We are currently running an NIH-sponsored study of hearing and we invite your participation. The test session will be on average roughly 2 hrs long but sometimes takes a little longer.
Our study records soft sounds from the ear with a comfortable ear bud that contains a microphone. This might sound odd to you but the ear does indeed make sound! In the process of “hearing” and sending the message up to the brain for interpretation, the ear creates its own sounds and they travel back into the ear canal where we measure them with this ear bud. These are called otoacoustic emissions (OAES). They are absolutely non-invasive to measure and the test requires no response from the participant.
Currently OAEs are measured in hearing clinics and hospitals to screen for or detect hearing loss. However, in this study we are more interested in learning about how normal hearing works.
If you participate, you will be asked to sit quietly (in an almost meditative state so as to minimize environmental noise) while an ear bud fit to your ear canal presents sounds. Your job is just to sit as still and calmly as possible while we record the sounds that come from your ears in response to the sounds we present. We will also do hearing tests and a test of middle-ear function to see how your eardrum is moving.
Parking is provided and you will be reimbursed $20 for a 2-hr test session; $10/hr if the test requires additional time.
If you are interested in this study and would like to participate, please contact us!
The Principal Investigator of this study is Christopher Shera, PhD, Professor of Otolaryngology, USC Keck School of Medicine [IRB HS-13-00533].