MedPath

Evaluation of Hearing Aids Rehabilitation Within Age-related Hearing Loss Population.

Not Applicable
Conditions
Hearing Loss
Interventions
Radiation: PET examination
Other: Quality of life assessment
Registration Number
NCT05331404
Lead Sponsor
University Hospital, Toulouse
Brief Summary

Hearing aids restore efficiently some auditory functions in age-related hearing loss (ARHL or presbycusis) providing to the elderly an access to oral communication and a return to social life. However, a most of the assessments of their efficacy focus on speech recognition. Spatial hearing and localization are anothers important auditory functions merely evaluated.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the hearing aids benefits for spatial hearing.

Detailed Description

The main objective is to evaluate the hearing aids benefits for spatial hearing with a multidisciplinary approach combing psychophysics, and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain imaging in a before/after experimental design. The novelty of the proposal is both theoretical and methodological: the team aim is to identify neural correlates of spatial hearing after hearing rehabilitation and evaluate the evolution of spatial hearing abilities once subjects with presbycusis are fitted with hearing aids. The assessment of spatial hearing processing will rely on both a virtual visuo-auditory 3D immersive platform and functional neuroimaging using PET scan. This project will provide crucial elements for understanding and improving the rehabilitation of age-related hearing loss.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
45
Inclusion Criteria

For presbyacusics subjects:

  • Subjects aged over 50 with a difference in symmetrical audiometric thresholds (< 15 dB) between the two ears and requiring hearing aids
  • Affiliation to a social security scheme or equivalent
  • Acceptance of the protocol and signature of the consent form

For older people with normal hearing:

  • Subjects matched in age (+/- 2 years) and gender with the presbycusis group
  • Affiliation to a social security scheme or equivalent
  • Acceptance of the protocol and signature of the consent form
  • Subjects with normal hearing, with hearing thresholds of 20 dB < 2kHz and 40 dB < 4kHz

For young people with normal hearing:

  • Subjects aged between 18 and 40 years old,
  • Symmetric normal hearing
  • Affiliation to a social security scheme or equivalent
  • Normally hearing subjects with audiometric thresholds < 20 dB
  • Acceptance of the protocol and signature of the consent form
Exclusion Criteria
  • Persons under a legal protection regime for adults (safeguard of justice, guardianship, curator ship, institutionalized, or under mandate for future protection)
  • History of associated neurological pathology
  • Contraindications to PET
  • Cognitive impairment confirmed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) test (for presbyacusic subjects and normal-hearing elderly subjects)
  • Taking psychotropic drugs
  • History of epilepsy
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding woman
  • Participation in another intervention protocol

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
PresbycusisQuality of life assessmentPatients with presbycusis who receive rehabilitation with hearing aids
Young control groupPET examinationYoung control group: 15 subjects with normal hearing thresholds
Young control groupQuality of life assessmentYoung control group: 15 subjects with normal hearing thresholds
PresbycusisPET examinationPatients with presbycusis who receive rehabilitation with hearing aids
Aged control groupQuality of life assessmentAged control group: 15 subjects with normal or near-normal hearing thresholds
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
level of brain activityMonth 12

level of brain activity (in ml/100g/min) measured in the auditory regions in PET when the subject performs a spatial localization task

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
life quality by Hearing Handicap Inventory For The Elderly Screening (12)Month 12

Hearing Handicap Inventory For The Elderly Screening contains 10 items to identify the social and emotional difficulties encountered by the subject due to his deafness according to specific situations. It makes it possible to detect the handicap perceived by the person (the higher the score, the greater the perception of the handicap due to hearing loss).

life quality by Hearing Handicap Inventory For The Elderly Screening (6)Month 6

Hearing Handicap Inventory For The Elderly Screening contains 10 items to identify the social and emotional difficulties encountered by the subject due to his deafness according to specific situations. It makes it possible to detect the handicap perceived by the person (the higher the score, the greater the perception of the handicap due to hearing loss).

Life quality by Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing (6)Month 6

Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing is a questionnaire specific to the quality of hearing. It has 3 sections; speech hearing, spatial hearing and quality of hearing. This questionnaire contains 15 items evaluated on a scale to 0 (not at all) to 10 (perfectly).

Life quality by Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing (12)Month 12

Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing is a questionnaire specific to the quality of hearing. It has 3 sections; speech hearing, spatial hearing and quality of hearing. This questionnaire contains 15 items evaluated on a scale to 0 (not at all) to 10 (perfectly).

life quality by Short Form Health Survey (12)Month 12

Short Form Health Survey assesses a patient's overall quality of life. It consists of 36 items.

life quality by Short Form Health Survey (6)Month 6

Short Form Health Survey assesses a patient's overall quality of life. It consists of 36 items.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

CHU Toulouse

🇫🇷

Toulouse, France

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath