Aging Neural Systems and Communication Difficulties

Date Added
August 2nd, 2024
PRO Number
Pro00135808
Researcher
Kenneth Vaden

List of Studies


Keywords
Aging, Brain, Hearing
Summary

As people get older, understanding speech in a noisy environment can become more difficult. The MUSC Hearing Research Program is seeking healthy adults between 25 and 89 years of age to participate in a research study to investigate the connection between listening difficulties and the brain. Payment is provided for participation and scheduling is flexible. The study involves two visits. Participants must be able to complete an MRI. Please contact us if you would like to participate in this research or learn more about our study.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Kenneth Vaden
8437922774
vaden@musc.edu

Determinants of performance in cochlear implant listeners

Date Added
February 6th, 2024
PRO Number
Pro00133091
Researcher
Kelly Harris

List of Studies


Keywords
Hearing
Summary

This project examines how to improve speech understanding with cochlear implants (CIs), particularly for older CI recipients. While older individuals benefit from CI technology, performance is poorer than that of younger implanted adults for difficult listening tasks. The mechanisms that contribute to this variability are not well-understood. The current project examines how differences in brain structure and function may contribute to success with a cochlear implant. To compare, we will also be examining how older patients without cochlear implants understand speech in difficult listening situations.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Kelly Harris
8437922061
harriskc@musc.edu

Impact of environmental factors on otologic and vestibular symptoms.

Date Added
January 4th, 2024
PRO Number
Pro00133401
Researcher
Habib Rizk

List of Studies


Keywords
Ears, Environmental Factors, Hearing
Summary

Patients with chronic or episodic recurrent dizziness will track their vestibular symptoms with every episode in the iPhone application, Vertige. They will track their symptoms at the conclusion of every episode for a total of six (6) months. The app has a geolocation software that will pair environmental data (barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, etc.) with symptoms. We will then analyze the data to evaluate for associations.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
Habib Rizk
(843) 876-0112
rizkh@musc.edu

Neural Determinants of Age-Related Change in Auditory-Visual Speech Processing

Date Added
September 24th, 2017
PRO Number
Pro00070971
Researcher
James Dias

List of Studies


Keywords
Aging, Brain, Central Nervous System, Ears, Healthy Volunteer Studies, Hearing, Language, Minorities, Vision/ Eye
Summary

Older adults typically have trouble identifying the speech they hear, especially in noisy environments. Fortunately, compared to younger adults, older adults are better able to compensate for difficulties identifying the speech they hear by recruiting the visual system. However, the extent to which older adults can benefit from visual input, and how this influence relates to age-related changes in brain structure and function, have not been thoroughly investigated. The general purpose of this study is to determine how age-related changes in brain structure and function affect how well people hear and see. This study seeks participants with normal hearing to mild hearing loss, who also have normal or corrected-to-normal vision.

Institution
MUSC
Recruitment Contact
James Dias
(843) 792-3921
diasj@musc.edu