Active Studies
Active Studies:
A multicenter, prospective, open-label clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Perf-Fix Otologic Gel Patch to aid in the repair of chronic tympanic membrane perforation
Description: Assessing efficacy of novel non-surgical treatment for tympanic membrane perforation. Seeking patients with tympanic membrane perforation >25% that is not actively healing
Funding Source: Tympanogen
Primary Investigator: Dr. William Slattery
Adaptation and optimization in bilateral cochlear implants.
Description: The aim of this project is to better understand how adaptation affects bilateral integration of spectral patterns in simultaneously or sequentially implanted bilateral cochlear implant users. (PI: Fu; Co-I:Galvin)
Brain plasticity is key to the success of the cochlear implant. This plasticity is important for postlingual adult bilateral cochlear implant users, who must adapt to electric stimulation patterns relative to previous acoustic-hearing experience. The trajectory of adaptation differs between simultaneously implanted patients (who adapt with both implants at the same time) and sequentially implanted patients (who first adapt to the first implant, and then to the second implant). The aim of this study is to better understand how adaptation affects bilateral integration of spectral patterns with electric hearing in simultaneously and sequentially implanted bilateral cochlear implant users. Data from this study will provide empirical evidence regarding the advantages for simultaneous over sequential implantation and guide optimization of bilateral cochlear implant signal processing improve outcomes. (PI: Fu; Co-I: Galvin)
Primary Investigator: Dr. John Galvin
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Brain, Nervous System, and Ear Tissue Repository Protocols
Description: Analysis of acoustic neuroma tissue as well as blood and CSF from acoustic neuroma patients
Funding Source: House Institute Foundation
Primary Investigator: Dr. William Slattery
Emotional communication in children and adults with cochlear implants.
Description: The aim of this project is to better understand how emotional communication is affected by experience-driven plasticity in children and adults. (PI: Chatterjee; Co-Is: Luo, Galvin)
Pitch cues are important for perception and production of emotional speech. However, pitch cues are poorly represented by and perceived with cochlear implants. Early implantation in childhood may offer some advantage, as children with cochlear implants may better learn cues for emotional speech perception and production with their device. Postlingually deaf cochlear implant users may benefit from previous acoustic hearing experience for production of emotional speech. The aim of this study is to better understand how emotion communication is affected by experience-driven plasticity in children and adults. Data from this project may inform optimization of cochlear implant signal processing as well as rehabilitation strategies to improve emotional communication in pediatric and adult cochlear implant patients. (PI: Chatterjee; Co-Is: Luo, Galvin).
Primary Investigator: Dr. John Galvin
Improving music perception in cochlear implants.
Description: The aim of this project is to better understand the source of the “bimodal benefit” for music sound quality with combined acoustic and electric hearing. (Co-PIs: Galvin, Landsberger)
While speech communication is generally good with cochlear implants, music perception and sound quality are generally poor. Despite this poor music quality with the cochlear implant, singlesided deaf cochlear implant users (normal hearing in one ear, cochlear implant in the other ear) often prefer to listen to music with the cochlear implant on. The aim of this project is to better understand the source of this “bimodal benefit” for music sound quality. By controlling the spectral and temporal information to the implanted ear, we can better understand what cues contribute to music sound quality with combined acoustic and electric listening. Data from this project may inform optimization of cochlear implant signal processing to improve music perception in single-sided deaf as well as bilaterally deaf patients. (Co-PIs: Galvin, Landsberger)
Primary Investigator: Dr. John Galvin
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Indocyanine Green for Solid Tumors of the Nervous System
Description: Assessing the efficacy of ICG dye for intraoperative visualization of tumor tissue,
Funding Source: House Institute Foundation
Primary Investigator: Dr. Kevin Peng
Integration of acoustic and electric hearing.
Description: The aim of this project is to better understand factors that contribute to the variability in outcomes with combined acoustic and electric hearing. (PI: Fu; Co-I: Galvin)
Criteria for cochlear implantation have progressively expanded to include increasingly larger amounts of usable acoustic hearing in the non-implanted ear. The benefit of combined acoustic and electric hearing depends on the extent of acoustic hearing, with more benefit when there is less available acoustic hearing. Bimodal benefits also depend on the speech performance difference and frequency mismatch between the acoustic-hearing and cochlear implant ears. The aim of this project is to better understand factors that contribute to the variability in outcomes with combined acoustic and electric hearing. Data from this study may guide optimization of cochlear implant signal processing to promote better integration of acoustic and electric hearing. (PI: Fu; Co-I: Galvin)
Primary Investigator: Dr. John Galvin
Longitudinal Pediatric Hearing Health Database
Description: Examining the impact of hearing loss on children’s development from birth through young adulthood
Funding Source: House Institute Foundation
Primary Investigator: Dr. Kelsey Klein
Longitudinal pediatric outcomes study:
Description: A longitudinal study examining various outcomes among a diverse group of children and adolescents with hearing loss.
