Active clinical trials for "Hearing Loss"

In the past two decades, the selection criteria for cochlear implantation have been greatly relaxed so that about 60-70% of present cochlear implant (CI) candidates have significant residual hearing in their contralateral ear. However, contralateral hearing is often not considered in rehabilitation programs, mainly due to the lack of scientific evidence on the role it may play. The present project aims to better understand the mechanisms of perceptual learning of CI-processed speech after implantation and to develop and test rehabilitation strategies for CI users.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness and optimization of various FDA approved products.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate if the effects of in-person speech-language therapy with a novel digital storybook intervention platform (Hear Me Read) improves vocabulary, speech and language, and literacy outcomes in young children who are deaf or hard of hearing compared with in-person therapy alone.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta-related hearing loss usually occurs in individuals with mild (type I) OI and is much earlier in onset than age-related hearing loss, with the majority of individuals experiencing some minor hearing loss in their 20s. Bisphosphonates have been successfully used to treat otosclerosis, a common cause of hearing loss similar to OI-related hearing loss. As many individuals with OI-related hearing loss also present with otosclerosis and because of their mechanistic similarities, the investigators propose studying the effects of bisphosphonate treatment on individuals diagnosed with both OI type I and hearing loss, thereby determining its effectiveness as a potential treatment for hearing loss. The investigators will enroll 50 individuals diagnosed with type I OI and age 18-100. 25 adults will be enrolled into the treatment arm and receive bisphosphonate treatment (must have at least mild hearing loss), while 25 adults will be enrolled into the control arm. The investigators will enroll 25 children (6-17 years of age) diagnosed with OI who are currently receiving bisphosphonate treatment as part of their care for orthopedic symptoms. The investigators will also observe 25 children (6-17 years of age) diagnosed with OI who are NOT currently receiving bisphosphonate treatment. The study duration is 63 months (approximately 5 years). Enrollment is anticipated to begin in November 2019.

Intratympanic steroid injections are an accepted treatment for Meniere's disease and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. This treatment is typically performed using local topical anesthesia. There is very limited research on the differences of medications and application procedures effect on patients' pain during the procedure.Topical Tetracaine solution and topical phenol have been shown to be effective as local anesthesia for the tympanic membrane when used for myringotomy. Currently there is no consensus on medication and technique however focally applied phenol is the more widely used technique. We believe this study can provide valuable information given the disadvantages of topical phenol including burning upon application as well as possible increase in persistent tympanic membrane perforation. The objectives are to determine the effectiveness of tetracaine drops for local anesthesia for intratympanic steroid injections compared to focal topical phenol application and to identify if tetracaine drops provides adequate anesthesia for intratympanic steroid injection with less pain on application than focal phenol.

Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic disabilities in the older adult population and affects their quality of life. Hearing aid use can improve one's quality of life by increasing a person's ability to detect, differentiate and locate sound, and improve speech recognition. Several factors seem to reduce motivation to use a hearing aid. Fears of exclusion and shame due to hearing loss are major deterrents to hearing aid use. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counselling style aimed at creating desire in patients to change their behavior. There have been pilot studies that suggest one-on-one MI can increase hearing aid use, but other pilot studies found the reverse hence the evidence is inconclusive. The effectiveness of group MI therapy is also being investigated in MI research. While results in group MI research are promising, studies investigating group MI have been limited to substance abuse.

Pilot phase. Monocentric, non-controlled, non-randomized, open-label study evaluating the capacity of the functional near-infrared functional neuroimaging (fNIRS) technique to translate temporal cortical activity in response to a speech stimulus in normo-hearing and deaf children with cochlear implants. Hemodynamic changes are expected to be observed that indicate brain activity following the stimuli, resulting in a change in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HbR) recorded by the fNIRS. The use of the FNIRS in the evaluation of hearing aid effectiveness could contribute to a more adapted management of childhood hearing loss since conventional methods in young children are not adapted to the needs of children with hearing loss.

Age-related hearing loss, or presbycusis, is caused by many genetic and environmental factors. Its prevalence poses a public health challenge of early identification and effective hearing aid treatment. However, the lack of screening and of a validated audiological test battery to diagnose an individual's needs and to guide hearing aid adjustments is a major obstacle. Furthermore, monogenic forms of hearing loss affect only one functional module of hearing. The audiological test(s) dependent on the function of this module are affected, in a progressive manner, but not the others. A previous study showed that in early onset presbycusis patients, a quarter of the subjects tested were affected by monogenic presbycusis. The collection of audiological and vestibular tests, carried out on proven monogenic presbycusis patients and compared to that of normal hearing patients, would constitute a battery of tests allowing a precision diagnosis, then developed to all forms of presbycusis in order to study if the identification of abnormal functional modules can usefully guide the diagnosis and the early fitting.

Noise reduction preferences and blue tooth access to hearing aid streaming features will be evaluated in experienced hearing aid users age 10-17.

The ACHIEVE Brain Health Follow-Up Study is a 3-year follow-up to the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) randomized study to determine the long-term effect of hearing intervention vs. successful aging/delayed hearing intervention on rates of cognitive decline and incident mild cognitive impairment or dementia.