Improving Speech in Noise Perception for Individuals With Age-related Hearing Loss

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07192757

Enrollment

Registered

2025-09-25

Start date

2025-12-01

Completion date

2026-07-30

Last updated

2025-12-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Presbycusis

Keywords

age-related hearing loss, taVNS, vagus nerve stimulation, presbycusis, hearing aids

Brief summary

Hearing loss, especially for speech perception in the presence of noise, may lead older individuals to withdraw from social situations. While hearing aids help amplify sound and are useful in many situations, they can be ineffective in noisy contexts. The proposed pilot study will evaluate taVNS for improving speech in noise perception in adults with age-related hearing loss.

Interventions

DEVICEtranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation

active electrical stimulation applied to the cymba conchae of the left ear

DEVICESham Control

electrical stimulation applied to a location on the ear not innervated by the auricular vagus

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

55 Years to 80 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Adults 55-80 years old * Normal hearing or age-related hearing loss (with or without hearing aids)

Exclusion criteria

* History of traumatic brain injury or noise trauma * Implanted medical devices (eg., pacemaker) or ferrous metal * Known history of heart conditions * Medications that impact neurotransmitters released by vagus nerve stimulation

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Speech in noise performance	2 weeks	Percent correct on a speech in noise perception task in participants receiving Treatment A compared to Treatment B

Other

Measure	Time frame	Description
Predictive value of audiometric testing	2 weeks	Scores on audiometric battery measures and how they differ in those receiving treatment A compared to those receiving treatment B
Predictive value of brain measures	2 weeks	Level of baseline GABA levels in primary auditory cortex prior to and following intervention in those receiving Treatment A compared to those receiving Treatment B

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactTracy Centanni, PhD

tracy.centanni@phhp.ufl.edu3522948675

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026