Grant Award: $90,400
Principal Investigator: Philippe Fournier, Ph.D.
Institution: Université Laval, CIRRIS Research Center (Interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration)
Co-Investigators: Christine Turgeon, Ph.D. Université Laval, CIRRIS Research Center (Interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration)
Collaborators: François Bergeron, Ph.D Université Laval, CIRRIS Research Center (Interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration), Guillaume T. Vallet, Ph.D. Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, CRIUGM Research Center, Jeanne Choquette President of the user’s association ‘’Audition Québec”, Nicolas Rouleau, M.Sc. (Audiology) Audiologist, Cochlear Implant Program, CHU de Québec, Anne-Marie Vincent Program Lead for Hearing Impairment (ages 0–17) and Cochlear Implant (all ages) CHU de Québec, Arnaud J. Noreña, Ph.D. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Aix-Marseille University, Nicolas Detroy, Ph.D. candidate Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Aix-Marseille University, Pierre H. Bourez, Ph.D. candidate Université Laval, CIRRIS Research Center (Interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration), Sandra Fortin, Ph.D. candidate Université Laval, CIRRIS Research Center (Interdisciplinary Centre for Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration)
Project Summary:
Noise is the second most significant source of environmental pollution impacting health, linked to fatigue, stress, irritability, sleep problems, and difficulty concentrating. People living with hearing conditions such as tinnitus, hyperacusis (increased sensitivity to loud sounds), or hearing loss are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of noise. Even individuals who use hearing aids (HAs) or cochlear implants (CIs) to compensate for hearing loss often report significant noise-related discomfort, especially during the early stages of device use. This project will apply two recently developed and validated methods to assess noise sensitivity in new HA and CI users.
These methods were originally tested in individuals with hyperacusis, a condition known for extreme sound sensitivity. The first method involves presenting brief natural sound excerpts at various volumes and asking participants to rate how pleasant and loud the sounds are. The second method places participants in a circle of loudspeakers and asks them to read while a soundscape (e.g., café noise or crowd chatter) is gradually made louder. Researchers then determine the sound level at which the participant can no longer concentrate (annoyance threshold) and when the sound becomes too loud to tolerate (discomfort threshold). The study will assess participants before their first fitting, shortly afterward, and again after six months of device use. This research aims to better understand how HA and CI users adapt to noise and could lead to improved rehabilitation strategies that validate patient experiences and optimize device use in noisy environments.