Lend Us Your Ears: ISU Researchers Conducting Hearing Study
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POCATELLO — Idaho State University researchers in Meridian and Pocatello are recruiting infants, children and adults to participate in a study to develop new ways to assess middle-ear function.
Researchers are seeking participants in the following age groups: 6 months to 5 years, 10-15, 20-30, 45-55 and 65-75. Participants should be in good health without a history of middle-ear surgery or chronic middle-ear disease and will receive $10.
All that’s required is an hour-long visit to hearing labs on the Meridian or Pocatello campus for a hearing test and evaluation. Some participants may be
asked to return for follow-up testing, say organizers.
The study is funded by a three-year, $426,000 grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
Researchers Chris Sanford, Gabriel Bargen and Jeff Brockett are exploring how age-related changes in the middle ear can influence the latest tests of middle-ear function.
“Because the middle ear plays a vital role in how we hear by moving sound into the inner ear, it is important to know how this transfer of sound is changed as we age or as a result of illness or injury,” said Sanford, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
He notes that some middle-ear disorders left untreated can lead to hearing loss.
For questions or to schedule an appointment, email isuaudlab@isu.edu or call (208) 373-1722 in Meridian and 208-282-3072 in Pocatello.