Evaluation of Cogmed Working Memory Training to Improve Cognition, Speech Perception and Self-reported Hearing Abilities for Adult Hearing Aid Users: a Double-blind, Randomised, Active-controlled Trial.
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Hearing Loss
- Sponsor
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Enrollment
- 57
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Visual Letter Monitoring Task
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 5 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
A double-blind randomised active-controlled trial aims to assess whether Cogmed (adaptive) working memory training results in improvements in untrained measures of cognition, speech perception and self-reported hearing abilities in older adults (50-74 years) with mild-moderate hearing loss who are existing hearing aid users, compared with an active placebo Cogmed (non-adaptive) control. It is hypothesised that improvements on trained Cogmed tasks, representing increased working memory capacity, will result in improved performance on cognitive and speech perception tasks that engage working memory. We also measure self-reported hearing ability to assess self-perceived benefit of Cogmed training.
Detailed Description
One in ten people aged between 55-74 years have a significant hearing impairment in their better hearing ear (as defined by audiometric hearing thresholds). Yet, it is becoming increasingly clear that the challenges faced by older listeners cannot be explained by the audiogram. The ability for people with hearing loss to use cognition to support context allows for compensation of degraded auditory input, which in turn offers promise for new cognitive-based rehabilitative interventions. Working memory is known to be highly associated with language and recent evidence has shown significant generalisation of on-task learning from Cogmed working memory training to improvements in sentence-repetition skills of children with severe to profound hearing loss and use cochlear implants. This evidence offers support for further investigation into the potential benefits of working memory training to improve speech perception abilities in other hearing impaired populations. This study aims to assess whether Cogmed (adaptive) working memory training improves the listening abilities of adults with mild to moderate hearing loss as assessed using untrained measurers of cognition, speech perception and self-reported hearing ability, compared with an active control (Cogmed, non-adaptive) group. A 6 month follow-up will assess retention of any training-related improvements in outcomes for the adaptive training group.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Exclusion Criteria
- Not provided
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Visual Letter Monitoring Task
Time Frame: 0, 2, 7, and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks
The VLM is a visual task of working memory (Gatehouse, Naylor, \& Elberling, 2006) that is not trained within the Cogmed working memory training program. Ten consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words are embedded in an 80-letter sequence. Two sequences are presented to participants at each outcome assessment in a counterbalanced order. Individual letters are displayed sequentially on a computer screen at a rate of 2 second per letter (first list) and 1 second per letter (second list). Participants were asked to press the keyboard 'space bar' (hit) when three consecutive letters formed a recognised CVC word (for example, M-A-T). Task performance was scored as the total number of hits (maximum score of ten per list). Higher scores indicate better performance.
Secondary Outcomes
- Test of Everyday Attention Subtests 6 & 7(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- Modified Coordinate Response Measure (MCRM)(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- Size Comparison Span(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- BESST High/Low Context Sentence Intelligibility(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- Glasgow Hearing Aid Benefit Profile (GHABP)(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- Phonemic Discrimination Probe(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- Test of Attention in Listening (TAIL)(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE)(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- Digit Span Backwards(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)
- Dual Task of Listening and Working Memory(0, 2, 7 and (adaptive training group only) 31 weeks)