Hearing LossNCT05260307
Improving Spatial Perception and Speech Understanding in Multitalker Mixtures
A study testing hearing aid condition in people with Hearing Loss, run by Boston University Charles River Campus at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to investigate several approaches for improving spatial perception and speech intelligibility in multitalker listening situations for hearing-aid users. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 80 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Hearing Loss
- What is being tested?
- hearing aid condition
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 220 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 Mar 2022to 30 Nov 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 80 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 to 35 years of age
- Audiometric thresholds that do not exceed 20 dB HL at any frequency from 250 to 8000 Hz
- Able to provide informed consent and understand experimental instructions
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
- 18 to 80 years of age
- Documented sensorineural hearing loss
- Able to provide informed consent and understand experimental instructions
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
Who cannot join
- Non-native speakers of English
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
Virginia Best, 617-353-2622, ginbest@bu.edu
Virginia A Best, PhD
About this study
The purpose of this study is to investigate several approaches for improving spatial perception and speech intelligibility in multitalker listening situations for hearing-aid users. The hypotheses are that spatial perception and speech intelligibility will be improved by (1) increased high-frequency audibility, (2) speech envelope enhancement, and/or (3) appropriate sound image externalization.
Read the detailed description
The purpose of this study is to investigate several approaches for improving spatial perception and speech intelligibility in multitalker listening situations for hearing-aid users. Aim 1 will investigate how well different amplification strategies provide access to the spectrotemporally sparse speech information that is available in multitalker mixtures. The hypothesis is that subtle differences in high-frequency audibility across different strategies may have much greater effects on the intelligibility of sparse speech than intact speech. This Aim will involve 40 subjects with hearing loss across 2 experiments. Aim 2 is an exploratory aim that will investigate the potential of a speech enhancement algorithm to improve spatial hearing in multitalker mixtures. The hypothesis is that speech enhancement, in addition to its established monaural benefits, will enhance the salience of interaural time differences and thus provide binaural benefits in multitalker mixtures. This Aim will involve 30 subjects with normal hearing and 60 subjects with hearing loss across 3 experiments. Aim 3 will investigate how different hearing-aid styles affect sound externalization. The hypothesis is that hearing aids can disrupt sound externalization, which in turn impacts speech intelligibility in multitalker mixtures. This Aim will involve 30 subjects with normal hearing and 60 subjects with hearing loss across 3 experiments.
This is a prospective design involving adult human subjects. While the investigators will recruit subjects with normal and impaired hearing, all subjects will be assigned to the same set of experimental conditions. Therefore, for the purposes of intervention (or prospective assignment), the subjects can be treated as a single group completing the same intervention (or set of interventions). The behavioral experiments involve listening to speech sounds (either unaided, with hearing aids, or with simulated hearing aids), and providing responses related to spatial perception or speech intelligibility. The order of experimental conditions will be randomized for each subject in order to control for order effects. All of the experimental tasks and outcome measures have been previously established, have good reliability and validity, and will be appropriate for informing future studies.
- Conditions
- Hearing Loss
- Being tested
- hearing aid condition
- Keywords
- Hearing Aids, Speech Intelligibility, Spatial Hearing, Cocktail Party, Audibility, Sound Image Externalization, Speech Envelope
- Medical subject headings
- Hearing Loss, Speech Intelligibility
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
hearing aid conditionOther
The intervention will be a hearing aid or a modification to the sound stimulus that simulates a hearing aid configuration, style, or processing strategy.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental condition | Other | Participants will be presented with sound stimuli under a number of experimental conditions that simulate different hearing-aid conditions. Receives: Other: hearing aid condition |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Speech intelligibility at baseline
Speech intelligibility scores will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent correct (0-100%).
Measured: Baseline
Speech intelligibility post-intervention
Speech intelligibility scores will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent correct (0-100%).
Measured: Up to 4 hours
Speech reception threshold at baseline
Speech reception thresholds will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in decibels (the level of the target speech relative to the masker speech needed to identify 50% of the words in a sentence).
Measured: Baseline
Speech reception threshold post-intervention
Speech reception thresholds will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in decibels (the level of the target speech relative to the masker speech needed to identify 50% of the words in a sentence).
Measured: Up to 4 hours
Interaural time difference discrimination at baseline
Thresholds for the discrimination of interaural time differences in speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in microseconds.
Measured: Baseline
Interaural time difference discrimination post-intervention
Thresholds for the discrimination of interaural time differences in speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in microseconds.
Measured: Up to 4 hours
Externalization rating at baseline
Externalization judgments for speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of different hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent (0-100%).
Measured: Baseline
Externalization rating post-intervention
Externalization judgments for speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of different hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent (0-100%).
