Perceptual Adaptation Following Cochlear Implantation (Aim 3a)

Launched by NYU LANGONE HEALTH · Jun 18, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how people with single-sided deafness adapt to their new cochlear implant, a device that helps restore hearing in one ear. Right after the implant is turned on, participants will try using four different sound settings, called frequency maps, over the course of the first month. These maps change how low-pitched sounds are processed to see if adjusting these settings can improve how the implant sounds, how often people use it, and how well they understand speech. After the first month, participants will choose their favorite sound setting each week to use moving forward.

Adults 18 years and older who speak English and have normal or near-normal hearing in their non-implanted ear may be eligible. Participants should either be planning to get a cochlear implant in one ear or have recently received one that hasn’t been turned on yet. People with certain ear abnormalities or significant hearing loss in the other ear are not eligible. If you join the study, you’ll be asked to try different sound settings daily at first and then pick the one that works best for you weekly. This helps researchers understand how to make cochlear implants work better for people with hearing loss in just one ear.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Age 18 or older
• • 2. No known anatomical abnormalities in either ear
• • 3. English speaking
• • 4. Intends to receive a cochlear implant in one ear (or has already received it but it has not been activated).
• • 5. Normal hearing (or minimal hearing loss) in the contralateral ear
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 1. Under age 18
• • 2. Documented anatomical abnormality of the implanted ear
• • 3. Non-English speaking
• • 4. Greater than minimal hearing loss in the contralateral ear.