Exploiting the Potential of Neural Attentional Control to Overcome Hearing Impairment
Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Device
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY
This study will improve the understanding of the cerebral mechanisms that underlie the control of auditory selective attention and evaluate the potential of neuromodulation to enhance neural attention control as a possible way to overcome hearing impairment. First, electroencephalography (EEG) will be applied to identify neural marker of auditory attention in individuals with hearing loss (HL), tinnitus (TI) and normal hearing (NH). Afterwards, the importance of the identified markers for attention control will be tested using non-invasive transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and neurofeedback (NF).
Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 18
Maximum Age: 75
Healthy Volunteers: t
View:
• Age: 18-35 / 55-75
• German as first language
• Normal or corrected to normal vision
• Right-handed
• Normal hearing, hearing impairment or tinnitus (see specified inclusion)
• Normal hearing: ≤20 decibel (dB) hearing level (HL) at frequencies from 250 Hz to 8,000 Hz for both ears.
⁃ Specified inclusion for Experiment 1, 2, 3 \& 4:
• Hearing loss:
• bilateral symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss
• pure tone thresholds of ≥25 dB HL at one or more frequencies between 250 Hz and 8,000 Hz and differences in thresholds across the two ears of ≤20 dB at every frequency.
• Tinnitus:
• Persistent chronic tinnitus with duration of more than 3 months
• Tinnitus with a Tinnitus Handicap Inventory Grade 2 to 4 (18-76 points)
Locations
Other Locations
Switzerland
University of Zurich
RECRUITING
Zurich
Contact Information
Primary
Basil Preisig, Dr.
basil.preisig@uzh.ch
+41 44 634 21 85
Time Frame
Start Date: 2023-11-01
Estimated Completion Date: 2026-04
Participants
Target number of participants: 275
Treatments
No_intervention: Experiment 1 - Normal hearing - AAT
Each participant assigned to the normal hearing group will undergo one experimental session during which EEG is recorded while participants perform an auditory attention task (AAT).
No_intervention: Experiment 1 - Hearing impaired - AAT
Each participant assigned to the normal hearing impaired group will undergo one experimental session during which EEG is recorded while participants perform an auditory attention task (AAT).
No_intervention: Experiment 2 - normal hearing _ SAT
Each participant assigned to the normal hearing group will undergo one experimental session in which EEG is used to measure neural speech tracking while participants undergo the selective speech attention task (SAT).
No_intervention: Experiment 2 - hearing impaired - SAT
Each participant assigned to the hearing impaired group will undergo one experimental session in which EEG is used to measure neural speech tracking while participants undergo the selective speech attention task (SAT).
No_intervention: Experiment 2 - tinnitus - SAT
Each participant assigned to the tinnitus group will undergo one experimental session in which EEG is used to measure neural speech tracking while participants undergo the selective speech attention task (SAT).
Experimental: Experiment 3 - normal hearing (tACS) - AAT
The subjects assigned to the normal hearing group will undertake 20min tACS stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. AAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Sham_comparator: Experiment 3 - normal hearing (sham) - AAT
The subjects assigned to the normal hearing group will undertake 20min sham stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) sham brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. AAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Experimental: Experiment 3 - hearing impaired (tACS) - AAT
The subjects assigned to the hearing impaired group will undertake 20min tACS stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. AAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Sham_comparator: Experiment 3 - hearing impaired (sham) - AAT
The subjects assigned to the hearing impaired group will undertake 20min sham stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) sham brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. AAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Experimental: Experiment 3 - tinnitus (tACS) - AAT
The subjects assigned to the tinnitus group will undertake 20min tACS stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. AAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Sham_comparator: Experiment 3 - tinnitus (sham) - AAT
The subjects assigned to the tinnitus group will undertake 20min sham stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) sham brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. AAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Experimental: Experiment 4 - normal hearing (tACS) - SAT
The subjects assigned to the normal hearing group will undertake 20min tACS stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. SAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Sham_comparator: Experiment 4 - normal hearing (sham) - SAT
The subjects assigned to the normal hearing group will undertake 20min sham stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) sham brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. SAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Experimental: Experiment 4 - hearing impaired (tACS) - SAT
The subjects assigned to the hearing impaired group will undertake 20min tACS stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. SAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Sham_comparator: Experiment 4 - hearing impaired (sham) - SAT
The subjects assigned to the hearing impaired group will undertake 20min sham stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) sham brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. SAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Experimental: Experiment 4 - tinnitus (tACS) - SAT
The subjects assigned to the tinnitus group will undertake 20min tACS stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. SAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Sham_comparator: Experiment 4 - tinnitus (sham) - SAT
The subjects assigned to the tinnitus group will undertake 20min sham stimulation applied over the temporo-parietal cortex.~Each session will include the following three phases: (1) pre-stimulation baseline, (2) sham brain stimulation, and (3) post-stimulation. SAT will be conducted in each phase and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Experimental: Experiment 5 - normal hearing (NF right) - AAT
Each participant of the normal hearing group will undergo the neurofeedback training in which the participants learn to increase alpha power in the right relative to the left parietal cortex. Before and after the NF training, participants will perform the AAT and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Active_comparator: Experiment 5 - normal hearing (NF left) - AAT
Each participant of the normal hearing group will undergo the neurofeedback training in which the participants learn to increase alpha power in the left relative to the right parietal cortex. Before and after the NF training, participants will perform the AAT and concurrent EEG will be recorded.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Collaborators: University of Luebeck
Leads: University of Zurich