Severe (N2-N4) hearing loss

Exclusion criteria

  • Contraindications to the MD in this study, e.g. known hypersensitivity or allergy to the investigational product
  • Limited mobility and not in the position to attend weekly appointments
  • Limited ability to describe listening impressions/experiences and the use of the hearing aid
  • Inability to produce a reliable hearing test result
  • Massively limited dexterity
  • Known psychological problems
  • Known central hearing disorders

Treatment and study plan

Hearing Aid without Reverberation Canceller (RevC).

Device

Each participant will be fitted with the 2 different Sound Changing principles on the same hearing aid, saved to 2 manual programs (ensures exact same hearing loss compensation for each intervention). Reverberation Canceller principle is a sound processing algorithm to remove reverberation from a speech signal to improve the speech intelligibility and comfort. The active comparator condition is without Reverberation Canceller principle enabled.

Hearing Aid Reverberation Canceller enabled (RevC_1)

Device

Each participant will be fitted with the 2 different Sound Changing principles on the same hearing aid, saved to 2 manual programs (ensures exact same hearing loss compensation for each intervention). Reverberation Canceller principle is a sound processing algorithm to remove reverberation from a speech signal to improve the speech intelligibility and comfort. The experimental condition applies the Reverberation Canceller and is predicted to provide a benefit in reverberant room simulations.

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in Event-related-pupil-dilations (ERPDs)

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Pupil dilations will be recorded from the participant during the performance of the auditory tasks. Analyses will be carried out relative to the pre-trial baseline (measured one second prior to the onset of the stimulus), in order to account for differences in baseline physiological activity. It is planned to analyze event-related-pupil-dilations.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Oldenburg sentence test

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    • Words recalled correctly: words repeated back by participants are logged and the percentage of words recalled correctly calculated.

  2. subjective rating

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Subjective ratings: using a game controller, participants rate the difficulty of the sentences and listening effort on a visual analog scale. The scale is continuous and ranges from minimal to maximal difficulty/effort. The position of the cursor on the scale is then used to calculate a percentage from 0-100% difficulty/effort.

Other outcomes

  1. Non-verbal Trail Making Test A & B

    Time frame: 1 week

    The Trail Making Test is a neuropsychological test of visual attention and task switching. It consists of two parts in which the subject is instructed to connect a set of 25 dots as quickly as possible while still maintaining accuracy. The data, serving as an outcome measure, are time-to-complete the set in seconds

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Sonova AG

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

Assessment of Novel Sound Changing Principles in Hearing Instruments to Determine Their Application

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Nov 19, 2019
Registry last updated
Dec 16, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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