Efficacy of Auditory Training and Combined Auditory-working-memory Training in Improving Communication and Cognition in Older Adults With Untreated Mild-to-moderate Sensorineural Hearing Impairment
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Hearing Loss
- Sponsor
- Education University of Hong Kong
- Enrollment
- 120
- Primary Endpoint
- The Cantonese version of the Hearing in Noise Test (CHINT) (Changes are being assessed)
- Status
- Not Yet Recruiting
- Last Updated
- 3 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
Using a randomized controlled trial, we are going to examine whether a training program that incorporates both auditory training and working memory training (AT-WMT) would generate significantly better results in communication and cognition than an auditory training program and a mindfulness training program (active-control). Participants are 120 older adults (40 per group) with untreated mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing impairment .
Detailed Description
There will be three training groups: the Auditory training (AT) group, the Auditory-working memory training (AT-WMT) group, and the control group (mindfulness training). All training programs are home-delivered, non-clinician-administered, and computer-based. That is, training will be self-paced and administered by the participants themselves at home using a computer. A software program (see Figure 2) has been created to facilitate the administration of the AT and AT-WMT. All training groups will spend one hour per day and five days per week for 4 weeks. Before the training, two baseline test sessions (T1 and T2, a maximum of one week apart) will be used to account for the test-retest effects. The same measurements will be administered again one day (T3) and three months (T4) after completion of the training.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Native Cantonese speakers and having been living in Hong Kong for at least 20 years.
- •Aged between 55 and 80 years.
- •Normal cognitive function, as screened with the Hong Kong version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) with a cutoff of 18/
- •Mild-to-moderate sensorineural HI, in which the four-frequency pure-tone average at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz of the better ear is between 26 and 55 dB HL.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Outer or middle ear pathologies.
- •Wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants.
- •No computers and internet access at home.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
The Cantonese version of the Hearing in Noise Test (CHINT) (Changes are being assessed)
Time Frame: One week before the training, one day before the training, one day after the training, three months after the training
The Cantonese version of the Hearing in Noise Test (CHINT) (Wong \& Soli, 2005) will be used to measure sentence perception in noise. The tool contains 12 lists of 20 sentences, and each sentence comprises 10 words. A high inter-list reliability has been previously demonstrated, which suggests that the lists are equivalent and, therefore, consistent results can be obtained using any of the lists (Wong et al., 2005).
The Cantonese version of the reading span test (CRST) (Changes are being assessed)
Time Frame: One week before the training, one day before the training, one day after the training, three months after the training
The Cantonese version of the reading span test (CRST) with dual task design will be used to measure WM. It was developed based on the German reading span test (Carroll et al., 2015). The reliability and validity of the CRST have been examined to confirm that the CRST is a suitable test for investigating verbal WM (Cheung, 2021). The CRST comprises 54 six-word sentences. The sentences are presented in different set sizes (i.e., 3, 4, 5, and 6 sentences) in random order. The participants are expected to read aloud the sentences presented on a computer screen and judge whether the sentence is semantically correct. After reading aloud all sentences in a given sentence set, the participants will be asked to recall the first or last two words of each sentence in the set. The reading span score is based on the second task: the total number of words recalled. Approximately 20 minutes is needed to complete the test.
Secondary Outcomes
- Auditory Brainstem Responses to Complex Sounds (Changes are being assessed)(One week before the training, one day before the training, one day after the training, three months after the training)
- The CogState Battery (Changes are being assessed)(One week before the training, one day before the training, one day after the training, three months after the training)
- The Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing scale (SSQHS) (Changes are being assessed)(One week before the training, one day before the training, one day after the training, three months after the training)