Degenerative Consequences of Congenital Deafness

University of North Carolina System

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Congenital Deafness

Treatments: Behavioral: Phase duration

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03866850

Zhou_R01_study2

Details and patient eligibility

About

In this study, the investigators will study one of the basic biophysical properties of the auditory nerve, charge integration, behaviorally (detection threshold versus phase duration functions). The investigators will compare charge integration in two subject groups: congenitally deafened and deafened at a later age in life. The investigators will then examine if behaviorally estimated neural excitation patterns differ between short phase duration and long phase duration stimulation. Lastly, The investigators will measure if speech recognition improves with using long phase duration stimulation, relative to using the standard default short phase duration stimulation. The primary endpoint of the study is speech recognition, and the secondary endpoints are the steepness of the detection threshold versus phase duration functions, and the width of psychophysically estimated neural excitation.

Enrollment: 34 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 15+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Cochlear Nucleus cochlear implant users or Advanced Bionics cochlear implant users
• Native speakers of English
• Early onset of deafness (< 3 years of age); no requirement for age at implantation
• Late onset of deafness (> 3 years of age); matched in duration of deafness to the early onset group
• Has had device experience for at least one year
• Can be child or adult at the time of enrollment

Exclusion criteria

• None

Trial design

34 participants in 2 patient groups

Cochlear implant users with late-onset deafness

Description:

Examine charge integration (Detection threshold as a function of phase duration). Examine neural spatial excitation patterns with long and short phase duration. Measure speech recognition using long and short phase duration stimulation patterns.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Phase duration

Cochlear implant users with early-onset deafness

Description:

Examine charge integration (Detection threshold as a function of phase duration) and compare that with the late-onset group. Examine neural spatial excitation patterns with long and short phase duration within the non-leaky phase duration range. Measure speech recognition using long and short phase duration stimulation patterns.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Phase duration