Measured: Up to 4 hours
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Mar 2022
- Study start9 Mar 2022
- Primary completion30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Hearing LossStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- All participants will be tested under a number of experimental conditions that simulate different hearing aid conditions. They will act as their own control.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 220 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Boston University Charles River Campus
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Virginia A Best, PhD, Principal investigator, Boston University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05260307
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 4218E
- Other IDs
- R01DC015760
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 4 Feb 2022
- Last updated
- 28 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Individual participant data that underlie results in a publication will be made publicly available.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Improving Spatial Perception and Speech Understanding in Multitalker Mixtures
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05260307
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 4218E
- Conditions
- Hearing Loss
- Keywords
- Hearing Aids, Speech Intelligibility, Spatial Hearing, Cocktail Party, Audibility, Sound Image Externalization, Speech Envelope
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 220 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Boston University Charles River CampusUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
- Study start
- 9 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Nov 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 2 Mar 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to investigate several approaches for improving spatial perception and speech intelligibility in multitalker listening situations for hearing-aid users. The hypotheses are that spatial perception and speech intelligibility will be improved by (1) increased high-frequency audibility, (2) speech envelope enhancement, and/or (3) appropriate sound image externalization.
Detailed description
The purpose of this study is to investigate several approaches for improving spatial perception and speech intelligibility in multitalker listening situations for hearing-aid users. Aim 1 will investigate how well different amplification strategies provide access to the spectrotemporally sparse speech information that is available in multitalker mixtures. The hypothesis is that subtle differences in high-frequency audibility across different strategies may have much greater effects on the intelligibility of sparse speech than intact speech. This Aim will involve 40 subjects with hearing loss across 2 experiments. Aim 2 is an exploratory aim that will investigate the potential of a speech enhancement algorithm to improve spatial hearing in multitalker mixtures. The hypothesis is that speech enhancement, in addition to its established monaural benefits, will enhance the salience of interaural time differences and thus provide binaural benefits in multitalker mixtures. This Aim will involve 30 subjects with normal hearing and 60 subjects with hearing loss across 3 experiments. Aim 3 will investigate how different hearing-aid styles affect sound externalization. The hypothesis is that hearing aids can disrupt sound externalization, which in turn impacts speech intelligibility in multitalker mixtures. This Aim will involve 30 subjects with normal hearing and 60 subjects with hearing loss across 3 experiments.
This is a prospective design involving adult human subjects. While the investigators will recruit subjects with normal and impaired hearing, all subjects will be assigned to the same set of experimental conditions. Therefore, for the purposes of intervention (or prospective assignment), the subjects can be treated as a single group completing the same intervention (or set of interventions). The behavioral experiments involve listening to speech sounds (either unaided, with hearing aids, or with simulated hearing aids), and providing responses related to spatial perception or speech intelligibility. The order of experimental conditions will be randomized for each subject in order to control for order effects. All of the experimental tasks and outcome measures have been previously established, have good reliability and validity, and will be appropriate for informing future studies.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- All participants will be tested under a number of experimental conditions that simulate different hearing aid conditions. They will act as their own control.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental condition | Other | Other: hearing aid conditionParticipants will be presented with sound stimuli under a number of experimental conditions that simulate different hearing-aid conditions. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 80 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- 18 to 35 years of age
- Audiometric thresholds that do not exceed 20 dB HL at any frequency from 250 to 8000 Hz
- Able to provide informed consent and understand experimental instructions
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
- 18 to 80 years of age
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Non-native speakers of English
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| hearing aid conditionThe intervention will be a hearing aid or a modification to the sound stimulus that simulates a hearing aid configuration, style, or processing strategy. | Other | Experimental condition |
Primary outcome
Speech intelligibility at baseline
Time frame: Baseline
Speech intelligibility scores will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent correct (0-100%).
Speech intelligibility post-intervention
Time frame: Up to 4 hours
Speech intelligibility scores will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent correct (0-100%).
Speech reception threshold at baseline
Time frame: Baseline
Speech reception thresholds will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in decibels (the level of the target speech relative to the masker speech needed to identify 50% of the words in a sentence).
Speech reception threshold post-intervention
Time frame: Up to 4 hours
Speech reception thresholds will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in decibels (the level of the target speech relative to the masker speech needed to identify 50% of the words in a sentence).
Interaural time difference discrimination at baseline
Time frame: Baseline
Thresholds for the discrimination of interaural time differences in speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in microseconds.
Interaural time difference discrimination post-intervention
Time frame: Up to 4 hours
Thresholds for the discrimination of interaural time differences in speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in microseconds.
Externalization rating at baseline
Time frame: Baseline
Externalization judgments for speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of different hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent (0-100%).
Externalization rating post-intervention
Time frame: Up to 4 hours
Externalization judgments for speech will be measured in a baseline condition (e.g. unaided) and in a number of different hearing-aid conditions (post-intervention). Scale is in percent (0-100%).
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Individual participant data that underlie results in a publication will be made publicly available.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Virginia A Best, PhD principal investigator
Boston University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing hearing aid condition in people with Hearing Loss, run by Boston University Charles River Campus at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 8 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Virginia A Best, PhD ((617) 353-2622, ginbest@bu.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Speech intelligibility at baseline (time frame: Baseline). The study lists 8 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Sep 2026.