Spatial Cues, Task Demands, and Auditory Selective Attention
How Spatial Cues Support Communication: Interactions Between Auditory Spatial Features and Task Demands Across Cortical Networks
2 other identifiers
interventional
80
1 country
1
Brief Summary
Understanding speech in restaurants and other noisy environments is the most common complaint from the more than 60 million Americans with hearing impairment. Succeeding in such environments requires a listener to first segregate sound sources and then selectively attend to the source of interest. This study examines how individual auditory spatial cues (interaural time differences and interaural level differences) support spatial selective attention, the cortical processes that underlie this ability, and how these processes are modulated by task demands. Participants with normal hearing and participants who use bilateral cochlear implants will perform listening tasks while brain and physiological responses are recorded (electroencephalography, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, pupillometry, and, for normal-hearing participants only, functional magnetic resonance imaging). The findings will provide new insights into the mechanisms of spatial selective attention and help guide clinical solutions for cochlear implant users, individuals with hearing impairment more generally, and older normal-hearing adults who have difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable
Started Oct 2025
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
October 22, 2025
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
August 10, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
August 14, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
April 1, 2030
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
July 1, 2030
August 14, 2026
August 1, 2026
4.4 years
August 10, 2026
August 10, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (5)
EEG
EEG data acquired using 32 Ag-Ag/Cl electrodes embedded in an elastic cap (Brain Products), impedances below 20 kOhms, locations per the extended 10-20 system, recorded at 5 kHz from 0.1-100 Hz. Event-related potentials (including attentional modulation of the N1) and parietal alpha lateralization are compared across spatial-cue and task-demand conditions.
2 hours
NIRS
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy collected with a montage targeting bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) and bilateral prefrontal cortex, using a NIRSport 2 8x8 channel system (NIRx) with long- and short-distance channel probes; 3D structural head scanning registers probe placement. Optical signals recorded at 10 Hz with an average source-detector distance of 35 mm. Oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin responses are compared across conditions.
2 hours
Pupillometry
Pupil dilation from both eyes recorded with the EyeLink 1000 at a sampling rate of 1000 Hz, normalized to each participant pupillary dynamic range, as an index of listening effort across conditions.
2 hours
MRI
Data acquired on a 3 Tesla Siemens Prisma MRI scanner (64-channel head coil). High-resolution (0.8 mm iso) T1-weighted multi-echo MP-RAGE and T2-weighted SPACE images collected for cortical reconstruction (FreeSurfer); functional MRI measures stimulus-induced lateralization and spatial receptive fields in auditory cortex. Normal-hearing arm only.
2 hours
Discrimination (DISCR)
Behavioral discrimination performance for spatialized sounds. HRTFs span +/- 90 degrees, broadband ILDs span +/- 20 dB, and broadband ITDs span +/- 800 microseconds; values chosen to roughly equate perceived lateral range across cues.
2 hours
Study Arms (2)
Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users
OTHERAdults with existing bilateral cochlear implants (implanted and using their devices for at least one year). Participants complete the discrimination and selective-attention auditory paradigms with manipulated spatial cues while combined EEG, fNIRS, and pupillometry are recorded. No fMRI is collected in this arm due to device safety concerns.
Normal Hearing Controls
OTHERAdults with audiometrically confirmed normal hearing (thresholds within 20 dB HL of normal through 8 kHz). Participants complete three auditory attention paradigms (working memory, discrimination, selective attention) with manipulated spatial cues, under combined EEG, fNIRS, and pupillometry sessions and fMRI sessions.
Interventions
Participants in this arm are recruited from a population who have existing bilateral cochlear implants. The implants are the participants' own clinical devices, used as clinically programmed; no investigational device or modification is provided by the study. Auditory attention tasks are presented with manipulated spatial cues (interaural time differences, interaural level differences, or HRTFs).
Control group recruited from the normal hearing population. Participants perform the same auditory attention tasks with manipulated spatial cues (interaural time differences, interaural level differences, or HRTFs) under EEG/fNIRS/pupillometry and fMRI.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Adults with normal hearing, confirmed by audiometric assessment (thresholds within 20 dB HL of normal through 8 kHz), OR adults with bilateral cochlear implants who have used their implants for at least one year
- Native speakers of American English
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
You may not qualify if:
- Known neurological disorders
- For fMRI sessions (normal-hearing participants only): contraindications to MRI scanning; cochlear implant users do not complete MRI sessions
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
University of South Florida, PCD Building, Room 3008A
Tampa, Florida, 33620, United States
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Christopher A Brown, PhD
University of South Florida
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- NON RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- BASIC SCIENCE
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Associate Professor
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
August 10, 2026
First Posted
August 14, 2026
Study Start
October 22, 2025
Primary Completion (Estimated)
April 1, 2030
Study Completion (Estimated)
July 1, 2030
Last Updated
August 14, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-08
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- ANALYTIC CODE
- Time Frame
- Data supporting each publication will be shared no later than the time of publication, and retained permanently (Zenodo provides permanent archiving with DOIs).
- Access Criteria
- Publicly available with no access restrictions.
De-identified individual participant data for all primary measures (behavioral, EEG, fNIRS, pupillometry, and MRI) will be publicly shared in BIDS-compliant format, per the NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan for this award. Smaller datasets (demographics, behavioral scores) will be shared as text/CSV files via GitHub and permanently archived on Zenodo; larger neuroimaging datasets will be shared on Zenodo directly, with permanent DOIs. Custom acquisition and analysis software will also be shared via GitHub and archived on Zenodo.