Music Appreciation After Cochlear Implantation

NCT04099368 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 1R01DC018701-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This project aims to characterize the emergence of music appreciation in people who have suffered hearing loss and have been provided with partial restoration of hearing through cochlear implantation. Music appreciation is complex and transverses multiple domains including hearing acuity, speech and language acquisition, and quality of life. By studying these relationships in people who have been given partial hearing restoration, the investigators will clarify the role of music for promoting recovery from debilitating loss.

Conditions

Hearing Loss; Cochlear Implants

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Pitch Discrimination measured using Psychophysical Procedures

  Change in auditory resolution of fundamental frequency is measured using psychophysical procedures.

  Measure collected at 0, 4, and 8 week mark to examine change in discrimination thresholds.

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Speech Recognition Thresholds measured using Psychophysical Procedures

  Measure collected at 0, 4, and 8 week mark to examine change in speech recognition thresholds.

Study Arms (2)

Auditory

EXPERIMENTAL

Group receives training on listening to musical pitch differences between sounds as the first component of a crossover trial. The intervention is the listening exercises. Exercises are completed daily as 30-minute sessions for 4 weeks. Hearing assessment outcomes of speech comprehension in background noise and of musical pitch sensitivity are conducted at baseline and at midpoint and endpoint.

Behavioral: Musical pitch training

Visual

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Group receives training on visual differences between objects on a computer screen as the first component of a crossover trial. This is a control measure for the auditory training exercises. Exercises are completed daily as 30-minute sessions for 4 weeks. Hearing assessment outcomes of speech comprehension in background noise and of musical pitch sensitivity are conducted at baseline and at midpoint and endpoint.

Behavioral: Musical pitch training

Interventions

Musical pitch training BEHAVIORAL

Crossover design with one group receiving musical training as rehabilitation, second group receiving visual training first as a control rehabilitation.

Also known as: Auditory rehabilitation

Auditory; Visual

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Teenage and adult cochlear implant users

You may not qualify if:

• Children younger than 13

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Southern California: lead
• Ohio State University: collaborator
• University of California, Merced: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Keck School of Medicine of USC

Los Angeles, California, 90033, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hearing Loss

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Hearing Disorders; Ear Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Sensation Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 17, 2019
• First Posted: September 23, 2019
• Study Start: October 1, 2019
• Primary Completion: January 1, 2025
• Study Completion: January 1, 2025
• Last Updated: December 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Locations

US (1)