Technology and early intervention for children with hearing loss have improved tremendously in recent decades. However, we continue to see large variability in children’s long-term outcomes. In this longitudinal study, we are examining outcomes related to speech perception, language, listening-related fatigue, mental health, and quality of life among children and adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing. Our goal is to identify audiologic, educational, and family- and child-specific factors that support improved outcomes. By including a large and diverse group of children, including children with additional disabilities, children who speak Spanish, and children with hearing loss in only one ear, we will ensure that our findings are relevant to a broad range of children.
Primary Investigator: Dr. Kelsey Klein
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Music perception with acoustic and/or electric hearing
Description: Assessing music and pitch perception and reproduction by single-sided deaf cochlear implant users. Seeking singled-sided deaf cochlear implant users with near-normal hearing in the contralateral ear and 6 months of experience with their device
Funding Source: House Institute Foundation
Primary Investigator: Dr. John Galvin
Place and temporal cues for pitch in children and adults with cochlear implants.
Description: The aim of this project is to better understand factors that limit pitch perception, perception of emotional speech, and perception of music in pediatric cochlear implant users. (PI: Reiss; Co-Is: Galvin, Chatterjee)
The ability to hear pitch in music and spoken emotion is an important aspect of childhood development. Children with cochlear implants often have difficulties with pitch perception, which in turn affects music and emotion recognition. The aim of this study is to better understand factors that limit pitch perception, perception of emotional speech, and perception of music in pediatric cochlear implant users. The project is the start of a new multi-center collaboration to explore the relationship of early access to acoustic or electric hearing to pitch perception. Data from this study may guide optimization of cochlear implant signal processing to improve pitch perception and provide guidelines for cochlear implantation for children who have residual acoustic hearing. (PI: Reiss; Co-Is: Galvin, Chatterjee).
Primary Investigator: Dr. John Galvin
Proteomic Study of The Inner Ear
Description: Searching for biomarkers of various inner ear conditions by collection of perilymph from patients undergoing non-hearing preserving surgery
Funding Source: House Institute Foundation
Primary Investigator: Dr. William Slattery
Pulse phase duration as a marker of neural health.
Description: The aim of this project is to better understand loudness growth with relatively short or long pulse phase durations. (PI: Galvin; Co-Is: Landsberger, Bakhos)
Cochlear implants provide hearing by delivering pulses of electrical charge to the implanted electrodes. The loudness of the charge is determined by the pulse amplitude and pulse phase duration. Our previous data suggest great variability in loudness growth with increasing pulse phase duration across individual electrodes and patients, with some association between duration of hearing loss and loudness growth. The aim of this project is to better understand loudness growth with relatively short or long pulse phase duration. We will extend this work to consider broad and focused stimulation modes and relative spread of excitation with increasing pulse amplitude or pulse phase duration. Data from this project may inform optimization of cochlear implant signal processing. (PI: Galvin; Co-Is: Landsberger, Bakhos)
Primary Investigator: Dr. John Galvin
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Repurposed Use of Allergic Rhinitis and Allergic Asthma Drug to Reduce Vertigo and Hearing Loss in Meniere's Disease (NCT04815187)
Description: Assessing the potential benefit of montelukast for individuals with allergies and Meniere’s disease. Seeking patients with actively symptomatic unilateral Meniere’s disease and allergies
Funding Source: Cures Within Reach/House Institute Foundation
Primary Investigator: Dr. Jennifer Derebery
Using eye-tracking to assess real-time spoken language processing in children:
Description: A study examining how different types of background noise affect the language processing efficiency of school-age children with hearing aids and children with normal hearing.
Children with and without hearing loss can struggle to understand speech in noisy environments, which may be due in part to negative effects of auditory maskers (i.e., background noise) on children’s speech processing efficiency. In this project, we are characterizing the development of children’s real-time processing efficiency while listening to speech in different types of noise, as well as comparing these processes in children with normal hearing and children with hearing aids. Findings will inform recommendations for classroom noise management, improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying listening and spoken language difficulties in children with hearing aids, and support the development of clinical interventions supporting complex listening skills in children with hearing loss.
Primary Investigator: Dr. Kelsey Klein
For more information, please contact:
Sean Lang, CRC II
slang@hifla.org, (213) 443-8193
Jane Cabison, MSPM, Director of Research Administration
jcabison@hifla.org, (213) 459-5712